# Crystal 16 Smith Marine Design



## jfboothe (Dec 19, 2012)

I guess I should start this by introducing myself since this is my first post. My name is Jim from Indiana. I have been lurking here for a while, getting ideas and looking at all of the cool boats. It might seem odd that I am building a flats style skiff and live in Indiana but I am originally from NC and plan to go back there one day and retire around Ocracoke, Morehead City or Beaufort. This style boat is idea in the sounds back there for flounder fishing/gigging and exploring plus it will make a fine boat for some of our lakes around here.

I have built a canoe and a kayak before so this isn’t my first experience with this however this is a much bigger undertaking than my previous projects. I hope to have it done in time to enjoy this spring/early summer since I have a family trip planned to Emerald Isle NC in June. I think that is doable since I really plan this to be a boat that is useable as a fishing/run around boat. I spent a tremendous amount of time sanding and finishing the kayak till it was just about perfect only to scratch it up the very first time I put it in the water. This time I am going for a nicely finished boat but not something I will be afraid to use and get dirty or a little scratched. 

The boat is the Crystal 16 from Smith Marine Design  http://www.smithmarinedesign.com/crystal16.html. It is a strip built boat very much like the kayaks and canoes I have built and I plan to build it basically as designed. It will be tiller steered with a 25-30HP outboard. So far I am making good progress. I received the plans from Timm Smith the last week in November and was able to get started the first weekend in December. I just got the outside of the hull glassed last night (no pictures of that yet). I will begin filling the weave tonight and fairing the hull this weekend. I will try to keep this page updated as I go and feel free to comment or ask any questions. 

http://www.smithmarinedesign.com/images/Crystal16_Boothe/index.html


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

Very, very nice.... more pics please (and maybe a description of materials in use....).


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## [email protected] (Nov 12, 2012)

Strip built coldmolded poling skiff. I like the lines. Great work.


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## CurtisWright (May 9, 2012)

Sweet build dude. Keep us posted


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## samay (Feb 23, 2011)

This is the first strip built build I've seen. Can't wait to see more.


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## tguasjr (Mar 9, 2009)

Very nice, I'm hooked!


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## WhiteDog70810 (May 6, 2008)

Several of us keep talking about how cool it would be to see a strip built hull that was an actual boat instead of a `yak or canoe. It seems our wish is coming true. Looks good so far. Keep the pics coming.

Nate


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## oysterbreath (Jan 13, 2009)

Hello Jim and welcome to the site and welcome to the Smith design family so-to-speak. I've been chit chatting with Tim about your progress. I'm really glad to see someone building that design and even happier that you decided to post it here. Timm and I have been chit chatting about a 16 foot version of the Osprey for a good long time and I think the Crystal is a fine design indeed! I was going to build one but at the time, the design wasn't done and I needed to occupy the garage with a boat ASAP so I did the Osprey instead. I really like what you have going there! I was of the thought that the boat should have been design utilizing the Aussie strip method but as it's easy to see from your boat, the good ol American strip method looks WAY better. Well, atleast till it gets covered up. Looks like the hull came together amazingly quick. That's a big PLUS that strip has over cold molding! Cold molding goes together much slower. Well, can't wait to see more! Maybe if we get a few more Smith Marine builders we can have a big pow-wow like the Bataue  builders do! lol As far as I know, your 16 is the first one started. Mine is, I think, the first 18 started but there is another dude in Alabama who has recently started an 18.

So what size strips did you use? Cedar right? When it was still being designed I called a few places about using Paulowania. Unfortunately, the main distributor for that wood closed it doors shortly afterward. I'm secretly planning my next build in strip too. I haven't posted about it yet. seeing yours go together will be a learning experience!


