# Project "Stinger Rat"



## Unclebob (Dec 10, 2008)

Great story, post some pics when you can.








Riding in a boat on a trailer behind a truck swatting at bees with a palm frond at 65mph?

[smiley=thk.gif] :-?


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## Brett (Jul 16, 2008)

ummmmm...a word with you if you have a moment...
the next time you discover a "free" hull and decide to take it home...
pm me before you do...I'll drop what I'm doing and be right over!

I've got a videocam, and could use the $100,000. Can you say "AFV?"


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## Cracka (Jul 1, 2007)

Oh Backlash.....I just finished reading this post to my wife and we're still [smiley=1-lmao.gif] that was a jem. My wife had a lot of sympathy for you! not!

Can't wait to see the piccies. Good luck on the rebuild.

Mick


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## kbuch312 (Feb 17, 2007)

If it was me, I would have to sleep in it.
The wife would be over the top.
Funny read.
Post the pics, as that will give us a real gauge of your situation.


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## iMacattack (Dec 11, 2006)

Great post! Thanks for sharing... Felt like I was there. Granted I would rather be your friend Mike then you under those circumstances. ;D

Can't wait to see pictures!

Cheers
Capt. Jan


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## B.Lee (Apr 29, 2008)

Great story, but...


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## ht (Oct 1, 2008)

Well, it took me quite a while to find this post because it was buried in the “Microskiff” archives!  (Actually, I have been so busy that I haven’t had any time to work on the boat!)  It’s hard to believe that I started this thread over two years ago and not too much has changed with regards to the boat!  Here is what I have been doing and why I have been MIA…..

In August last year, we planned a family trip to Yellowstone to show our two boys some amazing scenery.  Of course, there is so much amazing countryside to see we decided to drive our own car and make a road trip out of it!  We took a few days and arrived in Laramie, Wyoming where I spent majority of my youth.  After showing my wife and kids where I ran amuck as a teenager, we headed for the nearby Rocky Mountains.  About an hour outside of Laramie and about 9,000 feet up in elevation, our car died.  No electrical, no steering, no power brakes, nothing…..   

I quickly swerved to the side of the road and got the vehicle off the roadway as much as possible.  Since we were still going uphill, I knew there was no way we could proceed forward.  So, with two kids patiently sitting in the back seat and my wife sitting there with a scared look on her face, I threw the car into neutral and let it coast backwards.  When it was safe, I whipped the car into a u-turn and maneuvered us in the direction from which we had just come.  I knew this road fairly well and convinced my wife to steer so that I could work the emergency brake to slow us down through the turns.  That was our only option at this point.  There was no other traffic on this desolate road and there was no cellular telephone reception so we could call for a tow.  I knew if we were stranded in these mountains after the sun went down, it could be catastrophic.  I quickly devised the plan to “Coast” down this mountain road to the nearest “Town” which was only 13 miles away.  Thankfully, it was all downhill!  Great idea!  (Have you read my original post??)    

So, we were off and running!  The boys were securely strapped in the backseat and my wife was holding on to the steering wheel as if it was the only thing left in the world!  We coasted all the way down the mountains with no power brakes and no power steering and miraculously landed in the parking lot at a local bed and breakfast.  Honestly folks, I am not making this crap up!  It really happened!  I’ve got the receipts to prove it!

Once we arrived at the bed and breakfast, I jumped on the telephone and arranged to have the car towed back to Laramie which was about 35 miles away.  That was where the nearest mechanic was located.  I figured it had to be the alternator and normally those aren’t very expensive so I told my wife we should be on the road the following afternoon en route to Yellowstone.  I explained to the mechanic what had happened and told him it seemed like it could be the alternator.  He agreed and ordered one so he would have it the following morning.  Excellent!  My wife was bummed when I told her it was going to be about $350.00 but she said “You know what, we’ll still have fun.  It’s no big deal.”    

The following morning we arrived in town via flatbed tow truck and the mechanics quickly tore into the car.  After about a half hour or so, one of the mechanics came in and said it wasn’t the alternator but that it was a belt.  Even better!  Belts are less expensive than alternators!  My repair bill just went from $350.00 down to about $100.00!  I was ecstatic!!!    ;D

When the mechanic saw the look on my face, he asked me to step out into the shop so he could explain exactly which belt it was.  Well…………….

………..it was the timing belt.  And to make matters even worse, the engine in my fine German-engineered automobile is an “Interference” engine.  Well, the original estimate of $350.00 that dropped to $100.00 just shot up to over $4,000.00!    

