# Scratch built “Glades Skiff” on a budget



## Gatorgrizz27

I’ve been obsessing over the design for a small, shallow water skiff for a couple years now, and I finally pulled the trigger and got the ball rolling. I’m in the Big Bend region of Florida and want something that will let me fly fish the tidal creeks by myself, spin fish with 2-3 people, cruise the rivers with my wife and son, and camp from. Shallow draft, versatility, and seaworthiness are the goals.

After looking at a variety of plans, I ended up basing this on Spira’s Ka-Joe design. It wasn’t exactly what I wanted, but the ply on frame designs allow for very easy modifications. I ended up shortening the boat, widening the rear, adding more V throughout, and a different transom design. It will be between 17’-17’8” long depending on how the nose shapes up, 58” max beam, 48” max bottom width tapering to 44” at the transom.

I’m attempting to incorporate some features of the higher end poling skiffs. Most of them feature 2-3 degrees of deadrise, so I added 2 degrees into the frames, and am building a curved transom with a steeper rake as Beavertail and some of Chris Morejohn’s designs are using.

The frames have been built and sitting in my shop for a few months as I’ve been tweaking them, and I have a bunch of jobs lined up where we aren’t working out of my shop for awhile, so I ordered the fiberglass and epoxy over the weekend and threw a strong back together today. If all goes well tomorrow I will have the frames squared up and clamped in place, as well as the chine logs and keelson mounted.

I still have to build the transom and have been debating the shear height. Currently it is 22” at the bow and tapers down to 17” from midway back. I know that’s higher than most poling skiffs, but I really want to be able to venture into open waters when the wind picks up a bit. There are a lot of exposed areas here that will get 2’ rolling whitecaps with 15 mph winds and aren’t safe in a low shear skiff. Hopefully I don’t regret building it that tall and it ending up poling horribly. If it does I can always chop it down.


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## Gatorgrizz27

Photos of the progress so far...


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## WhiteDog70810

Awesome! I am tired of production boat threads. Make some sawdust!

Nate


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## Shadowcast16

Awesome man! Keep it coming.


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## Gatorgrizz27

Not a ton of progress today, had to build a range hood for a customer’s job since my employee couldn’t figure it out. I got all the frames lined up and clamped, the keelson ripped and screwed in place and the lower chine logs screwed on. They will come back off and be glued on when the epoxy I ordered shows up.

I’m happy that so far, all my measurements have ended up within 1/16”, hopefully that will keep things from turning into a pain down the road. It’s been awhile since I’ve built a boat so I’ve forgotten certain things about it.

I still have to build the transom, due to the angle the motor will end up sitting 4” further back from the edge of the running surface than normal, so I think I can raise the motor at least another inch over the standard of setting the anti-ventilation plate 1” above the bottom. A 20” tall transom would put it 2 1/2” above the bottom of the hull and give me a 3” prop to pad height.

I’m not sure how the nose is going to shape up yet either, right now it looks like the waterline length will be right at 16’. I added a bit more V to the front of the boat also, I’m trying to get a sharp entry but still keep the chines completely under water.


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## Gatorgrizz27

Day 2:


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## Gatorgrizz27

My fiberglass and epoxy order was waiting for me at my shop this morning, but it’s also 45 degrees so I’m probably not going to be able to glue anything up today.

I realized I’m going to have an issue with my bilge pumps due to the keelson design. It runs the full length of the boat all the way back to the transom and sticks up about 1 1/4” off the bottom. I’m planning to run 2 plugs, one on either side of it. I’m also planning to run 2 bilge pumps, one with a float switch and one with an on/off switch, wired and fused separately. However, the one with the float switch isn’t going to be able to drain the 1 1/4” of water sitting below the top of the keelson on the other side of the hull.

Obviously I can drill a weep hole through the keelson, but they always end up getting plugged and it’s going to be all the way under the rear deck. Option #2 is cutting a groove in the top of the keelson to lower the 1 1/4” distance down to 3/4” or so, but it creates a weak point in the running surface. Option #3 is sloping the entire back of the boat up to flush with the top of the keelson, and assuming that the boat trims to the rear, the water will flow back there evenly. It may hold more water though at certain times since the bilge pumps will be mounted higher. Option #4 is wire both sides with float switches, and an on/off switch to override them in case they fail. Down side to this is that both pumps would end up running regularly, which draws more from the battery and doesn’t leave me a “new” pump mounted for emergency needs. Option #5 is I’m overthinking all of this like everything else about the boat, leave it alone, and just let the motion of the ocean slosh the little bit of water over the keelson? Thinking that one sounds the best...


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## bryson

I think I'm understanding this question correctly, but forgive me if my answer is nonsense 

How about pouring some foam and glassing over it to flatten the bottom of the bilge area to be even with the top of the keelson? It would be completely sealed, and you might want to make some of it with wood rather than foam/glass (thinking bilge pump mounting areas), but I think it would fix your issue.


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## Gatorgrizz27

bryson said:


> I think I'm understanding this question correctly, but forgive me if my answer is nonsense
> 
> How about pouring some foam and glassing over it to flatten the bottom of the bilge area to be even with the top of the keelson? It would be completely sealed, and you might want to make some of it with wood rather than foam/glass (thinking bilge pump mounting areas), but I think it would fix your issue.


Thanks for the reply, that’s pretty close to my option #3, except you might be talking about filling the whole bottom level. That would work nicely but I always worry about fiberglassed foam cracking and soaking up water. It seems like it always happens, just like wiring corroding.

I think my drain plugs have solved the issue for me, or rather accomodatinf them will. The flanges are 2” diameter so they will sit above the bottom of the hull on the inside. I think I’ll add a short 3-4” angled wood block from the transom to the floor that slopes up so water drains out completely when tilted up on the trailer. This should also help water transfer sides as long as the boat is moving around at all.

The front frames all requires the notches being cut at an angle in order for the chine logs to sit in them correctly. An oscillating multi tool worked perfectly, I just eyeballed the angle and the width of the gap, marked a line, and trimmed them out.
























I also got the pieces for the transom cut out, it’s turning into a work of art since I choose to complicate everything . I wanted a curved transom like some of the newer skiffs have, and I increased the angle to 18 degrees instead of the standard 12. I had a piece of a 2x12 from another job that bowed significantly sitting on a shelf in my shop, it worked perfectly for the transom. It has a 3/4” curve over the 51” top span. The outer pieces will sit flush with the corners, they aren’t positioned properly in the photos. It will get a layer of 1/2” plywood on the outside and 3 layers of 6 oz glass. I’m debating drilling down from the ear the motor will mount on and gluing some dowels in with epoxy to lessen any chance of it breaking with the grain, but the glass may suffice.


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## bryson

Looking good! Yes, I was talking about the whole bottom level. I think if it's glassed correctly you won't have a problem. I think water intrusion to foam-filled areas is usually (I would guess like 99%) from people drilling through the glass to mount things, then water getting in that way. If you make sure to put wood or thick glass slugs in the location of the screws, I don't think you would have an issue. Then again, I've built exactly zero boats from scratch so take this with a grain of salt


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## Gatorgrizz27

Worked on the boat for a couple hours this morning, had to set some tile this afternoon. The nose ended up being 26” high with the way the frames were built and notched, so I cut it back down to the 22” I wanted. The structure isn’t all there yet, but the lines are. I’ll cut the parts of the frames that overhang when I pull the chine logs off to glue up. It will end up being 17’ 8” unless I shorten the back of the boat a little. Trying to decide if I want it to go straight in the garage or if I’m fine with it being angled.

















Since this is a budget build, I plan to show what I’ve spent on it also. I’m leaning towards not including the cost of the strongback and consumables like rollers, brushes, sand paper, etc. Technically they aren’t “part of” the boat though they’re required to build it, and I’m sure I won’t accurately track all the trips to the store for small things. Thoughts?


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## millerrep

I'm following this one. Always liked the Chesapeake deadrise look. This kinda reminds me of one. Bow looks like it will be quiet, chine in the water at rest. I Looked at the design, looks cool with the wood boat look, not sure of the terms, but the slatted foor and all. What kind of wood are the frames, they look good. Good luck on the project!


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## Gatorgrizz27

millerrep said:


> I'm following this one. Always liked the Chesapeake deadrise look. This kinda reminds me of one. Bow looks like it will be quiet, chine in the water at rest. I Looked at the design, looks cool with the wood boat look, not sure of the terms, but the slatted foor and all. What kind of wood are the frames, they look good. Good luck on the project!


