# Building the PLYTANIC!



## firecat1981

Almost there, The curves are very close to what I want, just need to add and move one more frame to smooth it out and it should be good to go.


----------



## Andrewp

I can't quite tell from the pics, but do the first couple of forms have some "V" built into them?


----------



## firecat1981

Yes, but they are going to be adjusted. In the pictures the first 2 are angles (10 degrees and 6 degrees) and the last 2 are flat (0 degrees). If the rain would stop I'd be able to bust out the saw and finish up.


----------



## Brett

Frames will do the job, but you'll get better lines from a chine strake.
It's interesting how by simply rotating the angle of the strake up or down
how the bow flare can be adjusted as well as the amount of entry vee.
The strake doesn't have to be a permanent part of the build
but it really eliminates ripples in the hull that frames create.
Amazing what can be learned playing with cheap lumber...


----------



## firecat1981

Brett I tried going that route. I picked up 3/8"x3/8"x4' pine square dowels from home depot. They were cheap ($0.97) and flexed well. I was able to duplicate something like your NEXT project, but I couldn't get it to look how I wanted when I went with a flat chine from mid ship back. I also couldn't get it to look right without the transom tapering down some.
I'm not sure how the ripples will effect me since I'm not assembling upside down (I gots my own style) and the ply won't be effected by gravity as much, but we will see. I was just informed by our daycare girl that because of scheduling issues I'll have to make my run to Vero either this friday or next wednesday.


----------



## Brett

Restrain the aft portion of the strake to maintain a straight line for your flat
by attaching it to a section of thin plywood for the length of the flat
then where it begins to curve, let that be where your vee transitions from.
Then rotate up or down to create the desired amount of entry vee
along the line of the straight edge...that make sense?

                                    :-?


----------



## firecat1981

It does, but that seems like in this scale it would basically work out to be the same amount of work, but would be harder to transfer patterns into full scale. This way there is no guess work, everything is either a straight line, or an easy curve from a fixed point. So far I've wasted $4 worth of masonite and $2 worth of zip ties . I've almost got what I'm looking for though, almost.

adding an additional frame smoothed everything out









I like it, but before I commit I will try swapping around a few more frames since I cut extras and made them so it would be plug and play. Right now it goes 10, 6, 4, 0, 0 degrees. I may go back up to 12.









I tossed the sides on just to see what they would look like. If they look really tall, well that's cause they are, I won't cut them down until I finalize the bottom so they match accordingly.


----------



## firecat1981

Oh, before anyone catches it, Yes I know there are bananas in the background, but NO they will not be on the boat!


----------



## Andrewp

FC, why the 10 and 6 degree angles for the deadrise? (boy, I hope I'm using the right term) I would have thought a sharper "V" up front would cut water better and pound less. Now I know transitioning between a sharp V and a flat bottom is hard to do with ply panels, but I was just curious why you ended up choosing the angles you did ....

Always wanting to understand more .......


----------



## firecat1981

V's cut water better, But the deeper the V the more you will draft. Also when running on plane the front entry will be out of the watter as you run in the back 3rd of the hull bottom. So a flat bottomed boat, like yours or mine, will pound when running a slight chop on plane. If it gets nasty enough where you need to slow down a bit then it will help cut much better and pound less when you are off plane.

Adding a v to the front bottom of a hull also helps it track better, quiets it down a bit when poling or trolling, help deflect spray a little better, and......well it just looks better

I'm trying to find a balance between draft and a sleek hull shape, I cut several frames ranging from 2 to 14 degrees, so far the 4-6-10 degree frames look the best. But I'm still playing since I have a few days left.


----------



## SKIFFGUY

Start making sawdust !


----------



## firecat1981

I'm picking up some meranti BS1088 on wednesday for the hull and transom. I decided this time to go with a better material for the hull since it will see some abuse and for insurability (even though the insurance companies I have quotes from didn't seem to care). It's killing me though cause one sheet of the meranti will run me what 5 sheets of the luan did  .
The cheap luan I used last time did it's job well, very well, and I can testify to no delam issues or anything because I had to cut the boat up into small pieces after the wreck. I only found one small spot of water intrusion and it was right where the damage from the wreck was. Considering we still fished for 2 days on it after the wreck I think thats pretty good.
That being said, I'll be using Luan and exterior ply for everything on the interior again, and like last time it will ass be epoxied and glassed.


----------



## firecat1981

Finalizing my design now. After alot of adjusting and toying I ended up dropping the model right on the bow before it was stitched and cracked one side tip off. So I went to home depot for more and figured why not just try a door skin while I'm at it and do a 1/3rd scale model. Well Home Depot and Lowes no longer sell door skins, atleast in my area. Reason given was doors are cheap enough these days. Well they were also out of the 1/8" masonite I've been using , so I had to go with white board instead and made another 1/4 scale model.

I ended up removing some frames and just let the panels flow naturally. My foward frame is now set at 14 degrees and my middle and rear frames were moved back a bit.









I also narrowed the beam a little and began the curve in the chine further back. Because of this though, the sides are now not long enough so I will need to extend them a few inches to get the flare I want.









I'm still planning a Wednesday run to Vero and then to St. Pete for enough supplies to get me started, and maybe finished too .


----------



## firecat1981

I made a run to FGCI yesterday and bought a ton of resin, some glass, and misc. other items. Then I ordered some wood and fillers from boat builder central which I will pick up tomorrow. Total bill for yesterday was around $900! Building your own boat may be cheaper then buying a new one, but it's not free.

I finished my model with some complications and mess ups. The full scale boat will have much better lines because it will flex out smoother.


















Tomorrow it officially starts.


----------



## noeettica

Ever wish you had this to fall back on ?


----------



## firecat1981

;D OMG! I forgot how bad that thing looked when I bought it, lol.

To be honest I don't miss her at all, I never felt comfortable in anything but freshwater.


----------



## firecat1981

Well this is what $900 worth of wood and glass supplies looks like.









It's not much is it . I went to boat builder central in vero beach today to get everything else I needed. Originally I ordered 6mm meranti, but after seeing it and trying to flex it I knew it wasn't going to work so I swapped it for the 4mm. Since I'm using a heavier biaxial cloth this isn't an issue and will still work out stronger then my last boat. 
While there I got to chat with Jacque, I bit hard to understand with his accent, however it was clear he has more boat design knowlege in his little finger then I will ever have.
I also got to look at an fs17 they had there in the shop. If I ever decide I need a bigger rig, this is probably the one I would build.


----------



## Brett

4 mm, that's about 5/32nds of an inch, mighty skinny lumber... 

But your probably right, with glass on both sides that'll be plenty strong.
Don't mind me, I'm just watching and talking to myself before the show.

                                          [smiley=popcorn2.gif]


----------



## firecat1981

Jacques said it was 3/16", but either way I got the nod from the pro  The Luan I used last time was 5mm covered with 2 layers of 6oz cloth and one on the inside, this time I'm going with 17oz biaxial and maybe a layer of 6oz, and then a layer of 6oz on the inside. Plus a much better support system.


----------



## firecat1981

Well I couldn't help it, I had to start on something. I made the main cut on the long panels and laminated the transom.

Hard to tell, but thats 4 panels stacked and cut, long sides for the hull bottom and shorts for the sides.









Transom boards primed and then slathered with thickened epoxy.









Weight to hold it while it cures.


----------



## anytide

glad to see your underway  -i'm gonna have to swing over to l-land and cop a peek at the PROgress  -i know your Xcited happy to see it start
-anytide


----------



## firecat1981

Had the weekend off, but I needed to get something, Anything done. However mother nature decided to mess with me and send another cold front through. Still I push on.

Thought about getting a heater, but before we know it, it will be 90 degrees again, but for a temp adjustment I went the simple route  
suspended away from anything, and plugged into gfci for safety. I'll shut it down before bedtime, but it's keeping the garage in the low 70's high 60's so far and it's about 40 outside.









started laying out my patterns, I was going to stop here but decided to keep going.


















panels cut out, drilled, and lined up.









epoxy primed









a little bit of thickened epoxy in between the joints to be taped. Then I laid some Biaxial tape alont the seams, wet it out, covered it with wax paper and some luan strips to keep it all lined up.









I'll finish cutting out the frames and transom tomorrow, but that might be it until we come back from a cruise next week.


----------



## joshuabward

I'm having the same issue with the temp, but I'm using poly resin so I have been quadrupling the hardener and its still taking about an hour to kick.


----------



## firecat1981

Epoxy doesn't work like that, and I'd be careful with poly too. To much activator and it may never fully harden. The resin seems to go dorment at anything below 60 degrees for me.


----------



## WhiteDog70810

Batteries, bricks and gallons of fluid I get. Your vacuum? Really? If only you had a kitchen sink.

Nate


----------



## firecat1981

Don't knock the vaccumm, it weighs like 20lbs, tried the kitchen sink....damn light weight piece of..... ;D. What ever works and isn't bolted down I will use, I was going to buy like 10 concrete blocks, but then I'd have to store 10 blocks when I was done. Those empty kitty litter jugs filled with water work great!


----------



## firecat1981

The panels bonded well and perfectly even. The biaxial tape isn't nearly as nice looking as cloth, but it will all be prettied up in the end.









Laying out my frames









Zip ties will set you free! 









It looks just like the model in full scale, actually it looks alot like my old boat just wider. I Kinda wish I made it more aggressive, but at the same time I really want to keep my skinnywater ability and stability. I sat there looking at it for 20 minutes thinking about making changes, but in the end I decided I like it. Most of the time I only use the motor for a 5 minute run and then the trolling motor the rest of the time and this design will work well for what I want.

Setting up the framing.


















Builder notes:
I'm not enjoying working with the meranti, it splinters like crazy, and is a pain to cut. It actually has thinner veneers then the cheap Luan I used last time which had almost equal layers, Which I thought BS1088 was supposed to have. At $40 a sheet I don't know if I would use it again.


----------



## Brett

> I'm not enjoying working with the meranti, it splinters like crazy, and is a pain to cut


Interesting, I'd read that meranti was stiffer and "brittle".
I guess that explains the preference many have for okoume plywood.


----------



## Andrewp

Nice progress FC.  Like the look on the bow ....


----------



## WhiteDog70810

Use the concrete blocks to sink Xmas trees once you are done with them! I know what you mean about grabbing everything that has any weight. I was about to steal landscaping stones from my neighbors' yards at one point. Even my gooseneck plate wasn't enough, although a 2'x3'x1" steel plate does make warped ply behave. I used to work at a farm that had chunks of railroad tie in its scrap metal pile. I wish I still lived close.

Okuome is nice, but painful to pay for. I guess after a 6-12 month build, the workability might eclipse the expense for some, but I haven't forgotten.

Nate


----------



## firecat1981

> Interesting, I'd read that meranti was stiffer and "brittle".
> I guess that explains the preference many have for okoume plywood.


It's true. The only major benefit, besides cost, of meranti over okoume/occume/okumea.......is the better rot resistance. Mechanically it is very stiff and strong, but is fairly brittle and you need to wear gloves or you will get splinters. The okoume was very nice looking and flexed great, but was not in the budget. If I did build another boat I would look at alternatives like I have in the past. maybe order some better luan.



> Okuome is nice, but painful to pay for. I guess after a 6-12 month build, the workability might eclipse the expense for some, but I haven't forgotten.


For me the workability is only an issue for the next few weeks, once the hull is set and taped I won't have an issue anymore, but until then I'll be digging splinters out of my palms.



> Like the look on the bow ....


Thanks AP, I worry that it is not aggressive enough, however I won't give up the flat bottom and once on plane it won't matter anyway. But the entry as it sits should make trolling/polling much nicer.


----------



## Andrewp

Hey FC, now after looking at this some more I'm a bit perplexed about something.

The forms you have in place now -- they are not cut for a side flare, and they don't reach all the way out to the sides of the bottom. Are these just temp forms to get the bottom set up?


----------



## firecat1981

Yes and no. If you look at my first boat build you will see I rebuilt the sides like 3 times and went through several sheets of ply trying to get the frames right. I was never happy so I removed the frames and then the sides just fell into a very natural bend and looked exactly like I wanted. I'm going to hopefully duplicate my efforts.


----------



## firecat1981

Started bonding the side panels together.


----------



## fs18

Are you using cabosil for the thickening agent?


----------



## firecat1981

Nope, mostly wood flour, and I usually toss in a little bit of milled fibers I have left over.


----------



## firecat1981

Work has been held up for a few days as I gave up on my boat and took on a bigger one for a few days









which took me to places like this









Ok back to the garage, only had a few minutes to spend on the boat today. I started fitting and shaping the side panels.

