Wooden Boat People

By McKenzieDriftBoat.com

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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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Guy Fredrickson on December 27, 2022 at 9:49am

Chris Craft: Sandusky copper-bronze bottom paint applied. Three coats.

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Permalink Reply by David Witton on December 28, 2022 at 7:44am

You have done a beautiful job with this rebuild...

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Permalink Reply by Guy Fredrickson on January 4, 2023 at 6:34pm

Thank you. Lots more work ahead. : )

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Permalink Reply by Guy Fredrickson on March 31, 2023 at 2:09pm

Chris Craft: The planks are permanently attached. Next are the mahjong plugs above the wood screws.

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Permalink Reply by Guy Fredrickson on April 28, 2023 at 6:46pm

Chris Craft: All the mahogany plugs are installed on the side planks. Most of them are trimmed with a Japanese saw flush with the planks. I started sanding the port side with 80-grit using a flexible flat-bed sander. By hand. I think you can see the difference between the port and starboard sides.

Work installing the planks has been tedious.