Thanks, I’m hoping it is quiet and performs well, I’ve been trying to learn as much as I can about hull design. My experience with canoes, pirogues, and paddle craft has been helpful and I’m pretty sure it will pole efficiently also.

The frames, keelson, and chine logs are all southern yellow pine. I chose it based on its strength, rot resistance, cost, and availability. It is much harder than other pines or softwoods, it’s almost in between them and hardwoods like oak. The down side is that it’s heavier than other options, but the stack of frames only weighs about 25 lbs all together if I had to guess. The keelson has some weight to it, close to 40 lbs according to the calculator I used, but being centered in the lowest point of the hull it acts as ballast. Really light narrow boats can get squirrelly when the weight is high, this should help slow the rocking motion hopefully.

I’d like for the hull to come in around 350 lbs, but that’s probably optimistic given that I haven’t been trying to cut weight hard, so I’ll be happy if it’s sub 400 lbs. I should still have a 4” draft fully loaded with 2 guys in it.


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## WhiteDog70810

Try to keep a daily journal tracking the hours, materials and expendables you spend on the boat. I wish I had, but journaling upsets my ADD, so I didn't even try. It is cool data to have and it allows you to sanity check anyone who decides to "save money by building a boat". 

I only managed to calculate two prices. One price was the cost of materials that became "boat". It was very accurate. I sent copies of those receipts to the state so they could see I paid sales tax and to set the value of the boat for future tax purposes (around $1600 if I remember properly). I only managed to track my big receipts for expendables and that cost plus materials was above $3K. That didn't count trailer, parts to repair my free motor or any of the many times I just grabbed another pack of chip brushes, another can of acetone, etc. while I was at Lowe's for something else. 

Once you finish and total the hours and multiple them by minimum wage (you seem to be a better carpenter than me, so you can charge yourself more than minimum), the cost of a dinky little skiff will gag you, but it is fun to say BS like "that little thing is as expensive as a Hell's Bay and the waiting list was 3 years long".

Nate


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## Gatorgrizz27

WhiteDog70810 said:


> Try to keep a daily journal tracking the hours, materials and expendables you spend on the boat. I wish I had, but journaling upsets my ADD, so I didn't even try. It is cool data to have and it allows you to sanity check anyone who decides to "save money by building a boat".
> 
> I only managed to calculate two prices. One price was the cost of materials that became "boat". It was very accurate. I sent copies of those receipts to the state so they could see I paid sales tax and to set the value of the boat for future tax purposes (around $1600 if I remember properly). I only managed to track my big receipts for expendables and that cost plus materials was above $3K. That didn't count trailer, parts to repair my free motor or any of the many times I just grabbed another pack of chip brushes, another can of acetone, etc. while I was at Lowe's for something else.
> 
> Once you finish and total the hours and multiple them by minimum wage (you seem to be a better carpenter than me, so you can charge yourself more than minimum), the cost of a dinky little skiff will gag you, but it is fun to say BS like "that little thing is as expensive as a Hell's Bay and the waiting list was 3 years long".
> 
> Nate


Thanks for the reply, I’ve read through your build a couple times. Mine’s not really being done to “save money” in terms of just getting on the water, there’s no beating a Jon boat or Gheenoe for that. What I do hope to end up with is something that works nearly as well as a Hell’s Bay Glades Skiff or East Cape Glide for a fraction of the price. Figure at least $20k on the used market, if I can end up with a $2k motor and $500 trailer, I expect to be under $5k all in. One of the budget hang ups at this point is the poling platform, but I’ll cross that bridge when I get there.

There are also some unique things I plan to do on this skiff that would take a lot of work on a factory skiff. I’m trying to toe the line between being as versatile as possible without compromising any single ability too much. Hopefully it all pans out.

While it is a budget build, I don’t want to cut so many corners that I end up with something that’s frustrating to use. When it comes to rigging, most of the items can be put on another boat in the future if this one ends up not sufficiently meeting my needs and turns into a duck killer.

Obviously, you can’t count on even minimum wage for your labor hours. I am trying to crank it out as quickly as I can though before I get frustrated with it and it becomes a chore, and do as much of the work as possible at my shop while my guys are working on paying jobs.


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## Gatorgrizz27

*BUDGET...*

I’ll update this post throughout the build and try to be as accurate as I can. I’m not going to do any running totals, but I’ll add it up at the end. I’ll break it down into categories to see where the money is going. Multiple items will be expressed with (x2,3,etc), and the number at the end of the line is the total. I’m also not going to include sales tax as it’s easier to read the lines on each receipt, it’s 7.5% here. 

*Hull*
1x4x8 furring strips for frames (x10) $21.80
2x10x16 for keelson and chine logs $16.71
2x10x8 for bow stem and transom knee $8.18
5mm Lauan plywood for hull (x8) $111.84
Raka 3 gallon epoxy kit, 30 yds 6 oz cloth, and fairing materials $412.83
Raka 3 gallon epoxy kit $193.83
4” 6 oz fiberglass tape $39.95
Jamestown distributors fairing compound, primer, hull paint $242.50

*Power*
Minn Kota Edge 45 trolling motor $269.99
Minn Kota Zinc Anode $15.00
Johnson 25 hp Electric start 2-stroke $800

*Rigging*
Bote Tackle Rack grab bar/dual vertical rod holder $10.00 (Keys honeymoon find)
Interstate Group 27 deep cycle battery $50.00
NOCO battery box $8.94
Sea dog stainless steel retained drain plugs (x2) $36.58
TRAC trolling motor connectors (x2) $28.98
Recessed cup holders (x4) $8.00
Attwood 6 gallon gas tank with gauge $59.99
Moeller tank fitting $10.57
BRP fuel line/primer bulb assembly $47.80
Minn Kota transom trolling motor bracket $74.99
Bow eye $16.95
Stern eyes (x2) $17.98
Bilge pump thru hull fittings (x2) $41.98
Anchor locker hinges $10.89
Johnson SPX 1250 bilge pumps (x2) $76.48
*
Consumables *
Spira International Ka-Joe plans (heavily modified) $59.99
Strongback materials $32.86
Bondo spreaders (x2) $7.94
Nitrile gloves (x2) $15.96
15 pc chip brushes (x2) $19.96
Clear plastic mixing cups (x2) $5.98

*Trailer*
15” tires and rims $139.80
Southwest wheel 3,500 lb 4” drop axle $199.92
Camco retractable transom tie downs $19.67
Camco 1,500 lb tongue jack $38.31
Camco 2,000 lb winch $34.57
Buyers 2” coupler $20.57
24” receiver tube $33.72
Poly bow stop $14.64
Poly keel roller $18.00
Keel roller shaft $7.99
Keel roller bracket $18.78


*Free/Scraps*
2x12 for transom pieces


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## CurtisWright

Sweet. Love these builds


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## Gatorgrizz27

It’s warm enough now to start working with epoxy, I still have to glue the chine logs and keelson to the frame, but realized I need to stain the frames first. If I get epoxy runs on them they won’t take the stain.

I’m going to pick up my plywood also, since there’s good quality stuff in stock and the moment and I don’t want to be scrounging through crap when I’m ready for it. I was planning to use 1/4” BCX, but I saw that several guys on here used 5mm Launn glassed on both sides. With a layer of 6 oz glass on the inside and 2 layers outside, will that be strong enough? With the keelson and 2 degree deadrise I shouldn’t have oil canning issues, but I do expect this boat to hit oyster bars. Hopefully push pole speeds on most trips, but a full throttle impact is likely someday. The plans call for 3/8” ply with one layer of 6 oz glass on the outside, I’d rather use more glass and thinner ply.

Next question, I’d prefer to glass the backsides of the panels before I put them on the frames. I think if I mount them when the epoxy has started tacking up I’ll be able to bend the ply fine, but I’m worried that it may kink and come loose from the plywood on the inside of the bends. I don’t know that I’ll be able to get it to bend once it’s glassed on the inside, unless I mount it to the frames, then make external plywood forms that hold it in its proper shape while I remove it to glass. Thoughts?


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## WhiteDog70810

3/8" ply is spec'd because only one side is glassed. If you are glassing both sides, you could use 1/4" ply for the sides. I'd keep the 3/8" ply for the bottom.

