My First Build (Freestone Guide)

Well, I decided to start building a boat around two months ago. I entertained this idea a few years back but never pursued the idea. I started fly fishing and saw the need for a boat. I could have bought a used boat for around the same overall cost, after you include a trailer. But what fun is that? No beauty in a boat like that.

I decided on the Freestone Guide. I have already modified my side panels adding a recurve. I couldnt get exact dimensions on this so I had to wing it. Who knows how she will shape up. I can always take more out if I dont like it.

Here is a photo of the work area, my dads shop. We will have to tear down a wall to get the boat out! His idea, I only obliged to it being a good one!

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Permalink Reply by Don Hanson on May 17, 2013 at 5:45am

  Okoume is a real pleasure to work with.   Your pictured plane is a Jointer plane, long-shoe type, I think.  A quality hand tool, well-sharpened and tuned will often out-perform a power tool.  When I cut a scarf on fir ply (not nearly as easy as Okoume to work) I rough it in with a power planer and finish it with a 12 jointer plane.

Permalink Reply by Rick Newman on March 15, 2013 at 8:54am

Josh, your build is looking good, keep posting!

Rick Newman

Permalink Reply by Josh Wieschowski on March 15, 2013 at 9:01am

Thanks Rick! Its a labor of LOVE!!

Thanks for the posting pictures tip, Ill look for that icon next time. Your build there, what kind of compound are you using to fair with? It almost looks like bondo?

Permalink Reply by Rick Newman on March 15, 2013 at 9:39am

My side panels were coated with epoxy, System III. Since I purchased the kit from a guy in Bellingham, Washington it has been eight years since it was transported first to his barn and then to my house. The parts were stored in the garage while I rebuilt it and suffered some damage. Don't ever use your boats panels as a workbench to build your wife's fireplace mantle.it is real easy for your bevel drive saw to run on and through a 1/4" piece of wood.

also don't leave your partially completed boat out in the front yard when winds of 60 plus MPH are expected. Look at some of my posting and you can see the damage.

So I was going to spray a polyurethane stain to help cover up or blend in the damage, that's where I learned you need to size the aperture on your HVLP gun to the correct size or you will get blobs of paint and poor coverage. Then I got to resand the panels again. I did repaint it with some lighter stain but was disapointed with the wood pores showing through unevenly. Unacceptable. I try some wood putty as an experiment. No luck. Then I tried an older can of cheap autobody filler. Not acceptable.

There are several good autobody paint and supply stores around. So I asked for their suggestions and came up with the filler you saw. It has Kevlar fibers and seems to bond real well with  the wood/epoxy combo I have. For the most part any filling I have done is just a few thousandths of an inch thick. I then use autobody glaze to fill the very minor issues.

Just yesterday I was at the store and one of the more helpful guys suggested that I need to seal everything under a coat of primer. So I am using another automotive high-build primer. A couple of coats of that combined with a 17" hard rubber sanding block and 320 grit paper should give me a great surface for  the two part water based polyurethane industrial paint I am going to use.

It is made by Comex which is also called Parker Paints. I got a custom color brewed up, sort of a cross between the Alaskan Yellow Cedar and the Sapelle plywood. This paint is used in industrial applications where toughness and durability is required. Since I have been working on this boat for so long I have had penty of time to research products. I don't want to have to reapply varnish and sand it every few years. So on top of several coats of the color I will spray several coats of their gloss finish. The same paint just clear.

Can you say obsessed? I can. I really enjoy the process and the learning of new techniques. The boat "furniture", seats, seat frames, plywood etc is sprayed with a single part polyurethane from Woodcraft. You can see here where the low spots are prior to the start of the filling process. The stain wasn't removed there. I use an autobody "torture board" to block the surface so that the high spots are knocked down so I know ehre to apply filler. The length of the board keeps me from creating dips and such. I don't move the board in one direction, instead in multiple directions to avoid and parallel scratches from being formed. I started with 80 then 120, 150, 180, 200 and finally 220 before I will apply the primer. It has been a slow process for two reasons, one I am a perfectionist and two it has been winter here and I don't like to wet sand at 32 F.You can see here the results of sanding, autobody filler and glaze. This side is closer than the other a couple of more hours and it will be ready for primer.

I hope that this wasn't too much info. I will have this boat at the 8th Annual McKenzie River Wooden Boat Festival on April 27th. That is my promise to myself.

Rick Newman

Permalink Reply by Phillip Westendorf on March 15, 2013 at 5:09pm

Hey Rick,

Nice Job!  Been waiting to see some pics of your build.  Keep them coming!

Josh,

The panels are looking nice, keep us informed to your progress.  Would like to see some of the detail of the S & G process as it comes together.

G'Luck

Dorf

Permalink Reply by Josh Wieschowski on March 15, 2013 at 7:19pm

Oh dont worry Phil! I will be taking pictures along the way. I am excited beyond belief to see her stitched up and it looks like that process will be happening in the morning now instead of Sunday.

Nothing to this point has been difficult whatsoever. Im looking forward to working with the wood on the interior and stitchin er up is a move in the right direction.

 

Permalink Reply by Rick Newman on March 16, 2013 at 6:02am

Phil, thanks, I just picked up a straight line sander from Harbor freight. It is pneumatically / air powered, hopefully my $50 air compressor will provide enough CFM to operate it. If so this should speed up the operation. I have been tying lots of creative steelhead flies, however they didn't help me catch any! I thought about you and your wife's concerns about steep canyon roads when I drove up and down the Rattlesnake grade into the Grand Ronde River in Southwest Washington near Clarkston, Washington and Lewiston, Idaho. Not only are there plenty of rattlesnakes in the area the road resembles a curled up rattlesnake as it follows the contours of the hills. I love the road, but not everyone does.

Rick Newman

Permalink Reply by Phillip Westendorf on March 16, 2013 at 6:12am

Rick,

Be careful with that sander.  It's a great tool but go easy, too coarse of a grit and a little too much pressure and you'll be into the plys real fast.  Don't ask me how I know! 

Start with about 180 or finer grit until you get the feel of it.

G'Luck.

Dorf

ps:  My kinda roads!  Flat is boring!

Permalink Reply by Josh Wieschowski on March 16, 2013 at 1:27pm

She is stitched up! Small problem though, the side panels werent long enough to make it to the transom!? Not sure why this happened. I know I lost length in my scarfs but I havent taken to time to figure my error. Ill have to look into that.

Now Im debating on cutting a wider transom or adding overall length to the entire boat. If Im gonna scarf to add length to my side panels I might as well add a little length overall?

It will be decision making time later. As for now......the pics!

Permalink Reply by tungsten on March 17, 2013 at 8:58am

Boat looks great Josh,I'll be doing the same thing on my next build.Recurve that is.The transom short fall can be fixed by adding a curved one.A little challenging but will be functional and good looking.

Permalink Reply by Josh Wieschowski on March 17, 2013 at 7:12pm

A little over five weeks! No problem right :)

Permalink Reply by Josh Wieschowski on March 17, 2013 at 2:48pm

Yeah, I thought about that and I love the way it looks but I really want the option for a motor. I will really only use the motor in the winter when Im steelheading but a curved transom eliminates that option and as cool as it looks, this boat wont have it.

I decided to go ahead and make a new transom to fit, I lost roughly three inches in total length. That sucks but its not the end of the world.

One dimension I failed to notice. 13'3" was suppose to be the length of the bottom of the side panels. Dont ask my how I failed to see this dimension in my plans but I did? Oh well, moving on and tomorrow I will add the filets and biaxial tape to the inside chine, stem, and transom.

Life goes on! Happy St. Patty's Day!

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