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 Guy Fredrickson on May 1, 2012 at 6:38pm

All the frames are in place!!!  Now I have to go one-by-one and anchor them into final position with wood screws and epoxy.

 

 

Permalink Reply by Rick Newman on May 2, 2012 at 7:04am

Guy, your boat is looking good. Your documentation is a wonderful addition to the pages. It will helpful to those whom follow. Thanks for taking the time and effort to add to these pages.

Rick Newman

Permalink Reply by Greg Jensen on May 2, 2012 at 3:11pm

Looks fantastic Guy,

you are quickly catching me...

Great job!

Greg

Permalink Reply by Guy Fredrickson on May 2, 2012 at 3:39pm

Thank you Rick, that's kind of you to say so.

Thank you Greg, I'm kind of re-stoked now that it's taking shape.

Permalink Reply by Dave Barnes on May 2, 2012 at 3:47pm

do all of you guys build them right-side up like this? I did mine on a temporary frame upside down until I did the interior. Interesting technique I see here. I love the rope tensioners.

Permalink Reply by Guy Fredrickson on May 2, 2012 at 4:24pm

Right now the boat is supported only at the front and the back.  Only the battens are clamped to the side frames; the frames themselves are simply resting in position.  The inside battens guide the frames and the ouside battens pull the side panels together.  I am in the process of aligning the side panels with the frames.

Here is the front support.

Here is the back support.

Here are the inside battens.

Here are the outside battens.

Here is the overall boat.

Once everthing is in alignment, I will fasten the frames and install the transom (which I still have to make).  The I will install temporary cross bracing before I roll the boat to work on the bottom.  At this stage it's still quite light weight.

 

 

 

 

 

Permalink Reply by Guy Fredrickson on May 7, 2012 at 8:08pm

I took a few days off from work and from boat building because my niece and nephew stopped by for a visit.  We went to Jackson Hole and Yellowstone Park.

 

I started attaching the frames again.  Only two more to go!  Here are some pictures. All of the angles came together perfectly.  The frames are numbered 1 through 12 from the transom to the stem.  I used 3/4-in. #8 wood screws on frames 1, 10, 11, and 12, and 1-in. #8 wood screws on the rest.  The screw spacing is 2 1/2 in.  And I was careful not to set screws where the carriage bolts will be for the sheer rails.

 

 

Permalink Reply by tungsten on May 8, 2012 at 9:02pm

 

with all those ribs your interior options are going to be endless.

question,did you keep a count of how much weight of epoxy you used when you did the glass on the second side? 

 

Permalink Reply by Guy Fredrickson on May 9, 2012 at 5:18am

Tungsten, I did not keep track of how much epoxy I used on the second panel.  Both panels appear the same at this point.  I did sand the panels after each coat of epoxy and it would be interesting to know how much epoxy I sanded off each time (same with the frames).  So far I have gone through about 2.5 gallons of epoxy.  Much of this got sanded off or just hardened in the cup when I prepared too much, and I always prepare too much.

Permalink Reply by Guy Fredrickson on May 9, 2012 at 7:47pm

All of the frames are attached to the side panels and the boat is resting on the floor.  As resting, the elevations of the stem and transom at the chine are 12 and 8 in., respectively.  I'll start work on the transom tomorrow.

 

Permalink Reply by Phillip Westendorf on May 9, 2012 at 8:11pm

Guy,

I especially like the last pic,  Everything looks nice and uniform.  The boat is coming together nicely.  Keep up the good work!

phil w.

Permalink Reply by Guy Fredrickson on May 10, 2012 at 6:37pm

Thank you Phil.

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