# Conchfish 178 Build (SC Lowcountry)



## bryson

I’m in the beginning stages of building Chris Morejohn’s Conchfish. I’ll be extending the skiff to 17’8”, and widening the upper chines (spray rails), but only by about 0.5” on each side. I’m also planning on having a straight transom with heavily rounded corners, more along the lines of the Islamarine 10wt than the original Conchfish 16 design.

The plan (for now) is to keep the boat simple – open bulkheads and no floor, and I have a 2002 Yamaha 30 tiller 2 stroke with some serious nostalgia attached to it that I'll be rehabbing and throwing on the transom.

I tried listing the things that were extremely important to me, and the following made up the top five (in no particular order):

Serviceability
Simplicity
Seaworthiness/Safety
Aesthetics (sexiness, if you want to stick with the “S” theme)
Longevity/Durability (I want this skiff to outlast me)

I’ve spent my whole life fixing things, so serviceability is paramount. I strongly feel like every option or feature is just another potential point of failure down the road. Sometimes the benefits of the feature outweigh the failure/service concerns, but usually not. For things right on the line, I’ve found I might be able to tilt the scale by making the service/replacement an easier undertaking.

I’ve also had the unfortunate experience of sinking a 26’ center console over 50 miles from land. Obviously, that will affect some aspects of the design as well.

A few examples of some features/designs that I plan to incorporate into the skiff:

- A goal of zero sheet metal or self-tapping screws in the entire skiff. If for some reason I can’t figure out how to through-bolt something, the screw location will be overdrilled and filled with thickened epoxy.
- Take into account access for all fasteners.
- Zero holes through the hull below the waterline, aside from the drain plug. Absolute minimum of holes above the waterline.
- Positive flotation, in strategic locations.

Fair warning: this will likely be a pretty slow-moving build thread. My wife and I just had a daughter in October, and I feel like the house/car projects are never-ending. I am also really trying to take my time and not rush things. It prevents mistakes and results in a nicer end product, but also has the added benefit of letting me appreciate each step a little more.

For example, I probably spent an average of 45 min or so per station just drawing out the station profile, but I really enjoyed the process. I have lots of confidence in the accuracy, and am very happy with my jigsaw work so far. I also took my time figuring out the additional station, so I’m hoping it won’t require much adjustment, if any.


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## bryson

Figure I should kick this off with a picture:










You can see the strongback, the stations, the keel, and the centerline. I built the strongback as square and as level as possible, but I'm still not going to use it as a true level reference if I can help it.

I stretched some dacron backing for the centerline -- at this point, this sets one axis in the X-Y plane (looking down from above). I set a straight edge over the top and got it square to the centerline, so now I have the other axis in that plane (looking down from above). I marked out the 18" station spacing, and will use the laser level to build station supports that are completely plumb, which will end up giving me 11 "planes" that are 18" apart and as parallel as possible. Each station will be able to "float" on the planes, so I'm going to use the laser level to make sure they are all in line with one another looking down the length of the boat as I screw them in.

Figuring all this out has been a pretty fun challenge, and although I think it's a little overkill, it definitely can't hurt.


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## Sublime

You'll catch up to that Sublime guy in no time. He's really been slacking.


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## flyclimber

I now have an additional reason to visit Charleston! Good luck with the build! I just went through re-habbing both of my 25 hp Mercs 2-strokes. Let me know if you have any questions in regards to it!


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## Guest

Alright! Congrats on the new babies, “daughter and skiff build”! I will be following and given my opinions as ya go.


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## DuckNut

Sublime said:


> You'll catch up to that Sublime guy in no time. He's really been slacking.


@bryson will be passing that @Boatbrains guy...he has really been slacking


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## firefighter813x

Hell yes. I can help and bring beer! I'd love to learn and help with this. I'm in Mount Pleasant.


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## Guest

DuckNut said:


> @bryson will be passing that @Boatbrains guy...he has really been slacking


Ha ha ha!


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## 17376

I can’t wait to see it!! Carbon core and polyester?


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## Smackdaddy53

Sweet!


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## Gatorgrizz27

Awesome. Sounds like you have very similar goals to me regarding serviceability. I’ll post up a few of the things I did when I’ve got a little bit of time.


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## bryson

Thanks guys!

@firefighter813x definitely come on over! The garage fridge is always stocked up!

@Travis Smith All these foam options make my head spin -- I don't love the data sheet on the Carbon Core PE80 when compared to the Divinycell H80, but it might not make any difference once it's all together. I really like the Carbon Core PVC60 since it looks stronger/stiffer than the PE80 (and very similar to the Diab H60), but I worry the lower density stuff might ding too easily, like a surfboard. CoreLite has a PVC 80 as well that looks comparable to Diab H80, but I don't know if it's any cheaper.

No matter what, I'll be going with 3/4" thick foam all around, and modified the stations to use it on the chines as well. I may add some coosa or equivalent higher-density board to the transom and to a few key locations around the skiff, but I haven't decided on all of that yet either.

I'm planning to go with epoxy resin for now. It's a little more expensive, but I think it will be worth it to not have to worry about mat, and to have a little more confidence in any secondary bonding. I know I will need to watch out for the blush though, which is a new thing to me. I've done very little fiberglass work, just minor repairs, so I've got a lot of learning to do.


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## bryson

@Gatorgrizz27 I always like seeing other people's solutions! Post 'em up whenever you feel like it. I look forward to sharing some of my ideas with everyone too.

@Boatbrains I'll take any advice you can offer! I have lots of confidence in everything right up until mixing that first batch of resin, then I'm learning as I go after that point!


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## Guest

bryson said:


> @Gatorgrizz27 I always like seeing other people's solutions! Post 'em up whenever you feel like it. I look forward to sharing some of my ideas with everyone too.
> 
> @Boatbrains I'll take any advice you can offer! I have lots of confidence in everything right up until mixing that first batch of resin, then I'm learning as I go after that point!


Once ya hit that point it’s all easy


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## Ronel10

I live out on Johns Island and want to build a similar skiff one day as well. I would love to stop by periodically to help out and learn. I'll help restock the fridge as well!


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## bryson

Ronel10 said:


> I live out on Johns Island and want to build a similar skiff one day as well. I would love to stop by periodically to help out and learn. I'll help restock the fridge as well!


Was actually just out there yesterday afternoon! You're always welcome to swing by. I'll have to post an open invite up on here when I'm planning to spend a full day in the garage, maybe have some microskiffers over for a few beers.


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## ReelFisher

I'm in West Ashley and would definitely like to see the build. Can't wait to see how it turns out.


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## Tigweld

What are your plans for pipework and trailer)


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## bryson

@ReelFisher always welcome! I'm out off 61, but before you get to Bees Ferry.

@Tigweld I was thinking about either buying and rehabbing a used platform, or maybe making my own. I have a small metal fab shop, but we mostly do thin-walled, mandrel bent tubing (we just order the 45s or 90s, we don't do the mandrel bending). We've got a notcher and a cheap tube roller, but no pipe bender at the moment.

As for the trailer, I've got a press that may be able to bend I-beams, and it would be really cool to make my own trailer. I was really impressed with that one you posted about here. I don't know how big of a press is needed to bend those beams though, and it also may not be worth it, especially if I can find a used one that I can restore. Are you Marc, or are you the trailer guy (sorry I can't remember his name) in that same area? Y'all are both great guys, I've dealt with you in the past in a pretty limited capacity.


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## makin moves

That would be awesome if you build your own boat, trailer and pipe work!! How often do you see that? Very cool!


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## Tigweld

View attachment 70258
I have a used platform, and can bend the I beam for you, or just give you a walk- through


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## Tigweld

It the platform from my old 16.


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## bryson

Tigweld said:


> View attachment 70258
> I have a used platform, and can bend the I beam for you, or just give you a walk- through


I'd love to talk to you about both! I'll definitely be in touch.

Also didn't get to work on the boat as much as I wanted to last weekend, so I got some late-night work in last night and finished up the main shape. I still need to tweak the transom jig(s) some, so no pictures of that yet.

I'm thrilled with how it has all come together. The keel is a very tight fit; I don't think that I'll even need to screw it to the stations. All of the stations found level and centerline easily. It is tough to see, but they aren't resting on the strongback beams. They are "floating on the front face of the vertical posts and set level using a laser.


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## Water Bound

Looks great, can’t wait to see her around our waterways!


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## Net 30

That's some really nice clean, tight, quality work. Based on this, can't wait to see the progression to finished skiff.


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## bryson

Net 30 said:


> That's some really nice clean, tight, quality work. Based on this, can't wait to see the progression to finished skiff.


Thanks! I figure spending a little extra time here will make the rest of the build go much smoother!


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## bryson

Well, it's getting really close to time for me to order foam. I haven't had a lot of time to work on it, but 20 min or an hour here and there really adds up. I'd guess that well over half of the work I've done so far has been after dinner and dishes are done.

The stations and transom jig are locked down, except for a small strip about 3/32" thick that I need to add to the transom where my math was slightly off (I forgot that I changed the dimensions in the chines to accommodate 3/4" foam rather than 1/4"). I also need to finish taping all the edges, and add the flange around the bottom to glass a lip.


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## Sublime

Looks good. Digging your rounded corners. I'm too lazy to do that.


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## flyclimber

That booty looks great! I can't wait to see it! Just a question to you builders. Why would you not add the poling strakes to the stations?


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## Sublime

flyclimber said:


> That booty looks great! I can't wait to see it! Just a question to you builders. Why would you not add the poling strakes to the stations?


I think it would be hard to incorporate a thin shape like that into the forms and have to then put foam on that to form the strake. Morejohn says it is much easier to get everything glassed and then add the strakes. Makes sense.


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## bryson

flyclimber said:


> That booty looks great! I can't wait to see it! Just a question to you builders. Why would you not add the poling strakes to the stations?


I think there are a few reasons -- @Sublime hit one, just from a foam stripping standpoint, and also trying to lay glass might be difficult.

I think the biggest one (for me at least) is that it's just in the way of fairing the hull. It should be much easier to fair the hull first, then add a strake onto it. You still have to smooth the transition, but the hull itself stays nice and fair.


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## Guest

Also, very tough to glass over them and keep it air free!


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## Guest

@bryson, ya beat me to it


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## flyclimber

Gotcha! Very cool!


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## Sethsawyer

You are ready to get some foam and start stripping. Looks great!!

I really like the transom details.


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## bryson

Sethsawyer said:


> You are ready to get some foam and start stripping. Looks great!!
> 
> I really like the transom details.


Thanks man! I kind of wish I had done both the large corners and the curved transom, but I think this will still accomplish what I want. I've got a fun idea for the trim tabs that will look better with a flat transom too.


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## dldsm7

Following the Build Thread! I am in West Ashley also and would love to stop by and take a look at your build. Just starting my "looking around" phase of wanting to build a boat - so seeing what it takes to ACTUALLY do it is quite interesting!


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## bryson

dldsm7 said:


> Following the Build Thread! I am in West Ashley also and would love to stop by and take a look at your build. Just starting my "looking around" phase of wanting to build a boat - so seeing what it takes to ACTUALLY do it is quite interesting!


Yeah man, there's always beer in the fridge, and I'm happy to answer any questions to the best of my ability!

I got my foam in, and am hoping to start planking this weekend. I was just out of town for a week though, so I'm not sure how much time I'll be able to devote to it.


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## Smackdaddy53

That looks sweet!


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## KingFlySC

Looking good man!
Question: What are the gray colored curved pieces at the stern/transom?


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## Chris Morejohn

It would be great if all the CF, Beryllium skiff builders could join up and offer up to others their building jigs for sale or to make deals that they have to be passed onto another builder. Swap the jigs out for beer, tackle, your yard mowed for a year, but just get these perfectly built jigs to be used over and over.
A jig built like this can be used indefinitely to make hundreds of one off hulls.
You don’t have to core the boat using strip planks only. You can use flat clear sheets on the bottom as far as it’s easy to use.
You can also use scrimned core panels to. This is very fast and easy. To use scrimmed kerf cut or knife cut core you just cut notches in the stations and add 3/4x3/4” strips of wood to support the kerfed core. 
Using kerfed core you can core the jig in one day.
Lots of ways to do this. All the hulls will lift right off the jig. 
Get a few guys together and build up hulls and and layup together over weekends. Would be possible to knock out a bunch of hull skins.


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## bryson

KingFlySC said:


> Looking good man!
> Question: What are the gray colored curved pieces at the stern/transom?


Thanks guys!

Since I started this before Chris offered the plans for the extended 17.5 and the rounded corner option, I had to figure out the extension and the corner parts myself.

That gray part will just help me define the shape where the upper chine chine wraps around, since that's the most complex area. I've seen lots of guys basically carve a 4x4 for the corner, but I wanted a larger radius than that, so I drew it up on the computer and 3D printed the form. I definitely could have made it all out of wood, but I think it would have taken much longer.

If the underside of the upper chine were perfectly flat like the lower chine, it would have been much easier and I definitely would have just used particle board. I actually considered modifying the stations as they approached the stern, but I already had them all cut out and ready.


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## Pole Position

bryson said:


> I got my foam in, and am hoping to start planking this weekend.


Carbon Core, and if so, did you have it shipped direct? Thanks in advance....


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## bryson

Pole Position said:


> Carbon Core, and if so, did you have it shipped direct? Thanks in advance....


Yes, I went with the Carbon Core PVC60, which is almost identical to the D-cell H60. I had it shipped direct, but not to a residential address. I think there is a small additional charge if you need it delivered residential.

I also ended up with some slight damage to the foam during shipping, so I'm still not sure how that will be handled.


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## KingFlySC

bryson said:


> Thanks guys!
> 
> Since I started this before Chris offered the...


Ahh I gotcha. Great idea. I'm trying to take notes of things others do during builds that can save time or make for a better build quality. Anything I can do to make my first build go smoothly. Thanks for sharing!


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## denney448

First post here. I have been lurking on this website for about a year. I also live in West Ashley. Excited to see your progress.


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## bryson

Realized it's been quite a while since I updated this thread -- I'm still plugging along slowly, working an hour or two here and there when I can. I'm actually surprised how much that time adds up. I'm able to work on the boat probably 3-5 days per week, and although it's only for a little while each time, I've been able to make some good progress.

I got my foam (Carbon Core PVC60) in, and ripped 4 sheets into 2" wide strips. A buddy with a shop right next to mine is a carpenter, and his table saw is set up with a larger table and nicer fence than mine, so he let me use his equipment. Made fast work of the foam. In retrospect, 4 sheets was too many. I used most all the strips, but I would have rather put down large flat sheets for many of the aft areas.










First thing I did was cut out the upper chine. I used the measurements from the plans, but added 1/2" to the inside edge to account for the extra material thickness, then added 1 1/4" to the outside edge to account for the thickness of the side of the hull, and because I modified the plans to make them just slightly larger. I added a little more width too, just so the chine flats would be proud of the hull sides and could trim them to fit.










Then the strips started going on...



















Now with an excuse to buy a new tool, I got an oscillating multi-tool which made these keel cuts go pretty smoothly:


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## bryson

More pictures of the hull closing up...



















Finally got the running surface all closed up. Somewhere under all those ribs/scabs, overhanging edges, and glue blobs is a beautiful hull shape, I just know it. The only thing I have left to make the hull fully enclosed is the curved transom corners.



















I'm hoping to knock some of that out tonight. Once it's all complete, I'm going to give the workspace a good cleaning before I start sanding.

I also started tearing into the motor (2 stroke Yamaha 30 tiller). This thing looks so small once you start stripping it down. I can hold the foot out at arms length in one hand easily. With the oil tank and cols off, the powerhead looks so small. I haven't pulled the carbs or anything yet, but I did transfer it to a block of wood bolted to an engine stand. The quick wooden stand I threw together was fine for storing the motor, but felt too unstable to work on the motor with any confidence. I plan to do an overhaul of the motor -- the depth of which is yet to be determined.


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## Zika

Looking good. Keep the progress reports coming.


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## kamakuras

Really great work. Get as much as you can done during the warmer months. That epoxy gets weird when it starts to get below the 70's.


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## georgiadrifter

Thanks for taking the time to document the process.

Subscribed!


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## devrep

ooh Powermatic.


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## bryson

@devrep yeah man, he's got some really sweet equipment. I've got a decent (much older) table saw with a cast iron table, but mine only has sheet metal wings and no outfeed table. My fence isn't as nice either. We do some metal fab work for him occasionally, so he's nice enough to offer help on our wood (or foam?) projects.

@kamakuras thanks! Yeah, I was going to try and sell my motorcycle to fund the epoxy purchase, but I need to get this stuff going as quickly as possible. I was thinking I might buy the epoxy 5 gallons at a time or something, so that I can get whichever hardener will be best for the current temps. I'm mostly worried about the time of year where there is a really large temperature variation during the day, or week to week.

On a side note, I got a chance to test drive the new Hells Bay Eldora, and it got me even more excited about finishing this thing up. It also brought me back around to looking at putting a hatch in the rear bulkhead. I had thought pretty hard about one originally, but decided against it because all of the drop-in hatches out there didn't have the look that I liked, and I didn't want to take the time or add the complexity of making one. After seeing the one on the Eldora, I started searching again, and ended up finding a manufacturer that makes a very nice-looking hatch. Actually, I think it's likely the same brand used in the Eldora. It's significantly more expensive than the plastic ones out there, but I think it will be worth it to me.

I'm about 80% sure I'm going to go that route, but a couple months ago I would have said I was 80% sure I would have an open bulkhead  so we will see how things progress.


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## Pole Position

bryson said:


> @devrep
> 
> . After seeing the one on the Eldora, I started searching again, and ended up finding a manufacturer that makes a very nice-looking hatch. Actually, I think it's likely the same brand used in the Eldora. It's significantly more expensive than the plastic ones out there, but I think it will be worth it to me


Care to share the mfg of the hatch? Thanks in advance...


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## Fritz

Pole Position said:


> Care to share the mfg of the hatch? Thanks in advance...


I was going to ask that question myself.

Bryson your boat looks great.


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## bryson

Fritz said:


> I was going to ask that question myself.
> 
> Bryson your boat looks great.


Thanks! To answer you and @Pole Position I was looking at Boatoutfitters.com - they will make it any size you want. The one I'm looking at its called the "aluminum framed boat access door" since it's got the hidden fasteners and is low profile. It's not cheap, but I don't think I'd make one if you offered to pay me the prices they are asking. I thought about the one that's fully removable too.


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## Sethsawyer

Hull looks great. With your woodworking/foam-work skills You can definitely build your own hatches, and there is so much storage in both the for and aft deck that you can access with some hatches.


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## bryson

Thanks @Sethsawyer - I might do that if I build a larger boat, but I'm really drawn to a simple deck on these smaller skiffs. As a bonus, I also think I'll be able to get away with a little less deck support (or end up with a stiffer front deck with the same amount of support).


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## Chris Beutel

Your build is looks great. I see what you mean about all the strips but the picture really looks cool. Following your build and hoping to get mine started here shortly.


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## hunterbrown

I have an extra aluminum framed door brand new from boat outfitters that I'd sell if you're interested. Hole cutout dimensions are 12" x 13-13/16". It has the stainless locking latch and is arctic white. You may be looking for something bigger but I'm willing to make a deal on it.

Their aluminum framed doors have rounded corners so they don't fit in a perfectly square cutout, there's a notice on the ordering page but I didn't see it when I ordered. I called them today and they're doing another door with square corners but they wouldn't take my door back and exchange them because it's custom.


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## bryson

hunterbrown said:


> I have an extra aluminum framed door brand new from boat outfitters that I'd sell if you're interested. Hole cutout dimensions are 12" x 13-13/16". It has the stainless locking latch and is arctic white. You may be looking for something bigger but I'm willing to make a deal on it.
> 
> Their aluminum framed doors have rounded corners so they don't fit in a perfectly square cutout, there's a notice on the ordering page but I didn't see it when I ordered. I called them today and they're doing another door with square corners but they wouldn't take my door back and exchange them because it's custom.


I think that might wind up being a little small for what I'm doing, but I have a buddy that may be interested. I'll send you a PM.


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## mtoddsolomon

Watching Bryson work on his sled all afternoon, glad we have some cold beers to keep us company.


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## anytide

wow!


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## dldsm7

mtoddsolomon said:


> View attachment 88480
> View attachment 88476
> Watching Bryson work on his sled all afternoon, glad we have some cold beers to keep us company.


If you need a few more beers, let me know. I'll drop by Charlestown fermentory for a 4 pack and watch you two work!


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## bryson

Unfortunately for @mtoddsolomon I got the "whiskey plank" (Plantation Rum in this case) on after he left Saturday afternoon with @Lmhanagr. I'll save a glass for ya though. It's been a crazy few days with my sister's dog passing away in her house Sunday night and having to take care of that, and having to take my baby to the hospital yesterday afternoon, but I've been able to do a little bit on the boat.

I got the gaps in front of the chines pieced together with some foam scraps, and roughed out most of the edges where the chines overlap the hull. I've done a small amount of sanding at the bow and stern corner on the port side, but that's all so far. Still, it's enough to get me pretty excited about the progress. The next pictures I post should be of the hull completely sanded, while I'm waiting on my resin and fillers. I'm hoping to get the powerhead off the motor and start working on the mid-section (mostly steering and tilt) in the meantime.

Eating the elephant one bite at a time...


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## Smackdaddy53

Mighty fine craftsmanship!


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## bryson

Smackdaddy53 said:


> Mighty fine craftsmanship!


Thank you! It feels good to start sanding down lots of the areas that were left a little ragged -- primarily around the chines, and the pieced-together filled area in front of the chines.

I expect to end up with a few minor low spots, but as long as they are smooth enough to lay glass without any voids or air bubbles, I can fix those areas when I fair.

I've still got a good bit of sanding to do before glass, though.


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## jasonrl23

Awesome work! Always wanted to try foam on a frame. Very cool.


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## FireTurtle

Nice work!


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## firecat1981

Looking great! Are you cutting the core with a box knife, or table saw?