1/4" BCX is usually pretty ugly. It is generally 3 ply, has some impressive voids in the middle ply and a ton of knots and fissures on the C side. I wouldn't expect it to bend fair and getting a good bond to the C side will be miserable. Find good looking 1/4"/6 mm. luan at a minimum. I don't think you need more than a layer of 6 oz. inside and out for this hull. The seams along the keel and chines will also have a layer of 12 oz. biax tape. Those are your high impact areas and that is heavy enough lamination for a light, low power skiff. I haven't scratched to wood despite hitting stumps and rocks.

I would advise you to not glass the hull panels prior to assembly. That adds a ton of complexity to the build. You'll have to lay out the panels perfectly flat so no wonkiness becomes permanent, glass it and then have the time in the same day to reattach it to the frame. If you wait too long due to anything, the panel will stiffen and fight the bend. Additionally, that layer of glass will throw off every measurement you made up to this point. You'd built pretty accurately thus far (+/- 1/16"), so the change will be more of a headache than all us +/- 1/4" accurate guys.

This is a ply-on-frame hull. The big perk of this technique is that you just screw the parts together, glass the outside, paint the inside and get on the water. You are considering taking away from that simplicity. Stitch-and-glue is bit more complex in comparison (no matter what Bateau.com says) because the you have to make temp frames, then remove them while keeping the hull true, glass the inside and then install the permanent frames. I feel you end up with a lighter, stiffer boat where the wood is better protected from the elements using stich-and-glue, but this comes at the expense of time.

In ply-on-frame, the frames provides much of the rigidity, whereas the composite sandwich provides much of the rigidity in a stitch-and-glue hull. You don't need as many frames as spec'd if you glass the interior. If you are going to add a layer of glass on the inside, I'd use the frames as a male mold to complete the outside using the stitch-and-glue technique, then flip it into a cradle and glass the inside without the frames in place. You could then reduce your frames by half and remove all the fasteners. This is a serious change from the designer's intent, but so is glassing the interior. I wouldn't be a bit scared to do it, but the designer would tell you it is a bad idea.

Nate


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## Gatorgrizz27

WhiteDog70810 said:


> 3/8" ply is spec'd because only one side is glassed. If you are glassing both sides, you could use 1/4" ply for the sides. I'd keep the 3/8" ply for the bottom.
> 
> 1/4" BCX is usually pretty ugly. It is generally 3 ply, has some impressive voids in the middle ply and a ton of knots and fissures on the C side. I wouldn't expect it to bend fair and getting a good bond to the C side will be miserable. Find good looking 1/4"/6 mm. luan at a minimum. I don't think you need more than a layer of 6 oz. inside and out for this hull. The seams along the keel and chines will also have a layer of 12 oz. biax tape. Those are your high impact areas and that is heavy enough lamination for a light, low power skiff. I haven't scratched to wood despite hitting stumps and rocks.
> 
> I would advise you to not glass the hull panels prior to assembly. That adds a ton of complexity to the build. You'll have to lay out the panels perfectly flat so no wonkiness becomes permanent, glass it and then have the time in the same day to reattach it to the frame. If you wait too long due to anything, the panel will stiffen and fight the bend. Additionally, that layer of glass will throw off every measurement you made up to this point. You'd built pretty accurately thus far (+/- 1/16"), so the change will be more of a headache than all us +/- 1/4" accurate guys.
> 
> This is a ply-on-frame hull. The big perk of this technique is that you just screw the parts together, glass the outside, paint the inside and get on the water. You are considering taking away from that simplicity. Stitch-and-glue is bit more complex in comparison (no matter what Bateau.com says) because the you have to make temp frames, then remove them while keeping the hull true, glass the inside and then install the permanent frames. I feel you end up with a lighter, stiffer boat where the wood is better protected from the elements using stich-and-glue, but this comes at the expense of time.
> 
> In ply-on-frame, the frames provides much of the rigidity, whereas the composite sandwich provides much of the rigidity in a stitch-and-glue hull. You don't need as many frames as spec'd if you glass the interior. If you are going to add a layer of glass on the inside, I'd use the frames as a male mold to complete the outside using the stitch-and-glue technique, then flip it into a cradle and glass the inside without the frames in place. You could then reduce your frames by half and remove all the fasteners. This is a serious change from the designer's intent, but so is glassing the interior. I wouldn't be a bit scared to do it, but the designer would tell you it is a bad idea.
> 
> Nate


Thanks for the reply Nate. This current batch of BCX has none of the missing knot holes on the C side, it’s actually really clean. It is only 3 plies though and had some small voids visible at the edges. I used 5mm Luan on a pirogue I built, but it seems really fragile, though I only glassed the chines.

I agree that stitch and glue is superior, but in addition to being much more expensive in materials costs, it’s really difficult to modify the dimensions since the panel curves dictate the shape.

I think the 6 oz cloth on the inside will be thin enough to not throw any measurements out of whack, I had hoped it would be easier to glass the whole panel rather than trying to cut the glass to fit between the frames. It might be easier to cut it while it’s still on the roll with a grinder as opposed to following the weave with scissors though.

I’m well outside the original design by now anyways, so when it comes to glass and ply thickness the best I have to go on are similar boats.

Honestly, I expect this boat to last me a few years and depending on how it meets my needs, replace it with Bateau’s LM18 or FS17.


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## yobata

Gatorgrizz27 said:


> It might be easier to cut it while it’s still on the roll with a grinder as opposed to following the weave with scissors though.


I would advise against this

If you fillet where the frames meet the panels, you can just glass over all of it


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## Gatorgrizz27

Motor acquired. Pretty dang clean Johnson 25 2-stroke for $800.


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## Gatorgrizz27

No visual progress, but I got the transom, chine logs, and keelson all glued up with epoxy today. Hopefully I’ll start getting plywood on the hull next week and it will really start looking like a boat. 

I’m still debating the overall length, right now it will come out to 17’8”, but the transom’s not set yet so I could go down closer to 17’. I’m having a hard time deciding if I want the extra room or a bit easier storage and turning ability while poling.


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## Gatorgrizz27

Made decent progress today. Got the transom attached to the rest of the hull, reworked the bow with a curved stem and shortened the waterline about 4”, and started getting plywood on it. 

I ended up going with 5mm lauan plywood, and will probably double up the bottom. I also ignored the advice on here and pre-glassed the inside before installing the rear half of the bottom. 

It came out really clean, and the 6 oz glass is awesome to work with, and it was easy to wet out and squeeze out the excess resin. I let it sit for about 2 hours before screwing it in place, I’ll do the front half of the bottom tomorrow. 

The first few inches of the nose aren’t going to be a whole lot of fun, I’ve still got some shaping to do on it.


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## Gatorgrizz27

A few things I’ve noticed so far that may help anyone building or thinking about building a boat...

1. Despite the intimidation factor of being a large project, the carpentry/woodworking skills required are really minimal. I own a finish carpentry company, and I’d rate the difficulty around a 3-4 on a scale of 10 (aside from my curved transom, which isn’t necessary). Precise fitment isn’t all that important, it matters more that everything is symmetrical. If you can use a circular saw, impact driver, and sander, you can build a boat. 

2. My oscillating multi tool has been the star of the show so far. I use it daily to flush and plunge cut, but it really shines in boat building where you want to shave 1/8” off or trim something at a strange compound angle. No math or sanding required, just eyeball it, mark it, and cut. I also have an electric hand planer this time rather than the hand plane I used when I built my pirogues. It definitely speeds things up but it’s really easy to take too much off. The hand plane is probably a better option if you’re not in a big hurry. 

3. Start mixing epoxy in really small batches, and you’ll quickly be able to tell how much is needed for each step and minimize waste. It’s the most expensive part of the project, so you don’t want to be throwing it away. So far, I haven’t wasted a measurable amount. Knowing where to use what’s leftover in your cup really helps.


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## Gatorgrizz27

Still moving along, getting the second layer of the bottom glued on with fiberglass tape on the joints between them. Rear halves of the sides are in place too, the nose has been the biggest obstacle so far so I need to get it blended together. Just have the front halves of the side panels and the transom to glass and glue in place, and I’ll be ready to glass the exterior. Pics of motor as well since I didn’t post any, going to need a different prop for it.


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## Gatorgrizz27

Made a lot of progress today, but it was a bit of a shit show and a few things ended up sloppy for my standards.

For anyone considering it, I don’t recommend laminating multiple sheets of plywood together. It used a ton of resin, I could have added at least 2 extra layers of 6 oz glass with the same amount, and that’s not even comparing the weight of the cloth vs the plywood.