Transom cut down and set in place, I use a few drywall screws to hold the side to the transom. The transom is set at 14 degrees.









I stitched part of the side and then played with the angles till I was happy.


















I traced the shape and cut it out.....errr cut it out as best I could 









I hope to have the sides finished tomorrow, and the boat ready for final stitching and filleting.


----------



## firecat1981

Loves me some zip ties 









stitching up the sides









getting there









Now I'm sure some of you are thinking, man those sided look a bit tall....Well they are, but I made them extra tall so I would have planty to trim off later to create a flat sheer.









My fancy scribing tool ;D


















Side panels now cut, shapped, and epoxy primed along with the transom and hull bottom.


----------



## twitch

Updates for the addicts??!!


----------



## floridanative1028

Cool. Looks like you've got this one figured out pretty good. Hopefully this will help with the healing process from your untimely departure of your last boat. If that happened to me after all of that work i might have moved to Oklahoma.


----------



## firecat1981

Lol, my greiving process is completed. I went through all 5 stages and the acceptence phase came when I had to cut her up.....but thats in the past, time for the future.


I got her stitched back together and she looks good. I tried using some bailing wire and also some 40lbs test mono leader, but I keep going back to the zip ties cause they are much easier and faster. I used the 1/2" dowels again to help keep things lined up well.



























After it was stitched together I used some thickened epoxy to bond the transom and also to "spot weld" in between the stitches. Once it cures I will go back and remove the zip ties and then make my final epoxy fillets.









This is my tool of choice for quick and easy bonding. It is a caulk tool from home depot, it's not wide enough for the fillets I like, but for quickly and cleanly bonding corners it works great.









Last shot of the night, here you can see the flat sheer, well some what.


----------



## firecat1981

Was hoping to get more done this afternoon, but I only had about an hour and a half to work with.

I removed all the stitches from the sides and laid down my fillets.









I use a big popsicle stick to get a fairly clean 1/2"+/- radius.









More to come in the next few days.


----------



## fs18

Man those fillets look good. 

I just glassed the inside of mine yesterday. Oh do I feel it today.


----------



## joshuabward

Pretty clean work and moving at a fast pace, whats your completion date for this one?


----------



## firecat1981

Thanks guys, I hope to be taking a few fishing vacations this summer on her. Maybe La Jolla in Islamorada, or the Boat House in Marco Island, or a few other places, not sure just yet. Having a 6 month old at home slows the process down alot. Right now because it cools down so much at night here I have to limit the amount of work I do, but as it warms up more I'll be able to work later into the night.



> Oh do I feel it today.


My wife got me a knee pad for xmas and it is a life saver! I do recommend it to anyone doing a lot of garage work like sanding....

http://bennettedesigngroup.com/ergonomic/knee-n-back-pad-kneeling-pad.html


----------



## floridanative1028

> My wife got me a knee pad for xmas and it is a life saver! I do recommend it to anyone doing a lot of garage work like sanding....
> 
> http://bennettedesigngroup.com/ergonomic/knee-n-back-pad-kneeling-pad.html


The opposite happened in my house...j/k ;D
For the 6 month old I recommend Backyardigans and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse dvds.  They saved my life and my sanity.

​


----------



## firecat1981

;D We have plenty of Mickey, Chuggington, Oso, and imagination movers stored in the DVR. However I am the primary parent when I'm not on shift so I can't escape to the garage until 4:00pm.


----------



## FSUfisher

That last pic you posted on the 6th looks awesome. You've definitely got some good lines in there.


----------



## makin moves

looks like youll be ready for some spring fishing.  Its coming along nicely


----------



## firecat1981

The lines look good from what I can tell at this point, maybe not quite aggressive as I first thought, but I think it will work well.

I started taping the seams in preperation of putting in the stringers and flipping it this weekend, hopefully.

Laying out the baxial tape.









wetted out, those 2 strips towards the front are just scraps I had, but I figured that area could use some reinforcement for better shape retension. I will be adding more tape and cloth after I finish the bottom and start back on the interior, I just put enough in right now to make it solid.









Believe it or not I anticipated having an issue with the flat surface trying to curve upwards. It's just a natural reaction the wood takes when you force it into curved positions and it happened on my last boat too. The stringers will help correct this, but to minimize any impact beyond that I laid down 2 strips of tape across the curve and weighed them down. When everything is cured the curve will be very minimal and then the stringers will do the rest.


----------



## joshuabward

Don't take this the wrong way but I like this boat a lot more than your old one. Not to discredit your previous work, the lines are just much more pleasing to eye on this one


----------



## firecat1981

no offense taken, I meant it to be an improved version on the old one. The lines aren't that far off, just the old one didn't have the flat sheer line.


----------



## Baily

I like the shape to, good job, that will be a nice ride. Just wondering did you use baxial tape with or with out the mat.

Brian- watching a nice build.


----------



## firecat1981

without the mat, it's 6oz biaxial tape 6 inches wide. After trying to use biaxial with mat on my last project I am not a fan of it, it makes it much harder to bend around any corners and doesn't add any real strength, just bulk mostly. Plus even though you can use it with epoxy, it is really meant for polyester resin. I have enough 1708 to do the bottom of the boat, but think I'll shelve it for another project and just stick with the 1700 I have.


----------



## Baily

Thanks for the reply F.C. The reason I asked is, I have just started cutting up plywood for 6 of Jim Michalak's Larsboat - double paddle canoe - 15.5' x 2.5' and was looking for Biaxial tape and in 50in wide in 6oz and 9oz without mat. I was wondering if you got it at FGCI . 
I don't like it with the mat ether, and I am not crazy about using woven glass fabric.
Thanks for the info.

Brian.... lunch is over, back out to the shop


----------



## firecat1981

6 canoes? busy guy ah.

I got the 1700 (17oz biaxial 50 inches wide with no mat) from FGCI, I was going to go with 12oz, but the layout and stitching on the 1700 looked 10 times nicer and the price was about the same.

The 6oz tape I bought from Bateau.com when I picked up my plywood, I think they had 12, 17, and 18. Give FGCI a call. I know some like to use Biaxial for everything, but I'm a bigger fan of woven cloth, it just makes things easier and cleaner to work with.


----------



## Baily

I called FGCI  and they only go down to 12, I think I will go with the 6oz biaxial tape like you and some 9 oz or so woven cloth. 

Brian.... watching that crazy chit on TV about Egypt.


----------



## firecat1981

Due to a house full of sick people and another cold blast I'm falling behing of where I was hoping to be at this point. I'm still trying to move foward as best I can.

Before I work on the stringers I decided to do the stiffeners to help retain the shape better. Some call them rub rails, but really for this build they are a structural component that will help support the decks later, a rigid/flex rub rail will be added later. This also smoothes out the sheer shape very nicely and makes the curves more natural.

I cut 2 inch strips out of left over Meranti for the rubrails/side stiffeners and primed with epoxy.









Using thickened epoxy I attatched them to the sides. Some people like to use screws for this part, to me it doesn't make sense since you then need to punch dozens of holes in your rails and in your hull panels and since they are screw holes you would need to drill them smooth and fill them later. A few clamps and some cheap spring clamps made from 4" pvc saves you from having to do this.


















Last thing I did was join the boards that will become the stringers later on.









I'll need to do atleast 1 more layer of meranti for the rub rails and once the stringers are set I'll be able to flip her and work on the bottom. Hopefully I'll be working on the bottom next weekend.


----------



## Baily

Considering the "SICK" circumstances your dealing with, ( a lot of that going around ) the progress looks good.

Brian


----------



## firecat1981

Things are still moving slower then I want, but I'll have to deal. 

I picked up the stringers to move and heard an awful noise, crack. One of my stringers had a bad void in it, so I had to fill it and reinforce it before I could continue. After that I went over each stringer and filled any voids I could find. Then I measured them out and cut them down. Next I set them up to make sure they will work, I have some serious gaps towards the bow, but a little thickend epoxy will cure that.









I glued the stringers together and then down as best I can, I will go back later and fill the voids and make the fillets before laying down some glass tape. I will most likely scab in extra supports later on once I finalize the interior layout and tie in my bulkheads.









I will also add another layer of 4mm meranti to the rubrails/stiffeners before I flip her.


----------



## B.Lee

Looking good FC, I've been following in the shadows. I do enjoy watching a boat build!


----------



## firecat1981

I'm at a crossroads of sorts with the interior layout. I was hoping to get her flipped this weekend but decided that the interior needed more attention then the outside. I made a little progress, but have some plans in the works.

Last piece of rubrail laminated in place.









I really wasn't looking foward to this part, I had to fillet the stringers in which took forever to finish up and quite a bit of thickened epoxy. Thankfully the major part is over.









Next I started working on the layout, I need to determin how big the front and rear decks will be, as well as the center console, livewell, and fuel tank position.









Lots of decisions and work left to do...


----------



## firecat1981

Not to much to report this week. 

I had an extra role of 6oz cloth and I'm running low on tape, so I started cutting up some strips. Then I cut some more strips to finish glassing the bottom before I flip it.









I sanded the whole inside in prep for glassing tomorrow.









Before I glass the inside I need to add a few more supports in the middle, these will also hold the chase tubes for the livewell plumbing and electrical.









I hope to have more to report in the next few days.


----------



## paint it black

I'm loving this build!
I like the overall look of the hull shape.
Can't wait to see it done!


----------



## firecat1981

Thanks man, now that the warm weather is here I can't wait to see it done either 

I got a bit done over the weekend, I added in the aditional supports and frames for the chase tubes, filleted them in and then I glassed in the stringers and glassed the bottom.

adding the frames for the chase tubes









Everything glassed









Now that I'm done glassing the bottom I will flip it and start working on the bottom. Hopefully if all goes as planned I will have it glassed by this coming weekend.


----------



## Gramps

Looking better every day FC! Are you going to put frames in between the outmost stringers to the hull sides?


----------



## firecat1981

Thanks Gramps. I've been told by a few builders that what I've done already of a bit over kill, with the outside stringers only a few inches away from the hull sides they have plenty of support already, and when I glass in the floor I will have basically created a monocoque structure. So the framing I have in there now isn't really needed but since it was there helping to keep everything aligned right I figured why not.
I could have gone with a 2 stringer system with a different framing arrangement, but I felt this would give me a better result. After glassing in the stringers she is pretty solid, once I glass the hull bottom and sides, and add the floors, bulkheads, and decks she will be a rock!


----------



## twitch

Boat is comming along, looks good.

The deck should be SOLID with the frames between the stringers.

You gonna foam the under deck area?


----------



## firecat1981

I have a small amount of pourable foam for oddly shapped areas, however the larger areas under the deck, basically everything but the middle with the pipe chases, will get foam sheets.

I did a wet test with a chunk of styrofoam, after a week it still didn't soak up any of the water. After dealing with wet foam in my old gheenoe and hearing tons of horror stories I'd rather not take the chance. 

So now I'm thinking how much floatation will this give me. I'll be filling an area very roughly about 18inched wide x 12feet long x 4inches high on each side (not including the front tapered area which will hold a little more). Ok I'll need to take off my shoes to do this math........ ;D.......... 

So if my figures are correct I'm looking at about 12 cubic feet of foam. Taking away for the weight of the foam, and taking away a bit for for error, I figure a cubic ft will float about 58-60 lbs. so 58lbs x 12 cu ft = 696lbs

But you also have to remember that a wood cored boat has built in floatationand typically won't sink even when swamped. Add in the additional floatation given by the front area, and the foam around the livewell........Basically, I'm not worried


----------



## Andrewp

FC, the build is looking great!!  I'm getting concerned because you are gettin' it done quick and I'm lagging somewhat .....

I can't wait for some more pics, especially of the bow area.  Lile to see that and envision how the water will move around the bow and sides .......

Did you decide if this was a tiller build, or are you building a console of some design?


----------



## firecat1981

AP, yes and yes ;D

I'll be using the 20hp yamaha from my last boat with some kind of tiller extension. I will also be building a grab console of some kind with a livewell in front of it.

stay tuned


----------



## firecat1981

And now the moment that like 2 of you have been waiting for.... ;D  

Got her flipped over! She looks good, pretty much exactly like the model I made.




































I filled all the holes and seams with thickened epoxy. There is a slight possibility I may get the bottom glassed this weekend.


----------



## noeettica

Loonin awesome ! 

Going to Fly with 20 Hp !


----------



## firecat1981

I don't know if it will fly, but I'm sure it will move well enough.

Started sanding and smoothing everything. I'm almost ready to lay down the glass on the bottom.

Smoothing


----------



## firecat1981

Crap I hit post before I was done.

more smoothing.