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## bryson

firecat1981 said:


> Looking great! Are you cutting the core with a box knife, or table saw?


Thanks! I ripped 4 sheets originally with a table saw, and have been using either an oscillating tool or a box cutter to cut angles, as well as a regular miter saw. I also used a spare box cutter blade to "shave" a lot of planks to the final fit.

I still have a little more trimming of the sheer edge, and then I need to add the flange. I'm about done with sanding the foam, but not quite. Once all of that is done, I'm ready to order the epoxy and start filling gaps to get her ready for glass.

In retrospect, I should have made the flange first, and worked "up" with the foam strips towards the upper chine flat. It would have saved a lot of headache with getting the bottom all trimmed up. It won't make a bit of difference in the end, but it would have saved a few hours and some headache.


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## flyclimber

bryson said:


> Thanks! I ripped 4 sheets originally with a table saw, and have been using either an oscillating tool or a box cutter to cut angles, as well as a regular miter saw. I also used a spare box cutter blade to "shave" a lot of planks to the final fit.
> 
> I still have a little more trimming of the sheer edge, and then I need to add the flange. I'm about done with sanding the foam, but not quite. Once all of that is done, I'm ready to order the epoxy and start filling gaps to get her ready for glass.
> 
> In retrospect, I should have made the flange first, and worked "up" with the foam strips towards the upper chine flat. It would have saved a lot of headache with getting the bottom all trimmed up. It won't make a bit of difference in the end, but it would have saved a few hours and some headache.
> 
> View attachment 92048
> 
> 
> View attachment 92050
> 
> 
> View attachment 92052


Man that just looks so good. I may have to take the plunge


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## RogueTribe

Super clean, great work!


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## Sethsawyer

bryson said:


> Thanks! I ripped 4 sheets originally with a table saw, and have been using either an oscillating tool or a box cutter to cut angles, as well as a regular miter saw. I also used a spare box cutter blade to "shave" a lot of planks to the final fit.
> 
> I still have a little more trimming of the sheer edge, and then I need to add the flange. I'm about done with sanding the foam, but not quite. Once all of that is done, I'm ready to order the epoxy and start filling gaps to get her ready for glass.
> 
> In retrospect, I should have made the flange first, and worked "up" with the foam strips towards the upper chine flat. It would have saved a lot of headache with getting the bottom all trimmed up. It won't make a bit of difference in the end, but it would have saved a few hours and some headache.
> 
> View attachment 92048
> 
> 
> View attachment 92050
> 
> 
> View attachment 92052


Awesome, your hull looks super clean. I agree with the flange first and working up. this would have saved me a bunch of time trimming and fitting my already finished hull to my flange.


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## Sublime

Man oh man, yours looks so good.


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## Pole Position

Let me go ahead and show my ignorance...when you are talking about the upper flange, are you referring to the top of the hull where the cap will eventually be installed?


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## bryson

@flyclimber do it! It's been a lot of fun so far. Might change my tune once the dust starts flying though. We'll see.

@Pole Position yes, I'm going to add a "flange" around the bottom (will end up being the top) where the deck will sit. Basically it will just give a larger area to bond the deck to, and will act as a surface that I can actually clamp to when I'm bonding rather than just using weight. Check the most recent pictures that @Sublime posted, you can see pretty well what I'm talking about.


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## yobata

bryson said:


> @flyclimber do it! It's been a lot of fun so far. Might change my tune once the dust starts flying though. We'll see.
> 
> @Pole Position yes, I'm going to add a "flange" around the bottom (will end up being the top) where the deck will sit. Basically it will just give a larger area to bond the deck to, and will act as a surface that I can actually clamp to when I'm bonding rather than just using weight. Check the most recent pictures that @Sublime posted, you can see pretty well what I'm talking about.


Just wanted to pass on this tip - when you go to clamp down the deck to your flange, make sure you don't clamp down so hard that you squeeze the bonding putty/thickened resin all out. 

Jacquez at Bateau gave me that info, and in fact said that a little gap (with bonding putty/thickened resin) is actually better than clamped so hard that most of the putty squeezes out.


----------



## Sublime

bryson said:


> yes, I'm going to add a "flange" around the bottom (will end up being the top) where the deck will sit. Basically it will just give a larger area to bond the deck to, and will act as a surface that I can actually clamp to when I'm bonding rather than just using weight. Check the most recent pictures that @Sublime posted, you can see pretty well what I'm talking about.


Yeah, I attached some 1/2" mdf to the bottom (top) of my stations before I started putting on foam. I was going to lay a 2" or 2.5" wide strip of foam on that around the perimeter and glass it to the hull sides , but I might do what @bryson is talking about and just lay up a layer of glass that my cap will sit on. His thinking is he wants to be able to through-bolt his rub rail on, which appeals to me as well.


----------



## Zika

Very sweet. You'll have a lot of satisfaction fishing her.

Impressed with the build skills of all the forum's DIYers!


----------



## Fritz

Sublime said:


> Yeah, I attached some 1/2" mdf to the bottom (top) of my stations before I started putting on foam. I was going to lay a 2" or 2.5" wide strip of foam on that around the perimeter and glass it to the hull sides , but I might do what @bryson is talking about and just lay up a layer of glass that my cap will sit on. His thinking is he wants to be able to through-bolt his rub rail on, which appeals to me as well.


I used the foam edges, I like the way it looks and feels, but I’m wondering how I will attach a rubrail, I think there is wisdom in what you and Bryson are doing.

I’m also wondering what my options are for a rubrail. I’d rather not bolt thirty pounds of rubber to my boat after all this.


----------



## Sublime

There are a couple of rub rail threads on MS. The consensus always seems to come back to the good ole' black vinyl rub rail.


----------



## bryson

Fritz said:


> I used the foam edges, I like the way it looks and feels, but I’m wondering how I will attach a rubrail, I think there is wisdom in what you and Bryson are doing.
> 
> I’m also wondering what my options are for a rubrail. I’d rather not bolt thirty pounds of rubber to my boat after all this.


The doubled-up foam (foam on the flange and also on the deck) would be stiffer/stronger, but you would use blind fasteners for the rub rail. Not a big deal, but one of my strange little goals for this skiff is to have no blind fasteners.


----------



## Chris Morejohn

If you look at the sheer to deck drawing in the upper right hand corner you can buy a hard plastic rub rail that bolts onto a flange like shown. You insert a rubber center piece inside the plastic rub rail. I have used this type on a bunch rub rails as it’s light, easy to install as the plastic part is very stiff so no need to stretch like the other rails. You don’t get the dimple look of the rubber type either. 
When building theses skiffs it’s worth the extra effort to add the plywood sheer flange support on the jig as you can start your striping upwards from it.
Then you can glass in your hull flange when glassing the hull. When you build your deck it just slips over this flange and it becomes very strong but still very light.
Now for you all that will be building simple interiors without a side deck you can just add more glass to the outer flange for your rub rail to bolt to.


----------



## Fritz

I’m going to try and find some of that plastic rubrail.

It’s becoming clear to me that I’ll need to make at least a second boat to ‘correct’ so many of the mistakes I’ve made on the first.

Chris what do you have that will ride like a Biscayne or Marquesa, draft about seven inches and run mid 30’s with a 60hp tiller?


----------



## DuckNut

Fritz said:


> I’m going to try and find some of that plastic rubrail.
> 
> It’s becoming clear to me that I’ll need to make at least a second boat to ‘correct’ so many of the mistakes I’ve made on the first.
> 
> Chris what do you have that will ride like a Biscayne or Marquesa, draft about seven inches and run mid 30’s with a 60hp tiller?


A boat with hydrofoils.


----------



## Chasingreds

Shoot! I'm in Charleston and will buy the beer if I can come watch!


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## LowHydrogen

Super sweet boat.


----------



## bryson

It's been a busy month, so I haven't had much time to dedicate to the skiff, but I did trim and sand a little more. I'm just about finished with the flange that goes around the sheer line, then I'll be ready to fill screw holes and lay some glass. No pictures to show for the work, but I'll get some this week and post them up.

I also weighed the roll of 6 oz cloth that I have, and I am estimating it's around 50 yards. It's around 46" wide though, which doesn't seem to be a very standard size. I think that I will order 10 oz for the exterior of the hull, and use the 6 oz on the interior where it's going to be harder to fair and make smooth. I'm hoping the lighter cloth will contour to areas like the chines a little better.

What fillers would be good for filling screw holes and gaps in the planks? I was thinking microballoons, glass bubbles, or a pre-made fairing compound. Mostly looking at the US Composites stuff, but I'm definitely not set on ordering from them.

The temperature here is also getting to a weird point, where I'm not sure if I want the slow or the medium hardener. I'll probably err on the slower side though, since it's much easier to heat the garage up than to cool it down, and I'm not in a huge hurry for things to cure.


----------



## Chris Morejohn

bryson said:


> It's been a busy month, so I haven't had much time to dedicate to the skiff, but I did trim and sand a little more. I'm just about finished with the flange that goes around the sheer line, then I'll be ready to fill screw holes and lay some glass. No pictures to show for the work, but I'll get some this week and post them up.
> 
> I also weighed the roll of 6 oz cloth that I have, and I am estimating it's around 50 yards. It's around 46" wide though, which doesn't seem to be a very standard size. I think that I will order 10 oz for the exterior of the hull, and use the 6 oz on the interior where it's going to be harder to fair and make smooth. I'm hoping the lighter cloth will contour to areas like the chines a little better.
> 
> What fillers would be good for filling screw holes and gaps in the planks? I was thinking microballoons, glass bubbles, or a pre-made fairing compound. Mostly looking at the US Composites stuff, but I'm definitely not set on ordering from them.
> 
> The temperature here is also getting to a weird point, where I'm not sure if I want the slow or the medium hardener. I'll probably err on the slower side though, since it's much easier to heat the garage up than to cool it down, and I'm not in a huge hurry for things to cure.


My advice is to only use Qcells or 3M glass bubbles as filler. Microballons ( the brown stuff) is for only super fairing smooth which you will never need. It’s a waste of $ and time. You only add silica if wanting a harder filler. If using silica only add 10%. 
NEVER FAIR YOUR CORED HULLS BEFORE GLASSING !!! I have said this before. Just grind all the glue and high spots off. Then fill the gaps that are seams with the white stuff shown. Then sand/grind level. Vacuum out and glass your hull or insides. FILLERS AND FAIRING PUTTYS ARE NOT AS STRONG AS RESIN.
This means you need to glass your core bare. Then fair afterwards.fairing before hand does not make it smoother later. The bond of putty on core is not great. Resin is great. Putty bonds to resin coated glass well.
The box of filler I show is 59 lbs. I paid $259.00 for it. Enough there for 5 skiff builds.


----------



## bryson

Chris Morejohn said:


> View attachment 96992
> View attachment 96994
> 
> 
> My advice is to only use Qcells or 3M glass bubbles as filler. Microballons ( the brown stuff) is for only super fairing smooth which you will never need. It’s a waste of $ and time. You only add silica if wanting a harder filler. If using silica only add 10%.
> NEVER FAIR YOUR CORED HULLS BEFORE GLASSING !!! I have said this before. Just grind all the glue and high spots off. Then fill the gaps that are seams with the white stuff shown. Then sand/grind level. Vacuum out and glass your hull or insides. FILLERS AND FAIRING PUTTYS ARE NOT AS STRONG AS RESIN.
> This means you need to glass your core bare. Then fair afterwards.fairing before hand does not make it smoother later. The bond of putty on core is not great. Resin is great. Putty bonds to resin coated glass well.
> The box of filler I show is 59 lbs. I paid $259.00 for it. Enough there for 5 skiff builds.


Thanks Chris -- I'll be sure to use only the Qcells or glass bubbles to fill the seams, and save fairing compound for the actual fairing. Would you suggest using the same stuff (Q cells or glass bubbles) to make the fillets on the inside corners before glass as well?

I definitely plan to glass the core bare. What do you think about putting a layer of neat resin and letting it kick off before the first layer of cloth? Is this necessary, or can I just coat the foam as I'm wetting out the cloth? I imagine as long as I have enough resin to fully "wet out" the surface of the foam, it shouldn't matter.


----------



## Chris Morejohn

bryson said:


> Thanks Chris -- I'll be sure to use only the Qcells or glass bubbles to fill the seams, and save fairing compound for the actual fairing. Would you suggest using the same stuff (Q cells or glass bubbles) to make the fillets on the inside corners before glass as well?
> 
> I definitely plan to glass the core bare. What do you think about putting a layer of neat resin and letting it kick off before the first layer of cloth? Is this necessary, or can I just coat the foam as I'm wetting out the cloth? I imagine as long as I have enough resin to fully "wet out" the surface of the foam, it shouldn't matter.



I use QCells or 3M glass bubbles for all fairing, fillets. If you have a rich uncle then maybe buy the store bought premixed fillers. Very expensive.
Because you are using closed cell core you can just wet and glass as you go along because the resin will not be wicked away like with wood.


----------



## bryson

Does anyone know why several sites say that Q-Cells are "not for use below waterline"? I know it's not a concern on the foam since the cloth/epoxy is pretty watertight, but should I not use them to make fairing compound?


----------



## Guest

bryson said:


> Does anyone know why several sites say that Q-Cells are "not for use below waterline"? I know it's not a concern on the foam since the cloth/epoxy is pretty watertight, but should I not use them to make fairing compound?


It is because they are hollow and can create a microscopic void that holds water. The “below” water line stuff you read about is mostly for boats that live in the water. A trailered boat does not so you’ll be fine.


----------



## bryson

Boatbrains said:


> It is because they are hollow and can create a microscopic void that holds water. The “below” water line stuff you read about is mostly for boats that live in the water. A trailered boat does not so you’ll be fine.


Interesting, I figured all of the "lightweight" fillers were like that, including microballoons and glass bubbles. Glad to hear -- I just really don't want to risk having blisters on my hull years down the road.


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## Guest

They are all hollow and will act the same. Don’t stress over it too much. (1) you are using epoxy
(2) I am assuming the boat will be trailered.
(3) If some of these production boats aren’t blistering with the filler I know many of them use, you will be fine!


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## Chris Morejohn

Boatbrains said:


> They are all hollow and will act the same. Don’t stress over it too much. (1) you are using epoxy
> (2) I am assuming the boat will be trailered.
> (3) If some of these production boats aren’t blistering with the filler I know many of them use, you will be fine!


Hey, I don’t want to sound pushy here or know it all but I have used QCells on 80% of my custom builds and on all my personal boats as my fairing compound. My sailboat the Hogfish Maximus is 20 years old an has logged 38,000 ocean miles and is completely faired in QCells. I used vynelester resign on my sailboats skin over its wood composite hull. I have never seen blistering ever in anything I have faired.
My dinghy/skiff is painted with 545 awlgrip then awlgrip over and sits in the water for 98% of its life behind my sailboat. It has never blistered. It’s built with cheap polyester resin. Other dinghies I have built with Gelcoat have gotten small blisters from being in the water so much.
The key to not getting blister with epoxy is to properly remove the blush.
Polyester it’s just making sure the surface is clean, no moisture or oils.
I have used store bought remade fairing compounds when the client wanted it they work real nice but cost a ton.


----------



## Guest

Chris Morejohn said:


> Hey, I don’t want to sound pushy here or know it all but I have used QCells on 80% of my custom builds and on all my personal boats as my fairing compound. My sailboat the Hogfish Maximus is 20 years old an has logged 38,000 ocean miles and is completely faired in QCells. I used vynelester resign on my sailboats skin over its wood composite hull. I have never seen blistering ever in anything I have faired.
> My dinghy/skiff is painted with 545 awlgrip then awlgrip over and sits in the water for 98% of its life behind my sailboat. It has never blistered. It’s built with cheap polyester resin. Other dinghies I have built with Gelcoat have gotten small blisters from being in the water so much.
> The key to not getting blister with epoxy is to properly remove the blush.
> Polyester it’s just making sure the surface is clean, no moisture or oils.
> I have used store bought remade fairing compounds when the client wanted it they work real nice but cost a ton.


I don’t think ya sounded pushy at all. I think ya said basically the same as I in different words except the sitting in water part. I believe most of the material manufacturers state “not for below water line use” really mean “constant submersion” is all I was sayin. A good lay up and procedure is paramount to longevity.


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## firecat1981

On the fillet note, I've experimented a bit with different compounds. I found using wood flour (just listing for info purposes) or microspheres (glass bubbles) alone made a fairly brittle fillet. It's not a problem in most applications, but I like to over engineer sometimes.
I found mixing in just a little bit of milled glass fibers (fine stuff, not the 1/4" chopped) made them stronger and more flexible. My typical fillet mix is around 75-80% microspheres, 10% milled fibers, and 10-15% fumes silica. It seems to work well for me.


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## kamakuras

Chris do you add cabosil to your fairing compound? Or just qcell/spheres?

Just for comparison:
Q-Cells: $33.50 4gal 
SM Fairing Compound: $42.50 Mix of Cabosil, Glass Spheres and a small amount of Phenolic I'm guessing by the purple color.
Best deal Q-Cell 60lbs $250.00


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## Chris Morejohn

kamakuras said:


> Chris do you add cabosil to your fairing compound? Or just qcell/spheres?
> 
> Just for comparison:
> Q-Cells: $33.50 4gal
> SM Fairing Compound: $42.50 Mix of Cabosil, Glass Spheres and a small amount of Phenolic I'm guessing by the purple color.
> Best deal Q-Cell 60lbs $250.00


The above picture of the QCells I am using on my 57’ Hawaiian sailing canoe for all fillets and fairing cost more because of shipping to Hawaii. Very expensive here.
I will be in Florida beginning of November to buy all my build supplies for my up coming Beryllium, and Boron skiff builds. I will be buying wholesale and will share all what I find as to cost differences.

My filleting history is this...... QCells are big spheres as 3M glass bubbles. They bulk the resin up the quickest and depending on the resin used and the mixture can spread out....ok. If using epoxy you have more spread time. 
I only use a bit of Silica if wanting to spread a resin mixture that is a bit loose on a vertical surface. Silica or cabocil helps it hang better.
Silica can make a batch of putty spread smoother but it’s harder to sand.
I rarely use silica.
If building in polyester I make up putty in a 5 gallon bucket pouring in 1 gallon of resin and adding bubbles powder a bit at a time mixing it up to my needed consistency with a drill and paint stirrer. Thus will bulk up to about 1/2 of the bucket. I then scoop out a small pile onto a putty board and the catalyze this batch and eith fair with it or fillet. I close the bucket with a lid to keep air out. The putty will be good for a couple days.
If using epoxy resin the drawback is you have to mix up everything with every resin batch made up. Epoxy resin is way more time consuming when fairing because of this.
To me in core builds the fillets are there to tie in your parts and form a nice radius for your cloth/mat tabbing to lay into. 
If you put some putty made up of QCells or other glass bubbles in a long worm form and let cure you can test to see how it breaks with different mixtures. Epoxy with silica added in will be very strong.
Now.... when we are building a Monocoque structure, that is a build where all its parts form a complete vessel with everything filleted, glassed over in addition were its practical you end up with a very strong structure.


----------



## bryson

Okay, I'm about to pull the trigger on my first batch of glassing supplies, but I want to run my method by y'all before I commit. All my previous fiberglass experience has been with laying cloth down and brushing resin through it, which I know isn't going to work on something of this magnitude. Anyway, here is what I had in mind -- please give suggestions:

I was thinking that for each layer of glass, I would have it rolled up at the transom ready to unroll down the length of the boat. I plan to apply resin using a nap roller to the hull surface up about 6' long (and obviously the width of the cloth), then unroll the cloth onto the wet resin. Then I'd use the "bubble burster" style roller to saturate the cloth, applying additional resin with the nap roller as needed. Then, I'd repeat the process until the cloth is laid out, and I'd go over the whole thing with a squeegee to remove excess and to wet any dry spots.

Does this process sound about right? Anything y'all would change?


----------



## kamakuras

I wet out the core with a roller then apply my resin like this with a bondo spreader. I also use a 2” chip brush in tight spots to wet out and brush excess resin. I buy bondo spreaders and chip brushes by the box.


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## bryson

kamakuras said:


> I wet out the core with a roller then apply my resin like this with a bondo spreader. I also use a 2” chip brush in tight spots to wet out and brush excess resin. I buy bondo spreaders and chip brushes by the box.


So laying the cloth down first and pushing the resin through it is how I've done in the past, but I Was a little worried that it might not work that well with 10oz cloth. I don't want to risk and dry spots between layers. For the 2nd and 3rd layers of cloth, do you still put the resin down first before laying the next layer of cloth, or do you lay the dry cloth down directly and work resin through it from the outside?


----------



## DuckNut

If you have full length glass ready to go, wet out entire hull where that piece of glass will cover. You want to get the resin out of the bucket so it doesn't start to kick on you.

You should try to find a helper, it would be much easier, but not imperative. Even if the helper only helps drape the cloth it will save you a bit of grief.

If you don't have a helper your method is still sound but still wet entire area first. You can draw color coded lines where the glass will go. Draw a green line where the first piece will cover so you know where to wet out for that piece, repeat for the other pieces.

Your dong a great job.


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## kamakuras

On the second and third layers I did not. I also worked in sections unrolling the cloth as I go.


----------



## Sethsawyer

I wet out my foam. Let it cure till it was no longer tacky, but still green. 
laid down my glass carefully on the "dry" core. I wet out with a 1/4" nap mini roller pushing the epoxy through the glass. It pushed through the glass fine, and as long as your area is well lit you can easily see where you need more epoxy and where you need to squeegee. On the underside of my deck I just wet out the foam and then rolled the glass into the wet epoxy, and rolled epoxy into the glass, but I still found I had to fuss with it more to make sure I didn't have dry spots as the epoxy seeped into the foam.


----------



## 7665

I’m doing my glassing solo, what has worked for me was 24x50” pieces, overlapping seams and rolling the resin in with a 4” foam roller. Yes this is time consuming, but I’m not in a hurry and it’s manageable. If something comes up (6 year old needs something) I can finish that big of a piece of cloth and take a break. I weighed out my resin (240g) and that works out to be just enough. I’m sure there is some waste, but I’ll live. I can’t imagine trying to do a hull length piece by myself. Maybe on a wood kayak I could do thay but not on the conchfish.


