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 Lee E Washburn on March 24, 2013 at 8:57am

Heat lamp time  here in Oregon  TOO  

Permalink Reply by Phillip Westendorf on March 24, 2013 at 6:02pm

Guy,

Last month I did some epoxy work on the bottom of my DB.  I covered it with 4 mil plastic and a silver tarp and placed a 1500 watt ceramic heater under the boat.  Was able to maintain 75 degrees under it over night.  Just put some boards to maintain an air gap above the boat bottom.  Curred the epoxy just fine and I didn't have to heat the whole garage. 

phil w.

Permalink Reply by Guy Fredrickson on March 24, 2013 at 7:09pm

Phil,

Thanks.  I just may resort to that when I start to varnish and paint the boat.  I really want to keep this moving along.

Guy

Permalink Reply by Josh Wieschowski on March 24, 2013 at 6:33pm

Hey Guy, I just ran a search on Durabak and came across an unanswered question of yours on another post. It was regarding using Durabak on the exterior bottom of the boat. Did you ever find out if we can do that? I would prefer to use the textured on the exterior bottom of my boat as well if it can be used below the water line. By the sounds of the stuff, it shouldnt be a problem. I am also going to use in on the interior bottom in a different color.

-Josh

Permalink Reply by Guy Fredrickson on March 24, 2013 at 7:27pm

Josh,

I never did pursue any further the use of Durabak for the exterior.  I decided to go with the Interlux "Perfection" two-part epoxy paint for the exterior.  But Durabak does make both smooth and anti-slip (textured) paints.  I think the Durabak-18 (with its UV protection) will work just fine for drift boat applications.  Typically, drift boats are used in fresh water and they are not in the water 24/7.  Whereas other types of "marine" boats may be in salt water 24/7.

The very bottom of my boat is not painted.  It's just heavy fiberglass cloth coated with epoxy and epoxy mixed with graphite powder.  If it becomes necessary, I can rough-up the surface by sanding and give it a coat of paint.  And I wouldn't hestitate to use the Durabak-18 for that application (unless I learn otherwise from my experience with the deck plates).

Guy

Permalink Reply by Guy Fredrickson on March 27, 2013 at 7:06pm

The top surfaces of the deck plates are ready for anti-slip Durabak-18.  Tonight I sanded the top surfaces (just to rough them up for better adhesion) and wiped them down with xylene.  This Friday I'll apply two coats of the Durabak.

Permalink Reply by tungsten on March 27, 2013 at 8:37pm

Guy,after just rolling out a gallon of the Durabak I'll offer what I learned.Try to get the rubber even on the first coat,don't worry about roller marks or lines.When you twist the roller on the surface you'll get a skid mark on the first coat.Second coat can be more of the paint  and less rubber this coat will cover everything so it doesn't need to be stirred as much.I think theres too much rubber in the gallon anyway.

Was the primer recommended?I just went straight over the epoxy seams to have worked fine.

Permalink Reply by Guy Fredrickson on March 30, 2013 at 11:22am

Tungsten,

Thanks for the advice, it was useful.

Months ago I emailed the following question to Durabak:

"I sealed marine plywood in West System epoxy (105 resin and 206 hardener) and I wish to apply Durabak18 to this surface. How do I prepare the surface for Durabak18? Thanks"

This is the response I received back:

"It will depend on 3 things. One, how long ago has the epoxy been applied and has it been exposed to sun light? Two, what kind of physical profile is left on the plywood itself? What is the porosity of the wood at this time? You answer all three of these questions, by doing the 2 inch patch test. Go to www.durabakstore.com and read the question/answer # 2. There are other good question and answered in that section, you may want to read it completely. If you have other issues, call me at 201-379-5366."

I never did the "2 inch patch test". So the primer was not recommended. I just figured it wouldn't hurt.

Guy

 

Permalink Reply by Guy Fredrickson on March 30, 2013 at 11:30am

Here are some pictures of applying the first coat of Durabak-18 to the deck plates.

Permalink Reply by Guy Fredrickson on March 31, 2013 at 11:24am

The deck plates are done.  Today I applied some mahogany-colored 3M 5200 as calking above the chine logs.  I think the inside of the boat is now ready for varnish and I hope to start that next weekend.

It's going to be no small job to apply 2 or 3 coats of varnish...

Permalink Reply by tungsten on March 31, 2013 at 3:00pm

Guy, I only have a little varnish experience,from this I learned I never want to do it again lol!With the size of your project and all those corners I wonder if spraying would be the easiest.And if one was to spray would maybe an automotive clear coat be a better option as it would no doubt last a lot longer then varnish.

Also from what I've read, several coats of varnish are needed.Like 6-8 coats and even more.

 

Thoughts?

Also when you're done, will this boat sit in the living or family room? j/k looks great!

Permalink Reply by Guy Fredrickson on March 31, 2013 at 4:23pm

Tungsten,

All of the wood inside the boat was coated with West System epoxy during construction.  Of course, epoxy is not UV stable and must be coated with something (varnish or paint) that is UV stable to protect the epoxy.  I'm going to use Interlux "Perfection" 2-part polyurethane varnish because it is among the toughest varnishes. 

Interlux recommend 2 to 3 coats for this product if "previously varnished".  And 3 to 5 coats on "bare wood".  They don't give any recommendations for epoxy coated wood.  So I hope that no more than 3 coats will finish the job.

Regarding the question of ever putting this boat in the water.  It's not easy getting insurance for a "homemade" boat.  They have asked me to scan all of my receipts and summarize the costs in a spreadsheet.  I've organized all of this; I still have to scan the receipts.

Guy

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