New wood boat owner, 1st post.

For several years I have been interested in getting or building a drift boat, preferably wood, 2nd choice glass. Lack of funds & lack of a place to build have kept it a dream until this spring. About a month ago I got a steal of a deal on an extremely ugly 20' fiberglass drift boat. Supposedly home made, started life with a motorwell that was removed & glassed over, sides that are 32" high at the oar locks, & on a nice homemade trlr. With about 5 hrs work she was useable enough to toss in a local lake to see if the water stayed on the outside. It did so I had a boat that will get me on the river this yr.
Then yesterday there was a new listing on the local CL. 16' Don Hill design McKenzie River drift boat. Solid wood & ready for "restoration" for $475.00.
My bride of 22 yrs is an EXTREMELY understanding lady. She said get it if you want it. Went & took a look at it. The guy pulled the nice custom cover off just before the rain started this morning. At 2pm when I got there there there was about 2" of water in the bottom of the boat so I know she holds water :-)
2 trim pieces near the transom will need to be replaced, the rest just refinished. The gentelman that owned it bought it to restore, but started building a Tolman skiff instead & said he wants this boat on the river not sitting behind his shop.
My plan is pretty much the same as his was. Remove the current paint & glass & epoxy the boat. May take me a winter or two, & I will be seeking LOTS of info as I go so I'm looking forward to getting to know you folks! I have a Ross San Miguel Two reel w/spare spool & a gun or two that will probably go away to fund the project.
I will post a pic or two when I get the boat home (have to unload the glass beast off the trailer to go get the new boat).
The boat was manafactured by a local builder (Sterling AK, I'm in Kenai), Barker's Wood Products in the 90s.
Yeah, I'm a bit excited...

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Permalink Reply by Rick Newman on June 26, 2012 at 8:15am

Vance, good catch. ou have the bug! You live in a great location for a driftboat. You'll find the search function at the top of the site a great resource. You will also find many folks willing to provide feedback and information. My uncle who moved to Homer from Fairbanks in the fifties once gave me a chunk of land out at Anchor Point. Never had the funds to do anything with it but always wanted to at least fish the Kenai. I am envious of your location.

The standing water not only means your boat has the capacity to hold water it also means that there is a potential for rot along the interior chine log. Get the boat dried out, get a scratch awl or ice pick and do some exploring. See how solid the wood is along the inside at the junction of the side and bottom. Also check the frames for softness. There is also a chance that the bottom could have rot problems.

The good thing is all of it can be fixed. There a numerous stories and pictures of such restorations on these pictures. A wonderful resource to explain many of driftboat building details is Roger Fletchers: Drift Boats and River Dories, Roger has studied dirftboats and their builders and has done a fine job of documenting the boats and their history. Check it out at riverstouch.com!

By the way, welcome aboard.

Rick Newman

Permalink Reply by Vance Wonser on June 26, 2012 at 9:33am

Thanks Rick.

The book is already on my list of must have tools.
The boat has actually been stored sitting on a cradel, on a pallet, with a nice custom vinyl cover supported by a wooden framework, so it's been kept dry. The cover was removed for me a couple of hours prior to my inspection, & just before a major downpour started. The wood seems to be good & solid with the exception of the two poeces I mentioned earlier. I suspect they are a different material as the trim wood right next to them is solid.

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