----------



## bryson

Thanks for the advice guys -- I should be able to find a few extra sets of hands if I stock the beer fridge and fire up the grill, so that will be a huge help. Sounds like there are plenty of ways to skin this cat, so I'm feeling much better about the process.

I'm picking up some cloth, resin, fillers, and various tools today. I hope to fill the gaps and dry-fit my cloth over the next week to prep for the layup. I'm hoping to have the outside of the hull glassed within the next few weeks. I'm not sure how much (if any) fairing I'll do before flipping the hull and glassing the inside.


----------



## GaG8tor

Good looking work. I live a little south of Savannah, and thinking of building a skiff myself. I’d like to ride up sometime and take a look.


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## kamakuras

If I were you I would fair then flip the hull and glass in the transom from the inside. Flip again prime and paint then flip again and finish the interior. This is how I’m doing it from now on.


----------



## bryson

Doesn't look like much change in pictures, but I've got the flange finished and did a good bit more sanding on the hull. Doing the flange after the strips was definitely a mistake, but at least it's a mistake I'm finished paying for.

The hull bottom is nice and fair, with no hook or rocker anywhere. I noticed a very slight hook (less than 1/8") in the chines, about 3 ft forward of the transom. I'm just using a 6' level as a straightedge to check all this stuff as I go. I will sand that out, and I will probably smooth the transition at the hull in front of the chines just a little bit more, but I'm basically done with the shaping of the hull. There are a few low spots but I'll take care of them after glass.

Up next is filling seams, adding fillets, and rounding over sharp edges. Then it's time to glass!


----------



## Sublime

Yours looks really good. I'm envious.

I have a zip level coming in for a cabin leveling project. The accuracy on them is insane. I'm going to use it to check my bottom. I'm sure I have some issues going on in some spots.


----------



## Zika

Impressive work, Bryson. Looking forward to seeing the finished skiff!


----------



## bryson

Well, got my first layer of cloth down last night with the help of @Lmhanagr. The process was rocky for a while, and took forever, but I'm very pleased with the outcome.

After doing the transom, we wet out the starboard side of the hull about 36" forward and tried to roll the pre-cut cloth out directly on the wet surface, which failed miserably. Immediately abandoning that method, we cut the cloth at a dry section and finished the small section we started.

We went ahead and wet the whole hull out with resin, and had a beer while we decided what to do next. We decided to try laying the cloth down again, and found it a little easier to move. It definitely didn't move easily, but with two of us working together we were able to adjust it and get it set in a pretty good place. The hull was very sticky, but not soaking wet like before. We got both sides set up and wet out pretty easily, although it was very time consuming.

Here's a picture I took this morning; it has been curing for 6-7 hours.










All in all, there are no wrinkles and very few air bubbles, all of which are in corners and will be easy to fix. I'm extremely happy with how it all looks. It might be just slightly resin-rich, but I much prefer that to being dry. The plan is to let everything cure for the rest of the week, then wash the blush and sand this weekend, and hopefully get the other 2 layers down. We'll see how the schedule holds up, but for now I'm just happy to have a good bond between the foam and the first layer of glass.

So far I'm guessing I've used somewhere around 2.75 gallons. There is very little filler on the hull so far, and I'm sure I've wasted some as well, so maybe 2.5 gallons on the hull itself? Not quite sure...


----------



## yobata

I don't think you need to wait a full week to cure with epoxy, 8 hours should be enough...


----------



## Guest

Looks good brother!


----------



## bryson

yobata said:


> I don't think you need to wait a full week to cure with epoxy, 8 hours should be enough...


Yeah, it's more just due to my schedule. The temp is dropping down to around freezing tonight too, going to be cold for the rest of the week. I might get a chance to wipe blush and sand between now and the weekend, but I doubt I'll have time to glass.

I'm also a little short on cloth since the local place ran out. I will order some tonight.


----------



## Copahee Hound

Looking good!


----------



## 7665

bryson said:


> Well, got my first layer of cloth down last night with the help of @Lmhanagr. The process was rocky for a while, and took forever, but I'm very pleased with the outcome.
> 
> After doing the transom, we wet out the starboard side of the hull about 36" forward and tried to roll the pre-cut cloth out directly on the wet surface, which failed miserably. Immediately abandoning that method, we cut the cloth at a dry section and finished the small section we started.
> 
> We went ahead and wet the whole hull out with resin, and had a beer while we decided what to do next. We decided to try laying the cloth down again, and found it a little easier to move. It definitely didn't move easily, but with two of us working together we were able to adjust it and get it set in a pretty good place. The hull was very sticky, but not soaking wet like before. We got both sides set up and wet out pretty easily, although it was very time consuming.
> 
> Here's a picture I took this morning; it has been curing for 6-7 hours.
> 
> View attachment 101280
> 
> 
> All in all, there are no wrinkles and very few air bubbles, all of which are in corners and will be easy to fix. I'm extremely happy with how it all looks. It might be just slightly resin-rich, but I much prefer that to being dry. The plan is to let everything cure for the rest of the week, then wash the blush and sand this weekend, and hopefully get the other 2 layers down. We'll see how the schedule holds up, but for now I'm just happy to have a good bond between the foam and the first layer of glass.
> 
> So far I'm guessing I've used somewhere around 2.75 gallons. There is very little filler on the hull so far, and I'm sure I've wasted some as well, so maybe 2.5 gallons on the hull itself? Not quite sure...


Looks great. It definitely takes forever.


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## Tigweld

Nicely done


----------



## bryson

Thanks guys! I'm planning to glass my final layers on the outside of the hull tomorrow. I was sanding a little last night and had a question for y'all:

When sanding one layer to prep for another, how heavily do you sand? Since you can still kind of see the texture, I feel like I'd have to sand through a little bit of cloth in order to rough up all the low spots, which I don't think I want to do.

My current plan is to run over it all with my DA, and go until I feel like I'm risking sanding into the cloth (which I'm guessing isn't much). Maybe follow up with a dry Scotch Brite pad?

Any advice would be appreciated.


----------



## BrownDog

I’m my opinion your plan should be fine. No need to go crazy between layers as long as there are no crazy defects in the first layup.


----------



## Sethsawyer

bryson said:


> Thanks guys! I'm planning to glass my final layers on the outside of the hull tomorrow. I was sanding a little last night and had a question for y'all:
> 
> When sanding one layer to prep for another, how heavily do you sand? Since you can still kind of see the texture, I feel like I'd have to sand through a little bit of cloth in order to rough up all the low spots, which I don't think I want to do.
> 
> My current plan is to run over it all with my DA, and go until I feel like I'm risking sanding into the cloth (which I'm guessing isn't much). Maybe follow up with a dry Scotch Brite pad?
> 
> Any advice would be appreciated.


I scrubbed with scotch brite pad with water, wiped down with a dry towel then scuffed till I touched glass (small white spots) then moved to the next spot. I really tried to keep from cutting into glass. I ended up with the low spots in the weave that no doubt did not get scuffed. Scotch bright might have hit them, but I think you are over thinking.


----------



## bryson

Well, sanding the first layer took longer than I expected. It was a combination of me being a little obsessive and my sander dying during the process, plus I found a few small air bubbles that I wanted to fill with resin, and one slightly larger one along the stem that I sanded out (which will still end up with more layers of cloth than the plans call for).

So, due to that and a minor change of Thanksgiving plans, I was only able to get one layer down. The good news though is that this layer should sand much more quickly, since I don't think that I will have to fill any air bubbles, and I'll be using a much better sander. 

The other very good news is that as of tonight I'm the proud "not-owner" of this fine piece of machinery, so that money should cover the rest of the hull as well as whatever motor work I decide needs to get done (within reason). I see a new sander in my immediate future! Looking hard at the Bosch 6" 1250DEVS or the new version of it (can't remember the new model number). Also ordered a few parts for a cyclone dust collection system to help me sand inside.


----------



## 7665

bryson said:


> Well, sanding the first layer took longer than I expected. It was a combination of me being a little obsessive and my sander dying during the process, plus I found a few small air bubbles that I wanted to fill with resin, and one slightly larger one along the stem that I sanded out (which will still end up with more layers of cloth than the plans call for).
> 
> So, due to that and a minor change of Thanksgiving plans, I was only able to get one layer down. The good news though is that this layer should sand much more quickly, since I don't think that I will have to fill any air bubbles, and I'll be using a much better sander.
> 
> The other very good news is that as of tonight I'm the proud "not-owner" of this fine piece of machinery, so that money should cover the rest of the hull as well as whatever motor work I decide needs to get done (within reason). I see a new sander in my immediate future! Looking hard at the Bosch 6" 1250DEVS or the new version of it (can't remember the new model number). Also ordered a few parts for a cyclone dust collection system to help me sand inside.
> 
> View attachment 104174


A sander definitely seems safer  can't wait to see the progress!


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## Bob

If you know you are going to be putting down additional layers at a much later date, then I would recommend using peel ply to prevent the need for all the additional sanding before the next layer. I know Chris has mentioned this a few times. Peel ply is relatively cheap given the amount of time and labor it saves. no worries about blush removal, surface contamination, or getting a suitable bonding surface. Another minor bonus is you will get a better resin:cloth ratio by absorbing the excess resin in the peel ply. It's a very minor extra expense given the overall cost of a build.


----------



## bryson

Bob said:


> If you know you are going to be putting down additional layers at a much later date, then I would recommend using peel ply to prevent the need for all the additional sanding before the next layer. I know Chris has mentioned this a few times. Peel ply is relatively cheap given the amount of time and labor it saves. no worries about blush removal, surface contamination, or getting a suitable bonding surface. Another minor bonus is you will get a better resin:cloth ratio by absorbing the excess resin in the peel ply. It's a very minor extra expense given the overall cost of a build.


I fully agree -- I really wish I had gotten some. Unfortunately these breaks in my schedule were not planned. I expected to be able to do 3 layers back to back without sanding initially. When that didn't work, I figured I would at least be able to do the next 2 layers without sanding. Then we ended up having to leave early to go out of town for Thanksgiving, and I'm stuck sanding again.

I will absolutely use peel ply in the future, though, unless I'm extremely confident I can set aside all the time I need to finish the glass work. I think it would be well worth it to save the time removing blush and sanding.


----------



## Chris Morejohn

bryson said:


> I fully agree -- I really wish I had gotten some. Unfortunately these breaks in my schedule were not planned. I expected to be able to do 3 layers back to back without sanding initially. When that didn't work, I figured I would at least be able to do the next 2 layers without sanding. Then we ended up having to leave early to go out of town for Thanksgiving, and I'm stuck sanding again.
> 
> I will absolutely use peel ply in the future, though, unless I'm extremely confident I can set aside all the time I need to finish the glass work. I think it would be well worth it to save the time removing blush and sanding.


If you have a big area that is done and time in between laying up a next layer just wash off the area with warm water and light soap. This will get the blush off, or vinegar. Then let dry. Use a bunch of cloths and when done just wash and use again the next time being cleaned.
Peel ply is the best way though, especially for small jobs. If you need to stop and the rest of the area to be glassed is already prepped then just use a 3” Wide strip of peel ply on the connecting edge and when ready to start again just strip this edge off peel ply off and keep on glassing. When alls done the wash/wipe as above.


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## Billy moore

Looking great.


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## bryson

Well, the new sander and dust collection probably the best investment I've made, dollar for dollar. I got a great deal on a factory reman Bosch 1520devs 6" sander, and picked up a shop vac on a Black Friday sale. I got a cheap cyclone separator to make a 2 stage dust collection setup, and bought a moving dolly and some plywood to make a cart. I had some aluminum and silicone scrap to make the tube from the vac to the cyclone, and picked up a free screw-top bucket from the local rec department pool.










Sanding only takes about half as long as before and there's no visible dust whatsoever (unless I hang the sanding pad over an edge). I was worried about the fine particles making it past the separator (and I'm sure some still did), but the inch thick cake of fiberglass dust in the bucket is a very good sign. I put the bag in the shop vac as well for a little extra filtration, and the muffler/diffuser on the outlet seems to make a slight difference in sound, but not much.

I finally got the last layer of cloth down, finished up around 2:40am Saturday night. I can't remember the last time I went to bed at 3am, but I can promise it was before the days of 6:30am wake up calls from a crying baby. Anyway, Sunday around midday my mom came over to babysit, so I was able to get a thin coat of putty over everything while it was still tacky (skipping even one round of sanding is a small personal victory). I was also surprised how long it took to get a nice, fairly-even layer.










Anyway, I'm glad I'm not at the mercy of the clock so much anymore. I can sand and putty at my leisure, without having to plan multiple days out at a time (until I glass the inside, of course). I'm still not sure how much fairing I'm going to do before the flip. I may take it all the way to where it's ready for primer, or I may flip soon so that I can get started on the interior. Once I get the bulkheads in and the hull isn't flexible, I can wheel it around and do a lot of sanding outside, so that makes it tempting to flip sooner rather than later. Regardless, mid-April is the deadline, and I'm feeling the pressure. Going to have to maintain a pretty good pace to get there in time.


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## Tigweld

Looks good


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## Rod_Gentry

On sanding, never sand through the glass weave. It can happen, and then one just gets on with it. But never intentionally do so. Most of my work is on wood boats, and there most of the cloth is there as a coating and as a minor upgrade in the strength of the panels. Even on something like wood strip, the weave you will be sanding through with boat glass is not the hoop strength weave, so there is that consolation. In the case of a foam boat your glass is your tensile strength. So cutting it up is to be avoided.

I always lay all my glass down in one go so I am bedding all the layers into each other and I don't have to worry about sanding or peel ply. The first layer is such a marathon that the only consolation is that when one follows with more layers, the later layers are a comparative breeze to wet out. But this was a large and complicated project, and I can certainly sympathize with your exhaustion.

If you think you would have to sand into glass to get a level surface, then I would do enough fill coats so that was not a problem. Through the week you could add a coat and this would also bridge the green cure time table. If you are using non blushing epoxy, your surface was clean of lumps and bumps, you wash it, and you are within the green cure period, then sanding would not be necessary. 

I always try to build without any sanding. It is sorta possible. Most sanding is to fix flaws, which one will get less of as one gains skills, and to push ahead commercial jobs. The alternatives for one-off additive builds (no polished mold) are wet on wet, and building up with putty rather than down with sanding. 

I think this was the thread that was talking about toughening transoms. I'll risk it. My approach would be to use knit fabrics or roving, assuming you can wrap them. They are just so much stronger than boat cloth. I don't have the plans, so disregard if you are already using roving. I don't know how pros engineer tronsoms, but I would reach for triaxial. Another thing I like to do with foam, is go to the garden center and buy some glass pultrusions for the top of the transom. These will greatly increase the wear resistance and stiffness in that area.


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## bryson

@Rod_Gentry I definitely didn't sand through the weave - between layers I wasn't really trying to fix any highs or lows, although I'm sure some very local lows did get filled with some resin. I was really just sanding to ensure a good bond fire the next layer.

As for the transom, I don't think this was the thread, but my plan is to add another layer of foam on the interior, and also to run a sheet of G10 or something similar between the motor and transom to help distribute the load.


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## bryson

Progress update -- I took an angle grinder to the shear flange to clean up the overhanging cloth, and was able to sand the skiff and get another coat of putty down (much thicker this time). I was very surprised how long it took to mix and spread the putty over the entire skiff -- it took several hours. I'm sure I will be able to do this more quickly with a little more experience, but I didn't want to rush it initially. I also was fortunate enough to get some advice on the skiff from Chris, and really enjoyed spending some time with he and his wife during their visit to Charleston. I'm also looking forward to getting to check out his 10wt design this coming weekend at the Shallow Water Expo.

2nd coat of putty on -- not sanded yet, but I think at this point I had hit a few of the ridges with a rasp (Surform). It doesn't leave a smooth surface, but it's great for any areas that have globs that you want to remove material in bulk.









Me hoping to learn a thing or two:










Quick note about the vacuum: finally emptied the bucket today -- this is all fiberglass dust that was caught by the separator in the 2-stage dust collection setup. Some is shavings from the rasp that I vacuumed up, but most is dust from the sander's dust collection. The stick is just to show the depth of what's been collected.










So, this week I'm going to get this coat sanded with the orbital, then I think I'll longboard to identify low spots. I may try to flip the hull this weekend, but I haven't decided yet. My goal is to have the skiff finished in 3.5 months. I know that's very ambitious, maybe too much, but we will see how it goes.


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## Guest

Looking good man!


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## dldsm7

Moving right along! Wish I could've stopped by over the weekend to see the designer/master working, but I hear he may be at Haddrells Expo next weekend, so perhaps catch him there! Keep it up Bryson, looks fantastic!


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## Zika

Looking good. All that hard work will be appreciated down the road.


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## Chris Morejohn

dldsm7 said:


> Moving right along! Wish I could've stopped by over the weekend to see the designer/master working, but I hear he may be at Haddrells Expo next weekend, so perhaps catch him there! Keep it up Bryson, looks fantastic!


I and Eric Kimes will be in the booth with Brain and Heidi Floyd with their 10 Weight skiff. Come on by and see talk skiff details with us.
I will bring long my Hells Bay build master list if you want to see what things costs back in the day or look up a build, along with boat plans to show how the 10 Weight, Beryllium, and CONCHFISH designs are improved over my past designs. Hope to see you all there.


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## JellyFischer

Its looking great! I started fairing just a small section of my boat this weekend and was also very surprised at how long it took to mix up the compound and how little area a bucket of compound covered. Im applying it at 1/8"-3/16" thick as Chris recommended and it seems very thick. I would not have applied it that thick if not for Chris' recommendation. 
I like your sanding and dust collection system. Im going to look into building one for myself.


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## Zika

Re: your post on which way rod holders face in another thread, I have both in the Mosquito and they come in handy. I'd suggest adding bungee cords, though. Don't need to use them when fishing, but on runs to and from spots, they help lock in outfits to prevent bouncing, even fly reels. I also have the Seadek reel pads under the covering boards and usually re-attach at least one of my reel covers for a separation cushion. Added steps, I'll admit. But my reels still look like they just came out of the showcase.


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## bryson

@dldsm7 let me know if you head to the Expo; I'm planning to go at some point as well. I missed seeing the 10wt last time they were in the area, so I'm looking forward to checking it out.

@JellyFischer I made mine as thick (as viscous) as Chris recommended, but I didn't put it on the hull quite as thick (layer thickness) except for in a couple of areas that I knew were slightly low to begin with. I plan to mark up and longboard the hull before my next coat of putty though, so I will adjust layer thickness once I identify any low spots and get a good feel for how much is needed and where.

@Zika yeah, I would definitely bungee. It's not so much the reels themselves banging around, but more I feel like it would put more stress on the rods where they'd rub against the holder. I'm sure a little foam or something on the rod holder would help with that, though. At any rate, I figure it can't hurt to add them if I've got the room, even if I rarely/never end up using them.


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## GaG8tor

Chris Morejohn said:


> I and Eric Kimes will be in the booth with Brain and Heidi Floyd with their 10 Weight skiff. Come on by and see talk skiff details with us.
> I will bring long my Hells Bay build master list if you want to see what things costs back in the day or look up a build, along with boat plans to show how the 10 Weight, Beryllium, and CONCHFISH designs are improved over my past designs. Hope to see you all there.


Hope to see you there


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## bryson

Sanded that coat of fairing compound and decided to go ahead and flip. I still have more work to do to the hull exterior, but want to get the inside glassed so that I can sand outside and move the hull around my garage.















Here's a video of the removal:






Then we had a little celebration...















Next was disassembling the strongback to make a table on which to put the hull. 2x4 braces every 2 feet, then 3/4" thick ply. Definitely overkill, but I'll use it all to make a nice workbench when I'm done. I put a few stations back in so that I could bring the sides back into shape, and got it all blocked into place so that I can sand and glass without worry. Everything is completely level -- I continually checked up and down the length to make sure there was no twisting. She's really locked into place well -- very sturdy. Once again, probably overkill, but the peace of mind is worth the extra time and effort. I made blocks at the bow, under the chines, wedges at the transom, and blocks to stop it from sliding aft.















I'm really happy with how everything is coming along. I also got to hang with Chris, Eric, and Brian Floyd this weekend and check out the 10wt, but unfortunately didn't get to go for a spin. Brian was a super nice guy, and I really enjoyed getting to talk skiffs with him. I think he's got a fantastic product out there -- anyone in the market would be doing themselves a huge disservice if they didn't check it out. Good things are bound to happen when guys like Brian Floyd and Chris Morejohn bring their skills and ideas together.


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## Sethsawyer

I would have saved a bunch of time if I had been as methodical as you. Looks crazy good. keep double checking everything.


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## Water Bound

Outstanding man! Can’t wait to see you running it around our waters!


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## Tigweld

It was good to see you again this weekend, now it’s a skiff, looks great


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## Guest

Nice work, she is looking great!


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## bryson

Tigweld said:


> It was good to see you again this weekend, now it’s a skiff, looks great


Thanks, was good to see you too -- your skiff looks great too, glad you brought it by!


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## chiphill

Yo Bryson! Just found this! Looking great, man! I'd love to come see it sometime and catch up. ✌


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## bryson

chiphill said:


> Yo Bryson! Just found this! Looking great, man! I'd love to come see it sometime and catch up. ✌


Thanks Chip! Yeah, it's been a little while. You're welcome to come by any time!


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## Zika

Very impressive work!