The plans called for 3/8” plywood glassed with one layer on the outside, but I’m using 5mm ply. Two layers if it comes out to .393” compared to .375”, I’ll have two layers of 6 oz glass outside plus one inside as well, so it should be strong enough to hit an oyster bar at a good clip.

Somehow the bottom panels ended up about 1/8” out of alignment with the ones under them, and I finally just blended the framing behind the bow down enough that I could wrap plywood around it. It’s not making very good contact, so I’ll end up doing an “end pour” like they do with canoes and kayaks, filling the stem full of epoxy.

I’ve used half of my 3 gallon epoxy kit so far, which sucks because I’ve been really particular about not wasting any of it. I’ll be really close to finishing the bare hull with what I’ve got left, but I’ll definitely need more to do the decks, gunnels, and other stuff.

I was planning to just use it as an open skiff a few times this before rigging it out, so I’m debating whether to order more now or just wait.

I’ve also settled on a paint scheme, I think I’m going to copy what Drake Boatworks has done with one of their skiffs. White exterior, sea foam green cockpit with white nonskid. The slatted floor or “sole” will be stained wood, either cypress or cedar.

Not ideal for duck hunting, but I don’t duck hunt much and I don’t want a dark green or tan boat.


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## DuckNut

On your second layer did you stagger the joints so both panels are not lined up?


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## Gatorgrizz27

DuckNut said:


> On your second layer did you stagger the joints so both panels are not lined up?


Yeah, the two layers on the bottom as well as the side joints are all staggered by at least 24”. The joints in the sides will fall under the front and rear decks, so I’m just using a butt block behind them rather than scarfing the panels.


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## DuckNut

Good news. I just could not tell by the pics.

You are doing a great job.

By the way - I don't recall seeing it mentioned in your thread. Do a search for Glass Slipper. He built a boat very similar to yours out of luan over 5 years ago and still doing great.


----------



## Gatorgrizz27

DuckNut said:


> Good news. I just could not tell by the pics.
> 
> You are doing a great job.
> 
> By the way - I don't recall seeing it mentioned in your thread. Do a search for Glass Slipper. He built a boat very similar to yours out of luan over 5 years ago and still doing great.


Thanks. I did read the thread on Brett’s boat awhile ago. I saw the sides were luan and he used 1/2” ply for the bottom. I think he had some trouble with it flexing early on, but with the keelson, slight deadrise, and 16” frame spacing I’ve got I don’t expect any issues.


----------



## Gatorgrizz27

Some redemption today. I’m happy as heck with how the nose came together considering my strategy was pulling the plywood into place with screws and hacking away until it fit. It’s messy because I tried to glue the edges together with resin, it will clean up nicely. As soon as the second layer of plywood goes on the bottom of the nose, I’ll be ready to glass the outside.

I got the middle section of the second layer glued on to the bottom, the two layers of the transom cut out, and the first one fiberglassed and glued on. I also stained the outside of the second layer in case I decide to leave it unpainted. It probably won’t work out but as of right now I’ve got the option.

Going fishing tomorrow and gave to do some real work next week, but trying to keep making progress before I get burnt out.


----------



## trekker

Gatorgrizz27 said:


> A few things I’ve noticed so far that may help anyone building or thinking about building a boat...
> 
> 1. Despite the intimidation factor of being a large project, the carpentry/woodworking skills required are really minimal. I own a finish carpentry company, and I’d rate the difficulty around a 3-4 on a scale of 10 (aside from my curved transom, which isn’t necessary). Precise fitment isn’t all that important, it matters more that everything is symmetrical. If you can use a circular saw, impact driver, and sander, you can build a boat.
> 
> 2. My oscillating multi tool has been the star of the show so far. I use it daily to flush and plunge cut, but it really shines in boat building where you want to shave 1/8” off or trim something at a strange compound angle. No math or sanding required, just eyeball it, mark it, and cut. I also have an electric hand planer this time rather than the hand plane I used when I built my pirogues. It definitely speeds things up but it’s really easy to take too much off. The hand plane is probably a better option if you’re not in a big hurry.
> 
> 3. Start mixing epoxy in really small batches, and you’ll quickly be able to tell how much is needed for each step and minimize waste. It’s the most expensive part of the project, so you don’t want to be throwing it away. So far, I haven’t wasted a measurable amount. Knowing where to use what’s leftover in your cup really helps.


In the past, I have created a lot of extra sanding by refusing to throw epoxy away. Lol. Definately nice once you know how much to mix. Good thread!


----------



## Gatorgrizz27

Some progress has been made but real work took a priority this week. All the plywood is on, the screw holes have been filled, and I did a sealer coat of epoxy on the bottom. Barring any fiascos, I should be able to get the first coat of glass on the bottom tomorrow.

I’m also ashamed to admit, that today was the first day a BBB (boat building beer) was consumed. I realized I had been doing most of the work on it during the day in between working on customer’s projects. Quite a few more BBB’s shall be consumed from here on out.

If I would stay out in my shop working until 2am like I did when I was single, I’d get a lot more accomplished. However I don’t want to end up living in my shop, especially with summer coming.


----------



## Gatorgrizz27

Bottom got it’s first layer of glass yesterday, and I’ve decided to build the trailer for it from scratch, so I spent about $200 on parts tonight. The trailer is going to end up costing more than I had hoped, but there’s not a better way. Even buying a $400 craigslist trailer, you’re going to end up replacing a bunch of stuff and it will still be rusty. At least this way I’ll have a dry launch trailer with heavy duty parts, removable tongue, 15” wheels, etc. 

The budget is creeping up there, but I should still come in right around my $5,000 goal for everything. It’s deceptive though since I’m counting things like a trolling motor, push pole, dual bilge pumps, etc, that wouldn’t be part of a basic boat/motor/trailer package. The hull is going to end up costing the same as a new Gheenoe NMZ, which is pretty sweet.


----------



## Gatorgrizz27

Well I got the second layer of glass on the bottom yesterday, and both sides glassed today. It was a pain like I figured it would be working almost vertically, I thought about tipping the boat on its side but was worried about doing it by myself. Only glass to lay up now is the tape on the chines and keel, and the two layers on the transom. 

I ended up sanding the stain off the second layer of the transom and gluing it on, it’s not worth the chance that it wouldn’t bond well. 

Fairing compound, primer, and paint are here also, so hopefully I’ll be able to make some good progress on this thing. 

Going to pick up some steel and start working on the trailer as soon as I get it flipped, pretty sure I’m going to run it as an open hull for a bit before doing the decks and rod tubes.


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## Gatorgrizz27

Getting really damn tired of fiberglassing every day, so it’s a good thing all I’ve got left is the tape around the transom edges and over the poling strakes. I finally found a photo of a Glades Skiff upside down, so I copied the strakes too. Ripped them to 1” tall and 3/4” wide, they’re 8’ long and will sit about 6” in from the edge of the hull so I’ll have room for the trailer bunks between them.

Hopefully tomorrow I can feather the edges of the tape in if it’s dry enough and finish the epoxy fill coat on the bottom. Then it’s fair, sand, prime, and paint.


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## Elusive Porpi

I have been toying with the idea of building a hull very similar to this. Im interested in what the final weight will be. Very cool build.


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## GoGataGo52__20

Do you live in Gainesville? Just curious, when I went to school up there Swamp Head was a small brewery, and now it's all over the state and out of state.


----------



## Gatorgrizz27

Elusive Porpi said:


> I have been toying with the idea of building a hull very similar to this. Im interested in what the final weight will be. Very cool build.


I was expecting it to be around 350 lbs, but I didn’t put much effort into keeping the weight down (southern yellow pine frames, 2x6 keelson, etc), so I figured if it came out under 400 lbs I’d be happy.

I’m somewhat surprised that my guess on weight would be close to 250 lbs. I’m not a big guy and I can easily lift both the front and back ends off the sawhorses. It’s still attached to the 2x4 strongback and the rear sawhorse is only about a foot forward of the transom, so there’s not much see-saw action going on.

The decks and gunnels aren’t in yet, but everything else except for the fairing material and paint is on the hull right now. I’m debating buying a scale to hang it from my engine crane or just rolling it across the dump scales when it’s on the trailer.


----------



## Gatorgrizz27

GoGataGo52__20 said:


> Do you live in Gainesville? Just curious, when I went to school up there Swamp Head was a small brewery, and now it's all over the state and out of state.


Nope, Tallahassee. Was just in the mood for that beer and the “gator” part of my screen name isn’t related to UF. Go Noles!