I also made the drain plug hole. I wrapped waxpaper around a dowel and then wrapped glass around it and wet it out.


----------



## firecat1981

I sanded down the spots I had to fill again and then I laid out and cut all my glass. I'm going to try and get all the bottom done in one shot on saturday. The whole bottom will be covered in 17oz biaxial and then a layer of 6oz cloth, the chines and seams will be a layer of 6oz biaxial and 2 layers of 6oz cloth when done.


----------



## firecat1981

My back and knees are feeling ripe after a maraton glassing session last night! The bottom and sides up to the rub rails are now glassed. Next comes a bit of sanding and then I'll start fairing.

Everything primed and seams taped









bottom and sides glassed


----------



## noeettica

Great Stuff ! Probibly going to run pretty skinny ...


----------



## firecat1981

Well as I learned in my last rig, it's more about how skinny you can float the how skinny you can run. Running skinny is over rated, and in most placed illegal now. I don't care to rip up grass flats or my prop anymore. 
As far as floating goes, fully loaded I should still be able to float in less then 5" . Not even my old gheenoe could do that.


----------



## jasonrl23

> Crap I hit post before I was done.
> 
> more smoothing.


The profile looks really good!


----------



## firecat1981

Not to much progress to report yet. I've started the fairing process and will finish it this week.

I used my new belt sander, and my orbital, to make quick work of knocking down the high points.









Then I mixed up and spread my fairing compound along the bottom and a few inches down the sides. Whoever once told me a little bit goes a long waymust have had a small boat, lol.


----------



## twitch

Are you using Quickfair? If so, don't let the project sit for too long unsanded. The longer it cures the harder it gets. My first project using QF I let it cure for 4-5 days and it was like sanding steel. That was when it was purple, I imagine the newer pink base is the same formula, just lighter to make it easier to cover with lighter color paints.


----------



## riptide

looks sweet ,i bet its hard to sand on the floor , if you spend the time with the long board it will pay off , im always interested how people layout their deck cap , side decks, rod storage ect, looking fwd to that sectionn of your build ,thats when it gets reel fun.


----------



## firecat1981

I'm not using quickfair, I've heard to many disaster stories like yours. I'm using epoxy mixed with some west systems ultralight fiaring mix, microspheres, and some silica to keep it from sagging. I can wait a year and it won't get any harder then it is after 6 hours.

Sanding on the floor is a bit of a pain, but not to bad and it's easy to move when I need it to. I won't be using a long board, there is almost no reason to even fair the bottom since it will be coated with epoxy and graphite. I'll be using my belt sander and my random orbit to do the job till it's close enough, the graphite epoxy mix will flow out and smooth as well. I still need to add the strakes and drain hole before that. 

Interior will be started in 2 weeks hopefully, maybe sooner who knows.


----------



## riptide

once you get it flipped over you won't be able to stop working on it , it's gonna drive you crazy


----------



## firecat1981

it's driving me crazy right now, but like I've said before, at max I only have an hour or two a day to work on it during the week and I work most weekends. My goal, and I think it is realistic is to have it done by the end of may. In a few weeks I'll have to go trailer shopping, and hopefully by thursday I'll have the new lower end on the motor. Still got lots of money to spend on toys.


----------



## firecat1981

Sanding sanding and more sanding ;D. Actually using my belt sander and random orbit palm sander it took me about 3 hours to fair the bottom and the bottom 6 inches of the sides (the sides can't be finished until I flip the boat and bond the decks). I'm happy with the results, although there are a few spots I will need to touch up but will do that before I graphite it. Like I siad I could have skipped this part all together, but I'm glad I decided to do it, feels good maing it smooth. 

Fairing started









more fairing









After that I turned my attention to the running strakes (may be called by other names as well). I wanted them to be very low profile and even considered not using them at all, but I want the rig to track straight. They are 3 inches wide and 5 ft long and 1/4 inch high, they stop 3 inches from the back. I cut them with a 45 degree angle on all 4 sides so I will be able to glass them easier.

The pictures are deceptive, they are longer then they look here.









being bonded


----------



## firecat1981

Drilling the hole for the drain tube









installing the draintube using epoxy thickened with wood flour and microfibers.









glassing down the strakes









Next I'll do some touch up fairing, and then start the epoxy/graphite bottom.


----------



## firecat1981

Bottom fairing finished, well as finished as I'm willing to go.









First coat of epoxy and graphite. About 25% by volume of graphite. I also added a drop of black pigment to help with the transparancy, was it needed, not really, but it won't hurt.


----------



## firecat1981

Not much to update yet, but I'll be posting some stuff soon. Been having some major headaches with getting orders filled properly, and I think Bass Pro may have just lost me as a long time customer. I've had to order parts and supplies from many different places for one reason or another. Recent purchases include more glass, rubrails, bow and stern eyes, a bow mout trolling motor, some paint, electric panel, battery holder, and hatches. Updates coming soon.


----------



## firecat1981

Well I finally finished the graphite/epoxy coating, it doesn't look quite as good as I thought it would (for some reason I pictured it looking like black paint, instead of raw epoxy, duh) and wonder if the other coatings I considered would have worked better. Oh well, it is the bottom of the boat and it added a major increase in protection.









Next I taped and painted the edges around the bottom, this way once I flip it over I won't need to flip it again later.

taped









primed









ooh and I finally got my new trolling motor. A Minn Kota digital 55lbs bowmount.


----------



## jrod0785

Looking awesome man! I really like the lines of the boat. Looking forward to seeing more pics of the progress. Keep up the good work!


----------



## firecat1981

The bottom is finished, I painted around the bottom edge and then the wife helped me flip it.

A lesson in you get what you pay for, I have never had much luck with masking tape, I always seem to get bleed through. Well this time I bought the most expensive automotive masking tape I could find, it was solvent resistant and worked good.



























This step took me an extra few days to do, but I think it will make everything easier cause I'll be able to paint the rest of it on the trailer now. 
The boat is now right side up, I put down some more epoxy in the float chambers to make sure they are sealed perfectly before I lay the foam in. I also added some more glass to the middle of the boat, it wasn't needed, but It won't hurt either.
I was actually suprised at how light the boat is, especially since the whole bottom is finished and the stringers are in. My wife and I lifted it easily off the ground and flipped it. At this stage it can't weigh more then 150lbs or so. So I figure the finished hull may weigh in the area of 250-300lbs.


----------



## DuckNut

Curious...how did you get the paint to adhere to the graphite on the outside of the tape? Do you anticipate it coming off?

Nice looking bulid you got going on.


----------



## firecat1981

I checked with the pros at bateau about the whole process, they said I will have no issues with adhesion. Remember it's mostly epoxy. You can paint over it, or paint first and then apply it. It's the first time I've used the epoxy/graphite coating so we will see how it holds up.


----------



## Gramps

Dang she is looking great FC! I can't wait to see it finished and hopefully in person. Do you plan to attend the Bash in LA this year?


----------



## firecat1981

Sorry Gramps, that's a little far for me right now, I'll have to wait for a more local event. The furthest away we are thinking is islamorada, but we will stop for night going and coming to see family so it's not that bad.


----------



## firecat1981

I decided to rearrange the layout I oridinally sketched out, and because of this I'll need 1 more chase tube so I cut the holes in the middle supports and sealed them with epoxy. 
After that I started laying in my floatation foam. I'm going with the styrofoam again cause it is lighter then AB 2lbs, but also because I don't trust pourable foam, it always seems to become a sponge if water finds it's way in. I will have to use a little pourable foam in some oddly shaped areas and around the livewell corners, but I avoided it in the main areas. 
I've used about 2 sheets of 2inch foam so far, so doing the rough math 48"x96"x2" x 2 sheets = 18432 cubic inches / 1728 = 10.7 cubic ft. A cubic ft of water is about 62lbs so taking away for the weight of the foam figure the foam will float about 60lbs per cubic ft. So that means I have 642lbs +/- of positive bouyancy. Remembering the boat itself will float because it is wood cored......I think It will be nice and safe


----------



## firecat1981

started laying out and designing my center console/livewell. I'm not 100% sold on the design yet, or a console at all, but I would like to be able to stand and run. here's what I have so far, I'm running a tiller so it will have a grab bar mounted to the top of it, and rod holders bolted to the sides of the console section. I still .have some thinking to do on this one


----------



## firecat1981

It took me 6 stores today and a ton of milage to find any decent plywood for the floors. I finally found some that I will consider passable and started working.

I started making templates of curved sections.









after that I cut out all my pieces and made sure they fit well enough.









While the priming coat was drying on the floor boards I finished the pipe chases and started pouring in the last of the foam.


----------



## bwwboating

The build is really looking great! I asked my son a while ago if he wanted to build one with me and he looked at me like I was dumb. I won't even mention the look on my wife's face. :-[ It's good to see a supportive family environment.


----------



## firecat1981

Well my wife knows if I don't have a project going then I start bugging her, so she is happy to surrender me to the garage for a while ;D. My daughter doesn't complain much, but she is only 8 months old so..... :-?

Well not much to report, I'm bonding the floor as we speak and hope to have it in in a few days. As some of you see on another post I bought a new gas tank. I was going to reuse my old one, but figured since the style changed I might as well upgrade now just incase the dimensions changed a bit.


----------



## Andrewp

Really nice work there, FC! Are the bottom panels snug enough to the side so that you won't distort the side angles (hope you understand what I mean) when you attach them? I recall Brett using a lot of braces to keep things aligned; you seem to be doing without. 

Just trying to understand your build better ....


----------



## firecat1981

They aren't snug to the sides at all actually. I purposely leave a slight gap on the sides that will be filled with thickened epoxy later on before filleting and glassing them in. Did this so weighing down the floor would not push on the sides and distort things.
Because of the dynamic curves towards the front the panels naturally keep there shape and angles, Bretts build was contructed differently with the sides first and then the bottom if I remember right so the bracing was needed, also the Grass Slipper didn't have a false/floating floor or stringers. Just a different way to get similar results. 
I did check the sides several times during the process. The angles from side to side were within 1/16-1/8" of each other and the distances from center out were within 1/8-1/4". It was alot closer then I figured they would be, and nothing that can be noted by the human eye. I'm pretty happy with how it came out so far.


----------



## mark_gardner

shes really coming along nicely


----------



## jrod0785

I see you had ran chase tubes. Did you 90 them up before laying the floor down? Looking good though! Keep the pics coming.


----------



## firecat1981

Nope, they are just straight pipes like you see. Because of the small space, 4", they run through if I angled them at all any wire or hose running through would need to make an equaly sharp bend and to me that's not a good situation. The way I have them set up they will support the hoses and wires very well and the exiting curves will take the natural fors of the hoses and wires and keep stress off of them. If it was a much bigger boat I would have used bigger chase tubes and run them differently.

on a side note I ordered my LED's for the livewell and console today, and tomorrow I'll be putting the deposit on the rolls axle trailer I want .


----------



## firecat1981

Well I'm still gluing down the floor, been sick for a week and hard to find time to work on her lately, but being sick means I have more time to shop.
This week I ordered the LED's for the livewell and console, the aluminum trailer, and the Tilt and Trim unit.

Here are the Oznium LED's I got









This is the rolls axle trailer I ordered, with LED lights and a jack it was $1180









I also ordered a CMC PT-35 Trim and Tilt unit. Some people told me to order a factory second directly, well a factory second is like $465 plus shipping. I found it online for less and with shipping was $480, so why buy a blemished unit for the same money?


----------



## firecat1981

Work has been very slow lately, I don't have much time to work on the boat. I'm still in the early stages of working on the floor and I'm sure it will take me atleast 3 or 4 more days before it is ready for glass. I'm taking extra time with this step because if the floor doesn't seal right on the inner stringers it might leak water into the float chambers. 
The only point that really concerns me is where the floor boards join above the stringers. Well to remedy any concerns I decided to drill inspection holes at the joint and then fill then with thickened epoxy. This also gives me a chance to see how the thickened epoxy spread when joining everything. So far so good.
Heres the inspection hole.


----------



## firecat1981

I picked up my trailer today, it is super light weight and I can't even feel it behind my jeep. Brought it home and my neighbor helped me throw the boat on it. I need to adjust the bunks and winchstand, but for now it makes it easier to move around the garage. 
I also finished bonding the floor down. I need to level it some and putty more around the edges and joints before glassing, but it is solid.

Boat on trailer


----------



## firecat1981

forgot to mention I also recieved my trim and tilt unit today.


----------



## firecat1981

Putting in the front and rear bulkheads. Had to use bracing to keep them fairly straight due both to warped panels and because I cut out the middles for access.