Long story short, the entire top-end of the motor was shot as all 20 valves were bent!  It was going to be less expensive to pull a used engine from a salvage yard and replace the entire engine that it would have been to just repair the top-half of the motor.  This would all be easy to do if I were at home with all of my tools nearby….but that wasn’t the case.

I explained everything to my wife who was absolutely devastated.  We were stranded in Wyoming with no car, two boys and a car-load of camping gear and luggage!  Wow.    :'(

I called my Mother and Step-dad and explained the current situation to them.  Like any amazing parent would do, my Step-dad simply said “Get a hotel for tonight, relax, and I’ll be there with a trailer in the morning.”  Some of the best words I could have possibly heard.  

The owner of the mechanic shop was visibly upset at the entire situation and felt so bad for our family since our vacation was suddenly cut short.  He ordered pizza for the boys and offered to drive my wife and kids and I to a nearby hotel in his personal truck.  He explained his frustration to my older son and told him that if he and I ever wanted to come back to Laramie to go antelope hunting, he would take care of the trip for us.  He was absolutely one of the nicest most sincere people that I have ever met.  He was truly a gentleman.

My Step-dad showed up early the following morning and we loaded the car up and hit the road.  I was never so happy to hear the rumble of that “Powerstroke” diesel so early in the morning!

While driving home with my German-engineered car strapped down on the trailer like a broken trophy, my wife called her Mom and Dad to let them know we were headed home.  Her Mom told her that the house directly next door to her house was going into foreclosure.  My wife told her Mom that she didn’t care about buying a house because all she was focused on was having our “Reliable” car repaired.  We already knew how much that was going to cost and we were not looking forward to the bill.  We told her we would be home on Thursday and agreed to look at the house on Friday morning.  So, we arrived home and had my car delivered to a local repair shop that specializes in German vehicles so that they could work their magic.  

I was technically still on “Vacation” from work for the remainder of the following week so my wife and I decided to maximize our time together and leave the kids at home to go for a bike ride.  Since we had spent so much time together with my Step-dad while driving home from Wyoming, we invited him along as well.  Nine miles into our lazy bike ride, my Step-dad crashed directly in front of me which in turn caused me to crash into him.  Luckily, my wife was riding out in front of both of us and she wasn’t involved.  

My Step-dad survived the bicycle crash with only a minor scrape on his hip and back and I managed to break my clavicle.  Wonderful, exactly what I needed.  First the car, and now this.  After a short ride to the emergency room, I was quickly seen by a doctor then kicked out onto the street wearing a cute little sling designed to support my arm.

Now the good news……three weeks later, my wife and I were handed a set of keys to our new house!    ;D

If our vehicle hadn’t broken down, we wouldn’t have cut our vacation short.  If we hadn’t cut our vacation short, we wouldn’t have come home in time to see this house and we wouldn’t have been able to put an offer on the house!  We were so thankful that our vehicle had broken down!  Surely a blessing in disguise!

Now we had one month to make the new house ready to live in which meant gutting the carpet and padding and removing all of the kitchen cabinets and countertops due to water damage and lack of maintenance by the previous owners.  This home was a foreclosure and we new there would be some issues with this purchase but the price was absolutely incredible and the house is exactly what we were looking for.  It just needed some work which we are both more than capable of doing.  

The home has four bedrooms, three full baths, two living rooms and most importantly, a three car garage!  We were aware of water damage in the kitchen which required quite a bit of work.  My wife is an unbelievable woman and she volunteered with the painstaking task of stripping all of the finish from all of the oak cabinets and doors.  When you see her, tell her how amazing her cabinets look and she will glow!  

We repaired what cabinets we could but were forced to build some new cabinets and replace the old tops with new countertops (Done correctly this time!), and I installed all new tile and backsplashes.  My gorgeous wife picked out a beautiful new “Kohler” cast iron sink which weighed about 135 pounds along with a beautiful new “Moen” kitchen faucet.  (Ever tried to lift one of those cast-iron sinks and install it in a new countertop without breaking your freshly installed ceramic tile???)

While my wife was hiding in the backyard behind stacks of oak cabinets and doors huffing paint-stripper fumes without making a single complaint, I began painting all of the ceilings along with the entire interior of the house.  After that chore was completed, we installed new baseboards and eagerly awaited the arrival of the brand new carpet and padding she had chosen.