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## Open Fly -The Later Years

bryson said:


> Sanded that coat of fairing compound and decided to go ahead and flip. I still have more work to do to the hull exterior, but want to get the inside glassed so that I can sand outside and move the hull around my garage.
> 
> View attachment 113126
> View attachment 113128
> 
> 
> Here's a video of the removal:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Then we had a little celebration...
> 
> View attachment 113130
> View attachment 113132
> 
> 
> Next was disassembling the strongback to make a table on which to put the hull. 2x4 braces every 2 feet, then 3/4" thick ply. Definitely overkill, but I'll use it all to make a nice workbench when I'm done. I put a few stations back in so that I could bring the sides back into shape, and got it all blocked into place so that I can sand and glass without worry. Everything is completely level -- I continually checked up and down the length to make sure there was no twisting. She's really locked into place well -- very sturdy. Once again, probably overkill, but the peace of mind is worth the extra time and effort. I made blocks at the bow, under the chines, wedges at the transom, and blocks to stop it from sliding aft.
> 
> View attachment 113134
> View attachment 113136
> 
> 
> I'm really happy with how everything is coming along. I also got to hang with Chris, Eric, and Brian Floyd this weekend and check out the 10wt, but unfortunately didn't get to go for a spin. Brian was a super nice guy, and I really enjoyed getting to talk skiffs with him. I think he's got a fantastic product out there -- anyone in the market would be doing themselves a huge disservice if they didn't check it out. Good things are bound to happen when guys like Brian Floyd and Chris Morejohn bring their skills and ideas together.





bryson said:


> Sanded that coat of fairing compound and decided to go ahead and flip. I still have more work to do to the hull exterior, but want to get the inside glassed so that I can sand outside and move the hull around my garage.
> 
> View attachment 113126
> View attachment 113128
> 
> 
> Here's a video of the removal:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Then we had a little celebration...
> 
> View attachment 113130
> View attachment 113132
> 
> 
> Next was disassembling the strongback to make a table on which to put the hull. 2x4 braces every 2 feet, then 3/4" thick ply. Definitely overkill, but I'll use it all to make a nice workbench when I'm done. I put a few stations back in so that I could bring the sides back into shape, and got it all blocked into place so that I can sand and glass without worry. Everything is completely level -- I continually checked up and down the length to make sure there was no twisting. She's really locked into place well -- very sturdy. Once again, probably overkill, but the peace of mind is worth the extra time and effort. I made blocks at the bow, under the chines, wedges at the transom, and blocks to stop it from sliding aft.
> 
> View attachment 113134
> View attachment 113136
> 
> 
> I'm really happy with how everything is coming along. I also got to hang with Chris, Eric, and Brian Floyd this weekend and check out the 10wt, but unfortunately didn't get to go for a spin. Brian was a super nice guy, and I really enjoyed getting to talk skiffs with him. I think he's got a fantastic product out there -- anyone in the market would be doing themselves a huge disservice if they didn't check it out. Good things are bound to happen when guys like Brian Floyd and Chris Morejohn bring their skills and ideas together.


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## Open Fly -The Later Years

Bryson, man that is so smokin good looking. I would like to stop by sometime.
Please email or txt me best time and your address. Thanks !
Capt Dave Jackson, [email protected] or 843 259 7864


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## Open Fly -The Later Years

bryson said:


> Thanks! I ripped 4 sheets originally with a table saw, and have been using either an oscillating tool or a box cutter to cut angles, as well as a regular miter saw. I also used a spare box cutter blade to "shave" a lot of planks to the final fit.
> 
> I still have a little more trimming of the sheer edge, and then I need to add the flange. I'm about done with sanding the foam, but not quite. Once all of that is done, I'm ready to order the epoxy and start filling gaps to get her ready for glass.
> 
> In retrospect, I should have made the flange first, and worked "up" with the foam strips towards the upper chine flat. It would have saved a lot of headache with getting the bottom all trimmed up. It won't make a bit of difference in the end, but it would have saved a few hours and some headache.
> 
> View attachment 92048
> 
> 
> View attachment 92050
> 
> 
> View attachment 92052


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## Open Fly -The Later Years

I am following your build ! Looks great !


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## bryson

Got the hull interior and all the bulkheads glassed. Fired up the smoker on Saturday and had a boat party with some buddies to help hit that milestone. Lessons learned:

1) Glassing in sections is much easier than glassing half the hull at a time
2) Always leave excess peel ply to start the cut, then tear it in strips

Also, it would probably be easier to glass the whole panel, then cut the bulkheads out afterwards. I think I would have needed 2 panels though, since I have 4 bulkheads total, plus the motor well, plus the flotation chambers/rigging tubes.

Anyway, next up is trimming the bulkheads and getting them bonded/glassed in. Yesterday I cut all the excess cloth from around the edge and finished removing the peel ply from all the bulkheads.

















\


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## Sublime

Killing it man.


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## Tigweld

Nice


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## Open Fly -The Later Years

Very nice, can't wait to see it !
Capt Dave


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## bryson

Got all the bulkheads glassed, fitted, and bonded in. I glassed all the interior cut edges (which took longer than expected), like around the aft bulkhead hatch and on the open front bulkheads, and also filled any screw locations (very front bulkhead getting a twist-out plate and the inside of the aft bulkhead for mounting the hatch). Also ran my fillets to get them ready for fiberglass tape reinforcement. Only fillets I'm missing at this point are on the motor well along the transom where I had locating strips hot-glued on. I'm really happy with how everything is going. Took today off to spend some much-needed family time on the water and at Magnolia Gardens, but hope to be back at it tomorrow.


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## Charles Hadley

bryson said:


> Got all the bulkheads glassed, fitted, and bonded in. I glassed all the interior cut edges (which took longer than expected), like around the aft bulkhead hatch and on the open front bulkheads, and also filled any screw locations (very front bulkhead getting a twist-out plate and the inside of the aft bulkhead for mounting the hatch). Also ran my fillets to get them ready for fiberglass tape reinforcement. Only fillets I'm missing at this point are on the motor well along the transom where I had locating strips hot-glued on. I'm really happy with how everything is going. Took today off to spend some much-needed family time on the water and at Magnolia Gardens, but hope to be back at it tomorrow.
> 
> View attachment 124256
> 
> 
> View attachment 124254
> 
> 
> View attachment 124252


Beautiful clean work


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## Smackdaddy53

Solid work. I am digging the cockpit to bilge.


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## Mike Haydon

@bryson she is a cutie patootie!!!!! Talking about the little one that is! Lol. Boat looks amazing and your attention to detail is inspiring. I bet it will help when it comes time to finish. What are your plans for top coat? Thanks, Michael


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## bryson

Mike Haydon said:


> @bryson she is a cutie patootie!!!!! Talking about the little one that is! Lol. Boat looks amazing and your attention to detail is inspiring. I bet it will help when it comes time to finish. What are your plans for top coat? Thanks, Michael


Thanks all! Yeah, the little one has me absolutely wrapped; I'm in huge trouble for sure.

Not 100% sure on the plans for paint, but been looking hard at spraying that LIC-40 that @Boatbrains suggested, especially since I've got more experience with auto paint than marine paint (still very much an amateur with both). I think I might sprinkle some glass beads in (from media blasting, not like microballoons) for non-skid, then paint 3-4 layers over top to help soften the surface. Definitely want to do some test panels first.

I'm also still trying to decide if I should build the deck in a mold or straight on the hull. Leaning towards a mold at this point.


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## Guest

bryson said:


> Thanks all! Yeah, the little one has me absolutely wrapped; I'm in huge trouble for sure.
> 
> Not 100% sure on the plans for paint, but been looking hard at spraying that LIC-40 that @Boatbrains suggested, especially since I've got more experience with auto paint than marine paint (still very much an amateur with both). I think I might sprinkle some glass beads in (from media blasting, not like microballoons) for non-skid, then paint 3-4 layers over top to help soften the surface. Definitely want to do some test panels first.
> 
> I'm also still trying to decide if I should build the deck in a mold or straight on the hull. Leaning towards a mold at this point.


Let me do a test using fumed silica. I have some olive drab lic40 on hand. Maybe @Mike Haydon can come up to witness it? Been wanting to do it anyway. If it works out, you can eliminate the grit and have a consistently wearing nonskid finish.


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## Mike Haydon

Personally for nonskid I like to use tintable bed liner. You can spray it thin or as thick as you want. Soft under foot. Incredibly durable and the shutz gun to shoot it is dirt cheap or even included in certain kits.


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## Guest

Mike Haydon said:


> Personally for nonskid I like to use tintable bed liner. You can spray it thin or as thick as you want. Soft under foot. Incredibly durable and the shutz gun to shoot it is dirt cheap or even included in certain kits.


I like it too! Bedliner is heavy though as your film thickness is much greater when applied according to the tds. It also has the benefit of tremendous sound deadening qualities compared to a “hard surface”!


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## Charles Hadley

Boatbrains said:


> Let me do a test using fumed silica. I have some olive drab lic40 on hand. Maybe @Mike Haydon can come up to witness it? Been wanting to do it anyway. If it works out, you can eliminate the grit and have a consistently wearing nonskid finish.


Would like to see results


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## Mike Haydon

Boatbrains said:


> I like it too! Bedliner is heavy though as your film thickness is much greater when applied according to the tds. It also has the benefit of tremendous sound deadening qualities compared to a “hard surface”!


I hear ya bud, but I think the weight is inconsequential. I mean if your broadcasting things and then covering it up it would add some weight. You can spray the bed liner thin, but I do understand what you are saying if following the manufacturer's specs for mil thickness.


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## Guest

Charles Hadley said:


> Would like to see results


Me too, and it’s gonna happen. Would like to let it sit in the sun for a while too! I know, I squirted my truck 4 years ago last October and it’s never seen wax. “Was waiting on off gassing” and just never got around to it. It looks as good as when I shot it from a gloss perspective so at least I have something to compare the test to.


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## Guest

Mike Haydon said:


> I her ya bud, but I think the weight is inconsequential. I mean if your broadcasting things and then covering it up it would add some weight. You can spray the bed liner thin, but I do understand what you are saying if following the manufacturer's specs for mil thickness.


Totally agree bud. Many buy “light weight” skiffs then glue a bunch of seadeck or similar product down anyway!


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## Mike Haydon

I'm with ya on the test results. I'm always up for test panels. And sun exposure is a harsh test. But we need a wear test too. In the paint world they have a scrub machine to act like years of wear but anything scuffing to see if we lose the granules would be cool. Though I think what your proposing is gonna bind with the paint and wear through at the same rate as the coating itself.


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## Guest

Mike Haydon said:


> I'm with ya on the test results. I'm always up for test panels. And sun exposure is a harsh test. But we need a wear test too. In the paint world they have a scrub machine to act like years of wear but anything scuffing to see if we lose the granules would be cool. Though I think what your proposing is gonna bind with the paint and wear through at the same rate as the coating itself.


That’s what I am hoping. I know fumed silica actually hardens polyesters so a wear test would be cool. On the other hand, it will wear even and color “should” remain as it wears un like when using grit and the coating wears off leaving the boat with all the little exposed sand particles. Another option to real grit is using a product called soft sand. It’s a rubber grit that sands much easier when the time to re coat comes than the sand particles do. Like you though, for the non skid areas on my personal stuff I am a fan of the diy urethane bedliners and will be using on all three of my boats when that time comes!


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## Backwater

Nice!


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## Tigweld

Bryson, call me tomorrow, I have a free trailer for you


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## devrep

all the bedliners I've seen go chalky in the sun. even the stuff the shops spray eventually (in my truck bed).


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## bryson

Tigweld said:


> Bryson, call me tomorrow, I have a free trailer for you


Will do, thank you!!


----------



## bryson

Alright, bulkheads are completely taped in. It's insane how solid the boat feels, even without the deck. I definitely overbuilt my bulkheads, and overdid the tape. The tape is 8.7 oz instead of 10 oz, so I did 2 layers at all the joints. Where the motor well meets the transom I did 3 layers on the outside corners, and I cut my own 10 oz tape at 6" wide for the inside corners, since I know those will be some of the highest-loaded points on the whole skiff. More "structural" bulkheads got 3 layers of 10 oz each side, where as the front two and the outside stern boxes got 2 layers on each side. Overkill is underrated! (Or another favorite quote -- when in doubt, make it stout!)

Also, curiosity got the best of me and I weighed her. Still need to build deck supports and rod holders/tubes, plus the deck (obviously). Any guesses? @Sublime and @spinnb7 y'all are disqualified from guessing  Also, the outside is about 1/2 faired and no fairing done on the inside.

I ordered trim tabs yesterday, and hope to order switches and nav lights today. Using Otto T-9 switches for everything (tabs included), and probably going with the Hardin Marine nav lights. They look like the Livorsi lights but require a round cutout instead of an oval one. I've got some trailer work to do too, but fortunately I have a shop that's really well-equipped for that sort of thing.


----------



## 7665

bryson said:


> Alright, bulkheads are completely taped in. It's insane how solid the boat feels, even without the deck. I definitely overbuilt my bulkheads, and overdid the tape. The tape is 8.7 oz instead of 10 oz, so I did 2 layers at all the joints. Where the motor well meets the transom I did 3 layers on the outside corners, and I cut my own 10 oz tape at 6" wide for the inside corners, since I know those will be some of the highest-loaded points on the whole skiff. More "structural" bulkheads got 3 layers of 10 oz each side, where as the front two and the outside stern boxes got 2 layers on each side. Overkill is underrated! (Or another favorite quote -- when in doubt, make it stout!)
> 
> Also, curiosity got the best of me and I weighed her. Still need to build deck supports and rod holders/tubes, plus the deck (obviously). Any guesses? @Sublime and @spinnb7 y'all are disqualified from guessing  Also, the outside is about 1/2 faired and no fairing done on the inside.
> 
> I ordered trim tabs yesterday, and hope to order switches and nav lights today. Using Otto T-9 switches for everything (tabs included), and probably going with the Hardin Marine nav lights. They look like the Livorsi lights but require a round cutout instead of an oval one. I've got some trailer work to do too, but fortunately I have a shop that's really well-equipped for that sort of thing.
> 
> View attachment 125914


It looks so damn good. Excellent work-


----------



## flyclimber

bryson said:


> Alright, bulkheads are completely taped in. It's insane how solid the boat feels, even without the deck. I definitely overbuilt my bulkheads, and overdid the tape. The tape is 8.7 oz instead of 10 oz, so I did 2 layers at all the joints. Where the motor well meets the transom I did 3 layers on the outside corners, and I cut my own 10 oz tape at 6" wide for the inside corners, since I know those will be some of the highest-loaded points on the whole skiff. More "structural" bulkheads got 3 layers of 10 oz each side, where as the front two and the outside stern boxes got 2 layers on each side. Overkill is underrated! (Or another favorite quote -- when in doubt, make it stout!)
> 
> Also, curiosity got the best of me and I weighed her. Still need to build deck supports and rod holders/tubes, plus the deck (obviously). Any guesses? @Sublime and @spinnb7 y'all are disqualified from guessing  Also, the outside is about 1/2 faired and no fairing done on the inside.
> 
> I ordered trim tabs yesterday, and hope to order switches and nav lights today. Using Otto T-9 switches for everything (tabs included), and probably going with the Hardin Marine nav lights. They look like the Livorsi lights but require a round cutout instead of an oval one. I've got some trailer work to do too, but fortunately I have a shop that's really well-equipped for that sort of thing.
> 
> View attachment 125914


I'll bite. 86 lbs! That looks really good!


----------



## SeaDrifter

63#'s would be my guess. BTW, looks awesome!



Michael


----------



## Guest

I’ll bite too... I am guessing 195#’s total so far.


----------



## Zika

Excellent work. I'll guess 147 pounds. Does the winner get a fishing trip in the completed skiff?


----------



## texasag07

260


----------



## Guest

texasag07 said:


> 260


Dang!


----------



## Pole Position

315


----------



## Chris Morejohn

My guess is 248-1/2lbs.
What you think is over kill is just doing a proper job of it. Especially in the stern area.
Looks great.


----------



## Tigweld

335 lbs


----------



## kamy329

bryson said:


> Alright, bulkheads are completely taped in. It's insane how solid the boat feels, even without the deck. I definitely overbuilt my bulkheads, and overdid the tape. The tape is 8.7 oz instead of 10 oz, so I did 2 layers at all the joints. Where the motor well meets the transom I did 3 layers on the outside corners, and I cut my own 10 oz tape at 6" wide for the inside corners, since I know those will be some of the highest-loaded points on the whole skiff. More "structural" bulkheads got 3 layers of 10 oz each side, where as the front two and the outside stern boxes got 2 layers on each side. Overkill is underrated! (Or another favorite quote -- when in doubt, make it stout!)
> 
> Also, curiosity got the best of me and I weighed her. Still need to build deck supports and rod holders/tubes, plus the deck (obviously). Any guesses? @Sublime and @spinnb7 y'all are disqualified from guessing  Also, the outside is about 1/2 faired and no fairing done on the inside.
> 
> I ordered trim tabs yesterday, and hope to order switches and nav lights today. Using Otto T-9 switches for everything (tabs included), and probably going with the Hardin Marine nav lights. They look like the Livorsi lights but require a round cutout instead of an oval one. I've got some trailer work to do too, but fortunately I have a shop that's really well-equipped for that sort of thing.
> 
> View attachment 125914


241 3/4


----------



## bryson

Looks like I owe @Boatbrains a beer! It was 210 lbs. I put a folded rag on a bathroom scale at the transom and a shipping scale under the bow around station 7 or 8, wherever it finally rested on the folded cloth without sitting on the corner of the scale.

My original guess was 275, since I haven't been concerned with weight at any point during the build. I had it in mind when deciding on a layout, but it wasn't top priority. In no areas do I feel like I've sacrificed strength for weight savings. Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised. All the bulkheads are deceptively light. They just feel heavy since they are so large, but each panel making the stern "boxes" is only like 2.8 lbs, if I remember correctly.

I still expect the hull to come in around 300 lbs. I don't know what to expect from the deck, except I know that I will continue to build heavier than required. I may also add more cloth to the keel at the bow for abrasion, and I still need to do more fairing and sharpening corners. I'm guessing that 300-350 is a good place to be for this skiff. I don't want to get blown around on the water in a light breeze, but I also don't want her to be a dog with the 30hp.


----------



## Guest

bryson said:


> Looks like I owe @Boatbrains a beer! It was 210 lbs. I put a folded rag on a bathroom scale at the transom and a shipping scale under the bow around station 7 or 8, wherever it finally rested on the folded cloth without sitting on the corner of the scale.
> 
> My original guess was 275, since I haven't been concerned with weight at any point during the build. I had it in mind when deciding on a layout, but it wasn't top priority. In no areas do I feel like I've sacrificed strength for weight savings. Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised. All the bulkheads are deceptively light. They just feel heavy since they are so large, but each panel making the stern "boxes" is only like 2.8 lbs, if I remember correctly.
> 
> I still expect the hull to come in around 300 lbs. I don't know what to expect from the deck, except I know that I will continue to build heavier than required. I may also add more cloth to the keel at the bow for abrasion, and I still need to do more fairing and sharpening corners. I'm guessing that 300-350 is a good place to be for this skiff. I don't want to get blown around on the water in a light breeze, but I also don't want her to be a dog with the 30hp.


You don’t owe me a thing buddy, I cheated lol! Another side effect of whatever illness this is that I have is insomnia! So... I’ve been crunching a whole lotta numbers lately at night for X-2.0 and given the two are real close in dimensions and you using 3/4” core it was a pretty easy guess. She is lookin’ good though!​


----------



## Zika

Boatbrains is a ringer of sorts. 

Nice, regardless of weight. I think that's a great approach. Overbuilt is always better and you can save weight on what you carry. Keep up the good work.


----------



## scissorhands

Nice clean work, your attention to detail shows.


----------



## Guest

I’ll just share this here since it was mentioned here. Will do a full write up pending test results. First impression is that it is going to work and will be awesome! Paint has cured for several hrs no and still a few to go, but it is hard as nails! I plan to flex the panel some to make sure it’s not going to crack, leave sitting in the sun for a fade test, and want to do a wear test buy not sure how I want to do that one yet “also not sure it’s needed”! I will be using this on my next build and on my flats boat if it passes the first two tests! Don’t mind the sloppy roll n tip in first pic! Cheap roller with 3/8 nap, cheap chip brush for tipping, cool morning, and rushed it. Only did it to show the Valspar LIC40 can be rolled and tipped. The little specs are the reason you never put a 2k paint over a 1k base btw! You will notice there aren’t any brush marks or roller stipple and the paint flowed out nice.


----------



## Guest

Was just looking back at that first pic and I know ya’ll are gonna ask about the white/blue blob looking marks so here ya go... not sure what that is. It’s not on the test panel. My best guess is it is the off gassing glowing in the camera light?


----------



## bryson

Boatbrains said:


> Was just looking back at that first pic and I know ya’ll are gonna ask about the white/blue blob looking marks so here ya go... not sure what that is. It’s not on the test panel. My best guess is it is the off gassing glowing in the camera light?


Thanks for sharing. I may test this out, but I want a less aggressive texture. 

Also I think the white/blue is just a reflection of whatever is behind you, so that should make you feel good about the gloss!


----------



## Guest

bryson said:


> Thanks for sharing. I may test this out, but I want a less aggressive texture.
> 
> Also I think the white/blue is just a reflection of whatever is behind you, so that should make you feel good about the gloss!


It’s not as aggressive as it looks. It’s zoomed in pretty close. I can send you a sample if you’d like. I did it on raw core so wouldn’t cost me anything for shipping.


----------



## Pole Position

BB.....just to confirm, the test panels are the Valspar LIC-40 mixed w/ fumed silica?


----------



## Guest

Pole Position said:


> BB.....just to confirm, the test panels are the Valspar LIC-40 mixed w/ fumed silica?


Correct. I will work up an instructional once I am fully happy with the results and wearability. It’s a little different in application than how I do it with gelcoat. You have to get the paint pretty thick as paint naturally wants to lay down. I will be recommending anyone who tries it to do a small practice panel before attempting.