----------



## Gatorgrizz27

Epoxy fill coat on the bottom worked well and sanded nicely, just have a few spots to touch up then it’s on to the sides. Also got the poling strakes glued in place and a small outside fillet run. They will get a layer of 6 oz tape over them too. Ready to get this sucker flipped!


----------



## GoGataGo52__20

Shrugs, I don’t care about FSU. Georgia is our true rival, I’d rather best Georgia one time then FSU 1,000 times. Georgia is in our division, y’all are not


----------



## yobata

GoGataGo52__20 said:


> Shrugs, I don’t care about FSU. Georgia is our true rival, I’d rather best Georgia one time then FSU 1,000 times. Georgia is in our division, y’all are not


As a UF alumnus (2005) I always heard that the season games (including SEC East) didn't matter as much as that last game with the "school up the road"


----------



## permitchaser

GoGataGo52__20 said:


> Shrugs, I don’t care about FSU. Georgia is our true rival, I’d rather best Georgia one time then FSU 1,000 times. Georgia is in our division, y’all are not


I am a GT fan so anyone who beats the dawgs is who I'll cheer for


----------



## GoGataGo52__20

When I went to UF, and I'm alumni as well...We were all gone for the thanksgiving day weekend so that wasn't as big of a deal to us. The Georgia weekend there never was class on Friday, so we always went to Jacksonville for the weekend. I graduated in 2010...


----------



## Gatorgrizz27

Glassed the chine logs with 6 oz tape today, it was a pain. I filleted them to the hull first, then waited until it was tacky to run the tape as I was worried it wouldn’t follow the right radius if it had nothing to hold it in place. I used way more epoxy than normal due to using gloved hands to laminate it rather than a bondo spreader. We will see how it did tomorrow, hopefully I’ll get the, blended in and the final fill coat on everything on the bottom on transom.


----------



## Gatorgrizz27

Well I regret taping the poling strakes to the hull. In the moment I didn’t see another way but I wanted them covered with fiberglass. In hindsight I wish I would have glassed them then glued them on. I had the entire hull bottom sanded down to 120 grit and ready for primer with zero fairing compound, but I’ve now added several days worth of work. The tape over the strakes soaked up a ton of epoxy and I couldn’t use a bondo spreader on it, so there are wrinkles and it added a lot of thickness to sand down. Trying to feather it in also sands down into the fiberglass cloth on the hull, so it will need yet another layer of epoxy and sanding.


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## Goldmine

Nice job. I'd like to check that boat out sometime. I need some carpentry work done too. I'm in the middle of a rebuild right now.


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## Guest

Any progress?


----------



## Danimal

yobata said:


> As a UF alumnus (2005) I always heard that the season games (including SEC East) didn't matter as much as that last game with the "school up the road"


I was born the grandson of an FSU professor and then married the granddaughter of Doyle Conner, you UF ag boys and older fla natives will understand why this creates quite the inter family rivalry.


----------



## Gatorgrizz27

Boatbrains said:


> Any progress?


Some. The boat is faired and I have a coat of primer on the bottom. Screwing with the poling strakes wasted quite a few days, hopefully it was worth it. Been raining every day now so I haven’t been able to finish priming, in addition to working away from my shop lately.

I’ve been using the Total Boat fairing compound, primer, and paint. I’m not sure I’m thrilled with their ease of application but I don’t have a ton of experience with marine products, so perhaps that’s not fair. 

My plan is to prime the hull sides then paint the bottom to see how much additional finish work might be needed on the sides. Unfortunately, the primer is still slightly transparent, so it’s hard to tell if there are any imperfections in the hull.

I’m still waiting for the axle I ordered to show up so I can build my trailer also, it’s taken them almost 5 weeks to get it built and shipped out, their lead time was supposed to be 3-5 days. Going to get the trailer put together then flip the boat onto it to finish the inside.

I have most of the other hardware to finish the boat, bow and stern eyes, dual 1250 gph bilge pumps, etc. I’m probably going to run it as an open skiff for a bit before finishing the casting decks, gunnels, and rod holders. Need to order a prop also but I think I’ve figured out what I need.


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## Guest

I feel your pain with the rain, not gonna complain too much about it though.


----------



## trekker

Gatorgrizz27 said:


> Some. The boat is faired and I have a coat of primer on the bottom. Screwing with the poling strakes wasted quite a few days, hopefully it was worth it. Been raining every day now so I haven’t been able to finish priming, in addition to working away from my shop lately.
> 
> I’ve been using the Total Boat fairing compound, primer, and paint. I’m not sure I’m thrilled with their ease of application but I don’t have a ton of experience with marine products, so perhaps that’s not fair.
> 
> My plan is to prime the hull sides then paint the bottom to see how much additional finish work might be needed on the sides. Unfortunately, the primer is still slightly transparent, so it’s hard to tell if there are any imperfections in the hull.
> 
> I’m still waiting for the axle I ordered to show up so I can build my trailer also, it’s taken them almost 5 weeks to get it built and shipped out, their lead time was supposed to be 3-5 days. Going to get the trailer put together then flip the boat onto it to finish the inside.
> 
> I have most of the other hardware to finish the boat, bow and stern eyes, dual 1250 gph bilge pumps, etc. I’m probably going to run it as an open skiff for a bit before finishing the casting decks, gunnels, and rod holders. Need to order a prop also but I think I’ve figured out what I need.


Did you find the primer to be very thick? I just primed the bottom of my build and holy smokes I did not get much coverage out of a quart. Just ordered the gallon and some thinner. Hopefully it will thin out some. Specs call for a max of 10% thinner.


----------



## Gatorgrizz27

trekker said:


> Did you find the primer to be very thick? I just primed the bottom of my build and holy smokes I did not get much coverage out of a quart. Just ordered the gallon and some thinner. Hopefully it will thin out some. Specs call for a max of 10% thinner.


I bought a gallon and according to their coverage charts, it should be just enough to do the inside and outside of my hull. There are some videos on YouTube where they mention that you need to use a square stick to mash up the pigment that settles out of it.

I did one coat on the bottom without thinning since it was 80 degrees, but it dried almost immediately, which left me unable to spread it out. I brushed the edges of the chine logs and then went to roll it to blend it in about 30 seconds later, and it had already flashed. The primer also causes foam rollers to swell and chunk, despite that being their recommended applicator.

It was still very transparent, so I did a second coat with the thinner. It seemed to go better and I had a little bit longer working time, but I noticed if I kept rolling the same areas it started to lift the primer back off. It also doesn’t sand well at all, it gums up and smears, even after several days drying.

With 2 coats on the bottom of the hull, the fan is probably only down about 1 1/2”. I think I used about 7 oz on the second coat, I didn’t measure the first.

At least I started on the bottom so I could get a feel for it before doing the sides which are much more visible.

The fairing compound was tough to work with too, I have quite a bit of experience with bondo, drywall mud, etc, when it comes to fairing different surfaces. The Total Boat fairing compound had about a 5-7 minute working time, even when I tried it first thing in the morning with temps in the low 70’s. It’s very sticky which makes it hard to smooth fillets with your finger and it seems to “work harden” very quickly. If you spread it on a surface then scrape the excess and spread it on the next spot, it becomes substantially dryer.

Again, I don’t have experience with other marine primers and fairing compounds, so I don’t want to be overly harsh if this is the norm, but I do use a lot of different paints/primers/fillers on a daily basis. I found the Raka epoxy to be extremely easy to work with.


----------



## trekker

Thanks for the reply. It definately destroys foam rollers in a hurry. 

I have had good luck with us compoites fairing compound. Goes on smooth and sand pretty easy.


----------



## Bonecracker

GoGataGo52__20 said:


> Shrugs, I don’t care about FSU. Georgia is our true rival, I’d rather best Georgia one time then FSU 1,000 times. Georgia is in our division, y’all are not


WoW, so much love for my Dawgs on MS! That's ok as my wife graduated from UF and me UGA in 1980. Most of the time we are civil on game day but you never know what will happen when the sh!t hits the fan! 

Love the build Gatorgrizz and would love to stop by and see you progress first hand since I am close in Thomasville! Keep up the good work!!


----------



## GoGataGo52__20

Shrugs in the end it's just a game, just making a point. I think we have to get used to losing to Georgia over the next few years, sad but true.


----------



## Gatorgrizz27

Well the boat is just about ready to flip, I need to do one more coat of paint on the sides. I had much better luck with the primer on the second coat by thinning it the full 10%, using the black Sherwin Williams foam rollers, using lighter pressure, and barely overlapping my passes.