----------



## firecat1981

I did a bunch of glassing the last few days. The interior is pretty much done and I will start working on the deck supports and center box before priming and painting the compartments.

Taping the seams









glassing everything else.


----------



## firecat1981

Having to return the trailer was a major setback but I should have a new one in a week or so.

The interior is now glassed and I'm moving on to the supports for the gunelles (gunwhales....) and other things.

Measuring them out









decided to make them look a little fancier. Problem is I forgot why I originally measured them out to the size I did :-[. I won't be able to use the rod tubes I planned on and will have to do something else. I'm thinking about just using the pvc reducers like last time but without the pipe chase in the back. Then I will put some extra glass and epoxy graphite on the contact area to prevent damage.









installed









I also installed the seperator in the rear starboard compartment. This allows the very back to be used for the bilge pump and rod holder, while the front of it is still dry storage.









More to come, I'll be installing some deck supports tomorrow, and maybe start working on the console/livewell.


----------



## firecat1981

I haven't gotten around to the livewell/console yet, the deck supports are taking alot longer then I wanted. I found some Southern yellow pine for the supports locally and ripped them down to what I needed, it was suggested to me by several other boat builders. I'm impressed just how much stronger the SYP is then the cheap 1x's from the box stores. I can put all my weight on a 1x1.5 strip (not calling it a 1x2 because I cut it to spec for my purposes ) and it will barely flex, once tied in to the decks it will work nicely. 
I also found a much better resource for wood and plywood locally, I must have passed this place 10,000 times in the firetruck and never thought about it. :-[

Front supports test fitting. I had to remember to leave room for the round deck hatch up front.









Rear supports









laid out for priming









There will be a few other small supports added, but you get the idea. Losing the trailer was a major setback in time, but I should have a new one next week and I'll be able to move a little quicker hopefully.


----------



## Andrewp

I may have missed why you lost the trailer --what happened? :-?


----------



## firecat1981

I was really excited to be able to afford an aluminum trailer, but I guess you get what you pay for. The trailer frame was so weak that resting on the jack, since it stuck out to the side, was enough to twist the frame, which pulled the bunk away from the transom. Long story short I didn't feel the trailer was safe and got a refund. I ordered a galvanized continental tilt trailer which was $275 cheaper to replace it and am satisfied in my decision. Should be in by wednesday, unfortunately I have added a bit of weight to the boat since then so I will have to have a 3rd set of hands on deck to put it back on the trailer.


----------



## cutrunner

Coming along [smiley=1-thumbsup3.gif] reel nice!! What color do you plan on doing the inside of the boat?


----------



## firecat1981

Thanks, I'm going to use rustoleum semi-gloss marine paint for the interior and web it using kyrlon like my last boat. The webbing cut down on the glare alot last time, so I figure going with the semi-gloss and the webbing will work well. The sides I will continue with the light blue and it will be seperated by the rubrail.


----------



## cutrunner

Sounds good, im really big on reducing glare on the inside. Shiny and bright looks cool on the trailer but 5hours into a summer day fishing trip and its annoying quick. What are you planning to do for rubrail? My skiff is still rubraill-less because rubrail is $$$$$ and they only sell 40ft-50ft sections minimum....


----------



## firecat1981

I ordered my rub rail from bateau.com with my plywood and other stuff. I was in the same situation as you, but they sell it by the foot so I got what I needed. Only issue is they don't have end caps so I'll have to come up with something or just not use them at all as most seem to go that route.


----------



## SilentHunter

royce we need a tape measure so you can make sure u can still get to the place of buisness in the brookercraft


----------



## firecat1981

> royce we need a tape measure so you can make sure u can still get to the place of buisness in the brookercraft


Uuummmm? right? :-?


----------



## jrod0785

> royce we need a tape measure so you can make sure u can still get to the place of buisness in the brookercraft
> 
> 
> 
> Uuummmm? right? :-?
Click to expand...

LOL...I was thinking the same thing. But back to subject, your boat is looking good man. Keep up the good progress. I cant wait to see the final product.


----------



## SilentHunter

sorry to highjack thread. boat looks so sick. how much do you have invested into a project like this? im very intrested in maybe trying it out


----------



## firecat1981

I'll be tallying everything up at the end, I would venture to say about $1500 in the hull. I haven't really been keeping track, but I can tell you I'm about $400 under my original budget on everything.


----------



## firecat1981

Got a decent days work in. I spent most of it working on the front supports and gas tank cradle. I also started working on the console and livewell.

Gas tank cradle being formed









Front and rear supports being bonded in place









Bonding the gussets for the front supports in. you can also see the gas tank cradle under it that was bonded as well. Behind it you can see the beginings of the console.









I ended up recutting and shapping it several times because I didn't like it. I made it bigger to begin with because I knew if I didn't like it I could cut it down. This is the 3rd and final shape I hope









You can see even with the console and livewell in place I still have enough room to jog around the boat if need be.









I should get the trailer on thursday so things should speed up a bit then.


----------



## cutrunner

Like the console!


----------



## JaxLaxFish

Just curious about those rod holders. It looks like there is only a place for one rod on each side. Will multiple rods go into each slot? Looks like an interesting setup just a little different.


----------



## firecat1981

They aren't really made for rods, I made them for my anchor pins. Yes a rod could go there, but I will also have a 3 rod holder on either side of the console. I had ones that would hold 2 rods each on my last boat and they were a pain everytime I wanted to quickly swap rods, or quickly grab a rod when I got to a spot. Since I have the room on the console I would much rather go this route.


----------



## Andrewp

Maybe think about the ones down below being able to fit a flyrod -- you never know; you might take up the disease!! 


AP


----------



## firecat1981

They could fit a 9ft fly rod if I really wanted them to, but I'm not into fly fishing at all. I've tried it in the past and still think I have 2 fly rods packed away somewhere, I just never got what the attraction was all about.


----------



## SilentHunter

will you hurry up and finish this beast already!

lookin good brother!


----------



## firecat1981

I'm going as fast as I can, I planned to be done with it in the middle of May, but now I will be happy to be done mid July. Being I've only got a hour or two a day, maybe 4-5 days a week to work on it, it's going fairly well. The whole trailer issue set me back about 2 weeks, and waiting on orders set me back another. Now the problem is the heat is kickin my butt, even when I get a whole day to work on her after a couple of hours I'm fairly shot.


----------



## kaioticone

Amazing work, as well as meticulous work keeping track with everything here on the forums. This made for a great read. Hope your able to fish it sooner than you expected. I know you have to be itching to get out there on those flats.


Thanks.


----------



## firecat1981

Thanks man, I'd rather be fishing then building right now.

I did a little work on the console and finished the swing arm on the trailer today.

bonding the console together









with the hatch









swing tongue done


----------



## SilentHunter

sounds like you need help!

btw... Where did you get the plans for this? it looks very nice and im intrested.


----------



## firecat1981

I need someone to babysit my kid for 2 weeks and I could finish it up. No plans, I designed it on card stock, then modeled in hardboard before building.


----------



## noeettica

Amazing Job [smiley=1-beer-german.gif]


----------



## JaxLaxFish

This build is impressive. The best part to me is how professional the fit and finish is. A properly planned boat is so much cleaner and easier to service. A buddy of mine has a Panga that needed new steering cables and a scout with the same problem. The Scout has yet to be done but as you might expect the chase tubes are 100 times more accessible. Looks like you're in line with the Scout as far as pre-planning the layout


----------



## firecat1981

Thanks, and you are correct about the planning ahead. I did alot of thinking on how to do it, and yes I could have done it 12 other ways but this one was the easiest. I like everything nice and reachable in the event of a leak in the plumbing, or if I need to run more electical stuff.

I've been doing alot of small things like glassing in the tank support, bonding the console frame down, adding a little glass to key areas of the deck supports..... I'm getting ready to prime the front and rear compartments in the next few days.

I've also been working on the board in the livewell that will support the fittings. 









with the fitting mocked up


----------



## AfterHours2

Nice job on the swing away tongue. You will enjoy it the way you have it set up. The water is now calling out for the Plytanic. Nice Job!


----------



## firecat1981

The water will have to wait a little more

I decided to paint the front and rear compartments. I didn't bother with fairing them just a quick sanding cause, well they are interior compartments and mostly out of site. Actually I found myself several times looking at an area I was painting wondering why I'm even painting them at all. I'll spend more time smoothing the rest of the interior, but still leave it fairly rough since it will have a non-skid layer and webbing.

One coat of primer and first coat of paint.


----------



## noeettica

Good thing this build is in Florida ...

There are places that it would get inspected a value placed on it and you would have to pay TAX on the finished product !!!

Hull is amazing !!! I want to be there for the launch ... Going to run like a Dream ...


----------



## oysterbreath

Looking real good so far. Casting deck structure looks a bit sparse though. Did you mix any epoxy into that paint you put under the deck or is it straight paint? She's gonna be a beauty!


----------



## firecat1981

The deck support structure is alot more elaborate then my last boat. My old skiff just had the deck sitting on the bulkheads and nothing else, but it was still pretty stiff. The sub deck as it sits right now will easily support my weight, everything is bonded so it acts as one solid structure instead of peices of wood screwed together. I got the idea from some of the guys at bateau, they did similar structures on boats 8ft wide with no issues.

I did not mix any epoxy into the paint as I have been told that is a no no by several people including the guys at FGCI. It could effect both the paint and epoxy hindering both from curing right. Plus it really wouldn't benefit me any since everything is glassed already. I should be able to get some good work done this weekend.


----------



## oysterbreath

YEah, glad to hear that you didn't mix the two. I read a horror story somewhere online about doing that but on the same site you noted in your previous post...a few of them DID do it. Anyway, thanks for the reply. Looking good so far! You gonna start your gunnels soon? Do you plan for them to be walkable?


----------



## firecat1981

The gunnels will come shortly. I wouldn't consider them walkable because it is still a narrow beam skiff even though you can stand on them. Personally I think walkable gunnels are a bit of a waste, been on a few boats with them and they never get used. Having them wider just takes up cockpit space IMO, which is why I tried to make mine thinner this time. Really I just have them for the looks, otherwise I would have left them off this build.

I started working more on the livewell, I insulated the 3 sides I could. I bonded the sides in and will fillet them later when I add the curved corners.



















Using a 4 inch piece of PVC to make the corners


----------



## WhiteDog70810

I'm with you about the "walkable" gunnels. Mine will have gunnels, but the main benefit is that they will protect my rods and force people to walk down the middle of the boat.

Nate


----------



## Brett

> Mine will have gunnels, but the main benefit is that they will protect my rods


Don't think of them as walkable gunnels, think of them as a way to stiffen the hull.
Besides protecting the gear on the rod racks, that extra width contributes to hull rigidity.
Without those extra surfaces you don't end up with a monocoque structure.
After experimenting with luan panels, 1x2 lath and zip screws, I realized
that those narrow "deck" panels eliminate an amazing amount of flex from the hull sides.


----------



## WhiteDog70810

...uh, yeah, what he said also.



Nate


----------



## firecat1981

Yes they will add some support, but I could have done the same effect with a small float ring, which if I ever build another one it will most likely have one instead. I already have a monocoque structure in my hull bottom/striners/floor...but I'm sure the caps will help a bit too.

I'm still working on the livewell and it needs quite a bit more work, but I'm moving. Heres a shot of the glass corners I made with the pipe. Also you can see the drain tube I made for the livewell.


----------



## paint it black

Speaking about walkable gunnels, some do use them for walking. 
I walk on mine all the time.
It's much easier to walk the gunnel from the bow to the aft while fighting a bonefish that's trying to wrap around the push pole. Also walk on my buddies mavericks(hpx micro, hpx t, hpx 18) gunnels all the time. I know plenty people that do so. 

But anyway, this build is looking great. 
I can't wait to see it complete.


----------



## firecat1981

I'm sure it works for some, but not for me. I've rarely faught a fish big or small I couldn't handle from the bow or stern, and if I did need to move it's easier for me to step down and then back up, then it is to try and maintain my balance on the worst area of a boat. Just not for me.

I set in the rounded corners for the livewell.


----------



## B.Lee

Dang brother, I've been gone for a bit, glad I got to catch up on the Plyanic. Really looking good! 

How much easier/faster/better is the second build going?