----------



## SeaDrifter

Boatbrains said:


> View attachment 126208
> I’ll just share this here since it was mentioned here. Will do a full write up pending test results. First impression is that it is going to work and will be awesome! Paint has cured for several hrs no and still a few to go, but it is hard as nails! I plan to flex the panel some to make sure it’s not going to crack, leave sitting in the sun for a fade test, and want to do a wear test buy not sure how I want to do that one yet “also not sure it’s needed”! I will be using this on my next build and on my flats boat if it passes the first two tests! Don’t mind the sloppy roll n tip in first pic! Cheap roller with 3/8 nap, cheap chip brush for tipping, cool morning, and rushed it. Only did it to show the Valspar LIC40 can be rolled and tipped. The little specs are the reason you never put a 2k paint over a 1k base btw! You will notice there aren’t any brush marks or roller stipple and the paint flowed out nice.
> View attachment 126206


 It is going to suck if I have to strip the single-stage primer off and apply a 2k before painting with 2k!!! Currently I am shooting for mid next week to have her in her permanent skin. Will try a test strip as you recommended before I make a big arse mess.




Michael


----------



## FSUDrew99

Boat looks awesome! Would love to get on one in person! Ill be following this build. Keep up the good work!


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## Sublime

@Boatbrains That bottom picture looks like there are more little tiny "pockets" to trap sand and dirt? The top picture looks pretty dang good. I'm supposing if it came out too aggressive, you could hit with a light sanding or apply a thin neat coat over it?


----------



## Guest

Sublime said:


> @Boatbrains That bottom picture looks like there are more little tiny "pockets" to trap sand and dirt? The top picture looks pretty dang good. I'm supposing if it came out too aggressive, you could hit with a light sanding or apply a thin neat coat over it?


No more than a “gritted” texture has. It has the peaks and valleys but is completely sealed. I use a soft brush to clean it with on my cooler and my past boats and it cleans fine “all gelcoat done similar”. The texture looks more aggressive than it is, I can rub my knuckles on it with light pressure no problem “all skin where it belongs”.


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## Mike Haydon

Just to let you know you can do a 2k primer over the 1k primer without effect of that. It's the solvents from the paint. Sorry I missed the weigh in. This new home schooling is driving me crazy. I'm an 8th grade and first grade teacher now. I havent had any time to work on anything now.Looking good by the way. Stay safe!!


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## Mike Haydon

@Boatbrains, you definitely need to do a wear test even if its sanding at it with 400 grit or something. That's what this was all for right? Not liking the way regular methods leave the granual exposed or completely roll out with wear.
I wonder could we put a sawzall to slow speed and mount a hard kitchen sponge on it and just let it scrub under it's own weight for a little while? That would simulate a paint scrub test if it worked.

And @bryson you gotta take me fishing one day. I havent seen any bulls that big near me! IMPRESSED

Michael


----------



## bryson

Thanks guys, still trying to figure out paint. Leaning towards an industrial urethane like the Valspar (might be called TB540 now?) or PPG DelFleet, but still not 100% sure.

Anyway, I have been playing with my rod holder setup, and I think I'm happy with where I landed. This has been surprisingly time-consuming, but I wanted to sort everything out before drilling for tubes. These are bonded and filleted in, and I plan to tape them tonight. The top holder also serves as gunwale support.


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## Zika

`Good look and very functional. Are you going to add SeaDeck pads to protect the reels from chafing? 

Keep up the good work!


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## Copahee Hound

That setup is pretty BA! But they're not rear facing!


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## bryson

Zika said:


> `Good look and very functional. Are you going to add SeaDeck pads to protect the reels from chafing?
> 
> Keep up the good work!


Thanks! Definitely going to have seadek or something similar to protect the reels. I haven't decided if I'm going to do the whole side or just the area that the reels are. I think it would probably look cleaner to do the whole side.

@Copahee Hound I gave up the rear facing for my flotation chambers/rigging channels. It was a tough decision though!


----------



## SkiffaDeeDooDah

Awesome thread! I'm hooked! Your craftsmanship and attention to detail are oustanding. Man, I would love to build one of these if I had the time and space. Can't wait to see more as it progresses!


----------



## Pole Position

bryson said:


> ......... I haven't decided if I'm going to do the whole side or just the area that the reels are. I think it would probably look cleaner to do the whole side.


..less sanding / fairing if you do the whole side ( yeah, I hate sanding )


----------



## K3anderson

@Copahee Hound I gave up the rear facing for my flotation chambers/rigging channels. It was a tough decision though![/QUOTE]

So will these floatation chambers be airtight? Filled with foam?


----------



## bryson

K3anderson said:


> So will these floatation chambers be airtight? Filled with foam?


Filled with flotation foam up to the upper chine, then a layer or two of cloth to seal it and give a good "floor" for the rigging channel. One benefit is that the channels will be large enough to easily convert to a side console in the future if I want. Also provides plenty of additional flotation aft for the motor.


----------



## K3anderson

bryson said:


> Filled with flotation foam up to the upper chine, then a layer or two of cloth to seal it and give a good "floor" for the rigging channel. One benefit is that the channels will be large enough to easily convert to a side console in the future if I want. Also provides plenty of additional flotation aft for the motor.


Are you adding foam to bow as well? Have you decided what you are using for foam?


----------



## bryson

K3anderson said:


> Are you adding foam to bow as well? Have you decided what you are using for foam?


Bow will not get foam; I want to be able to access the back of the bow eye. I will have a twist out plate there, and I'll probably stuff it with pool noodles or something just for the hell of it. It won't be completely sealed -- I worry about pressure due to temp change.

Not sure what foam to use for flotation in the aft chambers, but I'll need to order it soon. They will require very little, though.


----------



## Taylor Cullen

Looking good Bryson. How many sheet of foam are you going to use for the bulkheads/deck. Looking to order the rest of my foam shortly. Thinking I might be able to get away with use three sheets


----------



## bryson

Taylor Cullen said:


> Looking good Bryson. How many sheet of foam are you going to use for the bulkheads/deck. Looking to order the rest of my foam shortly. Thinking I might be able to get away with use three sheets


Tough for me to say for the bulkheads since I pieced a few together from scrap. I think that I could get by with 3 sheets for the deck if I get creative, but I still have some leftover from the bulkheads so hopefully it won't be too bad.

I'd go with at least 4 for you, depending on your bulkhead configuration. Don't forget the motorwell and rod holders too -- scrap pieces can be really useful there.


----------



## flyclimber

That is a killer setup for the rods, I think I get why you gave up on the rearward facing tubes but If I ever start building a conchfish I think that's one of the first things I'd put in. Probably not in all spots but at least 1 per side.


----------



## Pole Position

bryson said:


> .... Also provides plenty of additional flotation aft for the motor.


If I'm not mistaken, you won't gain any additional flotation other than when the boat is under water where it will hopefully make it unsinkable if you use enough. Regardless, you want to use closed-cell foam that prevents water intrusion, and some people put epoxy over it to assure it won't ever get water logged.

The rod holders do look great, btw.


----------



## bryson

Pole Position said:


> If I'm not mistaken, you won't gain any additional flotation other than when the boat is under water where it will hopefully make it unsinkable if you use enough. Regardless, you want to use closed-cell foam that prevents water intrusion, and some people put epoxy over it to assure it won't ever get water logged.
> 
> The rod holders do look great, btw.


Correct; it's strictly in the event of the boat getting swamped. It's definitely unnecessary (especially with all the foam core throughout), but it makes me feel better. Sank a boat 60 miles offshore years ago, so I'm a little neurotic about that sort of stuff.

Plus, I figured the only thing I was giving up by blocking those areas was a little storage and rod tubes, which I couldn't have used with the "offset" rod holders anyway.


----------



## JC Designs

bryson said:


> Correct; it's strictly in the event of the boat getting swamped. It's definitely unnecessary (especially with all the foam core throughout), but it makes me feel better. Sank a boat 60 miles offshore years ago, so I'm a little neurotic about that sort of stuff.
> 
> Plus, I figured the only thing I was giving up by blocking those areas was a little storage and rod tubes, which I couldn't have used with the "offset" rod holders anyway.


That little extra will probably make it close to coast gaurd “level flotation” standards given the foam construction.


----------



## GatorTrout

Boat is looking great.


----------



## GaG8tor

Looking good


----------



## Gatorgrizz27

bryson said:


> Thanks guys, still trying to figure out paint. Leaning towards an industrial urethane like the Valspar (might be called TB540 now?) or PPG DelFleet, but still not 100% sure.
> 
> Anyway, I have been playing with my rod holder setup, and I think I'm happy with where I landed. This has been surprisingly time-consuming, but I wanted to sort everything out before drilling for tubes. These are bonded and filleted in, and I plan to tape them tonight. The top holder also serves as gunwale support.
> 
> View attachment 127382
> 
> 
> View attachment 127384





flyclimber said:


> That is a killer setup for the rods, I think I get why you gave up on the rearward facing tubes but If I ever start building a conchfish I think that's one of the first things I'd put in. Probably not in all spots but at least 1 per side.


Really like the rod holder setup, but are the lower ones going to be able to fit 9’ rods? I have an almost 7’ cockpit and 42” rod tubes, getting them that far forward you’re running out of room quick. 

I ended up doing just one rear facing tube on the port side. It’s not really for additional storage from staggering reels as much as it is a handy place for the guy in the bow to put a fly rod down quickly and be able to help land a fish, grab a beer, take a leak, or just run to another spot with minimal fuss.


----------



## bryson

Gatorgrizz27 said:


> Really like the rod holder setup, but are the lower ones going to be able to fit 9’ rods? I have an almost 7’ cockpit and 42” rod tubes, getting them that far forward you’re running out of room quick.
> 
> I ended up doing just one rear facing tube on the port side. It’s not really for additional storage from staggering reels as much as it is a handy place for the guy in the bow to put a fly rod down quickly and be able to help land a fish, grab a beer, take a leak, or just run to another spot with minimal fuss.


Yes, they will fit 9' fly rods in all locations. If for some reason you wanted to store the reel in front of the holder (like on spin gear) then you'd be a few inches short on the very bottom one, but I can't imagine ever owning a 9' spin rod.

I do really like the idea of a rear-facing tube, but the value added wasn't worth the headache for me. As for a quick-storage rod solution, I'm a fan of putting it in a stripping basket. I'm adding a foam "fly patch" to my stripping basket for that exact scenario, so that I can stick the fly on and not have it get tangled up in the line when I set the rod in there.


----------



## bryson

Figured I'd go ahead and add a few pictures -- got her out of the garage and up to the shop. Had to test fit the motor and got a sweet little tiller extension from @Jred delivered (no pictures yet, sorry). Just been sanding the inside, so no fun pictures there. I've been cleaning out the garage to get the house ready to sell, but I'm hoping to start on the deck mold this week or next.


----------



## LowHydrogen

bryson said:


> Figured I'd go ahead and add a few pictures -- got her out of the garage and up to the shop. Had to test fit the motor and got a sweet little tiller extension from @Jred delivered (no pictures yet, sorry). Just been sanding the inside, so no fun pictures there. I've been cleaning out the garage to get the house ready to sell, but I'm hoping to start on the deck mold this week or next.
> 
> View attachment 132286
> 
> 
> View attachment 132284
> 
> 
> View attachment 132282
> 
> 
> View attachment 132280


You're building this boat, working, and getting a house ready to sell? Man you are a busy dude!
Looks really sweet man. I like that low towing eye in the bow!


----------



## mwolaver

Saw similar rod storage on a Chittum recently. Slick.


----------



## Sublime

I'd leave it like that bottom pic. Looks like one of those hot rods that they just shoot a clear coat over the patina.


----------



## Ironmandad

Bryson,
Amazing job! I just read your thread after purchasing the plans couple months ago. Ive built an xf20 with 3/8 Okuma and I’m ready to build something different with foam. Everyone sounds super helpful and encouraging on this site. 
Chris Morejohn suggested passing on the jigs. Would you consider doing that or selling them?
Either way I’m inspired by your craftsmanship and will start posting soon.


----------



## bryson

Thanks for the kind words, guys. @LowHydrogen yes, the timing is pretty bad. I'd say a solid 90% of this boat has been built between the hours of 9pm-12am. @Ironmandad I was originally going to keep the stations to build a 16 with my buddy, but I don't know when we're going to start and I'd hate to damage them in storage or something. I would consider selling them -- shoot me a message and we can talk about it.

Not a ton to report since the last update -- mostly been fairing, and got a coat of primer on the whole interior (not pictured). I also fixed a few small air bubbles that I found in the cockpit along the chines. I got the rigging tubes run at the top corners of each side (also not pictured). I've filled the stern boxes with foam and started leveling them off to glass over, but haven't actually glassed yet.

Here's an older pic, but I thought it was a good view to help visualize the layout. Front bulkhead stays open, the aft bulkhead gets a hatch. Rigging tube holes weren't cut yet in this picture, and no primer has been put down.










Gotta try to build in a little good juju -- the fly and leader from the first tarpon I landed got foamed into one of the chambers. @Lmhanagr has been helping me a lot on this whole thing, and he dropped in the fly from his first redfish too.










For some slightly more exciting news, I started the deck mold. It's pretty cool starting to see the shape. I didn't make a plywood template first, so I hope that doesn't come back to bite me. I measured everything several times, so it *should* fit correctly on the hull. There's a 3/4" crown to the deck as well, which ended up being more of a pain than I planned. If I were to do it again, there are a few things I would do differently to make it easier on myself.


----------



## LowHydrogen

What power you going with or have you decided yet?


----------



## bryson

LowHydrogen said:


> What power you going with or have you decided yet?


Going with a 30hp Yamaha 2 stroke -- it's a 2002 but we disassembled it as far as you can imagine (even removed the shafts for both turning and tilting), replaced anything suspect, and cleaned/lubed every single part. Everything operates like new, and there's very little corrosion. I'm really happy with it, and I owe my buddies some nice rum/bourbon for doing the bulk of the work and letting me focus on the hull.


----------



## LowHydrogen

bryson said:


> Going with a 30hp Yamaha 2 stroke -- it's a 2002 but we disassembled it as far as you can imagine (even removed the shafts for both turning and tilting), replaced anything suspect, and cleaned/lubed every single part. Everything operates like new, and there's very little corrosion. I'm really happy with it, and I owe my buddies some nice rum/bourbon for doing the bulk of the work and letting me focus on the hull.


Nice choice. You're going to be very happy with that setup. Let me know if you want a spare.


----------



## bryson

LowHydrogen said:


> Nice choice. You're going to be very happy with that setup. Let me know if you want a spare.
> View attachment 138014


Definitely interested. I love those motors -- the one I ended up with is actually the motor from the jon boat we fished a lot in high school and college, so lots of good memories attached to it. I was always impressed with it. Unfortunately it sat outside a shed for a few years -- everything under the cowling looked great but all the turn/tilt mechanics were seized up.

Anyway, shoot me a message and we can talk about yours if you're trying to sell. I would love a spare, and my buddy is looking to build similar skiff so I know he'd be interested in it as well.


----------



## Copahee Hound

Is the front bulkhead to the bow going be an anchor locker? Or just leaving it open to access the bow eye?


----------



## bryson

Copahee Hound said:


> Is the front bulkhead to the bow going be an anchor locker? Or just leaving it open to access the bow eye?


It will have a screw-in deck plate. I might throw some very infrequently used gear like a spare pull-rope or spare aluminum prop in there, but the idea is mostly to serve as a slight "buffer" for flotation (not 100% sealed but nearly), while still being able to access the bow eye should I need to replace it.


----------



## Zika

Agree with Low Hydrogen, man you are burning the candle at both ends. Skiff is looking nice and sounds like it'll be a sweet set-up with the Yammie.


----------



## omegadef

bryson said:


> For some slightly more exciting news, I started the deck mold. It's pretty cool starting to see the shape. I didn't make a plywood template first, so I hope that doesn't come back to bite me. I measured everything several times, so it *should* fit correctly on the hull. There's a 3/4" crown to the deck as well, which ended up being more of a pain than I planned. If I were to do it again, there are a few things I would do differently to make it easier on myself.
> 
> View attachment 137956


Everything is looking great. I wish I had done a better job on the core so I wasn't in this mind numbing filling of cracks stage . What did you use for the bottom and sides of the deck mold?


----------



## JC Designs

I’d like to to get all up inside that gorgeous 30 and work some trickery on her!


----------



## sidelock

bryson said:


> Thanks for the kind words, guys. @LowHydrogen yes, the timing is pretty bad. I'd say a solid 90% of this boat has been built between the hours of 9pm-12am. @Ironmandad I was originally going to keep the stations to build a 16 with my buddy, but I don't know when we're going to start and I'd hate to damage them in storage or something. I would consider selling them -- shoot me a message and we can talk about it.
> 
> Not a ton to report since the last update -- mostly been fairing, and got a coat of primer on the whole interior (not pictured). I also fixed a few small air bubbles that I found in the cockpit along the chines. I got the rigging tubes run at the top corners of each side (also not pictured). I've filled the stern boxes with foam and started leveling them off to glass over, but haven't actually glassed yet.
> 
> Here's an older pic, but I thought it was a good view to help visualize the layout. Front bulkhead stays open, the aft bulkhead gets a hatch. Rigging tube holes weren't cut yet in this picture, and no primer has been put down.
> 
> View attachment 137952
> 
> 
> Gotta try to build in a little good juju -- the fly and leader from the first tarpon I landed got foamed into one of the chambers. @Lmhanagr has been helping me a lot on this whole thing, and he dropped in the fly from his first redfish too.
> 
> View attachment 137954
> 
> 
> For some slightly more exciting news, I started the deck mold. It's pretty cool starting to see the shape. I didn't make a plywood template first, so I hope that doesn't come back to bite me. I measured everything several times, so it *should* fit correctly on the hull. There's a 3/4" crown to the deck as well, which ended up being more of a pain than I planned. If I were to do it again, there are a few things I would do differently to make it easier on myself.
> 
> View attachment 137956


How do you create the crown on the deck ?


----------



## bryson

@omegadef I don't know what it's actually called, but I've used it as dry erase boards before. It's really flimsy, the base material is that crummy dark brown fiberboard that sags very easily. I actually had to re-make the mold with a 1/4" ply backer since it was sagging so much, even with my supports on 12" spacing.

@JC Designs I've thought about a Hydrotec kit, but we didn't have to open up the powerhead or anything to get this motor running well. If I had poor compression or something, I would have probably just gone ahead and done the kit while I was messing around in there. My buddy did the 75/90 kit on his 75, which made it nearly a 100, and we were really happy with how it turned out.

@sidelock I can't believe I didn't snap any pictures, but I cut crowned support "cradles" and placed them across my table every foot. As it got to the front they got narrower and less crowned. I ended up doing 5 sheets of 1/4" ply for a base, then the dry erase board. If I were to do it again, I'd probably make a pattern for the cradles so that they would get cut out faster and more consistent. I also might would use 3/8" ply, or maybe even 1/2" for the backing just for some extra support.

Also, I guess I should have waited until today for yesterday's update. @Lmhanagr and I pulled another late night last night and got the rest of the mold finished. Also couldn't help ourselves, we had to put the platform on there to check it out. I'm really pleased with how it's looking.


----------



## Sublime

You're setting the bar high for the rest of us.


----------



## Taylor Cullen

Love it. Bryson, where did you get the platform. It is exactly what I am looking for


----------



## bryson

Taylor Cullen said:


> Love it. Bryson, where did you get the platform. It is exactly what I am looking for


It is the original platform from a Drake Nomad. @Tigweld in Charleston, SC makes them for the Drake brothers. I got lucky that it was the exact dimensions I wanted.


----------



## Lmhanagr

Come on, we want more!


----------



## bryson

Lmhanagr said:


> Come on, we want more!


More what, batteries? Propane Tanks? Lead weights in buckets? Cause I'm fresh out!










Got the mold waxed, and all the cloth down for the top of the deck. Also added plenty of scraps to reinforce the area where the platform will mount to help distribute the load of the feet. Underneath the deck will have large bars connecting the two legs to help spread the load as well.










Here's a shot of the foam without all the weight piled up on it:











I'm hoping to lay the rest of the glass this weekend, then get the deck on the hull the following week. Really trying to get a water trial the week of the 22nd -- the boat will be very unfinished, though. I plan to seal it all up with primer, and even though the chines might not be sharpened and the strakes might not be on the hull, I'll run it around and fish it a bunch. I figure that will help me determine what changes I want to make, then I will be able to take care of all that before final fairing and paint.


----------



## Water Bound

Looking good man! Marc just did a new platform for my Guide and it turned out great.


----------



## Sublime

Man, that looks great. Why is "TOP" written on the panels?


----------



## bryson

Sublime said:


> Man, that looks great. Why is "TOP" written on the panels?


It was probably not necessary, but the foam was cut out fairly quickly and I wanted to make sure they matched up with the next section. The bevel on the edge will end up getting sanded to match the next piece though, so it didn't end up really serving any purpose.

Last night I removed the weight and screws, and got the edges all trimmed. I could still dig my fingernails in some of the thicker areas of resin that squeezed out when I bonded the foam, so I waited until tonight to prep everything to lay up the underside of the deck tomorrow.

So far I'm really pleased with how it's all looking, but I won't know for sure until it's out of the mold.


----------



## Charles Hadley

bryson said:


> @omegadef I don't know what it's actually called, but I've used it as dry erase boards before. It's really flimsy, the base material is that crummy dark brown fiberboard that sags very easily. I actually had to re-make the mold with a 1/4" ply backer since it was sagging so much, even with my supports on 12" spacing.
> 
> @JC Designs I've thought about a Hydrotec kit, but we didn't have to open up the powerhead or anything to get this motor running well. If I had poor compression or something, I would have probably just gone ahead and done the kit while I was messing around in there. My buddy did the 75/90 kit on his 75, which made it nearly a 100, and we were really happy with how it turned out.
> 
> @sidelock I can't believe I didn't snap any pictures, but I cut crowned support "cradles" and placed them across my table every foot. As it got to the front they got narrower and less crowned. I ended up doing 5 sheets of 1/4" ply for a base, then the dry erase board. If I were to do it again, I'd probably make a pattern for the cradles so that they would get cut out faster and more consistent. I also might would use 3/8" ply, or maybe even 1/2" for the backing just for some extra support.
> 
> Also, I guess I should have waited until today for yesterday's update. @Lmhanagr and I pulled another late night last night and got the rest of the mold finished. Also couldn't help ourselves, we had to put the platform on there to check it out. I'm really pleased with how it's looking.
> 
> View attachment 138204
> 
> 
> View attachment 138202
> 
> 
> View attachment 138200


I really like the platform


----------



## trekker

Good work, Bro. That's some slick work on the deck mold.