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

Looks great!!! I am doing a smaller strip project, it's my first and going a little rougher then I hoped but it's not as bad as I feared. Did you mill your own strips? If so can you describe your process? Also what kind of staples are you using? Thanks


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## Boatdesigner (Dec 9, 2009)

Maybe I can give you a little more information as Jim is up to his armpits in fairing! Jim did cut his own strips. He got a good deal at a local home center on 4/4 lumber which he cut down to 3/4" wide and then cut into strips just slightly thicker than 1/4". He then used his planer to mill them the rest of the way. You can use White Cedar, red Cedar or Pawlonia for strips.

The strips will be covered on both sides by 1208 Double-Bias +45/-45 glass set in epoxy. The framing is specified as Okoume Marine Ply in the plans, but I have told Jim that he can save some money if he wants and use Fir Marine Ply. The Fir is a bit heavier (which was already figured into the plans) but is also almost half the price. It won't be seen as it is all covered below deck. I need to add that note to the plans when I get a bit more time.  

Oyster, I didn't specify the _Bowdidge Strip Planking Method_ (I promised Mark Bowdidge, the originator, that I would call it that!) as I was afraid the strips would bend out of shape as you forced the thickened epoxy into the seams. They are only 1/4" thick and the mold frames are 14" apart. I am designing two larger boats, a 21' CC and a 40' SF that will both use this method, but they have thicker planking.

I am not sure what kind of staples Jim is using, but it may not matter much as they are all pulled out and discarded anyway. One neat thing about this method is that each builder will probably run his strips a different way. This is one of those deals where there are a hundred ways to skin a cat, none of them wrong! As long as the planks run in a generally longitudinal direction and are well glued, I am a happy camper.

I am not trying to drive traffic to my site, but if you do go to the page for the Crystal 16, you will find a link to a gallery of the pictures Jim is sending me at the bottom. I have added some notes under the pictures, some of which describe the process a bit. I think this will be a fun and simple way for an amateur to build a boat and I may have to redraw the Osprey at some point to use this same method. So, Oyster, when do I get some more pictures of your boat? ;D


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## jfboothe (Dec 19, 2012)

As Boat Designer stated I have been busy fairing and sanding but I have also been enjoying the Christmas with the family so I haven’t gotten done as much as I would have liked. I have glassed the whole outside of the hull with reinforcements as needed and two layers of glass on the transom. The weave is filled and I have started fairing. My plan is to get the outside of the hull faired and maybe primed then pull it off the molds and flip it. I will then sand/glass the inside of the hull, fit the interior parts and pieces, flip it back again and finish the bottom. The finished hull should only weigh 450-500lbs so I don’t think that will be much of a problem. 

Several have asked for some details. I am using Western Red Cedar for the strips. If you do some research on strip boats, kayaks and canoes you will find that many different materials have been used but WRC is a nice wood to work with, very light and widely available in most places. We have several big lumber places around here and I am able to find it in long clear lengths if I search around. For this project I walked in Lowes and they had an entire rack of completely clear, knot free wood that I immediately grabbed up. I then rip it slightly bigger than ¼” and ran it thru a thickness planer. 

For glue I used waterproof Titebond III and for stapling the cedar to the molds I just used standard 5/8” Arrow type T50 staples with an electric stapler. The staples are just used to hold the strips in place while the glue dries and then you pull them. Pulling them really isn’t too bad. I use some normal pliers and if the staples are flush and you can’t get a hold of them, I use a small chisel to pry them up just enough to get the pliers on them. Took maybe an hour with my 14 yo son helping to pull them all. 

I guess there are many different ways to run the strips but I started with the chine since there is a big transition in the hull at that point and wanted to be sure I could make that area look good. From the chine to the keel went very easily and was very much like stripping a kayak. You can see in the pictures that there is an area as you come up the stem where I laid a strip on each side of the keel line and started bringing the strips from the keel and the chine together. I alternate the strips in this area tapering each strip as I go. It goes pretty quick by laying a strip in the area to get the angle, roughly cutting it off with a utility knife and using a small hand plane to trim and fit it. After getting the bottom stripped, I planned to run a strip the length of the sheerline and strip from there up to the chine but I could not get a strip to lay well along the sheerline at the bow. It just did not like the combination of the flair and the turn at the bow. So I measured down a few inches from the chine where I could get a strip to lay well and just started in the middle of this area. I think it came out pretty well doing it this way and follows the lines of the boat. I marked the sheerline inside the boat from the molds and after I flip it I will trim it down to here nice and neat. 

