It Happened today!!  Wasn't expecting to be ready for this event for another couple three weeks, but all of the sudden things started coming together and Santa Delivered this boat to me, after nine months of fun-fun building and much learning.

Boat plugs?? - no problemo, I haven't drilled the holes yet!

Refurbing the trailer before the big day

The Moment of Truth after so much head scratching, hoping, and fun building.  This photo angle shows the strakes I added below the chine logs - to help prevent skidding.

VIOLA VIOLA VIOLA  WOW WOW WOW -- after nine months of total pleasure of this building project.  It FLOATS!!.  And it sits pretty level in the water.  This Yamaha 760 Waverunner jetski motor/pump didn't have a reverse hardware so it was a challenge to get it going in the right direction, quite a strong wind today too. Banged into the Dock -- wearing gloves and didn't work well with the "stop" button.  Managed to get it into open water and found a short section of  water quiet enough to use full throttle - had runs of 32, then 38, then 42 mph as measured on the rear water wheel w/digital readout. Jumped out of the hole in about four boat lengths.

So So happy with how the boat performed.  Couple things I want to address -- the noise thing......, way too obnoxious for me...... Will try lining the inside of the motor and pump "box" with maybe 1" foam to try and alleviate the motor noise.  I love drifting down a remotely located stream and hear nothing except the occasional slap of the oars.

Next part of this project will be a hybrid oar building project thing - I think I will try a microlaminate (1/4" veneers or thinner w/10 oz between each) for the shaft with the veneers vertical to  maximize bendability,  then a  blade of fiberglass with possibly a foam interior top profile to create a high flotation  oar that you don't have to drag up out of the water after resting the oars while releasing that steelhead....  I tried that flotation idea when I owned a

14'  aluminum "whitewater mfg" driftboat for several years -- worked great.  All wooden oars probably wouldn't present that problem - the oars I had then were all Plastic.

Back in the barn. Tonight 12/29/10.  I want to present a full picture story of my building experience with this project, which started when I bought the jetski about March of this year (2010).  Would you knowledgeable people with this woodenboatpeople.com tell me how to make this presentation -- I have a lot of pictures -- and I can be a wordy person.....  a blog??  a remote site that can be linked? -- don't want to Hog the pages in this wonderful website.  I have stolen so many great ideas from Woodenboatpeople - thank you so much Randy.