----------



## Smackdaddy53

Nice job, coming along!


----------



## bryson

trekker said:


> Good work, Bro. That's some slick work on the deck mold.


Hah, thanks for hooking me up! I can't believe how perfectly it fits.

We finished up the deck late Saturday night. Hope to have it off the mold and glued to the deck mid-week sometime, probably Thursday. I'll give it a few days to cure, then hopefully flip it this coming weekend. Once flipped, I'll add fiberglass tape wherever I can reach, and finalize a few things on the hull (hopefully sharpening chines and adding poling strakes, but we'll see).

When that's half-decent, I'll hit it with a bunch of high-build primer, then it's time to flip it and rig it! After I fish her for a few weeks, I'll de-rig everything, change anything I want to change, then start the process of "final" fairing and painting.


----------



## jasonrl23

Your work is so clean!


----------



## Charles Hadley

bryson said:


> Hah, thanks for hooking me up! I can't believe how perfectly it fits.
> 
> We finished up the deck late Saturday night. Hope to have it off the mold and glued to the deck mid-week sometime, probably Thursday. I'll give it a few days to cure, then hopefully flip it this coming weekend. Once flipped, I'll add fiberglass tape wherever I can reach, and finalize a few things on the hull (hopefully sharpening chines and adding poling strakes, but we'll see).
> 
> When that's half-decent, I'll hit it with a bunch of high-build primer, then it's time to flip it and rig it! After I fish her for a few weeks, I'll de-rig everything, change anything I want to change, then start the process of "final" fairing and painting.


On the final fairing process,on large repairs I use a pneumatic 16 inch orbital board file made by Hutchins. Beats the hell out out of blocking by hand on the large areas,you may want to check one out.your skiff will be bad as either way can't wait to see final product.


----------



## Tigweld

Second the Hutchins air file


----------



## Mc_Fly

Looks great


----------



## bryson

Got the interior in primer last night; it was so exciting watching it all become one solid color!

I still need to bond in the rod tubes, and I have a few holes left to drill/fill: rod rack and fuel tank bungees, switch panel, and fuse block. Need to trim down the drain tube, and drill/fill for the trim tabs as well. Also need to glass the top of the foam in the rigging channels and prime that.

Once all that is done, I can bond the deck. Actually, I might be able to push back some of the above list until rigging time, or maybe I'll do it while I'm waiting for the deck putty to cure 100% before flipping.

Main reason behind this post though is to show off some photos. Can't explain how cool it looks when it's all one color. I feel like the pictures don't even do it justice, but then again I was also pretty swimmy from paint fumes last time I saw the hull.


----------



## Sublime

Looking great. What is the vertical measurement on the opening in the bulkhead next to the cockpit?


----------



## bryson

Sublime said:


> Looking great. What is the vertical measurement on the opening in the bulkhead next to the cockpit?


Forward bulkhead will remain open, and I think it's about 12-13". Would have to check.

The opening in the aft bulkhead is 11" right now, but will have a hatch in it so I think only about 9" opening once that's installed.


----------



## bryson

Been a whirlwind of activity recently. The deck mold was a disaster -- the good news is that the deck itself came out fine, but the mold stayed attached over at least 95% of the surface. Between me and @lmhangr it took 18 hours with a chisel to get it all cleaned up. Thankfully he put in a ton of time while I was stuck at work.

So we put it on the boat to chisel the mold off and check the fit, cut the flanges to a proper height, then pulled it back off and primed the underside of the deck (leaving raw glass where it gets bonded). Got it back on and bonded Saturday, and we flipped the whole boat back over yesterday. Another issue during this whole process -- we used too much weight when bonding. It worked great over the fwd and aft deck where there are tons of bulkheads, but created a little low spot near the aft end of the gunwale on each side. It's not very noticeable to anyone else, but I know it's there. I think that with a little putty it will be almost invisible, especially since the rubrail will visually define the shear line.

I'm currently finishing up glassing the deck to the hull, as well as adding poling strakes. I'm going to do all I can today and slap some primer on it tonight. Then flip tomorrow, putty and prime the deck. She will be super rough, but needs to be ready for my upcoming trip. During the trip I'll keep notes of anything I'd like to change, then do all that before the final fairing and painting.

Anyway, enough chin-wagging, onto the pictures.

Deck mold carnage:




























Before fit check:










Cleaned up and ready for sanding:










Tool for cutting the flange (added another 1/2" spacer to trim the interior):










Flipped:


----------



## K3anderson

That tool is freaking brilliant.


----------



## jglidden

Whew! Glad you could chizzle the mold off the deck!
Not sure what you did for wax but hindsight is always 20/20. I used about two complete jars of honeycomb wax for my deck mold. When building the hatches, I realized that the exotherm from the resin renders the wax useless unless you use a TON.

*It might not even be the exotherm but that's my running theory. Someone smarter than me like James may know. 

Deck looks awesome!


----------



## bryson

Thanks guys! @jglidden I have used that mold material before with a can of Johnson's Paste Wax, and it released much better. However, I wasn't rolling the epoxy directly onto it -- wetted out cloth and some resin just dropped down onto it. This time I couldn't find my wax (ended up finding it at the bottom of a moving box) and had to use paste wax from an auto store. If I do this again I will probably use proper mold release wax and PVA. I will also likely use melamine instead of the dry erase board.

@K3anderson I was really happy with how well that simple tool worked. It also had the unintended benefit of adding extra stability to the angle grinder due to the wide grip you can use.


----------



## kamakuras

What wax and how many layers did you do? I did three layers of Partial Paste Wax and you have to be liberal with the stuff. Glad it came out ok love the deck shape.


----------



## Sublime

You going to keep the Drake logo on the platform? 

The shop I was at used Partall Paste #2.


----------



## crboggs

Very nice!


----------



## Copahee Hound

Loving the simple layout! Almost road trip worthy


----------



## BrownDog

Awesome progress! Going to be well worth the frustration when done


----------



## jasonrl23

bryson said:


> I will also likely use melamine instead of the dry erase board.


I recently experimented with liquid teflon ($4 on amazon) to seal the melamine before I applied wax for small hatch Im making. Work perfect. The part almost fell out of the mold.


----------



## jasonrl23

kamakuras said:


> What wax and how many layers did you do? I did three layers of Partial Paste Wax and you have to be liberal with the stuff. Glad it came out ok love the deck shape.


Speaking for myself, obviously not Bryson, but I've used McGuires #8 wax for the past 15 years. Best tip I've ever received was from an old boat builder that sold us our semi perm release agent. 3 coats of wax, 1 hour between coats, he insisted that you have to let each coat dry thoroughly. It hasn't failed me yet.


----------



## bryson

@kamakuras I used Turtle Paste Wax from a nearby auto store, and only used one coat. Dumb move in retrospect, but I had good luck with a single layer of Johnsons Paste Wax previously, although the conditions were different.

I think even the cheap wax might have worked if I had done multiple layers like @jasonrl23 talks about. Oh well, I doubt I'll ever find out because proper mold-release products aren't all that expensive, but I just can't do stuff like that on the fly. I definitely hurried the mold prep process too much and paid a price.

What's that saying -- if you don't have the time to do it right, you'll have to find time to do it twice? Something along those lines anyway... I could have burned a 4-6 hour, super-easy day of waxing and drying, and it would have saved 2 full days of chiseling.

The important thing to me though, is that the deck wasn't compromised. I would have really been heartbroken if I had to build a new deck or do major repairs to this one.

And @Sublime -- the Drake logo will stay for a little while. I'm going to build a casting platform as well, and when that's done I'll get a Seadek-type company to do the tops of both platform as well as under the gunwales.


----------



## Moonpie

I admire individuals like yourself that have the gift to create something like this. 

Your photos and especially the lighting used really highlighted your build.

Can’t wait to see the launch pictures!


----------



## bryson

Alright, been MIA for a while because I've spent every hour I could find working on the boat. Added poling strakes and covered them with 3 layers of 8.7 oz tape. Got the underside of the hull primed, and got the deck joint filleted and the motor well taped in with plenty of glass. I still plan to add cloth the the whole flange for the rub rail, but haven't yet. Flipped right side up, and added even more cloth (3 x 10 oz) around where the transom meets the deck. Hung the motor with no rigging to speak of, and did a wet test on a local lake. Everything went pretty well, but exposed some motor issues under load. Still, a successful launch and we shared some nice rum. @Chris Morejohn was kind enough to join us virtually and be a part of the launch. To say I'm impressed with his design would be a vast understatement.

Anyway, no time to waste celebrating, back to the shop to drill and fill for poling platform and casting platform mounts, push pole holders, and all the bungees. No time to putty the deck, just sanded and primed it at oh-God-thirty the night before the trip. We hung the motor, push pole holders, and poling platform right before we left the next morning, with the deck still slightly tacky. We'll sleep when we die (or at least when we get home from the trip). We threw a bunch of tools in some cardboard boxes in the back of the truck and went on down to the Keys. I had no idea how much I'd use that tow eye in the bow, unfortunately.




























Finished the tabs/rigging/wiring in the Keys, but the motor issues got substantially worse before we could really put her through her paces. But, I could manage a rough idle and I had a buddy who was willing to tow me every once in a while. The hull is amazing -- almost too shallow. Even with 2 guys, the chines are out of the water and there's just a little bit of slap. With 3 she sits down just enough to be nice and quiet. Not sure how she'll do with 3 guys and the 30hp though, but I think it will be just fine. With nobody on board, a full soft cooler and about 1/2 tank of fuel, she sits at maybe 3.25" at the stern, even less at the bow. Tape says 3", but there's a slight curve to the hull so the keel is lower. Although the soft cooler was on that side, so who really knows. You can still see the 4" line (maybe 4.25") on the last picture of my previous post, and how much lower the tow eye is than that. The tow eye is almost completely out of the water at rest, so it's maybe 2.75"-3" up there. Conchfish 178 Build (SC Lowcountry)



















It was a frustrating trip having to work on the boat and also tear apart the motor, but I figured I would pole anywhere that I could, then idle up or across any channels to get to nearby flats. So after 5 miles of poling, some very rough idling and lots of pull re-starting, @Lmhanagr put the first fish on the boat -- a nice bonefish on the fly, which also happened to be his first bonefish ever. We hooted and hollered a bit, then had a few celebratory beers on the long tow home.




























Overall it was a very bittersweet trip. I had to put my dog down in the middle of the mad rush of prep, but thankfully the trip and the boat work kept my mind occupied. The trip itself was insanely frustrating and stressful, with a spike of elation for the bonefish -- Lucas's first, the first in my boat, and the first for our group's Keys trip on the 6th year of trying. Very happy to take a breather for a minute -- but for only a minute, since I'm moving in 2 weeks. Then I will really get to breathe, to slow down and troubleshoot the engine, to putty and fair the deck, to finish fairing the hull and to get everything the way that I will want it in the long term. The Keys trip was a hell of a trial run and I learned a lot about the boat. On a side note, the off-white of that primer is growing on me, and now I might stick with a white shade rather than a guide green color. We'll see.

So future updates might not be too soon, but for now I'll just say that I'm thrilled with this hull. I don't have as much experience with skiffs as many others on this site, but I've never been on anything like it. The brief moments where the motor ran at about 80%, she handled beautifully. Up on plane in an instant, controllable in tight turns, and decent speed (all things considered). A beautiful, clean wake, and I feel like the 12x4 trim tabs are the perfect size. Poling is a dream, I can turn the skiff in a moment's notice to give the angler an easier cast, and it's more stable than I expected. Even did Chris's "stability test" during the test run on the lake.

Wouldn't be right if I didn't include a picture of the pup on one of our last days together. He was a huge part of this build and I miss him something fierce. Love you buddy.


----------



## Zika

So sorry to hear about losing your buddy. Never easy under any circumstances.

Glad you were able to get the skiff slimy with the bonefish and put it through the paces. Sounds like it was an excellent way to fine-tune the finish. 

Good luck with the move.


----------



## Water Bound

Man so very sorry to hear about the pup!!! So hard losing our best friends, I still tear up for those I've lost. Cheers on the amazing work building your skiff and that first fish!


----------



## Sublime

The bonefish HAS to be some good mojo. Skiff looks fantastic. Sorry to hear about the dog. Never easy.


----------



## JC Designs

Sorry about your pup brother. Shoot me a text or pm about that motor, we’ll get it sorted out!


----------



## Pole Position

Congrats on the build--just a matter of time before you get it dialed in.

Really sorry to hear about your dog. I'm always been drawn to the quote--so effin' true:

*If there are no dogs in heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went. - Will Rogers*


----------



## flyclimber

Seriously impressed! Sorry to hear about the motor troubles, I can relate! If our paths ever cross I would definitely pole ya around!


----------



## mwolaver

You'll look back on this Keys trip and realize that you have learned something. 

First thing they taught us at Tech: if you're gonna be dumb, you better be tough, or go to UGA.

I found a little wooden dingy when I was young. Dad helped me drag it to the lake....it leaked. Dad pushed me out and told me to go fishing. 

These memories will get better with age. Now finish that thing all the way up, so I can come pole you around some!!!


----------



## dldsm7

Congratulations on your semi-successful first trip out Bryson! You did a mighty fine job on that skiff, wish I could have dropped by to see it as you were working on it. Perhaps I will see you cruising the flats one day. So sorry about having to say goodbye to your pup though, they are truly the best and most selfless animals, makes it a very bitter-sweet ending for the build.


----------



## Tigweld

Great job, i need to check it out


----------



## bryson

Thank you all for the kind words about the dog and the compliments on the boat.

I am still just in love with the skiff, and have barely gotten to use it. We saw high 20's on the very first test run with 2 people on board, but didn't get to really wind it out before she started bogging down (and it just continued getting worse after that). I did notice that the shift lever just barely grazes the edge of the deck where it overhangs the motor well, but that's the only thing I would want to change. It's actually so close that I think I can raise the motor about 1/4" and have no issue at all, but we will see.

I look forward to really getting everything faired out nicely and in real paint. I've been very impressed with the Alexseal 302 primer, and have high hopes for their paint as well. Still on the fence about color -- I'm having a tough time deviating from a more "classic" white skiff, but I do love that guide green.


----------



## Taylor Cullen

Congrats Bryson! Been fun to watch your build thus far. You have no idea how many times I have pulled your tread up when staring at the boat contemplating my next move. An inspiration for sure. Once the NC/SC builds are done and COVID is no longer an issue we need to schedule a meet up.


----------



## Moonpie

My deepest condolences on the loss of your much loved companion. Our dogs and horses are an essential part of our family and when one passes it breaks our hearts. There truly is a price to pay when God calls them home.


----------



## Mike Haydon

Looks incredible! Congrats on getting it wet , I know you will have it all sorted out before you k ow it.


----------



## Water Bound

That’s Marc


----------



## bryson

The Conchfish was on the back burner for a while, but I was able to get out for a good test run yesterday. The plan is to enjoy the skiff up until the end of the year, then strip it back down to finish fairing and paint over the winter.

It was calm out, but I'm happy with the performance so far. Really can't wait to see what she does in some chop. I will say that I think 12" x 4" was a good call on the tabs. I honestly think that I could have gone smaller if I had wanted. The response is immediate; any bigger and I feel like it would be too "jumpy."

Topped out at 30mph (against a slow current), but I still need to mess with engine height, trim, and prop. Might be able to squeeze 1-2mph out of it, but I'm not too concerned. I need to use a touch of tab to prevent porpoising, but I'm pretty confident I can fix that with the mounting height or trim. I'm also thinking about adding a small backup fuel tank/can in the bow -- it would act as a little ballast and could be good to have for longer runs.

I made the deck opening for the motor well a little small for this motor -- it would be fine if the shift lever were on the tiller, but it comes off the lower cowling and sticks out pretty far. When the motor is tilted up, it comes close to hitting when the motor is leaned over to port. I raised the motor up a hole to give more clearance, but I think that might be contributing to the porpoising (even though the AV plate is only set about 1" above the keel). I may do a small setback bracket rather than modifying the motorwell opening, but I'm not sure yet.

Anyway, here's a short clip of yesterday's run; I'm excited to finally get to enjoy the skiff some:


----------



## Copahee Hound

Looks like you got the engine issues ironed out... Have you decided on paint color and which product yet? Rolling Alexseal?


----------



## bryson

Copahee Hound said:


> Looks like you got the engine issues ironed out... Have you decided on paint color and which product yet? Rolling Alexseal?


The white has really grown on me, so I think I'll stick with that. Plus we caught that first bonefish with it painted white so I feel like it's got some good mojo. I will most likely spray the Alexseal, but I'm not completely ruling out rolling. They have a semi-gloss that I think would look super cool, but I think the gloss might be easier to clean, and easier to fix (cut/buff) if I ever have to make a repair. Still on the fence there.


----------



## bryson

Gotten out a few more times with @Lmhanagr, so here are some more updates, and feedback on the performance of the skiff for those interested:


The skiff is shallow. Stupid shallow. I'm consistently amazed at what we pole over even with a full tank of fuel, a full cooler, and 2 guys totaling about 350 lbs.
So far it's extremely dry. I've had her out in multiple "small craft advisory" days and haven't gotten sprayed other than the times I was playing with the tabs. It's so easy to lift the windward side of the skiff, and have the spray completely behind you. If you really chose to bury the bow down into the waves, you may get wet, but I haven't had an issue yet. Also mostly only been in chop so far, no big swells yet.
It's really cool being able to run on plane at pretty much any speed I want. 
Never had a skiff without a false floor before, so seeing the bottom flex is strange and will take some getting used to. A little tab makes it go away, but it's definitely still odd.
The skiff is surprisingly stable. Walking the gunwale is no problem at all. Having 2 guys over the same gunwale to land a fish is no issue either. I did the Chris Morejohn dance around the whole deck on my first test launch.
Back deck length is short enough that I find myself leaving the tiller extension at home. I may cut it down and run a very short one, but I haven't decided yet.
I absolutely love the large cockpit and large front deck. It's very easy to get rods in and out, and I have a dance floor up front. Only downside is that it's kind of a pain to pull the portable tank out since I have to reach up in there a ways. Not too bad, but definitely something you have to climb in the boat for.
Also still a big fan of the staggered rod holders. Really need to get some seadek or something on there though -- the bungees are pretty tight and I worry about the line and/or the cork. I also plan to put some on the side of the hull to protect the reels.

Overall I don't know if I could be much happier with the hull. It meets or exceeds my expectations all around. It's still definitely a small, light skiff, so there are obviously limitations associated with that, but they haven't been an issue so far. I also haven't tried to cross any huge water so far either, but that's not what the skiff is made for. Guaranteed I will before too long though, so I'll give an update once I push the skiff to its (or my) limits.

*39 more days to test/fish the skiff before I tear it all back down. Anyone have any questions? Suggestions on things I should try or test? Feedback? Now is the time to do it, since I'd like to make any changes before I actually finish her out.*


----------



## Net 30

Wow......one of the only times on this site it shows a skiff that can truely float in spit!

Congrats.


----------



## JC Designs

Net 30 said:


> Wow......one of the only times on this site it shows a skiff that can truely float in spit!
> 
> Congrats.


I didn’t watch the video because I knew they float stupid skinny when built light, but did after your reply and agree that the video is very nice proof of how shallow a well thought out and properly built skiff can float!

Great job @bryson 🔥🔥🔥


----------



## hillcharl

That video is awesome! And motivation to get my ducks in a row so I can build one. I wade fish in water deeper than that!


----------



## Indoman

Beautiful! Which “white” is that?


----------



## bryson

Thanks all! 

@Indoman that's just the Alexseal primer, but the color has really grown on me. I think I'm going to ask the rep what color of white they have that's closest to the primer, then I'll paint with that.


----------



## Copahee Hound

@bryson Are you rocking the finishing primer or the high build? I’m going to be visiting Alexseal soon and think I’m just going to prime until I know nothing delams


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## bryson

@Copahee Hound that's the high build. They said no issues with running it, just want to wash extremely well with water and vinegar before starting paint prep.

I'm glad I did this test phase, just for peace of mind. I've been intentionally not taking it easy on the hull - with respect to both trailering and rough water. I want any issues to show up now rather than after paint. Not just structural issues, I also want to make sure I don't want to make any functional changes. For example, I'm debating changing the size of the motor well. Still undecided on that though.


----------



## bryson

So, I think I shot myself in the foot a little by making the cockpit so large -- it's about a 4' x 7.5' unsupported panel. I've fished the skiff a decent amount in everything from slick calm to decent wind chop, and decided that the flexing of the hull bottom will end up bugging me to death over time. I would gladly trade a little weight for some extra rigidity (especially since she floats so shallow at the moment). So, the plan for this winter is to double the core thickness, and roughly double the amount of glass on the underside of the skiff and in the cockpit. The front hatch drain will be routed through the middle of the core, which will be convenient if I ever decide to put a hatch on the front bulkhead.

The easiest way to have such a large cockpit would have been to have a floor, but I really like the feel of the boat without one. The gunwales feel higher and walking in the cockpit is very stable. Plus, to add a floor at this point would mean a rebuild of both fwd and aft bulkheads, so the decision to double the core instead was pretty easy.

I've already picked up a sheet of 3/4" H60, and I'm about to order some 18 oz cloth and more resin and fillers. While I don't think this reinforcement is absolutely necessary for a sheltered-water skiff, I think that I can afford to lose a little draft in exchange for a more "solid" feel, especially when I take my wife and daughter on the boat (or if I find myself in rough conditions). Rough calculations have me guessing I'll add around 50 lbs, but all of it will be to the bottom of the skiff, along a large portion of the length. The extra glass on the outside will run from the transom to the stem, and the extra glass on the inside will be limited to the cockpit area. I'm sure that fairing the deck will add some weight as well, but that was going to happen anyway.

