Wooden Boat People
By McKenzieDriftBoat.com
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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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Josh Wieschowski on
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And fancy wooden nets Chris! I play guitar but..............these pieces of 4A maple were not big enough for anything like that. I also have a 5A piece of quilted maple that is 10" x 26" x 7/8" thick. It is by far the most beautiful piece of wood I have ever seen! I plan to make 6 small net handles from it! I paid $93 dollars for it on ebay with free shipping. I was willing to pay more though so I figure I got a deal!!!??
Thanks for the compliments though!!
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Permalink Reply by chris towles on
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Fair enough. That's nice work you've done there. As a musician, I always want wood like that to make instruments and sing. I am a bit of a collector in some ways, here's a few of mine that have nice maple. Little OT, but we are talkin nice wood here
http://instagram.com/p/Sb_6CKld5h/
http://instagram.com/p/SwiWTuFd9T/
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Those are beautiful Chris!! I especially love the mandy!!
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Permalink Reply by Phillip Westendorf on
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Josh,
I like the seating pedestals and floor sections. Is the ballast for the floors your wife's new bath or kitchen floor? Good idea, eh. The layout does make for easy movement in the boat and looks clean.
I love that net, nice use of woods to make it look like a piece of art.
Dorf
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Thanks Dorf! Yeah the woods really compliment eachother. There will be one more pedestal seat in the middle for the guide seat. I will leave a space between that and the side dry storage for ease of movement fore and aft! Boat terms! Whatever, front and back! The guide seat pedestal is laminating in the shop right now. Hopefully I can install it tomorrow night after work. Then I can tinker with the side storage positioning!
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Actually Dorf, when we move out to the country.....hopefully this summer, I plan on building a custom bathtub, just like a boat except smaller and more "tub" functional. Lots of curves and inlays! Then Im gonna culture stone the wall all crazy like and have the faucet run down a waterfall to fill the tub! Should be pretty cool! First we need a house that this would work in, right now I live in town and it wouldnt be a strong selling point!
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Permalink Reply by tungsten on
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I notice it doesn't look like theres any scups in the raised floors.
What if anything did you put for support on the undersides of the raised floors?
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Tungsten, there are cleats on the inside of the aft "step". The front one has tapered pieces that are perpendicular to the step that run toward the bow on both sides of the pedestal seat. A small pieces in put in in front of the pedestal, bridging the other two.
I hope my description isnt to confusing. Basically, the front has little "joists" that support the floor. They are filet'd in place, then the floor is put on top of them!
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Ah yes I see should be good and strong,what about water?Or will these be sealed?The rear one where the anchor goes in I don't see any drainage(scups)
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Permalink Reply by Richard Elder on
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Watching you guys lace up a boat and then spend hours and weeks fairing the outside curved surface preparing it for paint or clear coat makes my back ache!
While still on the flat table:
1- Pre-coat the wood with an epoxy containing some UV resistance like WEST with special tropical hardner.
2- Use a yellow WEST thin foam roller for this coat and just wet out the wood. no puddles or bubbles. And don't do it while the shop is heating up and causing outgassing of the wood.
3- Before the pre coat has fully cured but is no longer tacky, wet out a layer of thin glass cloth and squeegee thoroughly.
4- Flow coat over the cured glass/epoxy surface:
Make up a 6" plastic bondo spreader as a serrated trowel by cutting 1/8 x1/8 notches out with a bandsaw. Pour the epoxy out generously and spread out evenly with the trowel. Go slowly to avoid bubbles. Then use a fully wetted out 7-9" thin foam roller to gently roll the surface until any trowel marks go away but no more. Let it stand and it will flow out into a mirror finish.
5- Throw away your in-line longboard sander. Don't let that thing near your boat! Buy a Hutchins orbital longboard if you want fast and easy, or use your orbital DA and finish with lots of hand work with a long board.
6- Start with 180 grit and finish with 320
After a couple of hours work you will have a perfectly flat, fully protected surface ready to paint or clear coat as soon as it is installed into the boat.
Spend your chiropractor savings on a new rod and reel and go fishing!
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Rich, this boat was glassed while on a flat surface. The pedestal seats were not because of it being such a radical curve, I wasnt sure how all that would fair out in the end so I elected to saturate the pedestals after installation!?
All of the varnishing will obviously be done at the end though. That will be work indeed!
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No time for working on my boat. I did however have to finish a net for a guy. My plan was to be floating in a month and catching fall run salmon. So much for that.
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