The Total Boat paint has worked well with the same process plus tipping it, but it dries even faster. This makes it really hard to avoid having an area where you’re brushing into tacky paint, and some of the brush strokes are visible. It’s probably not a bad thing though as a flawless paint job would make all the little hull imperfections visible. As it is, it looks good but still hides things.

I’m going to end up having to flip the boat onto a cradle rather than onto the trailer like I had initially planned, as I still don’t have my correct axle after Southwest Wheel screwed it up. Going to flip it this week, then anybody who is interested in seeing it can come by. It’s at my shop which is not at my house, but I’m happy to meet up with people.

Pics to come on Monday, for now just imagine everything being white.


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## Gatorgrizz27




----------



## Gatorgrizz27

Got the boat flipped obviously. I managed to do it by myself with just a floor jack and some foam insulation panels I had. Small amount of damage where it slipped off the jack but no big deal. Sucker is light, that’s for sure. I’d guess under 250 lbs as it sits. 

Southwest wheel still hasn’t gotten me the correct axle I ordered, so I don’t have a trailer built yet but I put some bunks on the strongback and slid the axle under that to work on.

Layout will be a 39” rear deck, 66” front deck, and anchor locker in the bow. Going to have narrow gunnels and 8 rod holders/tubes. Trolling motor battery will be as far forward as possible in the bow, and I’m using a grab bar and 45 qt cooler in the center.

I built the rear frames wide enough to fit 3 6 gallon gas tanks side by side under the rear deck, but plan to just run 2 most of the time.

Today I got the gunnels planed down smooth, the transom edge sanded, and most of the inside of the boat roughly sanded. I’ve decided not to go overkill with the finish under the decks, and spend more time getting the cockpit area looking nice.

I also got my fiberglass splices done on the inside of the side panels, and the chine logs under the decks filleted. It’s nice being back to working with epoxy and fiberglass after sanding and painting for so long, but it kicks really quickly now that temps are in the high 90’s.

Trying to get it inspected and registered soon, and I’ve got some gaps to fill as well as the bow and transom braces, but it’s just about ready for a water test on the river. I was contemplating adding some rubrails and temporary bench seats to use it for the summer, but hopefully it won’t take too much longer to just finish it up completely.


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## Guest

Comin right along, keep at it!


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## Gatorgrizz27

Working with epoxy yesterday turned out to be a mess, so I worked on fabbing my decks and doing some rigging, even though it’s out of order. Laying out all the transom fittings was a bit tricky, I’m leaving myself room for trim tabs and possibly a jack plate in the future. 

I want this boat to be as capable and safe as possible in serious water situations, so I’m running dual Johnson 1250 gph bilge pumps with 1 1/8” sanitation hose and stainless fittings. I’ll run a very small cockpit coaming to help shed any water coming over the bow or transom, and foam underneath the decks. 

The cockpit width will be about 40”, that should be just enough to make walking past the cooler easy while still protecting the rods. It’s going to be tight storing the 8 rods I want to be able to horizontally though. The decks and gunnels will have a nice curve cut to the edges, I decided to let everything overhang for now and then cut it all once it’s installed.


----------



## yobata

A router with a flush cut bit will make quick work of cutting those gunnels and decks to correct and exact size, especially if you epoxy/glue the decks down first...


----------



## GoGataGo52__20

I like the way you have those bilge pumps coming out of the rear deck...


----------



## Gatorgrizz27

yobata said:


> A router with a flush cut bit will make quick work of cutting those gunnels and decks to correct and exact size, especially if you epoxy/glue the decks down first...


Yeah, I’ve got some but I plan to taper the overhang from having more near the front to knock down the spray to less in the rear. I like the way it looks, like the Beavertail skiffs. Thinking about just cutting a line with a circular saw and using a batten to draw the curve on the front deck.


----------



## yobata

Gatorgrizz27 said:


> Yeah, I’ve got some but I plan to taper the overhang from having more near the front to knock down the spray to less in the rear. I like the way it looks, like the Beavertail skiffs. Thinking about just cutting a line with a circular saw and using a batten to draw the curve on the front deck.
> 
> View attachment 31250


Use the batten on the bottom of the decks and glue it in place. It will knock down some of the spray and you can still use the router and flush cut bit to cut the decks flush to the batten


----------



## Gatorgrizz27

GoGataGo52__20 said:


> I like the way you have those bilge pumps coming out of the rear deck...


Thanks. The hoses will get tied up to the transom and the underside of the rear deck to secure everything and keep some storage space under there. It was worth it to me to go big on the bilge pumps, the extra cost was less than $100, and I have no patience for crappy plastic thru-hulls or corrugated bilge hoses.

One will have a float switch and be run off the trolling motor battery for general use and if I leave it in the water overnight. The other will have a manual switch and be run off the starting battery for redundancy and “oh shit” moments. 

I’ve been on several boats with water intrusion problems in calm conditions, and several more with no problems in hellacious conditions. Stuff like running a 14’ Jon boat out an inlet when center consoles were coming in because it was so rough, or being in 10-12’ seas in Alaska. I also bought a PLB after the 2 kids from Jupiter disappeared a couple years ago. There’s no excuse for not having one.


----------



## LowHydrogen

Really cool looking build!

If possible think about mounting your "oh shit" pump slightly up off the bottom of the boat. All types of crap seems to find it's way into bilge pumps, it you keep it up a bit you know it will never be really be exposed to debris, and will be there if/when you need it. Also as someone on here pointed out to me when I overlooked it, consider putting a second hose clamp on each fitting. I wire my second (oh shit) pump direct to a switch and battery. A lot of people will tell you that's bad for a half dozen reasons, but my logic is if the boat is sinking I want the pump to pump, or catch fire trying. Hell if I sink the fire will be put out anyway lol.


----------



## Gatorgrizz27

LowHydrogen said:


> Really cool looking build!
> 
> If possible think about mounting your "oh shit" pump slightly up off the bottom of the boat. All types of crap seems to find it's way into bilge pumps, it you keep it up a bit you know it will never be really be exposed to debris, and will be there if/when you need it. Also as someone on here pointed out to me when I overlooked it, consider putting a second hose clamp on each fitting. I wire my second (oh shit) pump direct to a switch and battery. A lot of people will tell you that's bad for a half dozen reasons, but my logic is if the boat is sinking I want the pump to pump, or catch fire trying. Hell if I sink the fire will be put out anyway lol.


Yeah, I’ll put the backup pump off the bottom about 2” so hopefully it’s never in the water. I don’t use a cast net except for mullet so there won’t be a ton of trash in my bilge. My thought is for the primary bilge with the float switch to be run through an in-line fuse and to the trolling motor battery, so if it’s moored somewhere at night and rains a bunch (unlikely except Keys or Everglades trips), it will have plenty of capacity and not run down my starting battery.

The secondary pump will go to a separate manual switch and to the fuse panel, run off the starting battery. I may put an oversized fuse in there as the wiring run will be short and heavy enough gauge to not overheat. The pumps only draw 3.5 amps so it won’t be a big draw.

Not a bad idea about the backup hose clamps either, but I bought some high quality stainless ones from West Marine. I may just use a zip tie as a backup, the hose goes on the fittings tight enough that I was worried about getting it off if I push it on all the way.

I don’t plan on running out of sight of land in this boat, even with perfect conditions, it’s more dealing with crossing a nasty bay when the wind whips up.

Honestly, with the 2,500 gph capacity to deal with a ton of water coming into the boat, and 100% redundency with both systems completely separated, if the boat sinks and then I’m not rescued by my PLB, it’s just my time to go. 

Same thing with the dual 6 gallon fuel tanks. I’m running them because it makes it easier to mix gas and oil in 6 gallon increments rather than topping off, should give me a “reserve” setting by having some fuel in the other tank to switch over to if I run one dry, and also should prevent getting bad gas in both tanks from a station, as I won’t be filling them at the same time in most cases.

I do wish Johnson hadn’t eliminated the pull start on these electric start motors, but it does have the ability to wrap a rope around the flywheel and I’ll carry a backup lithium jump starter also.


----------



## LowHydrogen

Cool idea about dual 6s, I like it!


----------



## LowHydrogen

You ever get down around St Joe or the cape?


----------



## GoGataGo52__20

Ya it gives it a really clean finished look too


----------



## Gatorgrizz27

LowHydrogen said:


> You ever get down around St Joe or the cape?