I think that when all is said and done, I'll probably gain less than an inch of draft. I'll still be around the 4" mark with nobody on board, which is great. This includes all the extra reinforcement, plus all of the additional fairing that will be required for a high-quality finish. De-rigging starts next week; hopefully this whole process goes smoothly. @Lmhanagr, sorry in advance for the itchy forearms.


----------



## mwolaver

bryson said:


> So, I think I shot myself in the foot a little by making the cockpit so large -- it's about a 4' x 7.5' unsupported panel. I've fished the skiff a decent amount in everything from slick calm to decent wind chop, and decided that the flexing of the hull bottom will end up bugging me to death over time. I would gladly trade a little weight for some extra rigidity (especially since she floats so shallow at the moment). So, the plan for this winter is to double the core thickness, and roughly double the amount of glass on the underside of the skiff and in the cockpit. The front hatch drain will be routed through the middle of the core, which will be convenient if I ever decide to put a hatch on the front bulkhead.
> 
> The easiest way to have such a large cockpit would have been to have a floor, but I really like the feel of the boat without one. The gunwales feel higher and walking in the cockpit is very stable. Plus, to add a floor at this point would mean a rebuild of both fwd and aft bulkheads, so the decision to double the core instead was pretty easy.
> 
> I've already picked up a sheet of 3/4" H60, and I'm about to order some 18 oz cloth and more resin and fillers. While I don't think this reinforcement is absolutely necessary for a sheltered-water skiff, I think that I can afford to lose a little draft in exchange for a more "solid" feel, especially when I take my wife and daughter on the boat (or if I find myself in rough conditions). Rough calculations have me guessing I'll add around 50 lbs, but all of it will be to the bottom of the skiff, along a large portion of the length. The extra glass on the outside will run from the transom to the stem, and the extra glass on the inside will be limited to the cockpit area. I'm sure that fairing the deck will add some weight as well, but that was going to happen anyway.
> 
> I think that when all is said and done, I'll probably gain less than an inch of draft. I'll still be around the 4" mark with nobody on board, which is great. This includes all the extra reinforcement, plus all of the additional fairing that will be required for a high-quality finish. De-rigging starts next week; hopefully this whole process goes smoothly. @Lmhanagr, sorry in advance for the itchy forearms.


As we have discussed, IMO a "no floor, but double core" model is the best of all worlds.... Enjoy.


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## Sublime

Can you do this by the weekend and before I start putting stringers in? Thanks in advance.


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## Open Fly -The Later Years

bryson said:


> So, I think I shot myself in the foot a little by making the cockpit so large -- it's about a 4' x 7.5' unsupported panel. I've fished the skiff a decent amount in everything from slick calm to decent wind chop, and decided that the flexing of the hull bottom will end up bugging me to death over time. I would gladly trade a little weight for some extra rigidity (especially since she floats so shallow at the moment). So, the plan for this winter is to double the core thickness, and roughly double the amount of glass on the underside of the skiff and in the cockpit. The front hatch drain will be routed through the middle of the core, which will be convenient if I ever decide to put a hatch on the front bulkhead.
> 
> The easiest way to have such a large cockpit would have been to have a floor, but I really like the feel of the boat without one. The gunwales feel higher and walking in the cockpit is very stable. Plus, to add a floor at this point would mean a rebuild of both fwd and aft bulkheads, so the decision to double the core instead was pretty easy.
> 
> I've already picked up a sheet of 3/4" H60, and I'm about to order some 18 oz cloth and more resin and fillers. While I don't think this reinforcement is absolutely necessary for a sheltered-water skiff, I think that I can afford to lose a little draft in exchange for a more "solid" feel, especially when I take my wife and daughter on the boat (or if I find myself in rough conditions). Rough calculations have me guessing I'll add around 50 lbs, but all of it will be to the bottom of the skiff, along a large portion of the length. The extra glass on the outside will run from the transom to the stem, and the extra glass on the inside will be limited to the cockpit area. I'm sure that fairing the deck will add some weight as well, but that was going to happen anyway.
> 
> I think that when all is said and done, I'll probably gain less than an inch of draft. I'll still be around the 4" mark with nobody on board, which is great. This includes all the extra reinforcement, plus all of the additional fairing that will be required for a high-quality finish. De-rigging starts next week; hopefully this whole process goes smoothly. @Lmhanagr, sorry in advance for the itchy forearms.


Bryson, 
Just a couple of questions. I saw the video running, very nice looking skiff; is your Yamaha 30 a 2 stroke or 4 stroke?
I have a 4 stroke 40 that has the bogging problem sometimes, not always, when open the throttle wide open from idle, sometimes boggs. If I play with the throttle, usually goes away, sometimes have to slow all the way to idle they try again. Have not been able to figure out the problem.
Capt Dave Jackson


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## Open Fly -The Later Years

bryson said:


> So, I think I shot myself in the foot a little by making the cockpit so large -- it's about a 4' x 7.5' unsupported panel. I've fished the skiff a decent amount in everything from slick calm to decent wind chop, and decided that the flexing of the hull bottom will end up bugging me to death over time. I would gladly trade a little weight for some extra rigidity (especially since she floats so shallow at the moment). So, the plan for this winter is to double the core thickness, and roughly double the amount of glass on the underside of the skiff and in the cockpit. The front hatch drain will be routed through the middle of the core, which will be convenient if I ever decide to put a hatch on the front bulkhead.
> 
> The easiest way to have such a large cockpit would have been to have a floor, but I really like the feel of the boat without one. The gunwales feel higher and walking in the cockpit is very stable. Plus, to add a floor at this point would mean a rebuild of both fwd and aft bulkheads, so the decision to double the core instead was pretty easy.
> 
> I've already picked up a sheet of 3/4" H60, and I'm about to order some 18 oz cloth and more resin and fillers. While I don't think this reinforcement is absolutely necessary for a sheltered-water skiff, I think that I can afford to lose a little draft in exchange for a more "solid" feel, especially when I take my wife and daughter on the boat (or if I find myself in rough conditions). Rough calculations have me guessing I'll add around 50 lbs, but all of it will be to the bottom of the skiff, along a large portion of the length. The extra glass on the outside will run from the transom to the stem, and the extra glass on the inside will be limited to the cockpit area. I'm sure that fairing the deck will add some weight as well, but that was going to happen anyway.
> 
> I think that when all is said and done, I'll probably gain less than an inch of draft. I'll still be around the 4" mark with nobody on board, which is great. This includes all the extra reinforcement, plus all of the additional fairing that will be required for a high-quality finish. De-rigging starts next week; hopefully this whole process goes smoothly. @Lmhanagr, sorry in advance for the itchy forearms.


Bryson,
Would love to take a look at the skiff before you start deconstruct. 
Is that possible?
Capt Dave Jackson


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## hillcharl

bryson said:


> So, I think I shot myself in the foot a little by making the cockpit so large -- it's about a 4' x 7.5' unsupported panel. I've fished the skiff a decent amount in everything from slick calm to decent wind chop, and decided that the flexing of the hull bottom will end up bugging me to death over time. I would gladly trade a little weight for some extra rigidity (especially since she floats so shallow at the moment). So, the plan for this winter is to double the core thickness, and roughly double the amount of glass on the underside of the skiff and in the cockpit. The front hatch drain will be routed through the middle of the core, which will be convenient if I ever decide to put a hatch on the front bulkhead.
> 
> The easiest way to have such a large cockpit would have been to have a floor, but I really like the feel of the boat without one. The gunwales feel higher and walking in the cockpit is very stable. Plus, to add a floor at this point would mean a rebuild of both fwd and aft bulkheads, so the decision to double the core instead was pretty easy.
> 
> I've already picked up a sheet of 3/4" H60, and I'm about to order some 18 oz cloth and more resin and fillers. While I don't think this reinforcement is absolutely necessary for a sheltered-water skiff, I think that I can afford to lose a little draft in exchange for a more "solid" feel, especially when I take my wife and daughter on the boat (or if I find myself in rough conditions). Rough calculations have me guessing I'll add around 50 lbs, but all of it will be to the bottom of the skiff, along a large portion of the length. The extra glass on the outside will run from the transom to the stem, and the extra glass on the inside will be limited to the cockpit area. I'm sure that fairing the deck will add some weight as well, but that was going to happen anyway.
> 
> I think that when all is said and done, I'll probably gain less than an inch of draft. I'll still be around the 4" mark with nobody on board, which is great. This includes all the extra reinforcement, plus all of the additional fairing that will be required for a high-quality finish. De-rigging starts next week; hopefully this whole process goes smoothly @Lmhanagr, sorry in advance for the itchy forearms.


Could you add a couple of strips of CF tape in the cockpit to achieve the stiffness you are looking for? I'm a huge fan of these skiffs without the floor in them.


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## bryson

hillcharl said:


> Could you add a couple of strips of CF tape in the cockpit to achieve the stiffness you are looking for? I'm a huge fan of these skiffs without the floor in them.


I considered something along those lines, but I don't think that it would be quite enough to make the difference I want. The skiff still won't have a floor, just a double-cored hull. It shouldn't even be noticeable to anyone other than me and @Lmhanagr. I should have done this from the start, but I think I must have been lying to myself a little bit as far as how much flex I was willing to tolerate.


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## Lmhanagr

@bryson bring on the itchy arms, especially if it means more bonefish and happy reds! But when I look at your profile pic which exaggerates the dance floor of a cockpit, I can see why there is some minimal flex. But I absolutely agree, the minimal flex is nothing more than a small visual that can mess with you-I have never felt the flex in walking the cockpit, landing fish, etc. And I agree that I really enjoy the boat without a floor.
@Open Fly -The Later Years I'm only the second set of hands so I can't extend the invite, but I can tell you that we have already started de-rigging some stuff. But as for your motor, Bryson and I both have a bit of experience with motors, I'm happy to help if need be-just send me a message. Also his 30 is a 2-smoke


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## Henry Lee Fowler IV

Did you ever get the Yammy running good if so what kind of speed were you getting?


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## bryson

Henry Lee Fowler IV said:


> Did you ever get the Yammy running good if so what kind of speed were you getting?


Got it running pretty well, but probably not 100% yet. Also never played with props or put a tach on it, but I was seeing about 30mph with 2 guys on still water.


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## JC Designs

Bryson, give me a call tomorrow about doubling your core if ya still have my number. Have a couple suggestions for you.


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## bryson

Okay... made a good bit of progress but wanted to wait until I had a few pictures to share. We got all the de-rigging complete. We sanded the cockpit floor, the lower chines, and up the bulkheads a little. I'm really impressed with how resilient the Alexseal high-build primer is. Then I cut/sanded a channel to sink the drain tube into the bottom core a little bit -- put a strip of 10 oz on the bottom and on top of the PVC drain tube to lock it in, then put the core on top of it. I considered vac bagging the core, but decided to use several sandbags instead. I put neat resin on the original floor and on the underside of the core, then once it was tacky I troweled on putty made with silica. The core seems to have bonded very well, according to my highly scientific knocking and pushing tests. I filled the gaps around the edges and made my fillets last night. I need to touch up a few things, and I'm hoping to glass Sunday.

Here are a few pictures -- an added bonus will be having a deeper sump for the cockpit drain.


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## Smackdaddy53

That is looking really nice! Looks like it will drain better on top of giving you the rigidity you wanted.


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## bryson

Smackdaddy53 said:


> That is looking really nice! Looks like it will drain better on top of giving you the rigidity you wanted.


Thanks Smack - another benefit is that if I ever decide to put a hatch in that front bulkhead, the drain is already taken care of. I think it looks cleaner without the drain hole there too.


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## GoGataGo52__20

Man lookin sweet bud


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## bryson

Got the floor glassed with 3 layers of 18 oz cloth, and added 2 layers to the existing glass on the inside of the transom. I got the whole topside faired, and rolled on some high-build primer, hopefully for the last time. I'm really happy with how it's all shaping up. There are a few things on the deck that bug me, but I've got to be looking for them to see them. Hopefully they'll just be forgotten about once I start fishing this thing again. Also made a plug to add a drain cover on the sump, which I think will give a more finished look to the cockpit. Still need to touch that up, but I couldn't wait to get the high build on (it's been . I'm trying to flip this weekend and start on the bottom of the hull, but it will be close. I have a few other things going on and I'd like to sand the high build before it turns into a brick.


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## Sublime

She's looking good. No mods to the splash well? Wasn't part of the old motor hitting?


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## bryson

Sublime said:


> She's looking good. No mods to the splash well? Wasn't part of the old motor hitting?


No, I decided not to modify it. When the Yamaha was centered, it would tilt all the way up but the shift lever would just barely catch the lip when I went to lower it back down. I actually broke one shift lever that way. The tiller on the tohatsu hits when trying to tilt up when centered, and won't go quite all the way. I thought about opening the motor well so that it would clear no matter how it was turned, but that would probably need an extra 3", which means I would have to modify the actual motorwell and not just the opening in the deck.

I will always turn the Tohatsu to one side before fully tilting (since I feel like a tilted up tiller is unstable in the center), so it's not really a big deal. The only reason I ever tilted the Yamaha from the center was because I had to grab the cowling and tilt it manually, which was easier to do centered, then I turned it to the side to rest once it was up. Power T/T should eliminate that with the Tohatsu. Also figured it wasn't as big of a deal since it just stops on the way up, rather than going all the way and then catching something on the way down.


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## GoGataGo52__20

Man she turned out sweet


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## DuckNut

Great job Bryson!

5 layers of 18oz - man that is more than a Bayliner


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## bryson

DuckNut said:


> Great job Bryson!
> 
> 5 layers of 18oz - man that is more than a Bayliner


Hah, thanks! Actually going to be 3x10 plus 2x18 on the hull, so maybe not quite as thick as a Bayliner! I think I worked myself into a bit of a corner with the large unsupported floor, but I'd rather be a little heavy and have confidence that I won't ever have to go through this "reinforcement" process again.

Had some setbacks getting things ready for the flip, but it's tentatively planned for Sunday. We shall see.


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## DuckNut

bryson said:


> Hah, thanks! Actually going to be 3x10 plus 2x18 on the hull, so maybe not quite as thick as a Bayliner! I think I worked myself into a bit of a corner with the large unsupported floor, but I'd rather be a little heavy and have confidence that I won't ever have to go through this "reinforcement" process again.
> 
> Had some setbacks getting things ready for the flip, but it's tentatively planned for Sunday. We shall see.


If you are stiffening up the floor like that you should glass in some side stiffeners. If the hull cannot flex when you hit a wave the vibration is going to need to travel somewhere. Just a couple behind your under gunnel rod racks would be fine. 1/2" foam covered with a couple layers of glass and screw the rod racks to them.


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## bryson

Are you suggesting small strips up the side, similar to this picture?

The floor will still flex some, just not excessively. The angle of the chines adds a lot of stiffness to the corner, so I don't think the transition between single core and double core will be any more abrupt than on a skiff with a false floor. I did run my glass up the side just to add a little strength, and am doing the same when I add glass to the hull bottom.

The only concern that I can think of (and this is unrelated to stiffening the floor) would be that my rod holders don't stiffen the side panels any, because I went with the small single holders. Having everything tied into the deck should really limit any flex there, though. I did incorporate a gusset at two locations under the deck on each side, although they don't run all the way down to the floor. They are pretty well hidden in most pictures, but you can see them in the pics before the deck was put on.


----------



## Wood

I know I am quite late to the party, but I have been through this thread probably a half dozen times. Your build and attention to detail is amazing! I am debating starting my own build in the future, so I'm soaking up all I can in these build threads. In the meantime, I'll just grab my popcorn and a beer, and move back into the stands to watch. 🍺🍿


----------



## bryson

Wood said:


> I know I am quite late to the party, but I have been through this thread probably a half dozen times. Your build and attention to detail is amazing! I am debating starting my own build in the future, so I'm soaking up all I can in these build threads. In the meantime, I'll just grab my popcorn and a beer, and move back into the stands to watch. 🍺🍿


Thank you for the kind words! Looking forward to watching your build when the time comes.


----------



## DuckNut

bryson said:


> Are you suggesting small strips up the side, similar to this picture?
> 
> The floor will still flex some, just not excessively. The angle of the chines adds a lot of stiffness to the corner, so I don't think the transition between single core and double core will be any more abrupt than on a skiff with a false floor. I did run my glass up the side just to add a little strength, and am doing the same when I add glass to the hull bottom.
> 
> The only concern that I can think of (and this is unrelated to stiffening the floor) would be that my rod holders don't stiffen the side panels any, because I went with the small single holders. Having everything tied into the deck should really limit any flex there, though. I did incorporate a gusset at two locations under the deck on each side, although they don't run all the way down to the floor. They are pretty well hidden in most pictures, but you can see them in the pics before the deck was put on.


Exactly like that.


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## bryson

DuckNut said:


> Exactly like that.


So that would really just be restricting the buckling of those side panels? I think overall, stiffening the floor will actually help. More of the load will be carried to the fwd and aft bulkheads, and less deflection in the center of the floor will reduce loading the side panels from the bottom edge where they meet the chine.

I think I'm going to leave it as-is, but I'll definitely keep an eye out for any deflection in rough seas. I like the suggestion though -- I didn't think much about strengthening the side panels when I was building the deck supports/rod holders, really only considering walking/sitting on the gunwales. Guess that's a benefit of the more traditional rod holder style that most builders use.


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## DuckNut

bryson said:


> So that would really just be restricting the buckling of those side panels?


Not quite. The sides would not buckle. 

The floor will become a "hard spot" and a hard spot is where stress cracks start. The stiffeners act to spread the vibration loads across a wide panel.

It is the same principle as why you use progressively wider tabs on stringers. The stringer is a hard spot and using wider tabs spreads that load across the hull.


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## bryson

Yeah, I see what you're saying. There will still be less of a hard spot than if I had done a false floor, though. I did also offset the cloth to do exactly what you described with stringers. The smallest piece ends on the top surface of the lower chines, and the largest piece runs up the inside of the side panels a little. I'm planning to stagger the exterior cloth the same way, but all layers will end on the side panels so that the whole chine gets extra cloth.

I've been careful to avoid hard transitions like that anywhere possible. I do a lot of FEA for my day job so I'm pretty anal about that sort of thing. I don't think that the side panels will have any kind of vibration that will cause an issue, especially since they use the same 3/4" core and have 30 oz of glass on either side. I still think it's worth keeping an eye on, though.


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## Davalos

bryson said:


> Thanks guys!
> 
> @firefighter813x definitely come on over! The garage fridge is always stocked up!
> 
> @Travis Smith All these foam options make my head spin -- I don't love the data sheet on the Carbon Core PE80 when compared to the Divinycell H80, but it might not make any difference once it's all together. I really like the Carbon Core PVC60 since it looks stronger/stiffer than the PE80 (and very similar to the Diab H60), but I worry the lower density stuff might ding too easily, like a surfboard. CoreLite has a PVC 80 as well that looks comparable to Diab H80, but I don't know if it's any cheaper.
> 
> No matter what, I'll be going with 3/4" thick foam all around, and modified the stations to use it on the chines as well. I may add some coosa or equivalent higher-density board to the transom and to a few key locations around the skiff, but I haven't decided on all of that yet either.
> 
> I'm planning to go with epoxy resin for now. It's a little more expensive, but I think it will be worth it to not have to worry about mat, and to have a little more confidence in any secondary bonding. I know I will need to watch out for the blush though, which is a new thing to me. I've done very little fiberglass work, just minor repairs, so I've got a lot of learning to do.


----------



## bryson

All of the major glass work is finished forever, at least barring any major repairs down the road. I'm guessing I added about 75# during this whole process. I plan to weigh before paint, or at least at some point before rigging. My realistic guess is that she will weigh in around #350, but I'm (not so) secretly hoping to come in a few pounds lighter.

Since the last update we flipped the hull, sanded the primer and putty off the bottom, and added lots of extra glass to the transom, the hull below the waterline, and the stem up to the bow eye. One other thing I wanted to do was a plate that goes between the motor and transom. I thought about laying one up separately, or using aluminum, but I decided to just add 82 oz of cloth there and fair it in. Basically serves the same purpose, but with a tapered edge into the rest of the transom to reduce potential for stress concentration at a hard edge.

Another cool thing is I got my HIN and registration from DNR, so this thing is legally a boat! Makes me feel like I need to do a whole new launch ceremony.

I still need to clean up the deck overhand and reinforce the rub rail flange a little, then it's back to sanding and puttying, sanding and puttying, until I am ready to sharpen the chines and go to paint. A little behind schedule but I think I'll be able to catch up.


----------



## Davalos

bryson said:


> All of the major glass work is finished forever, at least barring any major repairs down the road. I'm guessing I added about 75# during this whole process. I plan to weigh before paint, or at least at some point before rigging. My realistic guess is that she will weigh in around #350, but I'm (not so) secretly hoping to come in a few pounds lighter.
> 
> Since the last update we flipped the hull, sanded the primer and putty off the bottom, and added lots of extra glass to the transom, the hull below the waterline, and the stem up to the bow eye. One other thing I wanted to do was a plate that goes between the motor and transom. I thought about laying one up separately, or using aluminum, but I decided to just add 82 oz of cloth there and fair it in. Basically serves the same purpose, but with a tapered edge into the rest of the transom to reduce potential for stress concentration at a hard edge.
> 
> Another cool thing is I got my HIN and registration from DNR, so this thing is legally a boat! Makes me feel like I need to do a whole new launch ceremony.
> 
> I still need to clean up the deck overhand and reinforce the rub rail flange a little, then it's back to sanding and puttying, sanding and puttying, until I am ready to sharpen the chines and go to paint. A little behind schedule but I think I'll be able to catch up.
> 
> View attachment 172244
> 
> 
> View attachment 172245
> 
> 
> View attachment 172246
> 
> 
> View attachment 172247
> 
> 
> View attachment 172248


Looking good. With those fins near the bow, and a flat bottom aft, looks like your boat is going to be extremely responsive in a turn. And from the looks of it, you are going to be high and dry no matter how bad the weather turns.