For this design you use a layer of 12 oz biaxial cloth with a 3/4oz mat on the inside and outside of the hull structure. This creates an extremely strong and very lightweight composite structure with the cedar strips acting as a core. The 1208 cloth is very different than the plain 6oz cloth I used on the kayak and canoe. This stuff really soaks up the resin and is a little harder to wet out but I found I just needed to take my time and it works pretty well. 

It is early in the project but I have also been scouring Craigslist/Ebay/classifieds for motors and trailers. There aren’t a lot of used aluminum or galvanized boat trailers here in the Midwest so I may have to buy a new trailer. Anyone that knows of a nice 16’ bunk trailer somewhere close, please let me know. I did find a great deal on a low time 2011 25hp Evinrude ETEC. My problem is that it is setup as a remote so I have called around and found that I can order all the parts to change it to a tiller setup. I am going to go pick that up tomorrow and help the previous owner get it off the boat he has it on now. If anyone has any experience changing an Evinrude from remote to tiller please let me know or if you have one that is setup as a tiller and you want to swap parts send me a message. If not I am sure I can easily sell the remote parts and pay for what it will cost to convert it to tiller. 

That’s it for now. More pictures will be coming shortly. 

Jim


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## Boatdesigner (Dec 9, 2009)

My estimate for the weight of the hull is 411 lbs using white cedar. Red cedar is a bit lighter, so that is probably a good estimate.


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## oysterbreath (Jan 13, 2009)

Well I have to say that it's all looking really good. My only concern in the 1208 that you are using. I'm sure that you are using epoxy but is your mat epoxy compatible? Most mats require polyester or vinyl ester resin to dissolve the binding agent. I assume that you did end up with epoxy compatible mat since you have not cried bloody murder yet???? I have to try hard to NOT want to build one of these. I want one! lol The price would be to high to build one after the Osprey....My wife would leave me! lol
Timm, Is the transom on this thing as substantial as the Osprey's? If so, man you got a ROCK solid transom!I've been wondering how much LESS framing you could use to build this. The Osprey has a lot of framing members. This one doesn't have nearly as much.
HoosierSkiff, since you milled your own strips, How many Linear feet do you think you used? While milling, which tools did you use? Table saw and a portable planner? One of these days I'm gonna need to make some strips...
Thanks for sharing and Thanks to Timm for designing.

P.S. Timm, Mark B. is a good dude, I'm glad you worked something out with him.


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## jfboothe (Dec 19, 2012)

Oyster,

I spent a lot time researching the 12oz fabric with mat (1208) and its use with epoxy. From the reports that I have seen and the research that I did, I am not convinced that it is necessary but Timm had already ran the numbers with that type of fabric and there really isn’t a cost difference using 1208 fabric as opposed to using just 12oz biaxial (in fact it’s cheaper) so I went with what Timm required per the design. It wasn’t that much more difficult to use than normal fabric but it does take extra time to be sure you get a good wetout. But to answer your question, yes the 1208 fabric I used is epoxy compatible. However from the research I have done, it really doesn’t matter. The strands that hold the mat together that would normally get dissolved in a polyester or vinyl ester type resin just get encapsulated in the epoxy. Here is a article on the subject from the experts http://www.westsystem.com/ss/chopped-strand-mat-epoxy/ and this the fabric that I am using http://www.fiberglassindustries.com/doublebiass.htm. 