New windows were installed and blinds started to find their way up on some of the windows.  A very good family friend assisted with installing new light switches, electrical outlets and covers throughout the house.  After everything was deemed “Liveable” (But certainly not finished!), and my better half explained she was happy with the progress, I started moving all of our personal belongings into the new house!

I had to disassemble my old “Shop” in the old garage and make my other project (A Toyota truck), ready for the move.  Things were finally beginning to move forward.  Once all of our belongings were moved out of the rental house and safely moved to the new house, I could focus my attention on cleaning the carpets, patching all of the holes in the walls and painting the interior of the rental house.  Many of our friends and family members thought I was losing my mind.  My wife and I had lived in this rental house for almost 7 years and I was bound and determined to return it to the owner in as good a condition as possible.  I was questioned and ridiculed by numerous people as to why I was putting so much work into this rental property and my only response was “Because that is how I was raised.  My Grandfather always told me that if I ever borrowed anything from anyone, you had better return it in better condition than when you received it.”  In my mind, his wisdom would apply to a rental house and I knew that I would sleep better at night knowing that I done what I did regardless of what the homeowner or any of my friends and family members thought or said.

At some point prior to the move when all of my focus was on healing my shoulder and the work that had to be completed on the new house, my project hull and stringer system were left unattended outside.  Without much notice, we were greeted by a surprise rainstorm which as you know can do some serious damage to plywood.  By the time I got home from work that night, the damage had been done and all of the woodwork was water-logged.  I am not the type of person to “Half-ass” anything and it was at this point that I knew the stringers and framework would have to be re-done.  Out came the Sawzall and out went the framework.  This would later prove to be another blessing in disguise as it would make moving the hull to the new house an easier task.

I managed to score the perfect engine for this project for $150.00.  Man do I love “Craigslist!”  

The engine I purchased is a 1961 Mercury 700 “Dockbuster” outboard which is in immaculate condition.  If you are not familiar with these types of engines, they are a pain to drive but becoming increasingly more difficult to find.  You essentially put the engine in either forward or reverse, and then start the engine.  If you want to change directions, you have to turn the engine off, switch the lever to either forward or reverse, then re-start the engine.  This all has to be accomplished before you collide into anything.  This is where these engines got their nicknames “Dockbusters.”  I find them quite Intriguing nonetheless and when you look at the design and ingenuity, it reminds you of how forward thinking the men at “Kiekhaefer” and “Mercury” truly were!  

When I went to look at this engine, I found it leaning in the corner of a shipping container in someone’s backyard.  It is complete from prop to engine cowling and it even has all of the original individual Mercury chrome letters and chrome trim on the engine cowling.  For those of you who know your classic “Mercury” outboards, you will realize that this is a fairly rare engine and if my knowledge is correct, it was only available with the individual chrome metal letters and trim and off-white paint for one year.  Don’t quote me on that, but I think that’s correct.  The engine is a 700 which is an inline-6 rated at 70 hp and from what I can guesstimate; only weighs about 240 pounds!  

Can you say “Horsepower to weight ratio?”

In case you haven’t realized it, I am not entirely interested in going 35-38 mph with this boat.  If I were looking for slower speeds from a vessel, I would drag out the “Gheenoe” with the small Yamaha kicker hanging off the transom.  When this project is completed, I am hoping for 55+ mph.    

Anyhow, I thought this would be the perfect engine for this project.  I am now on the lookout for a Mercury direct-shift throttle assembly along with the correct cables for this engine.  Once I have those, I can continue to slowly move forward on the project.

I am hoping to have the transom cut out soon (Maybe even this weekend), along with dry fitting of the new stringers and bulkheads.  My plans are quite detailed for this vessel but I won’t bore you with each of them at this juncture…..

My currently post is already painfully long!


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## FSUfisher (Jul 16, 2007)

Another great story... but, where are the pictures???


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## mudd_minnow (Oct 13, 2010)

This is funny, from your buddy and the bees to your wife's great looking cabnets but, WHERE'S THE PICTURES. Your robbing us from a GREAT visual show. How are we suposed to tell your wife she has great looking cabnets and see the glow in her face if there are no pictures. HA! HA! How are we supose to feel your *bee stung* pain with out seeing the behive in the boat or even see the lauphter in your buddies face while you are getting stung. It hurts me to think you have told a 2 great stories that we all can relate to but we have no visual pictures to feel your pain brother. PICTURES ARE WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS.

P.S. Great post I give it 
3 ;D ;D ;D
and a swoosh with the hand in front of the face.