I primarily fish Panacea, but occasionally fish St Marks and Lanark. I’ve heard the water is really clear by St Joe and I finally drew a St Vincent Sambar tag this year, so I plan to make a trip over that way at some point. I’ve been talking to a buddy of mine about running the Apalachicola river start to finish also.


----------



## LowHydrogen

Gatorgrizz27 said:


> I primarily fish Panacea, but occasionally fish St Marks and Lanark. I’ve heard the water is really clear by St Joe and I finally drew a St Vincent Sambar tag this year, so I plan to make a trip over that way at some point. I’ve been talking to a buddy of mine about running the Apalachicola river start to finish also.


Do it, it's a great trip. I canoed it once from the Dam in Chattahoochee to Apalach, 6 days. Mind the river level though, if you do it when the river is like it is now there will be no sandbars and nowhere to sleep on the lower half of the river. I highly recommend not camping on the river ridges or edge of the woods, the bugs are much more tolerable on the sandbars. Also when the river is up the ridges are the only high ground for a couple hundred yards in some areas and you'll be competing for real estate with everything else, EVERYTHING else.


----------



## Goldmine

Where in Tallahassee is your shop/ business name? I'd like to stop by and check the boat out. It's looking nice. Thanks.


----------



## trekker

Looks good !!

Keep the pics coming.


----------



## trekker

Gatorgrizz27 said:


> I bought a gallon and according to their coverage charts, it should be just enough to do the inside and outside of my hull. There are some videos on YouTube where they mention that you need to use a square stick to mash up the pigment that settles out of it.
> 
> I did one coat on the bottom without thinning since it was 80 degrees, but it dried almost immediately, which left me unable to spread it out. I brushed the edges of the chine logs and then went to roll it to blend it in about 30 seconds later, and it had already flashed. The primer also causes foam rollers to swell and chunk, despite that being their recommended applicator.
> 
> It was still very transparent, so I did a second coat with the thinner. It seemed to go better and I had a little bit longer working time, but I noticed if I kept rolling the same areas it started to lift the primer back off. It also doesn’t sand well at all, it gums up and smears, even after several days drying.
> 
> With 2 coats on the bottom of the hull, the fan is probably only down about 1 1/2”. I think I used about 7 oz on the second coat, I didn’t measure the first.
> 
> At least I started on the bottom so I could get a feel for it before doing the sides which are much more visible.
> 
> The fairing compound was tough to work with too, I have quite a bit of experience with bondo, drywall mud, etc, when it comes to fairing different surfaces. The Total Boat fairing compound had about a 5-7 minute working time, even when I tried it first thing in the morning with temps in the low 70’s. It’s very sticky which makes it hard to smooth fillets with your finger and it seems to “work harden” very quickly. If you spread it on a surface then scrape the excess and spread it on the next spot, it becomes substantially dryer.
> 
> Again, I don’t have experience with other marine primers and fairing compounds, so I don’t want to be overly harsh if this is the norm, but I do use a lot of different paints/primers/fillers on a daily basis. I found the Raka epoxy to be extremely easy to work with.



Curious about the Raka. I've read that it retains a little flexability. Would you say that is accurate?


----------



## Flatbroke426

Looking great!!!


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## SeaDrifter

This build is coming along and looking great!


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## Gatorgrizz27

Time for an update, been plugging away but sanding the inside SUCKS. There are so many corners, it is zero fun. I’ve also been slammed with work and the weather has been horrible, on top of trying to buy land and getting ready for an elk hunt next month. 

Anyway, the gunnels have been done for awhile, I built them out of plywood strips then trimmed them to shape and glassed them. Deck supports are also cut and epoxied into place, and the interior has been primed. 

Hopefully finishing up the decks and gunnels will be simple, the bow cap will have an anchor locker in it and I’m mounting the trolling motor plug and accessory panel in the step between it and the deck. I’ll have a quick connect on the trolling motor battery so it will be easy to replace when it dies. Most boats are wired horribly, I’m trying to overcome that on mine. 

After painting the interior and getting the trailer built, it will be ready to splash.


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## Gatorgrizz27

Pics


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## GoGataGo52__20

It's lookin good bud!


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## 17376

How much does it weigh so far?


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## Gatorgrizz27

Travis Smith said:


> How much does it weigh so far?


I haven’t weighed it yet, but I’m guessing the hull will be right around 300 lbs before rigging. That was my initial goal but I honestly haven’t tried to choose many lightweight options, so I figure I’d be happy with sub 350 lbs. 

I’m not a big guy but can easily lift the bow with one hand and can lift the stern without much effort also. I’m surprised with how light it has ended up being, but plywood/epoxy composite tends to run with the best materials out there weight wise. I built a 14’ pirogue that weighs 45 lbs, Carbon Marine built a 12’ that weighed 41 lbs.


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## devrep

is all wood fully encapsulated?


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## trekker

Looks good, Bro.


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## Gatorgrizz27

devrep said:


> is all wood fully encapsulated?


Yeah. The plywood panels were glassed on the insides before I glued them to the ribs. The ribs and keelson have been coated with epoxy. The deck supports aren’t coated yet but will be. The primer and paint are both marine grade also.


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## 17376

What type of plywood?


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## Gatorgrizz27

Travis Smith said:


> What type of plywood?


It’s 5mm exterior lauan. The bottom is two layers. I didn’t want to invest a ton of $ in this hull as I modified the plans quite a bit. However, I’ve spent a ton of money on rigging but that could all be carried over if I build another hull.


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## Gatorgrizz27

Got the front deck cut out this week, the gunnels trimmed up, and the hatch for the anchor locker cut. I ended up cutting it with a circular saw and a jigsaw rather than a router, so I got the bow cap and lid out of the same piece. 

$300 worth of wiring parts showed up, so mounting all that stuff is next.


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## Guest

Can’t wait to see it on the water! While I do not wood in my builds and repairs, I got much respect for those of ya’ll that pull it off! Great job on this one!


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## Gatorgrizz27

Back from the elk hunt and been working on the skiff a little, mostly rigging and wiring stuff to figure out how everything will fit. Ease of use and maintenance are huge to me, it’s aggravating when something that should be simple isn’t.

Front deep cycle battery is wired with a quick disconnect, so it can be pulled out easily when it dies or I want to shed weight without the trolling motor. Trolling motor trucks nicely onto the front deck and will be asily controllable with your left hand in skinny or rough water. Everything clears the anchor locker, which gives easy access to the front wiring. I will make a tool-less cover panel to keep the anchor from getting snagged on anything. I ordered a fold up cleat that will mount in the front of the locker as well.

Bilge pumps, drain plugs, fuel tanks, main battery, water separator, and fuse panel should be easily accessible without crawling under the rear deck. Battery switch and primer bulb can be reached from standing on either side of the boat, and I still have room for a third fuel tank in the middle for Everglades/Keys trips.

I ordered a white Pelican style case that should mount inside my grab bar to serve as a back rest for the passenger and dry storage for phones, keys, wallets, etc. It might work to mount my GPS/fish finder as well. 

Still working on rod holders, I’ve decided to build them out of starboard and just screw them to the ribs so I can easily modify them as I figure out what works best. Still need to figure out my rowing setup as well, I’ll need raised oarlocks which I’ve found but want them to go on and off without tools or leaving holes in the deck.


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## Gatordebaitor

Great Work!


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## Fenceman

Very nice! Looking forward to seeing the finished product.


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## State fish rob

From one cabinet man to another,great job lots to be proud of!


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## Gatorgrizz27

Been plugging away at this, but no massive progress. We bought a house that’s a semi gut job so it’s been taking up a bunch of my time, but I’m trying to get in an hour or so every day on the boat.

Since all the holes drilled in the boat need to be filled with epoxy, I’ve had to figure out all of the wiring/rigging before I paint the inside. I’m extremely anal about wiring and in the first place, and trying to avoid all of the broken/pain to service stuff I’ve seen on other boats has made it even worse.

Everything is from Blue Sea or Ancor, and it is all crimped, heat shrinked, and covered with woven nylon wire loom. I’m also using Delphi Weather Pack connectors on bilge pumps, lights, etc, to make replacements painless, rather than trying to strip and crimp wires in the bow.

I’m using a trolling motor bracket to hold my shallow water anchor, which will also allow me to move my trolling motor to the transom to get it out of the way on the bow or help provide thrust when poling in bad conditions. Both batteries have ports connected that will allow the trolling motor, charger, and jump starter pack to be plugged in easily.