I am sure Timm will chime in here but our boats will look very similar but two entirely different construction techniques. I have not built a cold-molded boat but my understanding is that it derives most of the strength through the laminated hull structure and the internal framing. The fiberglass on a cold molded boat is there as much to provide abrasion resistance as strength. A strip boat is more of a composite structure and it derives the primary strength from the actual sandwich construction of a layer of outer glass – a core material – another layer of inner glass. 

My transom is constructed with 2 layers of ¾” marine plywood encapsulated in 2 layers of 1208 fabric on the inside and 2 layers of 1208 on the outside with reinforcements and overlaps with the hull fiberglass along the hull-transom attachment. Yes it is extremely tough and rock solid. 

I really don’t know exactly how many linear feet I used of strips. It was very close to the estimate Timm gave in the design (2300’). I purchased the wood locally at a Lowes home improvement place. Before I started work on the boat I went around to several places to try and get an estimate of costs. I walked in our local Lowes and they had a big stack of completely clear knot-free 6” wide boards so I pulled out my Lowes CC and bought all of it. These are 4/4 boards that are rough on one side so I ran them through a portable thickness planer to remove the rough finish then ripped them into slightly bigger than ¼” strips. After that I ran them back through the thickness planer to get them right to ¼” thick. A trick I use to speed up the ripping process is to stack 2 blades with a spacers in between to rip two strips a once. Also find the thinnest kerf blades possible to minimize waste. 

I made a little progress lately and got the boat flipped up right. This weekend I will be glassing the interior and start tabbing in the frames/stringers. I also made a decision to go with a small side steering console and remote controls so I have been working on that while I have been waiting for the next shipment of epoxy. 

Jim


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## Boatdesigner (Dec 9, 2009)

I just updated my website with the latest pictures Jim has sent me. The boat is really coming along well!

Oyster, I think Jim has answered your questions really well, but just to reiterate, the transom is built like a tank! I like a thick transom in case you want to screw something on there, like trim tabs or a transducer. If the transom were only one layer of 3/4", you might not have enough meat to use screws and then you'd be through bolting and risking leaks. Jim is also probably right that you could use straight 12oz. glass instead of the 1208. I haven't done the math though and followed the recommendations of a tech expert at WEST who thought the mat gave a better bond. 

I am really considering redoing the Osprey to use this construction method. As always with me, the problem is time. I spend one afternoon every week at the oncologist giving blood and getting a shot of EPO (there goes my professional bike racing career!). Then I spend quite a bit of time answering emails from prospective clients and if I am lucky, I may also get to do some design work! This week the doctor called and said I need to come back a second time and spend the afternoon with an IV in my arm filled with some type of liquid iron. Next week I get another dose of iron as well as something called Zometa that keeps the Myeloma from sucking all the calcium out of my bones.

I am also working on a larger boat that uses a similar construction technique to the Crystal 16, it is a 21' CC though. I really want to finish that one before I start on another large project, like redesigning the Osprey! I do think the Osprey would be much simpler to build this way and the framing likely would be cut in half. If I am careful, I might even be able to make it lighter.


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## jfboothe (Dec 19, 2012)

Here are a few updated pictures


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## Swamp (Jul 12, 2010)

Boatdesigner, OT PM sent.


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## oysterbreath (Jan 13, 2009)

I might have to take some notes from you on ripping wood. It's all new to me but I'm interested for sure! Thanks for the tip. I love my transome. If I were to walk out into the garage and catch two elephants mating on it I wouldn't be worried about it breaking at all! lol Bad joke, No but seariously, it's a brickhouse but not too heavy!

Timm, you should offer the Osprey Either/ or. I'm sure someone else might still wanna build it cold molded style even though strip is obviously faster.
As a mater of fact, HoosierSkiff makes it look down right easy! Slow down buddy, you are de-mistifying the craft! lol

Timm, once again, thanks for the design and all of the help that you've given. I know there have been weeks or even months inwhich I emailed you EVERY DAY!


