Wooden Boat People
By McKenzieDriftBoat.com
In need of direction
Hi everyone,
My name is Chris and I have been a guide and casting instructor for many years in Redding, CA. I got out of the industry roughly a year ago and now have decided that it was time to have the boat I always wanted. I am in a place where my clients will no longer beat up my boat so I am ready to ditch the tupperware and go wood.
I just finished reading Roger Fletcher's book and I have been dreamming of building a boat for as long as I've been fishing in the West.
I have read the disscussion on this site and others about stich and glue vs. board and batton and eventually would like to do both.
For me, having done just about every project in and around the house including a two tierd deck around an imperial palm tree, but no work with epoxy or fiberglass, I am leaning towards a framed boat.
I have done some searching locally and it is impossible to find the lumber that is called for in the book. I could order some of it but others are not an option.
Are there any alternitives to the frame lumber?
I've been told that Clear Vertical Grain lumber would have to be special orderd and quite expensive. I am also told that it would be very difficult to find chines and gunnels of appropiate length.
Should someone in my position buy a kit? I was really trying to build this on my own as I really prefer to DIY.
Any advice for a first timer would be greatly welcomed.
Chris King
My name is Chris and I have been a guide and casting instructor for many years in Redding, CA. I got out of the industry roughly a year ago and now have decided that it was time to have the boat I always wanted. I am in a place where my clients will no longer beat up my boat so I am ready to ditch the tupperware and go wood.
I just finished reading Roger Fletcher's book and I have been dreamming of building a boat for as long as I've been fishing in the West.
I have read the disscussion on this site and others about stich and glue vs. board and batton and eventually would like to do both.
For me, having done just about every project in and around the house including a two tierd deck around an imperial palm tree, but no work with epoxy or fiberglass, I am leaning towards a framed boat.
I have done some searching locally and it is impossible to find the lumber that is called for in the book. I could order some of it but others are not an option.
Are there any alternitives to the frame lumber?
I've been told that Clear Vertical Grain lumber would have to be special orderd and quite expensive. I am also told that it would be very difficult to find chines and gunnels of appropiate length.
Should someone in my position buy a kit? I was really trying to build this on my own as I really prefer to DIY.
Any advice for a first timer would be greatly welcomed.
Chris King
Views: 203
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Bryan McDade on
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Chris, I went throught this dilema myself when deciding to start on a boat. I live near San Francisco. You can get Alaska Yellow Cedar from your local lumber yard all though you will have to have it special ordered. Some wood distributors like Disdero Lumber in Portland or Orepac will carry it or be able to get it. Kuzman Forest Products does alot of work with cedar in Hillsboro, Or. These guys usuallly have scheduled delivery routes to your local Lumber Yard. Meeks Lumber, I think in your area. If you still can't find what you need, post a note here and I will track some down for you (former lumber broker). You can get CVG fir in the lengths you need, but your right, it is very expensive. An alternative would be to use Ipe or "iron wood" . It is commonly used as a decking now and resists rot, is virtually clear, and relatively inexpensive. Weight can be an issue though as it is really dense. A kit is a great way to go as you will save a ton of time and worry about whether you are milling the material correctly and not wasting it. I guess it depends on how confident you are in your woodworking abilities. Like you, I have built and repaired almost everything around the house, but never had any experience with actual milling materials and intricate woodworking. If it helps, I am getting the job done, slow but steady. There have been some head scratchers but between this site and stubbornness, it is getting done.
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Permalink Reply by jb on
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Chris,
If lumber is expensive, the you won't save much. You will get plenty of satisfaction with a kit while being assured of a great final product.
Just a thought, jb
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Permalink Reply by lhedrick on
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First of all the idea that a wood boat won't hold up like a tupperware boat is not accurate. A wood boat is better, lighter (like 100 pounds) and only needs a little maintenance. Years ago my father built boats with frames and plywood. I build frameless. If you want frames because of the classic look that's fine. I kid of have the feeling that frames clutter up the inside. Not trying to start anything I just like the inside without frames. It is my view that both boats are durable enough for whatever task you will take on.
If you are in CA I am sure you can find the marine plywood you need. MacBeath hardwoods has several locations in CA
macbeath.com
If I can get marine plywood in Salt Lake I am sure you can find it in your location. Just don't expect to get it at Home Depot. Forget about trying to find gunwale stock which is 14 feet long. If you happen to find a piece of oak or ash fine but, plan on scarf joining 2 pieces to make the length you need. I just did it in the last few days. I built a simple jig out of scrap plywood. I can point you to the images to see it.
As for epoxy/fiberglass work it's no big deal. Read the user manual at
http://raka.com/
very good prices on epoxy and fiberglass. I have been using it for years.
As for the kit issue. A drift boat hull is made of 4 sheets of plywood. The scarf joint is the only part you will need to figure out and Rogers book explains how to do it with a hand plane. It's not hard. As for all the other difficult parts, well, there aren't any. While a drift boat chine is curved, the cut on the plywood is a straight line. Rogers plans show this also. Look at the plans in the book for the double enders. All straight cuts. The bottom is curved but that is very easy. Take a look at a wood sea kayak. I have built both drift boats and kayaks and the individual hull panels of a sea kayak are a thousand times more complex then the side panels of a drift boat.
Also check out
montana-riverboats.com
good plans for a 14 footer and plenty of help available there.
Just dig in and get started. You will enjoy the process, the results and your boat will be something other then tupperware.
L
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Permalink Reply by Randy Dersham on
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http://www.almquistlumber.com/about.html
Above is a link to almquist lumber in Arcata, CA. They are one of the best boat material suppliers on the West Coast. If you want to build from plans I recommend you try these guys out.
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Permalink Reply by Dave Z on
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If I can find marine woods in SW PA, you can surely find some with a little internet search.
Call local sawmills with a kiln, and you will find your extra long pieces for chines/rails. I purchased 18' sections of 8/4 by 5/8" white oak for my current project. no scarfing here. I just called around. On previous boats I scarfed the rail sections with a 10:1 scarf. not hard. hand plane or belt sander, choose your weapon.
Regardless of what you decide, frames, no frames, or kit, if you stick with it, you will have a servicable boat.
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Permalink Reply by Chris King on
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Thanks for your advice guys!
Can someone tell me about how much epoxy I would need for a 16x48 double ender with a transom?
I am trying to build a material list and get an idea of a cost to run by the boss.
Thanks,
Chris
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We ship a 3 gal kit if the bottom is going to be fiberglassed. 1-1/2 gal will likely do it if you are careful not to waste too much and you are only going to soak coat the bottom and sides.
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