----------



## firecat1981

Honestly it is much easier the second time, but I'm also making it much more complicated as you can see. It would be faster if I had more free time. It's definately better, this rig will be way stronger then the last one, although the TGIF did survive going through a 3ft surf a few times and still floated after getting hit by an SUV


----------



## firecat1981

Haste makes Waste 

This saying holds true on many things as I am finding out. I had a whole day to work on the boat yesterday, but ended up not getting as much done as I wished. I planned on finishing the paint in the front and rear compartments, filleting the livewell, setting the gunnel rails, and cutting out the front and rear decks. Well I didn't think about the order I would do all that in so I only got the paint and gunnel rails done. I did the paint first and gave it a few hours to set while I ran some errands, then I came back and made the rails, then routed and set them. I then went to go start fitting the decks when I realized the clamps holding the supports were in the way :-?. I then realized I couldn't even get into the boat to work on the livewell without disturbing the supports too :-[........

Anyway, here I am test fitting them.


----------



## Swamp

Build looks really good, but I REALLY think you need to reconsider the name...

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/06/08/titantic-ii-sinks-on-its-maiden-voyage/?intcmp=obinsite

Swamp


----------



## firecat1981

Ah swamp, did you see he renamed the boat that? Renaming a boat is bad luck!!! Worse then bananas!

By the way did you know the titanic had 2 sister ships? The britanic which was even nicer, but was repurposed as a hospital ship during WWI and was later sunk when it hit a mine. The Britanic would have stayed afloat if not for the nurses mistake of opening portholes to ventilate the ship.
And the Olympic which was nick named "old reliable" as it served for many years as a troop transport and there after.


----------



## Swamp

Actually you are supposed to rename a boat if it changes hands, bad luck not to. It was however bad luck to change the name of a boat that you had already named. That was the tradition where I grew up on the Chesapeake. You are getting close to having more than a pile of parts, so you could probably skate by with changing it now. Once it's on the water and christened though... 

Bananas have never been bad luck on my boat. Then again I have never had a cargo of fruit for them to spoil either. 

Did not know about the sister ships. Cool. Thanks.

Swamp


----------



## firecat1981

I'm sure different areas have different traditions and superstitions. However I can attest to the bananas myth, I had 2 bananas in the cooler of my old skiff when it got totaled 

That being said, the name stays, I will burn sage around it during the chistening though


----------



## noeettica

I told a lady to pack bananas in her husbands lunch ... He was heading to a mega $$$ Bass tournament


----------



## firecat1981

that's messed up man ;D


----------



## Swamp

Years ago a bunch of us went down to the Keys to camp and fish for a few days.  Well we were all good friends and the normal hilarity ensued.  Copious amounts of adult beverages were consumed every evening, so needless to say we were not up at the crack of dawn every day like we should have been.  Well my good friend and I were waiting in my skiff one morning for the guys in the other boat to wander/stumble down to the dock.  I should mention that my buddy can be a real imp when irritated.  True to form, he grabs a banana and says he's gonna break Bob of his superstition about bananas.  Well before I can grab him, the evil little gnome hops onto Bob's Lodge Mirage, stuffs said banana waaaaay up front into the front hatch, and clambers back onto my skiff before anyone was the wiser.  Great, it was gonna be one of those days. The others showed up shortly thereafter and we went our separate ways following a run to the area we all wanted to fish. About mid afternoon we call it quits and head back.  After we hit the docks he see that Bob is cleaning his boat in that most fastidious way that only he can.  He has a cigar in his mouth, a sponge in one hand and a beer in the other.  He is making the best of a fishless day.  I should point out at this time that Bob is an ex-commercial pilot, I swear that man needs a check list to...ah, "drop the kids off at the pool".  He is crossing his T's an dotting his I's, the world is right, all is as it should be despite not catching anything.  Well my buddy asks that I pull in next to Bob and I do.  I ask Bob how they did and the response was "don't ask".  Keep in mind I had forgotten about the banana at this point.  My buddy jumps onto Bob's skiff without the first how do you do, and proceeds up to the front hatch, pulls out the banana, sits down, peels it, and takes a big bite.  All of this with the biggest sh!t eating grin you've ever seen.  Crap. Did I mention my buddy can be a real imp?  All the while Bob is looking at him with a "What the eph?" look on his face.  It takes a few seconds to sink in to Bob what had just happened.  Bob turns bright red, my buddy responds with a "thanks, I was hungry".  Bob gets up and is a really dark burgundy by now.  I'm thinking that I should pull away from Bob's boat just for fun mot to mention my own personal preservation, but then I decide that would be a bad idea because my buddy towed my boat down and I need him to haul the boat home.  He can't do that if he is dead and I don't know where the keys are.  I swear I've never seen that evil gnome move so fast before or since, I think his big toe touched down once before he was back aboard.  I still wonder just what would have happened if I had left him to his fate.  I'm sure it would have involved some strangling, lots of noise, a serious amount of air time, and a big splash.  

Bob still does not like bananas.

Swamp


----------



## DuckNut

The Tianic had two sisters; Britannic and Olympic, which had a fancy paint job and carried troops.


----------



## firecat1981

Yep and both were modified with safety features after the titanic sank.

I got alot done in the last few days as my wife was out of town. Unfortunately she took the camera with her so not too much show and tell today. I installed the drain tube for the livewell, finished glassing the livewell, finished painting the front and rear compartments, and a bunch of other misc. stuff. 

I'm starting to get the electrical organized. I needed 2 or 3 single post bus bars, but after seeing they wanted near $20 for one I nearly choked, I mean come on! It's just a piece of plastic and a 1/4" bolt :.
So I just made my own again. I made 3 of them for about $9. A cheap cutting board and some SS hardware is all you need. Use some drill bits in varying sized to sink the heads and you are good to go. They may not be as pretty, but they will be out of site and work the same.









I cut out the decks and gunnel caps, they won't be bonded and smoothed till later on after the fuel and electrical is done, but you can really see how she will look now.


----------



## jrod0785

Looks awesome man! I always look for updates to this build. Cant wait to see the finished product.


----------



## DuckNut

Front deck is crooked ;D ;D

Awesome job


----------



## firecat1981

Thanks guys, I started drawing out my electrical today. You never realize how complexed it gets till you try tracing it on paper, lol. Anyway here is what I will end up with, I left out the TNT and the outboard since those are prewired and will just screw right into the bus posts in the bilge area. Anyone see any possible issues?


----------



## jrod0785

FC, the only thing I can see is loose the bus port in the bilge area that feeds the float switch/bilge pump since they are inline anyways and put it in the joint where the anchor and LED lights branch off.


----------



## jrod0785

I kind of take back that last comment I left. What kind of switch are you plan on using for your lights? SPST or a SPDT? If its a SPST then the above comment would work. But if you are wanting a ON/OFF/ON switch then you need to be able to bring both hot wires separately to the switch.


----------



## noeettica

Looks Good ... A quick trip to Mahoneys will take care of what u need ...


----------



## firecat1981

PCFisherman, it's a spst switch, but there are a few issues with your suggestion. First, if I wired them all in line to that one switch like that then I would have to have the lights on continuosly if I want the bilge pump to work. Since I fish mostly in the day time this doesn't work well for me. Second that would put the bilge pump on a switch, which is a bad idea IMO cause switches get shut off accidentally. I actually want the float switch and bilge pump directly wired to the posts because that means anytime the battery switch is on, the bilge pump will be as well. I appreciate the try though.

Plus the posts have to be there, that is what the TnT and outboard wiring harnesses will hook into. I just left them out of the picture for simplicity.

I'm not too sure about mahoneys, I looked at there electrical section last time and it was pretty sparse. I'll probably have to go back to west marine again.


----------



## jrod0785

> First, if I wired them all in line to that one switch like that then I would have to have the lights on continuosly if I want the bilge pump to work.


I am sorry FC, it is hard to explain electrical by typing. I didnt mean that the lights and bilge would be inline (LED and 
Anchor) with the float switch and bilge. I did not know that bus port would be a hook up for your outboard as well. I just thought there would be no use for a bus port there if it was a direct hit to the float switch. I am guessing your 4 port switch panel has some type of bus in it as well? Forgive me, I am not use to boat wiring as I am as Commerical and Residental wiring.


----------



## firecat1981

It's cool man, I aprreciate you trying to helpout. The 4 switch panel had a seperate fuse for each switch, and the TNT and yamaha have built in fuses of there own. I think I should be good in that area. But I will definately have the bus posts back there, if nothing else thay help make everything easily serviceable.


----------



## hmsmithjr

I think everything looks good, but I would add a manual lighted switch for the bilge pump. This will allow you to see if it is on and how much it is coming on. Also you will be able to see if the float got stuck so you don't burn up the pump, and manually turn it on if the float fails. 
Maclin


----------



## firecat1981

That means running 3 more wires for something that I really don't need, more wires means more of a chance something will go wrong, especially with a switch since I have yet to see any toggles last long term. Plus I can hear the bilge pump running so I don't really need a indicator light. I get what your saying, but I think it would be a overcomplication of a simple back-up system. Remember My hull is foam filled, so even if the bilge fails and I take on water we won't sink.

I considered not using a bilge pump this time, really the only reason I am using a bilge pump is to keep any extra water from weighing down the boat and in case I need to empty the livewell which drains into the bilge.

Thanks though, I did realize that I forgot the inline fuze for the bilge pump on the diagram.


----------



## firecat1981

I kind of got screwed by the weather today. I planned on doing alot but it started raining and my garage is to packed to get around well in. Plus working in a closed garage during the summer is not my idea of fun.

I did get the gas tank straps mounted.









I also am done with glassing the livewell, I was going to sand it and prime it and the inside of the console, but it will have to wait now. I used AB foam to fill in the corners and top edges, it didn't really need it but I figured it couldn't hurt.


----------



## noeettica

Portable AC Big Lots has 'em Cheap ... 

Man that boat looks gr8 !

I'll shoot a video 4 ya ... bring it to Silver Lake ...


----------



## firecat1981

Thanks man I'll let you know. I've thought about a portable ac, but I hope to be done with this puppy in the next few weeks or so.

Here is the full wiring diagram I am going with. I bought the rest of my supplies today, expensive stuff, you don't realize how much a few connectors and some wire costs till the girl asks for your credit card :-?


----------



## firecat1981

I primed and painted the livewell and inside of the console. the corners are a little less smooth then I would have liked, but the fish won't care and it won't effect flow any.










I drilled the holes for the fittings and pumps, and also to hang some of the electrical componants in the rear. Here's a picture, but it doesn't show much.










Ok guess what this picture is?.........It's how you make sure a design error doesn't bit you in the butt!
I cut down the gunnel supports to make them a little more fancy looking, but I forgot why I made them the original size in the first place. The result was when a stake out rod or fishing pole was in the holders they rubbed against the sides under the front deck. I was affraid the rubbing would eat through the paint and glass and expose the wood eventually, so for protection I bought some kitchen cutting mats and cut them down a bit then used some 7200 to bond them in place.


----------



## Brett

Your cross braces look like 1x3 pine, are they going to provide enough support?
I'm asking because I used full bulkheads to support my deck.

I have a tendency to overbuild... :-[


----------



## firecat1981

Actually it is, southern yellow pine, in varied width depending on where it was being placed, some are thinner. It should be more then strong enough, I can stand on it now and it flexes a little, but when bonded to the 3/8" ply that will be covered on both sides with cloth and bonded to the sheer it should be rock solid. I got the idea from the guys at bateau, they are doing it on much wider boats. heres a picture of an xf20, which is 8' wide.


----------



## firecat1981

Started making the hatch for the livewell, I didn't want to use a commercial hatch because of how often we usually open and close it, and also because I may mount a cushion later on.










The 2 layers stacked after cutting. They will be smoothed and routed. I learned last time if you don't glass the edges and arount to the back they will crack and seperate after a little while when weight is applied. so I have some 3oz glass that will be able to make the bends fairly easily.


----------



## FlatCat

How are you fastening the pine together for the deck support? I see the cleats, glue and stainless screws?
Do these get encapsulated?


----------



## firecat1981

They are ecapsulated in a double, some places triple, coat of epoxy and bonded together with epoxy thickened with wood flour, silica, and microfibers. I made them thin cause I worried they might be visible, looking back I wish I made them all just a little bit, 1/4-1/2", thicker. They will do the job just fine the way they are especially once bonded and glassed to the deck, but bigger would be better.

I haven't posted much lately cause there isn't much to see. I started refairing the outside, finished painting the livewell and console, added gussets for the gunnel caps, and worked on the hatch for the livewell. Basically I'm finishing up all the small things I need to before the electrical and plumbing go in, and then the decks and paint.


----------



## firecat1981

Moving into the final stages now, again there are tons of little things to do.

I laid down the webbing in the gas tank craddle and rear storage area under the bench because once the decks are on I wouldn't be able to do it.


















Next I bonded on the first half of the front deck and the gunnel caps. I did this by laying down some 6oz cloth on the undersides and let it sit for an hour, once it was fairly set, but still soft I used thickened epoxy to bond them. Later on they will get another layer or 2 of glass on the tops.


