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 February 23, 2013 at 4:31pm

I sanded the deck plates and wiped them down with rags soaked in xylene to prepare the surfaces for the epoxy primer paint. That work is all done.  And, of course, this was done in the garage (with the doors cracked open) and I was wearing a respirator with organic-vapor cartridges. Xylene evaporates very quickly and, therefore, makes a lot of fume.  Then I discovered that the paints are much too vaporous to work with inside the house (where it’s warm) and it's much too cold to paint in the garage (it's snowing right now), so the painting will have to wait for much warmer weather.  In the meantime, I can work on preparing the inside of the boat for varnish.

Permalink Reply by Guy Fredrickson on February 25, 2013 at 6:12pm

Colleagues,

Does this sound reasonable...

I am planning to install two drain plugs, one on either side of the backer-board, such that the hull drains when the boat is loaded on the trailer and the trailer is level.  That way, when the boat is in storage (where ever or what ever that may be) at least the hull will have as good a chance as possible to drain water if needed.  This will place the drain plugs about in the middle of the boat.

I am going to use brass-flange-style drain plugs with 3/4-in.-NPT openings.  I will also notch the flanges so the water can drain to a lower level.  (It would be preferable to recess the flanges, but I think the 1/2-in. plywood is too thin for that.)

Are there any good reasons not to do this?

Are there better locations for the drain plugs?

Thanks,

Guy

Permalink Reply by tungsten on February 26, 2013 at 3:41pm

Guy,boat looks great.I think what most shy away from is clipping the corner of the drain with a rock.Won't happen if its at the stern.

A small bilge pump hooked to a 12v battery from a drill will move alot of water and a sponge does the rest.You tend too see most drift boats tilted with the tongue up in the air to drain while stored.

 

 

Permalink Reply by Dave Barnes on February 26, 2013 at 3:55pm

Absolutely not on the low point. As you are sliding over rocks in thin water on your first run, you will thank yourself that your bottom is as smooth and uninterrupted as possible. If they are in the stern, as you pull boat out of water, you may be able to drain right there if the take-out doesn't have a line waiting.

 

Permalink Reply by Phillip Westendorf on February 26, 2013 at 4:57pm

Guy,

I'd place the drains at the rear of the boat as Tungsten has suggested.  Also to automatically drain the boat of any water collected when the boat is in storage I'd add a hinged leg to the tonge to tilt the boat up enough so the water would drain via the unplugged drain holes.  I've seen examples of this on several trailers, as I have been researching trailer designs. I think I'll be doing this on my trailer.

It was recently necessary to repair the transom for the brass plug/drain flange in my 17 ft. Glass Runabout.  I replaced a section of the transom and counterbored the piece to make the fitting flush to the outside of the transom.  It was epoxied it in place along with four longer S. S Screws..  It looks and worked fine. 

You might consider having the bottom (small dia) of the housing turned down (if necessary) to .500 lgt. to have it be flush with the bottom of the boat and epoxy it place also????  Just my $0.02 worth.

phil w.

Permalink Reply by Mike Baker on February 26, 2013 at 4:53pm

Hey Guy,

I put my drain plugs in the middle of the boat on the right side as the boat will be towed. Roads are crowned to the right and the boat will drain on the ride home (thanx Robb). I was hesitant to do this at first (like my first ten boats) but after talking to many builders and owners have decided this is the way to go. You are right you can't countersink enough for the flange but you can grind the underside of the  flange to within a few 1000's of its life then countersink only about 1/8" and have the flange be flush. The 5200 you use to seal it plus 3 screws will be plenty strong.

Mike

Permalink Reply by Guy Fredrickson on February 26, 2013 at 7:18pm

Tungsten, Dave, Phil, and Mike,

Thanks all. I like the idea of turning (thinning) the flange face in order to countersink it (and trim it flush with the bottom).  I’ll think more about the placement.  The intent of placing the drains in the middle of the boat is more of a failsafe mechanism to prevent water from accumulating in the boat during storage (without tilting the boat).  Not that either is infallible.

But it would be hell to bump the bottom and have the flange start leaking water at the lowest point of the hull.

Guy

Permalink Reply by Guy Fredrickson on March 1, 2013 at 2:24pm

More supplies arrived; this picture shows the thinning solvent and the varnish.  I still have to order the paint for the outside of the boat (today I am leaning toward white).  But what I really need is some +50°F weather.

Permalink Reply by Dave Barnes on March 1, 2013 at 2:27pm

white scares fish, no?

Permalink Reply by Guy Fredrickson on March 1, 2013 at 7:04pm

Dave,

I saw this boat the last time I went fishing and I really liked it.  Very clean looking.  This was an aluminum boat, of course.

Guy

 

 

Permalink Reply by Dave Z on March 1, 2013 at 7:46pm

Has anyone personally experienced a drain plug in the middle of the boat getting damaged or hit, or is this a wives tale?  What was the extent of the damage. I could see an issue if the plug protrudes, but if it is flush.. chances are slim.

All my boats have the drain in the middle on the right side.  All the flanges were filed so they are flush or slightly less then the bottom. I too use the brass flanges with the threaded npt plugs. All of mine are countersunk into the topside floor wood (1/2" floors) to be flush.  None of them were turned down to be thinner.  Epoxy the wood inside and out to seal it, then goop it up with 5200.  Would do it this way on the next ten boats.  Never a problem, and I run rocky rivers, 3 year drought lows no issues.  Boats are always dry as a bone by the time I return home.  But hey, I'm also a wood skid shoe user...  haha

Don't forget those week long trips where all it does is rain, day and night.  The boat lives on the trailer overnight, and with the plug in the middle, its always draining. No tilting trailers, or bailing... so you can get on to more important things like drinking beer!

I respect the many ways to skin this cat and have tried a few of them myself. of 7 boats ive built one of them had a stern mounted plug.

The first boat I built (16x48) ten years ago has a drain plug in the stern and it was the most biggest PITA to drain that boat.   I retrofitted a second plug in the middle on the right.  The stern plug hasn't been removed in 5 years and is nothing more than brass jewelry now.

Permalink Reply by Guy Fredrickson on March 2, 2013 at 6:57am

Thanks Dave. 

To me it seems logical to locate the drain plug(s) so that water drains when the boat is mounted "normally" on the trailer.  I received the brass drain plugs yesterday and they are better machined than I expected them to be.  About a 1/8-in. recess is all that is needed.

Guy

 

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