Guy's Wooden Drift Boat Project

Hello Everyone,

 

My name is Guy and this is my first post in this forum.  I am here because I want to build a wooden drift boat and, undoubtedly, I will occasionally need advice of the pool of experts and experienced drift boat builders on this forum.

 

In preparation for this project I have read and studied three books: Drift Boats and River Dories by R. L. Fletcher, Boatbuilding with Plywood by G. L. Witt, and Covering Wooden Boats with Fiberglass by A. H. Vaitses.  I have also developed my own set of construction plans based off of the "Original McKenzie Double-Ender with Transom" in Fletcher's book.  I used and MS Excel spreadsheet to calculate all of the dimensions, cut angles, compound angles, and bevel angles of all frame components and I used Pilot3D software to calculate the as-cut dimensions of the plywood sides and bottom.  At this point I am pretty comfortable with the mechanics of construction and I think that I am just about ready to start purchasing lumber.

 

Presently, I plan to use Meranti Hydro-Tek plywood; 1/4-in. on the sides and 1/2-in. on the bottom.  I found plenty of places to purchase these materials, but they are all far away from Idaho Falls, Idaho, and as a result shipping costs more than the materials.  Are any of you aware of a business within a few hundred miles of Idaho Falls that sells this plywood?  I have a few requests in to the local lumber companies, but I have yet to talk with someone who has heard of this material before.

 

I also plan to use Port Orford Cedar (CVG) for the straight frame sections and White Oak (quater sawn) for the bent frame sections (chine logs and sheer rails).

 

Thank you, Guy

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Permalink Reply by Shawn Baker on March 11, 2021 at 8:12am

beautiful old metal-gear machine!

My mom was a home economics teacher.  She taught my brother and I to sew when we were 6-7 years old.."fabric welding" is an extremely useful skill!

Permalink Reply by Rick Newman on March 11, 2021 at 8:31am

I have enjoyed sewing a variety of items with my $25 machine. I think of sewing as a variation n carpentry or joining metal. Learning to sew is easy, however there is a lot to learn to do it really well with a variety of materials. 'sort of like welding and carpentry!

Rick

Permalink Reply by Shawn Baker on March 11, 2021 at 9:33am

I find it a lot like sheet metal--especially planning out the shapes, hemming, folding,

relief cuts, etc.

Permalink Reply by Guy Fredrickson on March 11, 2021 at 10:16am

Hi Shawn and Rick. There are a lot of good educational videos out there. And to begin with, I can use the old seat covers on the Chris Craft as a guide. This is the first project. These aren’t original covers. They are from 1998. From old photos, the order covers are slightly different. I’ll try to make them as original as possible. 

Permalink Reply by Guy Fredrickson on March 11, 2021 at 3:28pm

This is a different model from my boat. But it is the same year 1961. This is what a restored interior and exterior should look like. 


Permalink Reply by Rick Newman on March 12, 2021 at 9:27am

I am sure that your boats will look even better than that one! Many of the tasks and often jobs that I have taken on has been don't fit traditional categories. Self education has been important to me and helpful to my existence. My college education provided the financial wherewithal to obtain the materials, skills and equipment needed to to learn needed skills. I enjoy learning new things like sewing, mechanics, etc. It keeps life interesting. Taking on challenges like building boats with all the requisite skills makes me happy. I believe that I see the same personality type within you guys and many of our group! Keep up the good work!

Rick

Permalink Reply by Guy Fredrickson on March 13, 2021 at 11:29am

Thanks Rick!

Permalink Reply by Guy Fredrickson on March 13, 2021 at 11:35am

Chris Craft. I just finished sanding the backing-rails for the side planks. Next they get saturated with Smith’s Clear Penetrating Epoxy Sealer. I decided to install these before I begin bedding the planks. The reason is that I think the best place to start is the bottom and side planks along the chine areas. These areas have the most complex joinery. From there to the keel, and from there to the gunwale is much more straight forward.

One rail is broken into three pieces. The other rails are in good condition. 

Permalink Reply by Guy Fredrickson on March 17, 2021 at 7:57pm

Chris Craft. I’m still working on the backer-rails for the side planks. The procedure is...

  1. Sand the rails.
  2. Saturate with Smith’s Clear Penetrating Epoxy Sealer
  3. Drill 1/16-inch holes all the way through the rail at each old wood screw hole as an air passage.
  4. Fill all the holes with Smith’s Fill-It Epoxy Filler.
  5. Repair splits with Gorilla Glue.
  6. Again sand the rails.
  7. Again saturate with Smith’s Clear Penetrating Epoxy Sealer.
  8. Attach the rails to the boat.
  9. Repair breaks with Gorilla Glue. 

I just finished 5. 

Permalink Reply by Guy Fredrickson on March 19, 2021 at 12:49pm

Chris Craft. I’m starting to fit the backer-rails and make a few more repairs. I had to clean and open most of the notches in the side frames to better accommodate the rails. 

Permalink Reply by Guy Fredrickson on March 21, 2021 at 12:16pm

Chris Craft. The backer-rails are attached. After long deliberations... I decided to not bed the backer-rails in 3M 5200 on the frames. Instead I used only #8 by 1.25 inches silicon bronze wood screws. There will be plenty of 3M 5200 when the planks go on.

I thoroughly it would be better to allowing the backer-rails to float while the planks are being attached. Or at least I can loosen them if needed to accomplish the curvature of the planks. 

Permalink Reply by Guy Fredrickson on March 21, 2021 at 4:09pm

Chris Craft. I think I am going to dry-fit all the planks before I start bedding them down into 3M 5200. 

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