----------



## firecat1981

The rain is messin with me, lol, clear sky one minute rain the next. 

The deck piece and gunnel caps set up very nicely, I can stand on both with no real detectable flexing, the top glass layer will serve to really solidify them in place.

I didn't get much done today, but I was able to do all my sealant work. I hate working with 5200/7200, it's a pain but it does the job better then anything. I set in the bow eye, stern eyes, livewell and bilge plumbing. I just began running tubing when the rain started again.

livewell with the 2 spray heads, over flow, recirculating pump, and LED in place.









looking through the console door at the back of the livewell.









The livewell came out much bigger then I thought it would, I stretch some of the dimensions at the last minute so it's probably about 15 gallons, but 10 would have done the job just fine.


----------



## firecat1981

Rainy days make for little boat work unfortunately, I had the whole day to work on her and only got a few small things done.

The main thing was drilling thw holes for the TnT unit. It will be about 18.75-19" above the bottom of the boat. I measured my yamaha and it is 17+/- inches long from bracket to cavitation plate so this will set it about 1.5-2" above the bottom of the transom, with the 6" setback it should work well.









Ever wonder what a few hundred feet of wire would look like all balled up in the back of a boat? Well here ya go, lol.

The wiring harness for the TnT is rediculous! You would think they'd figure it out a little cleaner.









The disaster of a console









i have alot of adjusting and cleaning up to do, a few hundred feet of wire loom and zip ties should help out.


----------



## anytide

looking good - time to put the goodies on it soon 
-anytide


----------



## jcoody

This thing is looking GREAT!! I have one question though, how did you get the black "webbing" or "splatter paint" done?? did you do it yourself? If so how?


----------



## firecat1981

Anytide - I gotta do some thinking, but I'm gonna be contacting you soon for probably some push pole clips and stuff.

Jcoody - krylon webbing spray, it's very easy to do, it's tough too. Only thing is it is deisolved by alcohol, which usually isn't an issue on boats, but makes for super easy clean up of mistakes! If you miss, just use a paper towel and rubbing alcohol to fix it up. Mke sure to test fire the cans cause it might come out faster then you would think, lol.

http://www.joann.com/joann/catalog/productdetail.jsp?CATID=cat1763&PRODID=prd338...


----------



## jcoody

Man I'm glad I asked how you done that! Do you think its durable enough to spray the decks and floor of my gheenoe?


----------



## noeettica

I just want to see this boat running ... running in 6" of water @ 28+ mph


----------



## omegadef

I just want to let you know, you're what made me bite the bullet and start building mine.

Much props to you and your boat.


----------



## firecat1981

> Man I'm glad I asked how you done that! Do you think its durable enough to spray the decks and floor of my gheenoe?


Definately, it's hardy stuff.



> I just want to see this boat running ... running in 6" of water @ 28+ mph


I think those numbers might be a bit ambitious, we will have to wait and see.



> I just want to let you know, you're what made me bite the bullet and start building mine.


Awsome! your boat looks great by the way. Do you do cad for a living, or did you download a program, if so which one?

I know some have been wondering where I am at on this project. Well I have had some other things I needed to take care of so not much has been done in the last few weeks. Plus typically I just get a few hours in the afternoon to work, and the storms have been canceling all that out. I have done a few small things, I cleaned up the electrical, and bonded down the front part of the front deack and the rear deck. Next comes finishing up the center console and glassing that, then smoothing everything for glassing the deck tops and paint. It sounds like alot but really theres not much more, problem is limited working hours, and drying time for the epoxy.


----------



## omegadef

Nope, I'm actually going to LSU for Chemical Engineering.

I designed mine in sketchup and then transferred it to freeship. Freeship made my plywood shapes for me so I just had to transfer and cut them out. 


I cant wait to see this thing in action!


----------



## oysterbreath

Looking real good FC. That CNC jack plate is going together just fine. You're just running one battery though so is your motor pull start or are you drawing power for your motor AND trolling motor from the same battery? So what was the actual price tag for your electrical?


----------



## firecat1981

> I designed mine in sketchup and then transferred it to freeship. Freeship made my plywood shapes for me so I just had to transfer and cut them out.


Don't suppose those are available for free to download? If they are are they easy to learn?



> Looking real good FC. That CNC jack plate is going together just fine. You're just running one battery though so is your motor pull start or are you drawing power for your motor AND trolling motor from the same battery? So what was the actual price tag for your electrical?


Thanks, it's just a TnT, I figured a JP wouldn't help me much with this design, but I can adjust the TnT on the transom to act like a manual JP so it will work out well.
Yes I'm running one batter, a group 29, My motor is an electric start with the higher output stator, It's only a 20hp and very easy to start by hand if I need to so even if I run her dead I'll be ok. The single battery is not a major concern of mine on such a small rig, but that being said it is the reason I am insisting on a variable speed trolling motor. All my pumps and lights have such a minimal draw so they aren't a concern and the TnT unit doesn't use as much as the trolling motor and is only used for a few seconds at a time. I considered 2 batteries, but honestly just don't see a need for it.
As far as price :, well it is pricey. With the switches, battery cut off, wires, connectors, lights.....I figure I'm into it for about $300, not including the TnT unit or trolling motor.


----------



## cutrunner

I swear rigging a boat is more tedious an expensive than building it


----------



## CapnK

Firecat -

Sketchup is Googles free 3d modeler - http://sketchup.google.com/

Freeship is also free - http://sourceforge.net/projects/freeship/


----------



## omegadef

> Firecat -
> 
> Sketchup is Googles free 3d modeler - http://sketchup.google.com/
> 
> Freeship is also free - http://sourceforge.net/projects/freeship/


I'm going to repost a tutorial here from a while ago I had posted on another forum. I have since moved on to a new way to design the boats, but this is still a valid method.


----------



## firecat1981

> I swear rigging a boat is more tedious an expensive than building it


depends on what you are rigging with. I am so close now I can taste it, but I need solid whole days to do all I need and I only get one a week if I am lucky.


----------



## twitch

I can't wait to see some on the water shots. Great job on the build.


----------



## firecat1981

Thanks, I just want this thing done already so I can move on to other projects that are on the back burner. Looking back on this, knowing what I know now, I would have just bought a boat instead of trying to build one with a baby in the house.

The last few days I did get some stuff done. It would have been a ton more but between dealing with the 3 cable guys it took to fix my wifes business line and a minor medical emergancy with my daughter (bit through her tongue ), yesterday was all but a bust.

Here is what I did get done so far. I used a router to first straighten out the deck edged both inside and out. Some of the rough cut areas had as much as 1/2" of over hang but the router powered right through it all. Here is after the first pass, you can see the much nicer shape starting to form.









Shot from the back. it left a nice large gap in most places where the deck met the sides at an angle, but a little epoxy thickened and reinforced with microfibers, wood flour, and silica took care of that well and added some more stregnth.









Next I put on the top of the console, I backed it with a piece of 1700 biaxial cloth because that is where the grab bar will go when I build it. The console will be smoothed out later when it is done.









After filling in the gaps, I used the router again with a small 1/4 round bit to shape the edges. After using some fairing compound to spot fill rougher parts she will be saned down and ready for the decks to be glassed. 


















Once the deck and and livewell are glassed, I will have some smoothing to do and some very minor things to touch up, then she will be ready for primer and paint.


----------



## cutrunner

Its comin!


----------



## noeettica

Don't know who is more exited Firecat or us watching this !


----------



## bwwboating

> Don't know who is more exited Firecat or us watching this !


Agreed! It is so exciting to watch. My wife just shakes her head when I tell her to come see how far along the PLYTANIC has come.


----------



## firecat1981

Thanks guys, but trust me, no one could possibly be looking foward to the end of this project more then me, lol. 

Last bit I did last night was bond the dash in place. IT doesn't look pretty, but it will smooth out nicely later on.









I have been working on a logo of sorts for the rear sides. Here is what I have so far, the flag is a play on the white star line logo, which was the builder of the Titanic, Olympic, and Britanic.....


----------



## Brett

> I have been working on a logo of sorts for the rear sides. Here is what I have so far:
> the flag is a play on the white star line logo, which was the builder of the Titanic, Olympic, and Britanic.....



Haven't ya' learned by now?
Ya' shouldn't leave important things lying around for me to play with... [smiley=happy.gif]




I'm still watching... [smiley=popcorn2.gif]


----------



## firecat1981

Lol oh come on now Brett. I was thinking about using a waterline, but not quite in such a disasterous mannor.

My photoshop skills aren't as good as they used to be, but here is some more attempts. Opinions?


----------



## bwwboating

> Lol oh come on now Brett. I was thinking about using a waterline, but not quite in such a disasterous mannor.
> 
> My photoshop skills aren't as good as they used to be, but here is some more attempts. Opinions?


I lean towards #1.


----------



## wilg999

Maybe a little too busy








[/img]


----------



## gheen_with_envy

> Maybe a little too busy
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> [/img]


I like this one!


----------



## jrod0785

Boat is looking great man! Are you splatter coating the whole inside (decks and all)?


----------



## paint it black

> Maybe a little too busy
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> [/img]



Looks like a winner!
I'd go with this one forsure!


----------



## firecat1981

Thanks guys, but remember it has to be cut out of vinyl on a plotter, so it has to be fairly simple. My wife doesn't like any of the ones except the original with just the flag, which is how I may end up going. She thinks they are too busy, and she's the one with the graphic arts degree so..... Actually I may have to tweek the first one as well as I don't think the flag will draw well in the plotter, we will see, I'll keep playing with it.

As far as the decks, yes everything will be webbed again to cut down glare, except the center console, think I'll leave it plain white for now.


----------



## paint it black

> Thanks guys, but remember it has to be cut out of vinyl on a plotter, so it has to be fairly simple. My wife doesn't like any of the ones except the original with just the flag, which is how I may end up going. She thinks they are too busy, and she's the one with the graphic arts degree so..... Actually I may have to tweek the first one as well as I don't think the flag will draw well in the plotter, we will see, I'll keep playing with it.
> 
> As far as the decks, yes everything will be webbed again to cut down glare, except the center console, think I'll leave it plain white for now.


It does not have to be fairly simple. It's just cheaper that way.....


----------



## DuckNut

Having a sticker printed and laser cut is cheap - it is the artwork that costs money.

My vote is for W_Palms


----------



## paint it black

And you'd be surprised with the detail possible on a vinyl decal cut with a plotter.
It's just time consuming for the sign maker to remove all the negative areas. 

My father gets on me when I have him make me numerous fish decals.


----------



## firecat1981

It has been years since I had any vinyl work done, I guess plotters are oldschool now. One thing I do remember which is weighing heavy on my simplification, is the durability of vinyl when cut very thin. Big blocky letters used to stand up very well, but thinner parts on logos would get torn up a bit from repeated washings. Oh and price is always a factor . If I were going for a big logo (8-10" letters or so) I would make it fancy, but since I'm just looking for a smaller one (3-4") I think I'll stick with the original unless something else pops up.

I don't have a picture to post, but the decks and gunnels are now rounded and glassed. It came out pretty nice too so I'm happy, there are a few small parts I think I will add a second layer of 6oz glass, to make it stronger. The only thing left to glass is the outside of the console/livewell which will be smoothed over the next few days. Good thing too since I'm about out of glass. After that it will be lots of filling, sanding and some fairing then she will be ready for paint.
I haven't fully decided on the grab bar yet. I was thinking about making it out of some of the southern yellow pine I have and stain it before doing some coxcombing on the top. I'll decide on the polling platform much later on after I use her for a bit and get the bugs worked out.
The only real thing I have to decide soon is what to do aboout the trolling motor. Bass pro did refund me, but partially in credit so I have $151 in a gift card to spend there now. I'll write more on that in my TM topic.

Oh I did order samples of hydro-turf. I ordered swatches of snow camo, and blue wave. Not sure if I'll go that route, but I did want to see and water test it to see if it retains or repels water.


----------



## AfterHours2

Hydro turf is about as durable as it gets. Ive redone my standup ski about 3 times with the stuff and it holds up really well. Not the softest stuff on your feet but for the $ you cant beat it..


----------



## firecat1981

I'll be using the hydroturf for seat tops, so does it soak up water or repel it?

I'm not sure if you can even tell in this picture, but the decks are glassed. Hopefully I'll get to smooth the console out tomorrow.


----------



## AfterHours2

Even when the turf was submerged it seemed to do an excellent job of repelling water. I think hydroturf was originally designed for skis so water is it's best friend... You should enjoy it and have no problems down the road....


----------



## firecat1981

Still waiiting on my hydro-turf swatches so we will see.

