Wooden Boat People
By McKenzieDriftBoat.com
Made a decision. Oiled skid shoe
If you've read my other posts, I was undecided on doing a glass bottom like my other boats, or a skid shoe.
Skid shoe it is! on this one. I oiled the heck out of the 1/2" fir bottom today. I got 2 coats on, the wood sucked every drop of 1 litre. 50/50 mix of turp and boiled linseed oil.
I was supposed to be fishing today-BWOs are on and the weather is mild.
About 20 miles into the trip, smoked my motor. Yeah, that bad.
So..... Got home, worked on the boat and called dealers. I'm unfortunately in need of a new truck. This old one is a total loss.
Not one to stand around too long, I decided to make a phone call, located some AC fir plywood for the skid shoe. Picking the wood up tomorrow. So I oiled my boat bottom to receive it. Can't go back now.
Now back to the agony of searching for the right truck at the right price.
Skid shoe it is! on this one. I oiled the heck out of the 1/2" fir bottom today. I got 2 coats on, the wood sucked every drop of 1 litre. 50/50 mix of turp and boiled linseed oil.
I was supposed to be fishing today-BWOs are on and the weather is mild.
About 20 miles into the trip, smoked my motor. Yeah, that bad.
So..... Got home, worked on the boat and called dealers. I'm unfortunately in need of a new truck. This old one is a total loss.
Not one to stand around too long, I decided to make a phone call, located some AC fir plywood for the skid shoe. Picking the wood up tomorrow. So I oiled my boat bottom to receive it. Can't go back now.
Now back to the agony of searching for the right truck at the right price.
Views: 239
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Rick Newman on
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Sorry to hear about your motor. Glad to hear you made a decision on the skid shoe, what thickness? Also sorry to hear about your truck dying. Hope you find the right deal. Hope you share the pictures of the install with us.
Rick Newman
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Permalink Reply by Dave Z on
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Rick,
That truck had over 210K on it, a cracked windshield and didn't start well in cold weather. I basically drove it to work and back. Had it for years, and it never gave me any real problems.
I'm really bummed that now I will most likely have a car payment, and in these times that is bad news.
I'm looking and will probably settle for a plain old pu truck. Nothing fancy, just reliable. with a hitch.
I will certainly share pics of the bottom install. Right now there is a 1/2" fir floor, and I will be putting a 1/4" fir skid shoe over that. Then I will install the chine battens, with plenty of goop sealing the end grain.
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Permalink Reply by mitchell on
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Dave,
I was wondering if your going to apply either a layer of coat-it or gluvit to the bottom of the skid shoe once you've got it on?
If so, my vote is coat-it. I've used both and for me coat-it was by far a better product. It takes a hit without cracking and chipping out later on like gluvit does.
I put a few more hits in my boat bottom yesterday. I just don't know where those boulders came from.
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mitchell,
Not sure. I may oil the heck out of it and just leave it wood. I'll look into the coat-it stuff, I've not used it before.
Dave
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Permalink Reply by Jonathan Clarke on
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I believe mitchell is referring to Coat-It epoxy from TAP plastics. It's black with Kevlar fibers in it. I have two coats of it on the bottom of my boat. I believe I made an error when I didn't bed fiberglass cloth into it, but it's still remarkably tough stuff. I like it.
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Permalink Reply by Randy Dersham on
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Thanks for the update Dave. I'd love to have you post photos before you launch and after the first season. Sandy and I are going to do the same with a few things we are experimenting with and it would be good fun to find a way to collect the information into a database that we can search.
I want to add a bit of history to this conversation. Before UHMW was used as a shoe many boats were using a product called Fin-Ply This very high quality product was introduced to Keith Steele and Willard Lucus in the 1970s by Bill Neel an architect that was using Fin-Ply products on his projects. Bill Neel was the president of the Eugene Oregon McKenzie Flyfishers in 1971 and in his younger years ran gear boats for local McKenzie Guides. Today he lives on the Copper Windmill Ranch just outside of Eugene and is very involved with mule team driving competitions.
Fin-Ply makes a number of different products. One of them is a super tough plywood made for building concrete forms. I believe this is the version of Fin-Ply that was used.
I know a contractor on the McKenzie River that told me at the show last year that he still has a piece of Fin-Ply from the 1970s in the attic of his garage that he purchased years ago as a replacement for a bottom on his Willard Lucas boat. I'll see if I can find a way to get it to the April boat show. It would be interesting to have a look.
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Great idea Randy. I certainly will be posting photos, and it would be great to monitor how these things hold up with use.
I looked up Fin-ply as I heard of this on Keith Steele boats too. Apparently it is an impregnated or heat treated plywood. Located a source, and its not cheap, but I bet it holds up.
The Fin-ply stuff today, at least here in the east is a Pine/Southern Yellow Pine variety.
Do you know how he attached it? Was it oil between the sheets? Any sealant? Was it put on before the chine batten or after?
I should have this done by mid week. I'm still working out the truck ordeal, and there is some potential fishing tomorrow!
Dave
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I'm not sure how or if the Fin-Ply was sealed. It was screwed on so that it could be easily changed.
I'll be getting together with (Stan and Steve Steele, Keith Steele's sons) mid next week. I'll ask them about the traditional instillation. Roger Fletcher might also know.
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