Wooden Boat People
By McKenzieDriftBoat.com
Dorf's Wooden Drift Boat
I just found this Forum the past week and was pleased to see all the interesting discussions. I have previously (2006) built and launched a 16 ft. Peterborough Stripper from Tom Moore's original Canoecraft. The Bear Mountain Boats Forum was a wealth of information, as I had not built anything from wood that was expected to float, in water. The stripper was a lot of fun to build.
About a year later I discovered/purchased Roger Fletcher's book and decided to make a go of it and build a drift boat. Last April I laid out all the framing on poster board full scale. I am a retired Mfg. Engineer with 41 yrs in the Machine tool and Automotive Industry with lots of hrs. Hanging over a drafting table. After making the decision to build I spent many hours deciding materials, features etc.
I have 210 BF of White Ash from a couple of trees infected with the Emerald Ash Bore (big issue in Mid-Mich). So the framing is Ash (3/4" x 3.00"). I finished the last one in December. I just need to coat them with epoxy (been waiting for 60 degree temps). The frames are constructed using Half-lap joints. I discussed this in 2011 with Jim Watson of Gougeon Brothers and he offered their services in testing the joint strength (they have a MTS Tensile Test Machine w/ 100K Load Cell). I just received the results and test pieces a couple of weeks ago and will post them soon in this discussion. (I need to figure out how to post pictures here.)
The Stem blank is solid Ash. I just finished the transom a couple of weeks ago. It was made from African mahogany. The sides are going to be 1/4 x 7/8" WRC w/bead & cove. I have a couple of planks left over from the canoe. The sides will be encapsulated in 6 oz. glass and West System 105-207 Epoxy prior to being fastened to the frame. The bottom of the boat will be "cold molded" ash at 1/4 x 2 1/4" in two layers one oriented Fore Aft and the other 90 degrees to the first. Planning to add graphite to epoxy on the bottom.
Next work is to build a strong back and begin assembling the framing. Am looking foreword to your comments and assistance.
Thanks for being here.
phil w. (Dorf)
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Josh Wieschowski on
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Well I must say, its looks great!!! Ive been away awhile but your boat is looking top notch!! Keep up the good work!
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Permalink Reply by Phillip Westendorf on
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The rowing Seat is ready to be varnished and the rope added. I am interested if anyone out there has a reference to a 1/2 line that is pre-stretched, at a reasonable cost. What have you guys been using for the seat rope? I assume if I use a regular boat line it'll continue to stretch... and stretch...and stretch...
I've been making some progress on the front deck too. Lots of hand work fitting several pieces together. The deck is being made of several different kinds of wood, including; African Mahogany, Ash, Black Walnut, Cherry Wood, Red Oak, Aspen, and Cedar. It has 1/8" gaps between each piece which will be filled with Blackened Epoxy, similar to the classic mahogany runabouts. Here's a pic from earlier today.
After it's all glued together it will be glassed top and bottom prior to be fitted into the bow of the DB. The two mahogany pieces that form the "V" have been fitted previously to the bow and should only require fitting to the bulkhead. A sheet of plywood would would be easier but what the heck, my hourly rate is cheap....
More to come,
Dorf
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Permalink Reply by Rick Newman on
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Dorf, once again you have topped my expectations. Your fly deck is going to look great. True kernmantle rope such as climbers use for "static" applications such as Prusik slings stretches the least. Consisting of two parts; a "mantle" or covering protects the inner layer the "kern." True climbing rope are built with materials that are supposed to stretch when a climber takes a fall so as to absorb the energy and not transfer such a big shock to their bodies. Ropes designed for rappeling aren't meant to stretch and are designated static ropes similar to the smaller 5, 6, 7 mm ropes used for slings and such.
Laid rope such as most hardware store rope is twisted to form it's shape and as a load is applied they will untwist. Inexpensive hardware or farm supply rope resemble kernmantle rope in appearance but not in structure. If you cut some of the mantle off one of these ropes you can test just how stretchy the inner core is. If you also read carefully the strengths of these ropes is very low too. Braided hardware store ropes are often made of nylon and stretch considerably.
Now my budget never allowed me to spend big money for true marine cordage. They also come in a variety of constructions similar to the above ropes. However because of the uses marine ropes are designed for stretch can be an unacceptable feature so materials that exhibit appropriate technical qualities are chosen for halyards and sheets. You can spend a lot of money to obtain the no stretch characteristics when purchasing marine cordage. Static rope from mountaineering will cost less but still considerably more than hardware store rope.
Good luck on your choice. REI or Mountain Gear should have a good selection of climbing or static rope. Marine chandlers will have a wide selection of marine cordage.
Rick N
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I've been busy this week, finished the fitting of the 21 different pieces of the front casting deck. Managed to get a coat of epoxy on the bottom side yesterday and tonight I added the black epoxy in the 1/8" wide grooves between each piece, topside.
I have moved the small epoxy work into my basement work room where I have an Electric heater (80 degrees F). I turn on the heater as I complete the epoxy coating to push it to cure faster. It works pretty good, good enough that I learned how "outgassing" works. I was anxious enough not to wait until the deck was up to temperature in the room. There were a bazillion small bubbles in the epoxy. They scrapped off easily enough. Another lesson learned, eh. Here's a pic as she sits at the moment. Tomorrow I'll sand it Fair and add a layer of 6 oz. Glass for strength.
Also I managed to finish the forming and sanding of two of the three Oar blanks. If I make any others they will NOT be Ash! What a bunch of work, the wood I have is air dried and at about 8-9 % but hard as heck. It's hard to plane, a spokeshave, forget it. I re-sharpened two block planes, and set one heavy and one for a light cut and with a bizzilion strokes managed to get them "Alike" and then used 60 grit paper to make the finished shape.