In the meantime I found a woodish font that my wife actually kinda likes and isn't too busy. What do you think?


----------



## Brett

I think ye'r wasting time at the computer, that'd be better spent working on the boat!


----------



## cutrunner

^^^^ X2


----------



## firecat1981

Ah but what you are forgetting my friends is that I work 24 hour shifts, and then play Mr. Mommy on my days off. Today I have the somewhat annoyingly boring task of commanding the airport fire station. Which is why I have so much more time then usual today. I would have finished the glassing this weekend, however my daughter is turning 1, so the festivities will take over instead.


----------



## Guest

> Ah but what you are forgetting my friends is that I work 24 hour shifts, and then play Mr. Mommy on my days off. Today I have the somewhat annoyingly boring task of commanding the airport fire station. Which is why I have so much more time then usual today. I would have finished the glassing this weekend, however my daughter is turning 1, so the festivities will take over instead.



Congrats! My son will also be turning 1 at the end of the month.


----------



## WhiteDog70810

I like the wood font much better than all the previous options. 

Nate


----------



## cutrunner

Holy cow!! 20,000 views!! This boats famous


----------



## firecat1981

Lol no it's just the same 5 or 6 guys who keep looking and wondering what the hell I'm doing.

I am still plugging away as best I can, I will have a good 4 or 5 days to work on it in about 2 weeks when my in-law visits again to spend time with my daughter. Unfortunately things have taken a bit of a turn financially. I had a few situations that have basically eaten up the last few thousand dollars I had in savings, so the boat fund is officially broke! It's a good thing I didn't splurge on certain things, but now getting a trolling motor at all may be hard to do. It may come down to a choice between getting insurance, or a TM, and I'd go with insurance so a TM may have to wait till next year. I may just pick up a really cheap one with that bass pro gift card I have in the meantime and upgrade later on.

On a building note, I did have a setback yesterday, I was using my router to try and round the edges of the console and it kept digging in. It basically shredded the whole top of the console and livewell. I had to fill it all in with thickened epoxy and will have to shape it by hand later on. A lesson learned, only try to route plywood from the top, never from the edge, first and last time I ever try that one.
On a positive note it looks much better with all the sides leveled and rounded a bit, it takes away from alot of the bulkyness even though it is still technically the same size. I am tryin to determine what stain I will use on the grab bar and stakeout pin handle (accidently cut through it so it is now only 7' ). The SYP is a much harder wood then typical pine so it doesn't accept stain as easily but it is pretty clean and very strong. I have some samples and will be playing with it over the next few days.


----------



## noeettica

Pull all the photos of the build off the net Put them in a PDF and sell copies ...

I'll ant'e up the first $5 Bucks !

Include all your tips and tricks used while building ...


----------



## firecat1981

Honestly I had planned to have everything documented so others can use it, however I changed so much on the fly it doesn't look anything like the original drawing. Also unfortunately all the original drawing were mistakenly tossed with the old models, so I don't even have the dimensions anymore. Plus being I am not a professional designer/builder by any means I'm not sure what kind of liability there is on that stuff.


----------



## oysterbreath

> I think ye'r wasting time at the computer, that'd be better spent working on the boat!


Brett, I think you've got the anti-computer bug!Do you type with only two fingers? If you do, that's the first symptom! ;-)


----------



## noeettica

I understand ... Since my net worth is like a hundred bucks I Don't sweat liability too much LOL 

Women ask me "How much money do you make , and which way is the mall ?"

My answer I'm so broke i Can't pay attention and have a HORRIBLE sense of direction !!! Next Question ... LOL


You have done a great job on this ...better than some "pros" 




> Honestly I had planned to have everything documented so others can use it, however I changed so much on the fly it doesn't look anything like the original drawing. Also unfortunately all the original drawing were mistakenly tossed with the old models, so I don't even have the dimensions anymore. Plus being I am not a professional designer/builder by any means I'm not sure what kind of liability there is on that stuff.


----------



## Brett

Oyster, I've got nothing against computers, my work requires that I use them every day.
I 've learned that computers are excellent for magnifying my mistakes.
Making them bigger and faster than could be accomplished on my own.

                                            [smiley=happy.gif] 


FC, I'm just waiting for launch day and your review/opinion of the completed hull.


----------



## firecat1981

Rain, Rain, go away, Cause you are really messing up my work today!!! [smiley=headbang2.gif]

Haven't done a thing in the last 3 or 4 days because the rain won't stop. So I decided to get some running around done. I learned something today, before any project make sure to check harbor freight! They had the same heat shrink style connectors I have been using, a ton of heat shrink tubing, and wire loom, all for a fraction of the price I paid. I figure I could have saved about $40-50 and saved a few trips. I did pick up a punch set so I can make the HIN/rating plate for the rear and elsewhere. Now I have to calculate what ratings I will put on the plate


----------



## cutrunner

Thats easy: unlimited


----------



## firecat1981

Lol, I can embellish some, but not that much.

I was trying to figure out the CG calculations for Max Hp and Load. For Max hp (for backyard boat builders) I used the traditional hard chine estimates since my hull had a keel up front and transitions to a flat bottom with lifting strakes. The calculations tell me I'll have a max of 40hp, which oddly enough is what I was gonna put on the plate anyway.

Now load calculations are much harder, cause according to what I was reading in the manual, they want you to litterally swamp your boat until it almost sinks to begin the calculations. Well thats not gonna happen, I'm going to base my load calculation on my draft estimates like last time. On my old boat I calculated draft at rest to be close to 4 inches with no passengers, but in reality it was closer to 2.5". 
So I recalculated everything to make sure when fully loaded I would still have more then half the hull as freeboard. When I say fully loaded, I mean FULLY LOADED. Talkin with my neighbor it suddenly occured to me that we both have kids now, so a slow family trip to go shelling or have a picnic is likely in our future. That means possibly 4 adults, and 2 small kids. A crowded boat no doubt, but I had 4 adults (big ones at that!) and one kid on my old boat and it barely drafted anymore. Since this one will have more contact area it shouldn't be an issue, but trips like this will be very limited to back waters and freshwater short range trips. I think my tag will read 6 persons or 1100lbs, which sounded very extreme to me, until someone brought up that gheenoe highsiders are now rated at 675lbs. With nearly twice the hull area and much more freeboard (hull sides and transom are 17" tall from chine to sheer) I think I'll be more then fine considering I'll usually only have 2 on board. Heres my calculations again.


----------



## DuckNut

Been following the build and in your last post you used the calculation with lifting strakes - where along the way did I miss yours?


----------



## firecat1981

Not really using them in the calculations per say, just using them and the keel/V/taper up front as an excuse not to do the flat bottom calculation, which would limit me to 25hp. Kinda like how carolina skiff uses there reverse chines to get around it for the high calc. Granted I'll only be pushing it with a 20hp, but I'd like the option to upgrade to a 30hp if need be.


----------



## DuckNut

Can't speak how CS gets the high hp rating but I would bet they use the float test.

Those look like strakes as the flat bottom and flat strake would not add lift but will make it track straight and less skid on turns.

That little guy will just fine with the 20 as you don't have long runs in the bay.

Anyway you are making great progress so get off of here and get out in the garage.


----------



## firecat1981

> Can't speak how CS gets the high hp rating but I would bet they use the float test.


I don't know what tests they may use, but this info was from an FWC officer in passing. I asked him recently and he mentioned CS. Not really sure if he knew what he was talking about, but it sounded reasonable.



> Those look like strakes as the flat bottom and flat strake would not add lift but will make it track straight and less skid on turns.


I agree, but I was corrected by a designer on another forum a while back. He told me thinner strakes running most of the length of the hull are tracking strakes or just strakes, and wider flat strakes on the planing surface are lifting strakes. Will they really lift, not much, but it should help keep me goin straight and thats all I intended.


----------



## firecat1981

I ordered my samples of hydro-turf about 3 weeks ago, it never came so I ordered some samples of seadek, 5 days later they both showed up today?

I ordered 4 samples of seadek and 2 of hydro-turf. Well all 4 of the seadek's came in and even have the adhesive backing on them. The hydro-turf only sent me one of the samples I ordered with no backing. I would give my business to seadek just for how much better they operated thus far, but I don't like the look of there snow camo unfortunately over the hydroturfs. But a Big bonus is the samples are so big I can use them for gas tank chaffing pads . Here's a pic, obviously seadek on the left and hydro on the right.


----------



## paint it black

> I ordered my samples of hydro-turf about 3 weeks ago, it never came so I ordered some samples of seadek, 5 days later they both showed up today?
> 
> I ordered 4 samples of seadek and 2 of hydro-turf. Well all 4 of the seadek's came in and even have the adhesive backing on them. The hydro-turf only sent me one of the samples I ordered with no backing. I would give my business to seadek just for how much better they operated thus far, but I don't like the look of there snow camo unfortunately over the hydroturfs. But a Big bonus is the samples are so big I can use them for gas tank chaffing pads . Here's a pic, obviously seadek on the left and hydro on the right.



Personally, I'd go with SeaDek over the Hydroturf....
I have the Snow camo from SeaDek and it looks great with a black border and black logo's.


----------



## firecat1981

I would if I were getting it routed and all that, but I'll most likely just cut it with a razor. I wish seadeks had black in it cause thats what I like about the hydro-turf version and it will match my boat nicely.


----------



## paint it black

> I would if I were getting it routed and all that, but I'll most likely just cut it with a razor. I wish seadeks had black in it cause thats what I like about the hydro-turf version and it will match my boat nicely.


Yeah. 
My buddy and I did the hydro turf on his Jon boat with a box cutter. And some contact cement. He got it for $30 a sheet with no glue. 
In regular camo. I think it was on clearance.


----------



## firecat1981

I'm not sure which way I will go, if at all, I gotta get her done first. I will say the seadek samples they sent are great and as I mentioned I will use them as chaffing pads for the tank, and maybe for an accent/sealing ring around the battery switch. I looked online and it seems the samples they send you are the hot buttons they sell for $1.95. I may end up buying 10 of them for various locations.

Well I finally got a few hours to work in the garage today, and I finished the glassing. I glassed the livewell/console, the rear transom edge, and added reinforcement to where the trolling motor bracket will mount, and the edge of the rear hatches. Over then next few weeks with any luck I'll get all the sanding, filling, fairing, and painting done.


----------



## firecat1981

Rolled on a coat of resin today, I like to do that before rough sanding, helps to fill the weave and keep me from going to far. After sanding I'll decide if I want to fair parts of the interior, or just roll some more resin on to gloss coat it before painting.









I also filleted the bottom of the rub rail. Not really needed, but it will finish it off a little nicer then the sharp corner and edge which was a little uneven :
I just keep saying to myself, "work boat finish, work boat finish......."









One last thing, I picked up some enamel hardener to try with the rustoleum. We will see how it works.


----------



## firecat1981

I would be priming the decks and interior tomorrow if the rain didn't cancel my afternoon work. I planned on doing one more thinned gloss coat before a final sanding but it will have to wait for the morning, atleast I got some sanding done and filled in some rough areas and corners with fairing compound. I also glassed the hatch lid for the livewell. I set it in place while it dries so it doesn't distort as the resin dries.


----------



## TidewateR

looking good! Thanks for the update


----------



## firecat1981

I primed the interior finally. I have 2 coats down, once dried I will sand it and see if it needs another coat before painting. I also plan to stary working on the exterior today at some point. I don't know if I will need to refair it yet, or even if I will bother as I'm sure it will look good from 10ft away as it sits now.


----------



## Baily

Amazing what some primer can do, looks great FC.

Brian...........


----------



## firecat1981

Thanks, actually it's really rough, just can't tell in the pictures, but once it's got non-skid and webbing on it you won't notice much.


----------



## High + Dry Adventures

Been following...looking good


----------



## firecat1981

Trials and tribulations. I've been working on the paint and hope to have most of it done in the next few days, but it's been one step foward and 2 steps back. 
The valspar enamel hardener does exactly what it says, but the accelorated drying combined with near 100 degree weather means almost an instant tack with little leveling ability no matter how much you thin it. The result was an uneven finish due to the fact that I was using semi-gloss enamel. Basically some spots came out semi-gloss some came out gloss. I decided to use a can of regular white gloss I had and go over it again. I liked the results and should have stopped there :. However I wanted to add some nonskid, I taped off part of the deck and floors mixed up the paint with some shark grip and laid down another coat.
This is where I am now and where I have to decided if I'm going to sand it all down again, or just live with it, I'm leaning towards sanding it. Basically since it tacked up so quickly by the time I was done with one side and moved around the boat it was too late to smooth the paint with the roller. The result was a build up of shark grip where the fresh paint met the tacked paint. So on 90% of the deck it has a nice uniform look and feel of 220 grit sand paper, but on the spots where the paint seams are it looks more like 80 grit. It's not a big deal, but it's driving me nuts. 
I think at this point I may sand it down again, add another coat of gloss, web it, and call it a day. The krylon webbing adds a bunch of grip so I really didn't need the sharkgrip to begin with, but figured it couldn't hurt, bow was I wrong, lol.