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## Rosco (Nov 6, 2010)

Holy Moly! That is some very nice clean work!


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## jfboothe (Dec 19, 2012)

> Holy Moly!  That is some very nice clean work!


Thanks Rosco. It still looks a little rough in person and as I am sure you know, as the builder of a project like this, I know where every small little mistake is, every miscut, every area I could have sanded better, etc. But I try and hide those little places really well... 

Made some progress this weekend and got all the inside hull glassing done, the interior stringers/frames trimmed/fitted and most of them tabbed/glassed in. I hope to finish that this week in the evenings.

Jim


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## fsae99 (Apr 8, 2010)

Is the entire length of the boat one continuous strip from front to back on every row?


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## jfboothe (Dec 19, 2012)

> Is the entire length of the boat one continuous strip from front to back on every row?


The boards that I used were 12' in length. For the strips you end up scarfing them together to make longer strips. If you can find 18' long knot free cedar then that would be the way to go but it is a lot harder to find.


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## Boatdesigner (Dec 9, 2009)

Bump! Jim has been busy with work lately, so hasn't been able to make as much progress as he had hoped. I just uploaded the latest photos he sent me a few weeks back to my website. Below is the boat with the glassed in stringers Jim mentioned in his earlier post. He is really doing a great job!


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## jfboothe (Dec 19, 2012)

Here is a little more detailed update on my progress. I have the interior pretty much finished off except for the final fit and finish. Somewhere along the way I decided to go with a side console which you can see in the pictures. The plan is to finish the console, rub rails, inwales, toe rail, and rod holders natural/bright with epoxy and varnish. Paint will be a plain yacht white on the bottom with a twilight blue color above the chines along the side. The interior and decks will be finished white with a gloss retarder and non-skid on the sole and decks. It is pretty amazing how solid the hull, sole and deck feel now that everything together. There is no flex in the in anything even walking along the side decks but it is still very light weight. 

I am at a stage now where I flipped the boat back over to finish off the hull and paint. So I am sanding, fairing, sanding, fairing…. At some point very soon I am going to have enough of that and just paint it. I am also working on the poling/directional strakes. For these the design called for the dimensions to start at 3/8” x 1 ½” at the transom and then they taper to a point at the front. I setup my table saw to cut them out of a 1x4. From there I laid plastic sheet in cutouts on the 1x4, wetted out the some 10oz fabric and put that on top of the plastic. The strakes were pushed down into the wetted out glass, more plastic on top to keep everything from getting glued together and then all of it was clamped down tight. The result was some nicely finished strakes. For tapering them, I laid them back in the notches in the 1x4 and then took a power planer and planed them down to a point. I just finished that up for the first two strakes last night. If anyone is interested, I have a lot more detailed pictures of this.


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## samay (Feb 23, 2011)

WOW! This is a special boat. Thanks for sharing the build with us. (And of course we want to see more pictures...are you kidding?)


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## Rosco (Nov 6, 2010)

> WOW! This is a special boat. Thanks for sharing the build with us. (And of course we want to see more pictures...are you kidding?)


x2


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## jfboothe (Dec 19, 2012)

Here are a few updated pictures for everyone's viewing pleasure. Hopefully be splashing her in just 2-3 weeks!!!!!!  ;D ;D ;D I filled out all my paperwork for my application for a HIN today and got that in the mail. 

For all you southern guys and gals, that white stuff on the roof and ground is SNOW.   That is gone now and I sincerely hope it stays gone. Still a little cold today.


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## Mike1974 (Feb 22, 2013)

Very very very nice build! The color is awesome. That is very close to the color I am going to be using on my boat. Side console! Wow! Very stylish. How did you end up attaching your console? Did you just glass it to the side deck? Or is there bracing under there?


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## Rosco (Nov 6, 2010)

Very nice work Hoosierskiff! She is a pretty boat.


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## DuckNut (Apr 3, 2009)

Beautiful job Hoosier!


