Wooden Boat People
By McKenzieDriftBoat.com
Journey of Building a 16' McKenzie River Drifter
Hello from Minnesota! Ever feel like you need a project? No, not a "weekend building of an Ikea shelving system", I mean a real manly project with bloody knuckles, sawdust and strange looks from the wife!
Maybe it is early onset mid-life crisis - maybe it is guilt for not following in a long familial line of foresters - but one day in January of 2014 I felt an inexplicable urge to build a wood drift boat to float the Upper Mississippi and Upper St. Croix, and for our once a year trip to the "Golden Triangle" near West Yellowstone, MT.
After hours of research (most of it spent trying to convince myself I was not going crazy), I settled on the classic lines of the Don Hill McKenzie River 16' Drift Boat and pulled the trigger to travel down a course as irreversible as the river itself.
What follows is my journey to make something beautiful with my two hands while raising a little girl and maintaining a healthy marriage. Tight lines and beautiful wood.
~~~ Gopher Dan ~~~
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Gopher Dan on
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Week 1:
Buy plans, CLEAN GARAGE, receive plans, order hardware online, discover no lumber yard carries suitable wood in Minnesota, make new friends at a specialty lumber store and marine shop.
The Plans: Okay, the plans are here and I am actually quite impressed with the lithographs & Polaroids. All kidding aside, the folks at Don Hill have put together a solid product in their plans. I read through the plans several times, watched the camcorder video, and started an Excel spreadsheet Bill of Materials to internalize it all.
The Review: Generally speaking, everything is honky "dory" with these plans, of course they are a little dated and the pictures are hard to see - but that is okay. About half the plans are diagrams of the components, and the remaining half are illustrations and step-by-step instructions. There are some inconsistencies in dimensions of lumber, which is probably a nominal to actual size conversion thing.
A Carpenter I am Not: Guess what Gopher Dan - carpenters talk in weird phrases like 4 quarters, which looks like this "4/4", which actually means the wood is not 1" thick but 3/4" thick. Got all that? Good - hang tight, we will come back to lumber shopping.
Nuts and Bolts, Nuts and Bolts, We Got ______ : Step 1 - go to Menards & Home Depot. Step 2 - realize nothing on the plans is stocked by said big box stores. Step 3 - Internet. Stainless steel is cool stuff - whoa is it spendy - but nothing but the best for my baby boat who is still in the womb. At $4 a gallon for gas, sometimes it really is better to shop online. After some comparison shopping, I bought all the stainless screws at McMaster-Carr ($152), and the bolts, washers and nuts at Bolt Depot ($43). I am still up in the air on the lag-style eye bolt, but I have about 6 months to think about it!
Meranti: Suitable wood in Minnesota for a drift boat that is meant to last is not really found at the big box stores. I called around for Meranti and found my new friend Andy at Midwest Boat Appeal in St. Bonifacius, MN. I think I will be talking to him a lot. He has a shipment coming in a few weeks - so I am on "the list" for the good stuff. His website isn't as nice as Noah's, but he is nearby so let's Meranti baby.
Lumber! Lumber. Lumber? Next step - lumber. Andy said White Oak is a good "reasonably-priced" option for the ribs. Youngblood Lumber in Minneapolis is one of the few local suppliers of any kind of wood that isn't pine or red oak - so to Youngblood I went on a cold and blustery Saturday morning. Did you know if you ask for a 1"x4" they look at you sort of weird at lumber yards? Neither did I. I guess I am going to be doing a lot of ripping of my own lumber. They had a small but quality stock of 10' long 5-14" pieces of White Oak - I purchased 27 board feet to start (ribs, bow stem, misc other).
Next post - cutting wood!
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Week 2 - Sunday - cutting wood.
Caution - rapids ahead! OK folks, I have cut wood before - usually results in bloody knuckles and a lot of saline solution - even with safety glasses.
Heck, I even HAVE a table saw (actually, my brother borrowed it - so I went to pick it up - breaking my Galaxy S4 phone while loading it). I can't really blame the cell phone on the boat project - so it doesn't get added to the project cost! How sharp is the blade on this thing? If you knew my brother... then you would know I had to actually repair the saw before I could even start it (lots of saw dust in the switch = no start). All is good - she works and we are off and running.