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## ht (Oct 1, 2008)

OK Ladies and Gentleman, here are some photos of this "Project!"

Unfortunately, the photos I have of this sucker sitting in the field immediately before the "Beehive Incident" are memorialized on old-fashioned photographs and they are not readilty available to share.  For now, these will have to do; sorry guys!

As you can see, all that's left of this hull is the skin layer.  I removed all of the wood from the transom and the "Floor" since it was rotten and water-logged (And we are using the term "Floor" very loosely here folks!).  My patient wife now views what is left of this "Bote" as a heap of rubble while I continue to view it as a blank canvas!  (God I love her!)

I threw in the last photo of the Mercury engine just to give you history buffs something to check out.  Yes, a newer more reliable (And heavier!), outboard could be a better choice for this craft but once I saw this one, I had to have it!  Like I stated earlier, I am looking for a little bit of fun and excitement with this boat if and when it is finally completed...  (Convincing the local inspectors with the USCG that this craft is not over-powered will require some convincing!)

Enjoy the few photos I have uploaded and please share your questions, comments, recommendations and definitely your concerns!    ;D


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## mudd_minnow (Oct 13, 2010)

AWSOME!!!  Thanks for the pics, You gave me an idea about putting my boat build on a rollaway bench. I love that old merc. There is a place in Tampa that referbish old motors. You might look them up if you ever need parts or ideas. Your starting from a good place, an empty hull now you can design you dream.

Hey that gives me an idea, [smiley=1-mmm.gif]

  I think this might help, just ask your wife, does she have any fond memories of her and her dad doing things together? I'm sure she does, 
Explain to her how you want to build fond memeries with your 2 boys, riding in that dream she lables as a huge pile of rubble. Tell her how it hurts your feelings when she degrades you dream and how insencitive it is of her to act this way and that you would never do this to her. (look at her with sadness in your eyes)  [smiley=1-embarassed.gif] and ask  "How she would like it if you did this to her. 

At this point you have got her by the balls  ;D ;D ;D

Just walk away with a sad look on your face, give it a while,

she'll break,


I did this one time and I got away with building a riding lawn mower in the living room.

It will work!!!  [smiley=1-thumbsup1.gif] Go for it!!!   [smiley=headbang.gif]  You have nothing to loose, [smiley=1-thumbsup3.gif]


Then let us know how things worked out....


If this doesn't work, tell her how nice her cabnet look, and if that didn't work,,your screwed... [smiley=officeslave.gif]


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## ht (Oct 1, 2008)

;D

Thank you for the laughs MM!  As you may have guessed, I push my luck with my lovely wife much more than I should!  Trust me; I'm constantly tempting fate my friend!  I remember hearing this phrase from my parents growing up as a child....

"You're tipping your toes is tepid waters!"

;D

Thank you for the compliments on the Mercury!  I too love the engine and cannot believe how clean it actually is!  Beneath the cowling it's almost perfect and there is no sign of damage, leaks, dry hoses or missing parts.  I dont dare tear into the engine restoration at this point though because I'm trying to stay focused on the hull.  Once the hull portion of this project is moving along at a smooth pace, I will start on the motor...  Until then, it will continue to hang quietly in the corner of the garage.....staring at me.....teasing me.....

The boat dolly was easy to build and I knew with the amount of weight it will eventually be required to support, I had better build it fairly stout.  I just welded some 2"x4" mild steel together (Square and level of course!), and bolted some brackets and 2"x6" bunks to the top.  I then bolted on a set of locking casters and she was ready to go.  The idea for this type of dolly came from the shop I used to work at where we used dolly's like this to hold fairly heavy performance hulls/boats.  We used them both in the glass shop and on the display floor in the showroom.  Anyhow, I knew that I would only be able to work on this project during the weekends, so this allows me the opportunity to move the hull around in the garage so that the Mrs. can still park her truck inside.

"If Momma aint happy, aint nobody happy!"    ;D

(I had visions of sending the dolly off to have it powder-coated so it would look nice and pretty but knew that I was just going to chop it up later when it comes time to build the trailer for this boat.)

Thanks again for the lead on the outboard repair shop in Tampa; I may have to get in touch with them at a later time once I start putting the final pieces together....


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## ht (Oct 1, 2008)

Greetings All,

What a wonderful weekend!  I was able to squeeze in a few hours playing around in the garage and managed to "Dry-fit" a few support pieces into the hull.