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## Net 30 (Mar 24, 2012)

First time I've seen a side console on a garage built! Classy looking sled...good luck.


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## oysterbreath (Jan 13, 2009)

Very nice! Man, you should be proud! I think that's gonna be the first of the Smith marine microskiffs to be finished! Once we get a few more, we'll have to do one of those builder meet and greets!
I'm really impressed at how quickly you put that thing together and how nice it turned out. I'm almost two years into mine. I figure strip building vs cold molding....strip wins when it comes to speed of construction!


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## oysterbreath (Jan 13, 2009)

Oh, and by the way, what thickness is your deck?


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## jfboothe (Dec 19, 2012)

Thanks everyone! I am very excited to see this project through. I still have to do some interior work, paint the decks, mount the engine and controls. As far as mounting the side console I am probably going to temporarily mount it with screws or thru-bolts and then when I am happy with the position I will epoxy it down. The deck is 1/2" ply with glass on top and I'm not exagerating when I say it is solid. Like jump up and down, drive a car across it solid. 

I am excited enough that I may mount the engine and controls over the next couple days and go splash it Friday evening just to see how it floats and runs. ;D I am very curious to see how skinny it floats and how fast she goes!


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## Boatdesigner (Dec 9, 2009)

You got the pics up before me this time! I just added them to my site as well. She really looks great. Now we have to figure out how to get Oyster's boss to give him a raise so he can finish his boat faster!

Let me know how the test run goes. By the way, she was not designed for that hard water you get up there in Indiana. No ice breaking! ;D


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## oysterbreath (Jan 13, 2009)

Sweet! Splash her as soon as possible but make sure to take some pics!


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## GoldSpoon (Jun 14, 2012)

Nice work Hoosier


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## samay (Feb 23, 2011)

Slobber, drool, envy, jealousy...really nice!


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## oysterbreath (Jan 13, 2009)

> You got the pics up before me this time! I just added them to my site as well. She really looks great. Now we have to figure out how to get Oyster's boss to give him a raise so he can finish his boat faster!
> 
> Let me know how the test run goes. By the way, she was not designed for that hard water you get up there in Indiana. No ice breaking! ;D



LOL, my biggest issue is time. I work 12+ hour days and sometimes on the weekend too. Even if I had more time and cash...I doubt I could have finished it as quickly as Hoosier did. Looking from the from view. It appears that the 16 has less flar than the 18 too. Is that correct Timm?


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## DuckNut (Apr 3, 2009)

Hoosier - I hope your splashing is incentive for Oyster. He spends too much time on here when he should be in the shop.


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## jfboothe (Dec 19, 2012)

Since there was a lot interest in the console, here are some additional pictures. It is only mounted temporarily for now and will get final finishing and varnish. The holes at the bottom are for toggle switches (lights, pump, accesories, etc)


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## Boatdesigner (Dec 9, 2009)

Oyster, there is less flar (flare too! ;D) in the bow. I took some out to make it easier to plank. The O18 was designed for a specific client who wanted that much flare. The C16 was designed from the outset for amateurs, so it had a bit less. Lots of flare looks nice, but is harder to plank and provides less buoyancy when driving into a head sea. Everything is compromise! Now back to ogling Hoosier's fine workmanship!


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## samay (Feb 23, 2011)

Man, that console is beautiful.


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## Boatdesigner (Dec 9, 2009)

I just wanted everyone to know that Hoosier has finished his boat! He sent me some pics a couple weeks back and I just now got around to adding them to my website. He has done an awesome job with the boat and she is really beautiful! Not bad for 5 1/2 months of work. I am sure Hoosier will chime in at some point to fill you in on the last bits, but for now here are some pics!



































At the end of June I'll be meeting up with Hoosier and his family in NC to see the boat in person. I'll hopefully come away with some more pictures and maybe even some video. Great job on the boat Jim!


