I finally got some photos up! Turns out she's a '66 Cruisers! She is a project..

Randy, Steve Sobba again. Have my triaxal glass from Fiberglass Supply. We are having some warms days here... over 100 My shop stays mid 80s. What is the best way to apply this to the bottom...work time is limited just applying it not because of the temperature. I can't get it all applied in one work session. Using System 3 with medium hardener ... The bottom has 2 coats of clear coat and sanded. What is better... one coat over entire bottom and attach cloth....Come back later and fill in the weave with more epoxy, maybe a day or two or more before I can get back to it? Do I need to wait and pick a day when it can all be finished at one time? Or start at one end coat a small area, attach and wet out move on to anther small area come back when I can and continue until finished? What would you suggest. Thanks Steve

Randy added a few of last years construction. Will ad more soon. I am in the process of clear coating with System 3 epoxy . Steve

Thanks Randy for the welcome, will send photos as soon as I can. Steve

Thanks Randy,

I just left the same reply to Rick:

I'm located in Tampa, FL. Not exactly drift boat country, but I it a place where exotic, shallow-draft flats boats are produced. Unfortunately, almost all are made of composites that don't include wood. I'd like to change that. At least for my own personal use. I think that some of the experience you folks have, especially with combining plywood with high performance core materials, could help me out. Your drift boats show a lot of similarities with some of the hard chine boats down here, especially the Maverick HPX (MBCboats.com). Although they look very different, you'll see the same use of card chine and straight planes that lend themselves to plywood construction. I have some drawings, lots ideas and lots of questions. Hope you're willing to tolerate a flats guy who loves the look and smell of wood.

Hi Randy, thanks so much for your note. We were lucky to be able to capture the original boats lines right off the existing bulkheads. Since the decking was blown off somewhere on the ghost run from above Lava Falls to Lake Mead in 1958, we have a birds eye view of most of the inside of the boat. Drawing a set of plans for the GEM was straightforward. A lazer tool for cliff dwellings? How about that! Take care, yours, Tom

Randy,

Thanks for all the information. Before this site came along I had thought of using an open source content system for dory builders which I could host on my own server. But, open source software is almost never fully baked, the install process is usually a pain and I no longer have the energy for software after fighting it for 30 years. The pimpmydory site is just a raw HTML based site and takes too much time to fool with.

I had not heard of dyna cnc or pro chine. I will make some time to dig into them a bit. A while back I started evaluating Rhino but, didn't get very far.

Larry

Randy, the fact that you have this site available is great. It is a wonderful resource for people like me that know very little. kudos.

Hi Randy,

I have been around boat building for most of my life. Like you I made my living in the software business for almost 30 years. Network and server software.

Your (this site) is quite extensive. I have a few question if you are willing to share a bit of information.

What content system are you using and does it use MYSQl as the data store?

------
As for boats. I have designed some kayak hulls using some free software called free ship. Kayak hull panels are very complex compared to the straight lines of a dory. Free ship is a bit limited and the support is tough. I am hesitant to pay for the software license if I don't know what support I will have.

What software do you use to work on you hull designs?

Do you use shopbot CNC systems or something more high end.

Larry

Hi Randy,
Thank you for the nice compliment. I'm getting to be an old hand at this sort of work.
;o)

I really like the forum page so I decided to join. Tons of great information from like minded folks. I appreciate that!
Cheers!
Tom

Hi Randy
I' still pondering my drift boat. I live here on the Rogue at Griffin Park. I'm looking for a boat I can use as well will accomadate two other anglers if I needed to. I also want to be able to put a small outbord on it so I could motor to Finley bend and drift back to Griffin or Hog creek at those times when that is the happing spot and I wouldn't need a shuttle. It would be used for fly fishing out of and I would like it to be low sided so getting in and out in waders is easy. I would want knee locks in front and back. I like the look of steambent ones. i also like the folding chair you show on the blog site. If I ordered from you I would also buy a trailer and come up and pick up the package.
Mark Heskett

Thanks for the welcome! You have created a very cool site. I loved wooden drift boats and it has been a real treat looking and the pictures and reading the posts. Nice to find similar interests.

Thanks Randy! I have a 15' aluminum boat I fish for Springers/Steelhead in the Willamette below the Oregon City Falls, but would really love to build a wood driftboat for the lower Clackamas and Sandy Rivers.

Wooden Boat People looks like a great place to learn and enjoy the hobby. I'm looking at many plans right now, but will definitely be asking questions.

Thanks again,

Tony

All good things must pass. My local lumber yard told me they
could get AA Marine Fir for 45 bucks a sheet, delivered.
I used to think fir was fine. If you were going to paint anyway,
who cares about all those plugs?

But then we heard about the guy who recently bought AA Marine fir
and it only had 3 pies.....and it broke when he bent it.
I think I'll buy a sheet of that stuff, just to see what it is.

Hi Randy,
I'm not even getting to the screen to download, when I click to begin, the screen goes dull and locks up and I have to close the browser....probably something with wonderful Vista; I can upload pics when I leave replies to others, but I cannot load pics to my page. We'll figure it out eventually, no biggie. Hope winter is going ok for you. Cheers, Jeff

Thanks Randy, Unfortunately I won't make the show this year. I am taking a break from Livingston and myself and family will be moving to Glacier Park for the summer and running a boat tour location there. These are the boats I grew up on, built by the Railroad in the 20's; they are great old carvel planked larch on oak frames 45-63'. So I'll be going up mid may to do some work on the boats and get them ready to launch and will miss the show.
Here's some links to the boats:
http://www.glacierparkboats.com/
http://www.jpbellphotography.com/

Hi Randy,
We're looking forward to coming back to the Mckenzie, Cathy has a business trip to San Antonio on the 26th of April, so we're looking at flights for her from Eugene, but we hope to see you and Deb.
On another note, any time I try to upload a pic to the site, my computer locks up and barfs. I'm using Vista here on my laptop, is that the problem?
Cheers,
Jeff in Jackson

Randy,
Thanks for the nice comments on picture sequence of the Wild and Scenic. I like that last picture too because it makes me and my little drift boat look soo small in the grand scheme of the "bigness" of that run. It was truly a thrill to do that stretch in a wooden boat. I'm looking forward to a return trip - hope it's with you. GH

RE> plywood with Okoume core and mahogany (sepele?) faces
sounds interesting. I went to the world panel website and
didn't see it there. I'll have to call I guess. I'd like to buy some.

With your annual boat show, which brings so many people together
all in one place, I wonder if it wood make sense to try a
group order......If we could get 100 sheets of plywood delivered
to one spot, and then divied up to a dozen or more builders
who brought trailers with them, would we save any money?
Maybe not. I don't know. But plywood sure is getting expensive.