Outside of that I have 2 coats of primer done on the hull and will get a coat of paint on it tomorrow. If I ever build another decent sized boat I will be purchasing a compressor first. 

I'm also working on a grab bar for the console, but not sure how it will work out just yet.


----------



## firecat1981

I gave the deck and floor a quick blast with 150 and repainted with gloss. I'm done with painting the interior now except for the webbing. I then sanded down the exterior and put on a coat of brightside. It's a little rough and could have used another coat of primer, but it's good enough for now. 
I've had alot of trouble because of the excessive heat we have going on. I am way behind schedule and planned to be done in june which would have been perfect weather for rolling paint on. However now with dang near 100 degree weather even interlux brightside, which usually takes an hour or 2 to even tack up, now tacks over in just minutes which makes blending panels near impossible and rolling and tipping must be done very quickly. Thinning helped a little, I'm thinning it by about 20%, but not by much. 
So my choices are slap on another coat and go fishing, or wait 3 months for cooler weather.......gee which way will I go?
Here's where I am at.


----------



## noeettica

Lookin good ... I would have already done "sea Trials" with a tiller ... but that's me ... LOL


----------



## cutrunner

Noeettica brings up a good point. If i remember correcty your motor is a tiller. And that console looks more like a console thats meant for a steering wheel than a grab bar. Whats up with that?


----------



## firecat1981

The transom is drilled already for the TnT, even though they are above the water line I still would rather not take the chance, plus I don't want to ruin my new paint job by clamping the motor on. It will be in the water by next week hopefully.


----------



## cutrunner

Ooo well i understand that , but what i was wondering was why did you build the console to look like a remote console instead of the usual looking grab bar console?


----------



## firecat1981

Sorry didn't see your response, I designed it to be wide enought and deep enough for the battery and plumbing, but also wanted a nice big face on it just in case I wanted to add more switches, night vision, a FF or dash mounted GPS later on. The very top of the console looks flat but it's actually pitched back to bring the grab bar closer.


----------



## cutrunner

Night vision? Or are you gonna add F.L.I.R. Too? Lol jk. (flir is forward looking infrared)$20,00 yacht add on


----------



## firecat1981

We have a FLIR unit on our ARFF truck, it's actually a POS. But I have a buddy who can rig me up a nightvision system for very little if need be as long as I keep it on the DL.


----------



## cutrunner

Haha yess do it!!


----------



## DuckNut

2 second derail...what is a BBA Counselor?


----------



## noeettica

Bachelor of Business Administration


----------



## firecat1981

BBA = Boat Builders Anonymous


----------



## DuckNut

> BBA = Boat Builder Aholic


Fixed it for you


----------



## firecat1981

Stating the finishing touches, I might be able to water test it tomorrow. I drilled the holes for the TnT switch, hatches, and rear cleats. Then I webbed the boat.

before









After


----------



## anytide




----------



## firecat1981

30 minutes till the first test launch!


----------



## anytide

wish i was there !!! -happy sailing 
-anytide


----------



## firecat1981

Nevermind, a massive storm just rolled in right as I went to go drive away. Bad thing is I can't put the boat back in the garage because of all the crap in the way from moving her out. Guess we will find out if everything is water tight.


----------



## anytide

> Nevermind, a massive storm just rolled in right as I went to go drive away. Bad thing is I can't put the boat back in the garage because of all the crap in the way from moving her out. Guess we will find out if everything is water tight.


 yep -reverse engineering - leak in or leak out ?
-anytide


----------



## noeettica

Get a cover ... 

I was out in That storm ! (Not in a Boat) ....Mesocyclone on Radar ...


----------



## firecat1981

Freaking website crashed as I was trying to post a minute ago, I just lost an honest 5 paragraphs I just typed 

I finally made it out, the lake was choppy as I've ever seen it and the wind was screaming about 20-25mph at times, basically the worst conditions possible for testing out a boat. She was quicker then I figured she would be, I was worried about the 20hp motor being a dog but it might work out ok after all. The boat drafted more in the rear at rest then I though, the TnT and set back effect it more then I figured it would, still not a dramatic issue as it's probably drafting about 4" or so at rest, Once I have the cooler and TM bolted to the deck it will help balance the boat more. I don't know if I will get tabs yet, but I will be getting another prop, I'm using my spare 4 blade aluminum as my 3 blade was bent in the wreck. 
I already have some battle damage to fix, I was coming in to the dock with the wind pushing me from behind, I was coming in hot because of this but I was still well clear, then a big blast of wind hit me from the side right as I shifted to reverse. I hit the very corner of the dock and swore I punched a hole in the side as we hit damn hard. In the end it just left a dent. Thats the difference between a wood cored boat and a straight glass one I guess.

I still have lots to do, but here is a few shots from today, I have some clips I'll post later on.


----------



## DuckNut

Why aren't you smiling on such a joyous occasion???

Fantastic job.


----------



## firecat1981

Lol I was honestly stressed out at that point from alot of stuff this morning, I just wanted to get the water test done and get home. The pictures are decieving, the water and wind were worse then they look, I was holding on tight lol.


----------



## noeettica

AWESOME !!! [smiley=1-beer-german.gif]


----------



## tntwill

dude i have enjoyed watching you build that awesome boat LOOKS GREAT congrats  [smiley=1-thumbsup1.gif]


----------



## firecat1981

Thanks guys, it's been a long road. 

Here's a video, if it works right.


----------



## nightfly

u did one hell of a job congratulations on the nice boat


----------



## noeettica

Great first Run ! It only gets better ... Lake Definitely sloshy


----------



## bwwboating

Congratulations! The boat looks great. A very exciting moment!

Windy days and choppy conditions make for a great water test. If your boat has problems you want to know about it on the first run instead of when running from a storm.


----------



## firecat1981

Thanks guys, the Lake was definately a bit choppy, it's the worst I've ever seen it! The boat feels solid, but as known a flat bottom will rattle your teeth, of coarse it didn't help that I wasn't slowing down much, lol.


----------



## cutrunner

Just get a really soft seat cushion, then run WOT so you just skip across the top of the chop. Haha jk kinda.. Boat looks great and looks like the 20 pushes it pretty well. How do you like having that power trim? Since i put mine on i'll NEVER go back to not having it!


----------



## firecat1981

Well I finally got to put some miles on her, about 19 per the GPS. I'll write a lack of fishing report in a bit. Here's where my journey took me, left out of simmons and explored Cockroach bay.









Finally got some numbrs on her, I have some tweaking to do but managed a top speed of 26.4mph, she cruised nicely at around 18-20mph. There was a little chop and I still ahve my spare 4 blade on so I'm sure I can get another mph or 2 out of her. Not bad for a 20hp motor though.



























Like I said I have some tweaking to do, it was nice having TnT, but I have to run with the motor fully tucked to prevent ventilating, so the tnt doesn't help with running adjustments unless I'm going slow. I'll be adding the TM and cooler to the front so that will help balance the load, right now with me in the rear looking over the transom and a full livewell and gas tank she is drafting about 4-5 inches at rest.


----------



## firecat1981

I forgot to mention I did some small things like the rubrails, nav lights, lids.... not too much left to do.


----------



## tntwill

it looks great bro need try each others neck of the woods when all kinks are worked out on both boats


----------



## Baily

She looks very good FC. Best of all its a firecat boat, your design / plans and all your hard work. Congratulations on a mighty fine job my friend, and enjoy it with your family.  

Brian.........likes that blue boat.


----------



## noeettica

Congrats man !


----------



## oysterbreath

Very nice! 26mph from a 20hp is pretty great if you ask me...the bat looks great too.


----------



## cutrunner

If it starts ventilating when you have it trimmed any higher than all the way down means your motors mounted too high. If you put any more weight in the bow it wil only get worse


----------



## firecat1981

I'm really not sure just yet, I rreally can't see it being set too high as the cav plate is only about 1 inch above the hull bottom and the TnT gives me a 5.5" setback. When I used this prop on my last boat it did the same thing but the 3 blade worked ok at the same height.


----------



## cutrunner

Ive got 12"of set back an my cav plate is only 1" above the transom like yours, and mine blows out with a little too much trim or rolling wakes... Mine used to be 4" setback with 1" of height from the cav plate to the transom and it did the exact thing yours is doing. I cant explain it and it drives me nuts.. Ive tried every height settin with every kind of prop, ss3 blades, ss4 blades, over hub choppers, everything.. Just try and lower it an inch so its even, trust me lol


----------



## SilentHunter

cut runners boat blows out when my fatass is sitting in the front. take his word for it. worth a shot?


----------



## firecat1981

Thanks guys, but after talking with some other guys here and elsewhere I think the best option right now is finding a cupped prop. Changing the height would require filling the holes, patching them with glass, refairing and repainting them and then drilling new holes, so I'd like to keep that as a last resort, plus I may need to cut down the transom to get the motor tilt clearence if I do that too. So if swapping out a prop will save me from all that I'm gonna give it a go.


----------



## cutrunner

Oo  well thats a different story.. Did you build a 20in transom?


----------



## firecat1981

No I built it 17", but the TnT is mounted very low already and there isn't much room for me to reach under before the bracket for the shifter hits. Lowered an inch and I think it might in the tilted up position. The short shaft yamaha's are actually a 17" shaft so with the TnT set this way it raises the motor about 1-1 3/8" max below the hull bottom depending on who is looking at it being level, lol. I can lower it as a last resort if need be, but since I need a new prop anyway I might as well give it a go first, right?


----------



## cutrunner

Yep my motors 17" as well. Ok, now i understand your problem. See i have the opposite, i built a 20" transom so if im fishing in rough water i dont have any come over, but also, because the transom is so high i cant tilt the motor very high for trailering. But its not a real issue. Anyways you could always try the prop first because even if it doesnt work and you HAVE to lower everything (worst case scenario), youll still have a good prop setup for when you do get it to stop cavitating. Kinda one of those "do it now, do it later" "same in the end" kinda things


----------



## cutrunner

Ahah!!! Ive got it. Instead of doing a whole bunch of glass work why not drill another set of mounting holes in the tnt system to lower it (if need be). Drilling 4 holes in the aluminum would be much easier than the glass work and youll never see it once mounted, and its not a bad thing imo. I think i had to do it to my tnt system, or my jackplate. Cant remember which.. :-/


----------



## firecat1981

I'll have to look at it, but I think if I lower it, it will only be by about 1/2" or so. So I don't think I could redrill the TnT due to the spacing.

I took some shots of the LED lights in action. Here they are with the garage lights on, as expected you can barely see them.









But turn the lights off......(disclaimer, they are not quite as bright as they look here, but they are close, the camera auto enhanced the image. They do seem to work well)









and the livewell, which gets brighter when filled with water.









Remember I used just 3 LED's one in the live well and one on each side. I'm happy and may add more soon.


----------



## firecat1981

So after nearly 8 years of use it's near time to move on. The plytanic 2.0 will be finished soon. 

As some of you have seen, I've decided to reuse the trailer, and I was going to sell the outboard and TnT to pay for the trolling motor. I'm considering what to do with the hull now. 

I was gonna sell it as a cheap package, but now it will be just a hull. She needs some work, mostly cosmetic, but nothing a few weekends couldn't fix. Previously I thought about chopping it up like my last boat, the TGIF, after it was wrecked. My thought was since I brought her into this world, I will be the one to take her out. Maybe give it to a friend, but they'd need to have a trailer available to take it, and find a motor. I could make a yard planter out of it?


----------



## makin moves

Give it away. It will be a hells bay to someone with nothing.


----------



## firecat1981

makin moves said:


> Give it away. It will be a hells bay to someone with nothing.


I don't disagree, but that person with nothing still needs to come up with a trailer, motor, and registration. Plus being a budget build wood core skiff, while I know it is strong and will last for many more years, it should be garaged.


----------



## makin moves

firecat1981 said:


> I don't disagree, but that person with nothing still needs to come up with a trailer, motor, and registration. Plus being a budget build wood core skiff, while I know it is strong and will last for many more years, it should be garaged.


Might make for a good little lake boat. Let me know my brother is looking for something to putt around his lake in.


----------



## firecat1981

I'll let you know, but it might be another month or 2 before it happens.


----------