The Bow Stem: Let's start with one piece, the Bow Stem. Step 1 - back the cars out of the garage. Step 2 - Power Cords. Step 3 - Rip wood down to 1 3/4" by 4", Step 4 - angles. Wait, what, angles? Turns out I am going to have to pay attention here folks. Rip longitudinally at 45° - not a problem. Trim end at 43°. Done. Note to self - get a sharper saw blade ASAP! In case you wondered, I gave up on being exact and perfect
about 5 minutes into this thing - doing my best to keep it precise, but there will always be time for planing and sanding.
Rib Bottoms: More wood ripping to get the pieces down to 1"x4" nominal (3/4" x 3 1/2" actual). Not bad - support the wood on the backside with step ladder. Lots of angles to deal with here folks - you have the end cut angles, and ultimately the ends and bottom will have another angle. One of the keys to success is doing some quick math to maximize your lumber. This stuff is around $3.95 a board foot, which means a 3/4" x 4" x 48" costs about $5.26 - so don't waste any if you can help it.
Got a few bottom pieces cut today - wife has to leave for hockey - gotta sweep up - clean up and get back inside! Did I mention it is about to snow 7" tonight?
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Permalink Reply by Northstar Chris on
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Impressive work thus far Dan. Your table saw, I'm sure, appreciates getting back in to action. Glad it was a simple diagnosis. It allowed me to lay 875 sq. ft of oak hardwood seamlessly. I suppose a new blade would help ease the pain of the phone!
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Not the first or last time had to empty sawdust out of the switch. Did I ever mention - always - always - always have double wide glass patio doors professionally delivered.
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Permalink Reply by Phillip Westendorf on
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Gopher Dan,
Welcome to the site. Glad to see your pumped about the boat. Your among like company. As you progress you'll find lots of help along the way. Lots of good people here willing to help.
Look forward to following your build,
Dorf
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Love your narrative! I'll learn a lot about building my boat, watching you build yours. Looking forward to your progress. DMc
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Permalink Reply by Mike Baker on
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Hey Dan,
Welcome to the site. A couple of things, 4/4 wood is actually 15/16" thick. It is a rough sawn dimension allowing you to have a 3/4" thick piece of wood when it is finished. Just in case you were going to use it as is thinking it is 3/4" thick. That is why lumber is called 1x4 even though it is actually 3/4 x 3 1/2 (I read somewhere once that is why it is very difficult to export finished lumber from the U.S. as our measuring system of lumber is not accurate). I would recommend that you do all the long stock (handrails inner chine) at 5/8" not 3/4". Most lumber now is kiln dried and bending 3/4" kiln dried lumber is difficult that is what I call for in my plans and provide in my kits. It will be plenty strong enough. Good luck with your build and post lots of pics.
Mike
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Question: Mike - from what stock of wood do you produce 5/8" thickness for the rails?
Back to the Story:
An hour here, and hour there - and the bottom ribs are complete. More on that in a minute.
First, an introduction - this is Cody - you will see he is a fine English Springer Spaniel - about 1 paint stick wide, and 3.8 paint sticks long (not including tail). In the background is a typical suburban garage. This is where people that don't have workshops build boats.
Now, back to boat building....
Bottom ribs sure are fun - all those angles and sawdust in the nose. Good times. My daughter came in the garage and said "Papa, what IS that smell - it smells yucky", and I said "that is the smell of freshly cut oak and a REAL MAN!"
<*))))>< Helpful Hint #1: What you will quickly learn when you build a boat, is that you should mark everything with a pencil early on (helpful to also have an eraser). I haven't confirmed this yet, but I am sure it will save you much heartache later. Mark each side of the rib "BOW" or "STERN". Also make a note for which side (bow or stern) the side ribs will be fastened - it isn't the same side throughout the boat. You are dealing with many angles, and it is VERY easy to get things backwards, upside down and all around.
<*))))>< Helpful Hint #2: When you are using a saw - let it get to full RPM before cutting. It doesn't chip the wood. Luckily this will be solved by all the sanding that comes later. Sharp saw blades also help.
Question to self - Gopher Dan - how should I pick which side of the rib will face the bow and which to face the stern? Here is how I answer that question - I am usually the oarsman. As oarsman and "master" craftsman in the making, I get to look at my own work and be most critical. As such, pick the best side of the wood to face you - you won't regret it 4 hours into your float. Then once you decide - you can start cutting your angles.
I have left the final angle (24° bevel on the end of the rib in the below picture) to be handled at a future time. Note, my pencil marks are just notes - not the actual angle.
Well that is all for today folks - I do have a real job - but with this project most of my days and nights are spent lollygagging and dreaming about getting back to the saw.