They were then finished with 120 grit then 220 grit prior to applying the first coat of epoxy. The handles will be Oiled. Here's a pic as they need to be sanded and a second & third coat applied.
More to come,
Dorf
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Permalink Reply by Nick Theodoratos on
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I find Ash a pleasure to work with hand tools, maybe I'm used to it. :)
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Nick,
I didn't mention the Ash I have is from several trees here locally that were infected with the Emerald Ash Bore. I managed to obtain several tree trunks from friends and neighbors. The total cost was $0.25 per BF for the mill work only and a few beers. I had over 300 BF at this low cost, a good portion of which has been used to roast marshmallows in the fire pit.
The wood isn't the higher quality I'd purchase if I went to a reputable wood source. Therefore it has grain issues. The Oar blanks are almost 9 ft. long and I had a heck of a time matching the grain on the glue ups. That is the reason I had so many problems. Sharp tools on a clear board are much easier to work with.
Thanks for your comments,
Dorf
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Swirling grain is difficult to work with in any type of wood. That is where scraping tools come in handy, problem is they are difficult to find and modern scraping planes are expensive. You have already learned that sharp tools are the only way to go so at least you are ahead of the game. I look forward to more pictures of your great DB!
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Dorf, have you made any progress on your boat or has the fishing been too good? :)
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Nick,
Thanks for asking. Been busy working on the Front Deck. Just yesterday I put the final coat of epoxy on the top surface. Need one more on the bottom of it then I can fit it into the front of the boat. I had a lot of problems with out gassing on the Oak strips where the grain is. I had to do a lot of sanding to get it sealed and make it look good therefore had to keep adding epoxy to level everything out.
The front cleats that support the deck inside the boat were just finished last week and a couple of coats of sealing epoxy was added. I'll have some pictures this week coming, hopefully with the front deck and seat frames assembled in the boat.
Managed to finish assembling the front Guest Seat frame last week ( a bunch of individual pieces all glued and doweled together). It needs a couple of coats of sealing epoxy. The seat backs are still to be made.
Oars are ready for adding the paracord winding and rubber stoppers. Still need to re-saw,and make the floor boards.
So there's lots of work to do and the Steelhead have begun their run. The Walleye are biting too. Soooo....what do I do?
More to come
Dorf
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First, go catch some fish!
I have recently found out that guys are covering wet epoxy with a thin film of plastic and when it cures it looks like glass. I don't know if it does anything with the off-gassing though.
If I may ask, why para-cord for your oar winding? I know it has a million uses but I don't think its abrasion resistance is that good. I may be wrong.
I look forward to your pictures.
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Nick,
The problems I had with out gassing was/is puzzling because as I sanded out the bubbles and applied epoxy each time (2-3 times) new bubbles kept forming in the epoxy. Finally I added a final coat (4th) and it looks like It's ok now. A few coats of varnish should remove all evidence of the problem.
Earlier, on this site, on Guy Fredrickson's Post Tungsten posted a reference for Peel-Ply, a plastic film and it also has a step by step instruction. It's worth looking at, but as I recall isn't inexpensive.
http://www.clcboats.com/shoptips/epoxy_and_fiberglass/peel-ply-rele...
The paracord is used on several commercial oars and I think would be easier to replace as opposed to repairing and refinishing the oar shaft. we'll see what happens. I kinda like the looks too.
Dorf
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Here’s an update as of this evening.
I managed to mount the two seats and dry fit the deck. I had to make a half dozen wedges to clamp the deck in position against the cleats running from the bulkhead to the stem. I managed yesterday to add the final epoxy coating to the cleats and deck mounting surfaces. I had a problem with cold weather last week and the second coat didn’t set up. I ended up scraping most of the epoxy off and starting over, a real pain.
The deck was dry fitted and tomorrow, weather permitting I’ll epoxy it in place with West’s six-10 thickened epoxy. The deck is ¼” thick wood and glassed both sides. The two edge pieces are African Mahogany. The wood strips are, from the middle out; Flat Sawn Oak, Cherry Wood, Aspen, Quarter Sawn Oak, Black Walnut, Q.S. Oak, Ash, Cherry Wood, Ash, F.S. Oak and Cherry Wood. The black is graphite in the epoxy. I am thinking of adding fillets around the top's perimeter to make sure I have a good water tight seal and stronger support.
The Guests Seat Frame is fitted and has a single coating of epoxy. There was a problem fitting it in-place, the seat as assembled to the pipe rails wouldn’t fit into the front supports. I made a jig to locate the holes in the frame to match the dimension between the pipes. I had to move the pipe supports inboard ¼” each side to get it to work. Murphy’s Law, eh.
There is still a lot to do. The seat decks are split and individually hinged with S.S. Piano Hinge. The frame has a bottom for storage of fly boxes and other small stuff. The seat backs are incomplete. The plan on the backrests is a two piece affair. The rear piece will extend into the seat frame with a front piece of Basswood a little wider and taller. In the basswood I plan to carve in relief a 6” Loon in one and a 6” Brown Trout on the other. I did this in the canoe’s decks to make it “Mine”. This might not get done soon but I have lots of time on my hands.
The rowers seat is laced with a cheap ½” line from TSC. I did this to determine the necessary length of rope needed. The low stretch stuff used for Halyards and such is $ 2.00 a foot. So I figured I’ll try this and see how it works. I had the line on hand and therefore the color isn’t what I’d choose. That’ll change soon enough.
I’ll plan to add a couple of holes to lower the lines connected to the turnbuckle. It is just under the seat strands.
I need also to make a couple of swing clamps to secure the seat to the pipes, as it is hinged to allow access for me to the rear of the boat.
I still plan on a rear seat/deck and there’s the flooring too.
More to come,
Dorf
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