I'm trying to decide on a finish for z-drifter build

I'm having a blast with my z-drifter build.  Soon I'll need to add protection to the inside and outside.

I plan on dropping it in some small creeks and rivers in South Central Alaska.  It will not see saltwater, but it may scrape on gravel and bump a rock or two.

My current plan is to glass the bottom ( 1/2 inch ply) with 20 oz fabric and epoxy.  I'll add rub rails. 

I'm reading all over the this site for the best way to finish the inside.  Any suggestions appreciated.  The more I read, the more I just don't know what to go with.  The season here is not very long - May - October.  and I put the boat away.  I'm not against painting it, but oiling it is appealing. 

Thanks for the help.

Views: 943

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Robert on March 15, 2015 at 10:20am

This is an image of my dad and his 1-car garage.  It is working out to be a great boat-building shop.  This pic is before we routed off the bottom. 

Plans for the first boat we built together are still hanging on the wall.  The rowboat just needs seats and oarlocks.  I wanted to get started on the drift boat as soon as I saw how quickly we knocked together the rowboat. 

The transoms are both an inch shorter than the plans call for due to the beveled cuts I needed to make.  I anticipated losing some width and height, so I extended the interior trim on the transoms to accommodate the cuts, but I didn't oversize the transom plywood enough.  I don't think an inch will matter in this case.

Permalink Reply by Robert on March 16, 2015 at 11:12pm

I have a question.  I don't have a drift boat in my area to measure.  I'm wondering about the distance between the outside rail (and plywood side) and the inside rail sitting away from the side separated by the frame.  I was going to make it 3/4 of an inch off, leaving a 3/4 inch gap.  It isn't enough to put a fingers in, which is want i didn't want, but enough to allow rope to be threaded through.  Is there a standard width?

Permalink Reply by Rick Newman on March 17, 2015 at 7:16am

The inner gunwales are commonly connected to the side frame members which controls the width. The outer gunwales are flush with the plywood. See the attached pictures. You can also view the pictures of boat details that I have posted on my page, take a look the the albums there.

Permalink Reply by Mike Baker on March 17, 2015 at 6:47pm

Hey Robert,

The distance between the gunnels typically is 1 1/2" to allow for an oar block to be bolted between the two.

Mike

Permalink Reply by Robert on March 21, 2015 at 9:16pm

Thanks Mike.  I tapered the frames too much to allow 1.5 inch.  Ended up with 1 1/8 inch, wide as I could do it.  It is enough to get my fingers in and out without getting caught. 

RSS

© 2024   Created by Randy Dersham.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service