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Gopher Dan,
Chalk ( the kind you children's teachers use) works real good for adding notes, etc. to the pieces and is more easily removed from the wood stock than pencil. Pencils still are preferred for marking lengths, angles, etc.
Just my $0,02 worth.
Dorf
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Good idea on the chalk, will save some time for sure.
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Dan,
I use 4/4 and run it through a planer. You could probably cut it down on the table saw.
Mike
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Week 2: Adhesives vs. Epoxy for Ribs & Mailbox Posts?
We got a lot of snow last night, and after several snow plow incidents over the last 2 weeks, I think the snow is all that is holding my mailbox together! Luckily my boat building will bring some new adhesives into the mix for repair in the spring.
When it comes to chemicals, there sure a lot of options - any simplification on what I need to buy would be most helpful so I can save a few trips back and forth to West Marine / Rockler / Big Box / Online (Jamestown).
From my hours and hours of surfing the web and the forums, here is what I have learned - please add some color to the conversation!
- 3M 5200 Sealant: Bedding compound for bottom of boat. Also can be used for fastening sides to bow stem and transom. Very permanent. It seems mahogany is the color of choice for Meranti.
- T-88 Epoxy / Titebond 3: Options for fastening wood together such as ribs. Dries clear.
- T-88 Epoxy: Scarfing plywood. Other options?
- 3M 5100 Sealant / Sikaflex 291 : Less permanent option for sealing behind pieces like chine battens that may have to be replaced over time.
- Epoxy: Used on boat sides, bottoms, and if desired interior. Numerous epoxy systems (West System 105 with 207 clear is the proven but $$$ choice). Here is a good link I found: http://www.oneoceankayaks.com/Epoxtest.htm
- Bottom Protection:
- I am not planning on a UHMW plastic of any sort.
- Fiberglass such as 20 oz. Triaxial laid into epoxy. Advantage seems to be you can see the wood. If you watch this video it makes me want to try something else other than Fiberglass: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WF0Bqcvvsg
- An alternate I recently learned of is an epoxy called Wearlon Wetlander. It looks intriguing, slippery, tough, strong. It isn't so important to see the wood on the bottom to me - this stuff looks pretty strong. Perhaps lay down marine epoxy to seal the boat, and put a coat or two of this down.
- There are other epoxy protective options out there from what I hear (Coat-It, Gluvit).
- Finish Over Epoxy UV Protection: Numerous options. Still a ways away from this, but Varnish, Polyurethane, etc. Only reason to be concerned with this now is if I epoxy interior parts that need finish before installing.
- Interior: Oiling the interior seems like it will get me on the water quicker and is sort of a more romantic feeling experience to me ("... he slowly boiled the linseed oil"). Options include Boat Soup (home brew), Deks Olje, etc. I am not sure I will be convinced away from oiled interior at this point.
Any interior parts I should epoxy instead??? If so - it would be good to do that before they get installed (ribs?).
The snow we keep getting keeps me from building as fast as I want - as I am Chief Snow Removal Specialist (CSRS) of the household.
A side rib laid out ready to rip into two pieces per the plans >>>
You need to establish the center line of the rib, measure 1/2 the distance given to the point that is 1.5" thick - all while being sure you rip using the correct angles. It is sort of a brainbuster - take your time before you turn on the saw.
You will note a few other lines - one of them squiggly. When I first prepared to rip the width of the rib blank, this side was the side that was not finished from the lumber yard - as such I always want to true off a level surface against the table saw gate first when doing all the ripping so I made sure this side was the "cut side" and the other side was the "fence side".
The bottom and side ribs are all pre-cut and ready for assembly.
I like the chalk, however with my sweaty hands I found it came off almost too easily. I plan on sanding all these ribs to remove the minor blemishes from the original ripping process prior to assembling them together. My chalk notes included >> S = Stern side, B = Bow side. Match up "=" signs. Number each rib system and circle (because S looks a lot like 5). Underline the 6. Stuff that has saved me over the years - because it is very easy to cut these ribs backwards or with the wrong bevel (I am optimistic I have cleared the final hurdle here with several close calls).
I need to make a trip out in the great White Blizzard to find some Epoxy - so for now sanding is about the last step this week. I plan to pick up some more wood to start scarfing some of the chines and handrails soon as well. Leaning toward the System 3 T-88 just because of Mike Baker's scarfing videos make it look SO DARN EASY!
I am not sure how I will broach the topic of epoxy inside the house for these ribs with the wife - so if anyone has ideas let me know! Due to all the dog hair - all other epoxy operations must stay out in the garage.
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