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## oysterbreath (Jan 13, 2009)

Man-OH-man! That's a great lil boat! I still can't get over how fast that thing came together! Hoosierskiff must be a machine!


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## DuckNut (Apr 3, 2009)

Oyster - Hoosier is in the garage working, you're on here trolling. Just sayin'


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## oysterbreath (Jan 13, 2009)

> Oyster - Hoosier is in the garage working, you're on here  trolling.  Just sayin'


 heeeyyyyyyyyy, i resemble that remark! Lol seriously though. I did spend 3 hours in the garage today so THERE!


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## jfboothe (Dec 19, 2012)

I thought I would share a little update. My family and I traveled to Emerald Isle for a week at a house and camped on Shackleford for a couple of days too. The Crystal finally got to taste some saltwater and get some fish flopping around on her. I am very pleased with how the boat did even when I overloaded her with camping gear and kids to take over the shackleford. 

Timm and his family was able to make the trip all the way from Florida to see the boat and enjoy the NC coast too. He seemed to be pleased with the job I did on building his design. He also took a lot of photos and video that are on his website. http://www.smithmarinedesign.com/ It was really great to finally meet him in person and I can't say enough great things about Timm and his support throughout the build process. 

Her are a few of the pictures that he took. There are many more pictures here http://www.smithmarinedesign.com/images/Crystal16_Boothe/index8.html














































I guess I should start thinking about next winters project.


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## oysterbreath (Jan 13, 2009)

You did such an excellent job building that boat! My hat is off to you for sure! I bet Timm was giddy as a school girl to see that thing running!



> ...I guess I should start thinking about next winters project.


WHAT! You mean your wife is actually gonna let you build something else? Lucky fella! Mine has already made plans to re-purpose the garage. She wants to actually park a CAR in it of all things! Can you actually believe that? lol


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## Boatdesigner (Dec 9, 2009)

We really enjoyed the trip up to NC! We hadn't been to that area in about a dozen years, back when that sullen looking teenager in the pics was just a little guy who enjoyed playing in the sand. I have to thank Jim and his wife for making time out for us during their vacation. 

As for the boat, Jim did a great job! The boat looks just as good in person as in the pics, no trick photography was used. In fact, you can see by the video I have added to the C16 page how lousy my video skills are! Please be kind, it was my first video project and I was standing shin deep on a grass flat while I shot the video. Did I mention I can't feel my feet very well and I was afraid I would fall down and drown my camera? I know, excuses!

The boat runs very well if I do say so myself (arm hurting from patting myself on the back). She seems to be very stable and even an overweight boat designer with nerve damage in his feet was able to walk around on the bow without falling. She planed very well with the 25hp OB and ran right around 30mph in the flat calm conditions. Jim says she can throw a little spray at times, not unexpected from a boat with no spray rails. The strakes seem to work well at helping the boat grab the water while in a turn, although I can't say if they help the boat while poling as we didn't try that. You can see how pretty she runs in the video. It also got me real excited to ride on Oysters Osprey as that hull may run even better due to the extra couple of feet of bottom.

I was really pleased when Jim loaded the boat onto the trailer and pulled it right up the ramp with his Subaru. I really like the idea of pulling your boat with a small car and not needing a big truck! As for Jim's next project, I am working on a 21' center console that is planked with 3/8" strips . . . . ;D


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## fishicaltherapist (Mar 9, 2013)

Congrats on design,talent,& hard work!! An excellent piece of work. ENJOY!! [smiley=1-thumbsup3.gif] [smiley=1-thumbsup3.gif] [smiley=1-thumbsup3.gif]


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## jfboothe (Dec 19, 2012)

> As for Jim's next project, I am working on a 21' center console that is planked with 3/8" strips . . . . ;D


I think I will need a bigger garage........


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## acraft1720 (Jul 31, 2012)

That's a beautiful boat nice work!


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## Guest (Jan 27, 2016)

great work


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