When I first stumbled into this project hull, I had no intention of hanging this large a motor off of the transom.  I was initially going to try for a 40 hp engine either from Honda or Mercury.  I originally planned on building a multi-layer transom consisting of several pieces of 3/4" plywood which I knew would be sufficient for a 40 hp motor.  Well, as time passed and things evolved, I happened to "Stumble" into this 70 hp Mercury which weighs a tad bit more than a 40 hp engine....  So, with the added weight of the engine and jackplate, I figured I would err on the side of caution and "Overbuild" the transom and stringers.

After staring at this hull for some time, here is what I conjured up..... 

This transom will consist of two pieces.  Three slabs of solid oak (1 1/2"x10"x48"), which are edge-joined with buiscuits and glued up then trimmed to the general shpe of the transom.  In front of that will be a single layer of 3/4" oak veneer plywood which is smaller in size but maintains the same general shape of the thicker oak slab.

The stringers are 2"x8" Douglas Fir which will run from the transom to the bow where the will terminate as the bow flares upwards.

The Douglas Fir stringers will begin at the thicker oak slab and will run forward.  These will be held in place by the thinner 3/4" piece of ply. which will lock the stringers into place equidistant from the keel.

On top of the stringers are two layers of 3/4" ply.   These will act as "Stringer Knees" and will add additional support to the transom while helping transfer the load of the engine and jackplate to the stringers.

With only the two layers of wood stacked inside the hull of the boat, you can see the thickness is already 2 1/4".  Once the layers of glass are installed, this transom should be roughly 2 3/4" thick and will be more than adequate to support the load.

There is a LOT more work to be done to each of these pieces before they can be installed but I wanted to share the progress with you all.

And yes, the plans for this hull include adding a small tunnel near the transom....    

As always, thank you for looking and please dont hesitate to add comments, questions, recommendations and concerns!    ;D


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## JaxLaxFish (Aug 23, 2010)

What is that semi-circle on the transom, are you planning a tunnel hull? If so I think there may a few people on this forum who could tell you several good reasons not to build a tunnel. Could be wrong but I could swear I've read threads with complaints about them. Otherwise sweet boat and can't wait to see what you can do to it.


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## ht (Oct 1, 2008)

Good morning JaxLaxFish!

Yes, I figured someone would chime in here sooner or later regarding the addition of a tunnel!    

There are a ton of people who have lots of knowledge regarding this topic and there are just as many people who have strong opinions either way....  I would hope they would all continue to share their knowledge and findings regarding this topic so the rest of us can continue to learn from the useful information.

My gorgeous and patient wife will attest; I am at times a stubborn fool!       Once I have my mind made up about something, I usually just "Run with it."  So, a tunnel hull it is!

Regardless, I am going to really enjoy working on this project and I look forward to many successes and hopefully not too many disappointments.  I hope the end result will be something just a little bit different than what you typically see in a "Fishing boat...."


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## mudd_minnow (Oct 13, 2010)

GOOD FOR YOU!!! I to are stuborn like a mule but, I don't care, my excuse,,,I'm building the dam thing not you damm critics HA! HA! HA!

If the Wright Brothers had listened to all the critics some one else would have flown the plane first. Oh yeah, someone else did....But, that's nor here or there.......Strive on SIR.. Damm the torpedos, full speed a head. No Fear!!! YOU ROCK.... [smiley=1-beer-german.gif]


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## ht (Oct 1, 2008)

Thank you for the kind words of encouragement MM!

I know me and I could picture myself staring at the finished product sitting on a gorgeous trailer preparing to hit the road on the maiden voyage to Chokoloskee thinking.....  "I should have just cut the keel and transom out when I had the whole thing stripped down!  I knew it!  I should have just done it!"   ;D


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## ht (Oct 1, 2008)

;D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sD8vwxhxKpA&NR=1


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## ht (Oct 1, 2008)

Good afternoon All!

With the holiday weekend upon us, I was busy with family and friends and didn't have an opportunuty to spend a ton of time in the garage.  I did however slap together some plywood and started working on the insert for the tunnel pocket I'll be adding to this hull.  This is a little bit premature at this stage in the build but I got a "Wild hair" and felt like I could accomplish this with little effort and minimal time.

This recipe included some scrap plywood, some of my wife's beloved wax paper, a handful of screws and a few cans of "Expandable Foam."

At this stage, it simply looks like a loaf of foam and is far from pretty!  Once the foam sets up, I can pop it from the wax paper-lined box and begin shaping it with my wife's electric kitchen knife!    ;D

As always, please feel free to add any questions, comments, recommendations and/or concerns!


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