The rear triple switches will run the navigation, stern, and cockpit lights, and the single switch will run the auxiliary bilge pump. The float switch can be bypassed by unplugging it, and the bilge pumps can be swapped on the water with no tools.

The rod tubes are also in, but I still need to build bulkheads. I can fit 10’ 6” fly rods in the forward tubes (unlikely I’ll ever need that), and 9’ 6” rods in the aft tubes. My rod holders will be bolted on rather than glassed in to allow for simple re-designs. I’ll be able to hold 8 rods under the gunnels, 2 on the (eventual) poling platform, and 2 on the grab bar that will really only be used for re-tying or needing to set a rod down for a minute.

I’ve found that poly irrigation line make excellent chase tubes, I’ve used it in my cargo trailer also. Wires feed through it very easily, it’s flexible, and dirt cheap.


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## Flatbroke426

Looking great


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## Goldmine

Clearly not your first boat build. That boat is looking sweet. I noticed that green hull on the shelf. Did you build it too? Great job!


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## Smackdaddy53

How did I miss this build? Very nice!


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## kamy329

Gatorgrizz27 said:


> Been plugging away at this, but no massive progress. We bought a house that’s a semi gut job so it’s been taking up a bunch of my time, but I’m trying to get in an hour or so every day on the boat.
> 
> Since all the holes drilled in the boat need to be filled with epoxy, I’ve had to figure out all of the wiring/rigging before I paint the inside. I’m extremely anal about wiring and in the first place, and trying to avoid all of the broken/pain to service stuff I’ve seen on other boats has made it even worse.
> 
> Everything is from Blue Sea or Ancor, and it is all crimped, heat shrinked, and covered with woven nylon wire loom. I’m also using Delphi Weather Pack connectors on bilge pumps, lights, etc, to make replacements painless, rather than trying to strip and crimp wires in the bow.
> 
> I’m using a trolling motor bracket to hold my shallow water anchor, which will also allow me to move my trolling motor to the transom to get it out of the way on the bow or help provide thrust when poling in bad conditions. Both batteries have ports connected that will allow the trolling motor, charger, and jump starter pack to be plugged in easily.
> 
> The rear triple switches will run the navigation, stern, and cockpit lights, and the single switch will run the auxiliary bilge pump. The float switch can be bypassed by unplugging it, and the bilge pumps can be swapped on the water with no tools.
> 
> The rod tubes are also in, but I still need to build bulkheads. I can fit 10’ 6” fly rods in the forward tubes (unlikely I’ll ever need that), and 9’ 6” rods in the aft tubes. My rod holders will be bolted on rather than glassed in to allow for simple re-designs. I’ll be able to hold 8 rods under the gunnels, 2 on the (eventual) poling platform, and 2 on the grab bar that will really only be used for re-tying or needing to set a rod down for a minute.
> 
> I’ve found that poly irrigation line make excellent chase tubes, I’ve used it in my cargo trailer also. Wires feed through it very easily, it’s flexible, and dirt cheap.
> 
> View attachment 60068
> View attachment 60042
> View attachment 60044
> View attachment 60046


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## kamy329

sorry to get off topic, but how did your St, Vincent Sambar hunt go? your boat looks great by the way, great job.


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## Gatorgrizz27

Getting close to wrapping this up, I’ll post an update and pics soon. It’s the small stuff that takes forever, and just waiting around to figure out how to solve problems.

Sambar Hunt was postponed until this year due to hurricane Michael, looking forward to it.

The green boat in the pics is just a pirogue, I’ve built a few of them. This hull wasn’t a whole lot more difficult than those, but the decks and gunnels have been a pain.


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## Gatorgrizz27

Boat is basically done aside from a few odds and ends and a poling platform. Taken it on several lake trips, a family river trip, and got it in the salt for the first time yesterday. Jumped my first tarpon and caught a red, so I went and found a speck for a modified “slam”. Good mojo so far. 

I’m extremely happy with how it handles, floats, runs, everything. It would not plane until I added the “trans sport/shaw wing” plate I added, which I expected. Runs 26 solo, I haven’t put a tach on it yet, and I may mod my motor to a 30. 

Dry launch trailer works fantastic, if the rear roller is touching the water you can launch and and load easily.


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## Gatorgrizz27




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## Gatorgrizz27




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## Gatorgrizz27




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## Gatorgrizz27




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## Gatorgrizz27




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## Gatorgrizz27

There was a lot of little stuff at the end that wasn’t turning out perfect and got frustrating. Two things that helped immensely were realizing that some things like epoxy drips take the same amount of work to correct in the future as they would now, and an interview I heard with Harry Spear saying “a boat is just a tool.”


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## Gatorgrizz27

Looks like Vertical Scope is hell bent on ruining this place as well, hope this isn’t the end but I may not be around much.


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## BassFlats

Nice job. I though about putting floor boards like yours in a previous skiff, but was afraid of all the crap that would fall between the boards.


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## Gatorgrizz27

BassFlats said:


> Nice job. I though about putting floor boards like yours in a previous skiff, but was afraid of all the crap that would fall between the boards.


It was primarily to keep the floor from being a slipping hazard, I didn’t want to do non skid down there as it’s harder to clean. So far I’ve dropped a screw through them but jigheads and stuff don’t make it.

The whole floor is one piece and weighs about 25 lbs. It lifts out as a unit and isn’t fastended down, so it’s not a huge chore to remove for deep cleaning.


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## WhiteDog70810

This is freakin’ awesome! It turned out great! We haven’t seen a home build cross the finish line for ages and these jokers have forgotten how to react. You are legit and can now pontificate freely about all thing skiffish because you actually finished building a boat! 

The fact that you caught real fish on your first salt trip is definitely good mojo. I think I had to use dynamite to dredge up a scrub smallmouth to get my first fish in my boat and I am about to start catfishing just because I am tired of getting skunked up here.

Nate


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## WhiteDog70810

Gatorgrizz27 said:


> Looks like Vertical Scope is hell bent on ruining this place as well, hope this isn’t the end but I may not be around much.


Yeah, it was nice little niche forum on some primitive platform and now the site has gotten popular enough that it is being used to try to sell me bed sheets.

Hang around and it will change again in a few years. They’ll eventually offer us an opportunity to pay a subscription to avoid most of the ads. That is when you know the soul is dead and you can move on.

Nate


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## permitchaser

Well. 


GoGataGo52__20 said:


> Shrugs, I don’t care about FSU. Georgia is our true rival, I’d rather best Georgia one time then FSU 1,000 times. Georgia is in our division, y’all are not


Well 


GoGataGo52__20 said:


> Shrugs, I don’t care about FSU. Georgia is our true rival, I’d rather best Georgia one time then FSU 1,000 times. Georgia is in our division, y’all are not


I'm a GT fan. Have been all my life then my oldest grandson went to UGA
Secretly I still root against those dawgs all I can get away with. My other grandson goes to Auburn...War Eagle!!!


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## permitchaser

Great looking skiff. Only question is what the hole in the stern for, anchor?


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## Gatorgrizz27

permitchaser said:


> Great looking skiff. Only question is what the hole in the stern for, anchor?


Yeah, shallow water anchor bracket. I forgot the anchor pole at my shop, it’s a 1” solid fiberglass rod. I have it set up with a rope and cam cleat to the front deck so I can drop it and pull it up from there while running the trolling motor. Easy way to fish oyster bars in the bay by yourself when the wind is up. The bracket is actually a Minn Kota pontoon trolling motor mount, so I can operate the trolling motor from the stern also. Probably won’t be used much but I figure it might be handy to have some extra forward thrust if you’re up on the poling platform fighting a bad wind/tide.


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## permitchaser

So your going to add a PP platform. Do you have a cover for that hole in case it rains or rough water
Very cool skiff. You should be proud


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## Gatorgrizz27

I’m a little confused now. If you’re talking about the open bow hatch for the anchor locker, yes it has a lid I just haven’t finished it up yet. 

The boat isn’t self-bailing, so any water that comes in goes to the bilge. I did fully enclose the rear deck (no cutout for the motor clamp) so taking a wave over the stern won’t get water in the boat unless it comes all the way over the edge of the cockpit. Hasn’t been an issue backing down on the throttle yet


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## Moonpie

Beautiful job on your build and I wish you only the best with it.


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## Gatorgrizz27

Thanks for the kind words everyone, still have a bit of details to wrap up, but I’m very pleased with the performance so far as I said earlier. 

Happy to answer questions about the plans, mods, or why certain things were done if anybody has them.


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