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## Sublime

I like the Tohatsu in the background patiently awaiting.


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## bryson

Davalos said:


> Looking good. With those fins near the bow, and a flat bottom aft, looks like your boat is going to be extremely responsive in a turn. And from the looks of it, you are going to be high and dry no matter how bad the weather turns.


Yes, the boat handles turns very well. It slides just a little, but the "pocket chines" help keep it under control. I have stayed very dry while running so far, but I only fished her 5-6 times before stripping it back down to make changes so I'm sure I'll have my day to get soaked. Even with all the extra structure I'm adding, it's still a small skiff after all. A touch of tab to get the windward side up really works wonders when conditions are a little sloppy, though.


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## Water Bound

Looks great man, awesome work! Bring that thing to Folly for your launch ceremony and I’ll push you around...or spill my beer on it which may be most appropriate!


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## Open Fly -The Later Years

Looking so good bryson ! Can't wait to see in the flesh !
Dave


----------



## bryson

Thanks guys, still plugging along. Finally borrowed a line sander (why the hell didn't I do that earlier) and got the first coat of putty sanded. I went ahead and did round 2 last night. Still need to sharpen the chines, run cosmetic fillets on the inside corners, sand the strakes, and add some glass to the flange where the rub rail goes. Other than that, it should just be small touch-ups. I ran out of the pre-mixed fairing compound, so it's back to making my own mixes with q-cells, silica, and milled fibers. I'm really hoping to get high build rolled on this weekend, and with any luck I will start the actual painting process next week.

On a side note -- has anyone ever seen the Alexseal "Off-White" in person? The rep told me that it was their color closest to that of their high-build primer, but my only concern is that it might be too bright. He assured me it wouldn't be, but I'd love some confirmation.


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## Smackdaddy53

Looking good man!


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## Davalos

bryson said:


> Thanks guys, still plugging along. Finally borrowed a line sander (why the hell didn't I do that earlier) and got the first coat of putty sanded. I went ahead and did round 2 last night. Still need to sharpen the chines, run cosmetic fillets on the inside corners, sand the strakes, and add some glass to the flange where the rub rail goes. Other than that, it should just be small touch-ups. I ran out of the pre-mixed fairing compound, so it's back to making my own mixes with q-cells, silica, and milled fibers. I'm really hoping to get high build rolled on this weekend, and with any luck I will start the actual painting process next week.
> 
> On a side note -- has anyone ever seen the Alexseal "Off-White" in person? The rep told me that it was their color closest to that of their high-build primer, but my only concern is that it might be too bright. He assured me it wouldn't be, but I'd love some confirmation.
> 
> View attachment 172743


Bryson, looks like we are at about the same stages. I have just a little final puttying and fairing left to do. I am having an issue with my poly premixed fairing compound. I am working in 25 grams increments for purposes of dispensing hardener. 5 drops of MEKP per 25g of putty gives me about 3 or 4 minutes working time. But if I try to sand it on the same day, it cloggs up my sandpaper a bit. If I sand it the next day, it's fine. 
If I increase my MEKP to 6 drops per 25g of putty, I only get about 1 minute of working time, but I can sand it in 20 minutes with no clogging.


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## bryson

Davalos said:


> Bryson, looks like we are at about the same stages. I have just a little final puttying and fairing left to do. I am having an issue with my poly premixed fairing compound. I am working in 25 grams increments for purposes of dispensing hardener. 5 drops of MEKP per 25g of putty gives me about 3 or 4 minutes working time. But if I try to sand it on the same day, it cloggs up my sandpaper a bit. If I sand it the next day, it's fine.
> If I increase my MEKP to 6 drops per 25g of putty, I only get about 1 minute of working time, but I can sand it in 20 minutes with no clogging.


The fairing compound I'm using isn't actually pre-mixed with the resin, it's a powder from US Composites that I'm assuming is just a blend of microballoons and silica, with some color added. I'm using epoxy resin for everything on this -- I only have medium hardener left, so I've got to work somewhat quickly, but it is nice to be able to sand the next day.


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## Davalos

bryson said:


> The fairing compound I'm using isn't actually pre-mixed with the resin, it's a powder from US Composites that I'm assuming is just a blend of microballoons and silica, with some color added. I'm using epoxy resin for everything on this -- I only have medium hardener left, so I've got to work somewhat quickly, but it is nice to be able to sand the next day.


When you do your fillets with epoxy, I would consider them structural even though they have microballoons in them. It's still plenty strong.


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## bryson

Okay, I'm officially *done* fairing the hull. There are still things that will bug me, but they are minor and I'm hoping that I will forget about them once I start fishing her again. I filleted all inside radius so that they were consistent throughout. I sharpened the lower chines, keel, and strakes with milled fiber, cabosil, and a little q-cell (so that I didn't hate myself too much when sanding). It seems to be appropriate, based on how it sanded. I sharpened the upper chine with a typical fairing compound mix: mostly q-cells with a handful of silica, but I did go a little heavier with the silica than usual since it's a little more vulnerable.

I sharpened everything to a knife edge, which really helped me fine tune the highs and lows. It's still not perfect, but it's close enough for me to throw in the towel. Then I used some radius sanding blocks to put a uniform radius on all the chine edges and around the transom. I'm really happy with how it is looking overall. I didn't get a picture of the skiff in high-build since it was 4am when I finished, but I'm set up to spray primer on Saturday and paint on Monday. I'm a little nervous about paint since I don't have much experience, and the experience I do have is several years in the past, but hopefully I figure things out with the primer. Worst case scenario, I will have the guy I'm borrowing the paint booth from spray the actual paint on Monday. I'd like to do it all myself though, just for the hell of it.

Anyway, here's the last time (hopefully) I will have to see the hull in all it's multi-colored glory. Oh, I also am going to try to weigh it at some point during the trip to the paint booth, since we will be having to move the skiff around. Should have paint updates Sunday and/or Tuesday.


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## JC Designs

Looks great!


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## Smackdaddy53

She looks beautiful!


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## GoGataGo52__20

F’in A brother, that’s a boat you can be proud of! You got mad skills nice work


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## SkiffaDeeDooDah

Turned out really nice! After all the hours you've dedicated to this project, you have something to be very proud of. And I can't remember if it's been said yet... Looks tippy


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## bryson

Thanks guys! I can't wait to get it back on the water. Hopefully the paint job goes well enough -- the white should be fairly forgiving.


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## GoGataGo52__20

What size Tohatsu are you putting on her?


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## Mike Haydon

Davalos said:


> Bryson, looks like we are at about the same stages. I have just a little final puttying and fairing left to do. I am having an issue with my poly premixed fairing compound. I am working in 25 grams increments for purposes of dispensing hardener. 5 drops of MEKP per 25g of putty gives me about 3 or 4 minutes working time. But if I try to sand it on the same day, it cloggs up my sandpaper a bit. If I sand it the next day, it's fine.
> If I increase my MEKP to 6 drops per 25g of putty, I only get about 1 minute of working time, but I can sand it in 20 minutes with no clogging.


I would up it to about 32 grams and add the 6th drop and see how she does. Your already waiting the next day. See if that gives you more work time but sandabke as well. Let us know and if not try and adjust slightly with just the fairing compound.


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## Davalos

Mike Haydon said:


> I would up it to about 32 grams and add the 6th drop and see how she does. Your already waiting the next day. See if that gives you more work time but sandabke as well. Let us know and if not try and adjust slightly with just the fairing compound.


I will. Thanks


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## mwolaver

bryson said:


> Thanks guys! I can't wait to get it back on the water. Hopefully the paint job goes well enough -- the white should be fairly forgiving.


Thing is gonna rip with that 50 on the back! Bring it down south!


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## bryson

@mwolaver I should be heading south shortly after I finish this thing up! Assuming I get it done in time for our trip, at least.

The high build looked awesome. Sadly that is probably the best she will ever look. All white, plus a nice flat finish to hide any imperfections. Oh well, just take a picture to remember!

It sanded out really nicely to prep for the finish primer, which went terribly. The gun was sputtering and the pattern seemed way too heavy at the bottom of the fan. I also couldn't get my regulator to drop the pressure below about 70-80psi without cutting air flow completely. A more experienced painter probably would have known how to fix these issues, but I did not. I ended up just getting the primer down in a very ugly fashion, and I'm hoping it will sand out smooth enough to not require more.

I don't know how I am going to approach the top coat. I am going to take the gun back apart and check for a leak behind the nozzle, but I'm not too confident. The gun was super cheap, but I've had good luck with the same model several years ago, and so have my friends. Not sure if I just got a lemon, or if I missed something when cleaning it before spraying. I borrowed a regulator from a buddy too, so that may also be hurting me. I'm hoping I can get someone else to spray the top coat, but I'm on a time crunch. I also have access to another gun and regulator, so I might try some test parts and see if I feel confident enough to attempt the top coat.

At this point I feel like I might should have just rolled the paint, but having to wait a day between coats (and sanding between coats) would have added over a week to my timeline. Might have been the better route to take though -- we will see how it all turns out.

Here she is before heading to the shop, and another picture shortly into the spraying process when I had to step away since I was getting frustrated with the gun. The plastic masking was also a bad choice -- even when I taped it all up, it bellowed when I was spraying (since the pressure felt like I was hitting the hull with an air gun) and I had to hold it down with my hand. The fenders were also more in the way than I expected. Overall, I got pretty beaten up by the whole process.


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## 7665

the alexseal 442 sands out really nice with 320 grit disks on the 6" orbital sander. the 501 topcoat rolls out really easy with the rolling additive, I had no issues and I have never done this before (varnish yes, 2 part paint is a new animal). I think you can get a second coat of 501 on at just over 6 hours if the temp is above 68 degrees. you just want it within 24 hours of the previous coat, or you have to lightly sand it (which isn't bad at all but it is more work). 
spraying makes me nervous, I don't have the experience at all for that.


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## Smackdaddy53

Harbor Freight spray gun is about $10 and it sprays a nice even coat of two part paint. I used one on my aluminum hull and it came out really smooth. I had an in line water separator filter too.


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## bryson

@spinnb7 I didn't realize that you could roll multiple coats without sanding, that's good to know. I spoke to the rep and he confirmed that I could roll if I wanted (he suggested only doing 2 coats that way before it starts to orange peel pretty badly), but he also feels confident we can get the gun dialed in. I don't have much experience spraying either, but the little I have done in the past went well enough that I was ready to try it again. This shook my confidence some but I'm not sure if I want to give up on it yet or not.

@Smackdaddy53 that's probably the gun I used. The purple one? I thought it sprayed well last time I used it, and my buddy has sprayed panels on his track car with similar good results, so I bought a new one. Not sure what the deal is this time. I think a lot may be due to the regulator that I have on it. I can dial it down to about 40psi with the air at my shop, but I could only get it down to around 70 at the shop where I was spraying. I thought the sputtering might have been from a leak behind the nozzle, but I looked at it on my lunch break and at first glance it all looks okay.

Still unsure about how I want to proceed, but I'll look closer at the gun and try a different regulator tonight. I'll be at the shop anyway trying to salvage the primer -- hoping I can do it all with 320 grit to be ready for topcoat. Not the end of the world if I have to use the 120 to smooth it out, then go back over with 320, but obviously inconvenient.


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## Smackdaddy53

Leave the hull bottom orangepeel, it will go faster!


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## bryson

Smackdaddy53 said:


> Leave the hull bottom orangepeel, it will go faster!


Hide some imperfections too!


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## Smackdaddy53

bryson said:


> Hide some imperfections too!


Fish don’t care.


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## bryson

Big milestone -- I was able to salvage the primer by sanding the whole skiff with 220, then again with 320/400 grit. I borrowed a different regulator and gun, and was able to dial it all in much better. The paint went down really well. I love how the color looks in the sunlight. There are more than my fair share of fisheyes and other imperfections, but I am over the moon anyway. If this paint job were on a car I'd be disappointed, but I'm thrilled with it on the skiff. I think that I turned the fan in the booth off a little too soon after my last coat, and that might have contributed to the fisheyes (since they were mostly on the flat hull bottom). I also think the moisture trap wasn't quite doing it's job very well any more. Whatever the reason, the defects don't bother me. I'm so stoked on how this came out.

I plan to let it cure until Monday, then I'll flip it onto the trailer and start finishing the topside.


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## Copahee Hound

Congrats! Looks great from where I'm sitting. I think the fish eyes will disappear after a few meeting with the local oysters


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## Sublime

Wowzers. That looks really really good.


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## bryson

Thanks! Yeah, this boat is definitely going to get dragged across oysters, beached, stuck, etc. I'm not sweating the imperfections at all.

I'm really pleased with how the color (Alexseal Off White) turned out. I was worried about it being too bright, but I think it ended up about perfect. It looks really close to the color of the high build, and I liked that color when I fished it last year. This is obviously glossier, but hopefully that won't hurt anything. I'm planning on mixing the non-skid into the paint and spraying that as well, so I'm hoping it turns out nice and even.


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## bryson

Okay, I'm done. *Done* done. With the building part, at least. She is nowhere near perfect, but I'm just ready to enjoy this dang thing. The pictures are very kind to the boat -- there are a lot of issues that bug me, but I'm sure they will be forgotten once I'm on the water.

I am glad that I sprayed the non-skid. I think it turned out really nice. @Lmhanagr and I put in some serious work to cross the finish line last night (this morning). The non-skid looks perfect in the booth, but in the sun you can see some faint stripes. Those may fade as the paint cures. Or it might not... it doesn't bother me though; it's very slight. I'm really happy with how all of the paint turned out, especially for me being such a novice. I think I'll be even happier as it gets rigged up and the large surfaces are (visually) broken up a little bit.

I'm letting the paint cure for a few days, then rigging everything up. Should get to float it again this week or this coming weekend.


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## Sublime

Man, it looks really good. I know it was a ton of work.


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## Chris Beutel

The non-skid looks great. What grit and size tip did you use?


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## hillcharl

Looks awesome! I'd be jumping out of my skin, so ready to rig it and take it for a ride(again).


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## bryson

Chris Beutel said:


> The non-skid looks great. What grit and size tip did you use?


Thanks! I used the Griptex coarse particles, and I drilled the tip of a cheap HF gun from 1.4mm to about 1.6mm, being really careful to deburr everything.


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## BrownDog

Looks pretty darn good to me! Good tides coming up for a trial too.


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## Smackdaddy53

Dude she looks fishy to me! Good job!


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## bryson

Thanks everyone! Paint should be cured well enough to start the rigging tonight. Starting with the motor and rubrail in order to give the non-skid another day to cure before I have to get inside the skiff for anything. I ordered 316 hardware from McMaster-Carr for the rub rail, motor bolts, and trim tabs. The other hardware is a mix between 316 and 18-8, but I plan to swap most of that over when I get a chance. 316 isn't overwhelmingly expensive, it's just tougher to find locally.

There are a few cool things I'm nerding out on a little bit. I picked up a small Roxtec for the cable pass-through. It's composite, and I replaced the hardware with 316 stainless. We use them at work on the military vehicles, and I think they are such a cool idea. I got the 4/4 mini. It should handle my two battery cables, my (bundled) bilge pump wires, and a transducer cable (when I add that in). Roxtec EzEntry™ | Roxtec Inc US

I also have a wireless sonar system called a SonarPhone T-box. They are affiliated with Navionics in some way, but I don't know if they are owned by them or what. Anyway, it runs a transducer (it's a transom mount, but I'm going to silicone it into the bilge sump), and a box that connects wirelessly to your phone. I will use this very infrequently, so this is perfect for me. I'm using the Navionics app on my phone for GPS, too, since I won't need it most of the time. I have all the provisions for it set up (overdrilled/filled mounting holes, etc), but I may not install it yet in the interest of time.

Another little touch is the backing plates we've been making at the shop. We have a small anodizing setup, so my buddy has been anodizing the parts black for me. It looks great -- I like to run a starboard sheet between the fiberglass and the aluminum plate, so this should give a cleaner look. Otherwise you end up with a white hull, and a black "ring" around the perimeter of the aluminum backing plate. The process allows you to mask a pattern before adding the dye, so you can have a clear-anodized (silver) logo on a black anodized part if you want. I haven't decided if I want to do anything or not. I am leaning towards the clean look of plain black, but who knows.


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## Open Fly -The Later Years

Man Bryson she looks great !!!!!!!!!!! Good luck, go fish, have fun
Dave


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## hillcharl

I looked up the EzEntry cable pass through. That's a pretty cool product!


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## bryson

Well, she's actually a completed skiff now, other than some finishing touches I'll do later. I plan to make another "closing thoughts" type thread once I get some better pictures, but here's a rundown.

@Lmhanagr and I finished rigging super late Friday night, and headed down to Islamorada early Saturday with the rest of our crew for a full week of fishing. The wind hurt our fishing for most of the week, but I'm thrilled with how the skiff handled the rough water. I'm still learning how she likes to be run, but I got much better over the course of the week. I ran 3 people (600# total) almost the entire time -- the skiff performed better than I expected with the extra weight, both running and poling.

For those of you that like to nerd out on numbers: the extra glass definitely added to the draft, but the big contributor was the motor swap (from ~135# to ~215#). With nobody on board, the transom sits at 4.75" (a gain of about 1.5"). However, the bow is sitting about 0.75" shallower, judging by the waterline to the tow eye. With a 160# guy on the platform and a 240# guy on the bow, she sat at 5.5". If they switched, she rested at 6.5". I'm around 190-200# and I fish mostly with @Lmhanagr who I think is around 160#, so I'd expect maybe a touch over 6" when I'm poling, and probably still around 5.5" when he's poling. All in all, I'm very happy with the numbers.

Also, I weighed the bare hull immediately before rigging. My bathroom scales might not have been the most accurate, but I got 430# hull weight. Use that info however you would like in order to decide how valid you think other hull mfg advertised weights/drafts are. My weight also includes the glassed-in motor plate (158 oz cloth total, probably 1/4" thick solid glass). I deviated from the plans and ended up with a heavier skiff than necessary, but that's okay. I'm still very pleased with where I ended up -- it's still lighter than most similarly sized production skiffs, and all of that weight is structural -- no chop strand or huge putty globs here.

The canal was packed with grass for the first half of the week, but you can still see how she sits compared to the photo from the original trip.




























Overall impressions, with the caveat that I think of this as typically a 2 person boat, and we had 3 on board the whole time:

Poles like a dream. Very quiet, tracks straight, very little effort required. More effort than last year, but not by much. She gets blown around some in heavy winds, but that's to be expected. She gets extremely shallow. I was able to pole areas that I was sure we would never be able to go. We still saw several bonefish, even with 3 people on the boat. Spinning the boat is easy and silent. Pole anchor from the stern is quiet and the bow doesn't want to "wander" with the current in deeper water.

My speedometer app was messing up so I don't have a concrete top speed, but she's quick. Based off the shaky GPS readings I got, I would still say +35mph with a factory Tohatsu 15p aluminum prop and 600# of people, plus 6 gal fuel and a full soft cooler. She turns extremely well, with very minimal slide, and I love the immediate response of the tiller. The skiff did have a little bow steer in specific conditions (larger rear quartering swells), which I'm sure wasn't helped by the 3rd person up front. It didn't take long before I was comfortable controlling it, and I'm not concerned about it at all. I'm not going to say we never got wet, but for the most part we stayed astoundingly dry. It was really cool to watch the spray rails really do their job, even when we would spear a larger wave way up the stem. The ride was also very good for a flat bottom boat. The sharp bow entry really softens things up, and the ability to stay happily on plane at ~20mph can make things much more comfortable when the wind is honking.

I still need to tweak the motor position some -- I originally had a torque steer issue, but I trimmed it down to the bottom pin and it went away completely. The motor is throwing spray, but I didn't get to see where from. It almost looks like it's coming straight up from the AV plate. It doesn't spray me at all, but it shoots up like a V from the motor -- I imagine it's got to rob a little efficiency. The motor is mounted about an inch higher than the manual suggests, but I don't know if that's a contributor or not. Might make a post on that one later, when I get a better look at it all.

The tabs (12x4) are touchy. I got much better at barely engaging the switch and making micro-adjustments, but I think I may cut the tabs a little narrower, or maybe add a taper as it goes back. Full tab down is straight-up dangerous and you don't want to go more than 10mph or so.



Any other questions, let me know! I will be happy to answer to the best of my ability. I know there are probably more than a couple people interested in the Conchfish, so I want to give honest feedback to help anyone I can. Once I get some more concrete performance numbers (speed/rpm) and fancy pictures, I'll make another post in the Bragging Spot that is more of a "review" than a build thread. For now I'll just say that I think @Chris Morejohn absolutely crushed it with this design. It blows my expectations out of the water, and I'm going to love fishing on it for a long, long time.


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## Wood

@bryson Well done!! She's a beautiful skiff, and you should be very proud of your accomplishment! Seeing as I don't have your attention to detail, if you could just build one for me, that would be great . Enjoy!


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## mwolaver

Hey buddy. So maybe I missed it: did you comment on the difference in stiffness with the extra core? Maybe I'm thinking of a different boat, but didn't we talk about that? If you added another layer, the boat should be much stiffer and ride better, IMO. Let us know. 

On the tabs, I know it's a different boat, but mine has 12 x 12 blades. Much longer than yours. Are you saying you need LESS tab surface? 

Mark


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## hillcharl

Awesome info now that you are "finished". Glad you were able to fish it for a week! Why to you say it is a 2 person boat? What factors lead you to that opinion?


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## bryson

mwolaver said:


> Hey buddy. So maybe I missed it: did you comment on the difference in stiffness with the extra core? Maybe I'm thinking of a different boat, but didn't we talk about that? If you added another layer, the boat should be much stiffer and ride better, IMO. Let us know.
> 
> On the tabs, I know it's a different boat, but mine has 12 x 12 blades. Much longer than yours. Are you saying you need LESS tab surface?
> 
> Mark


Yes, we talked about it and I definitely should have done it right off the bat. I underestimated how much it would actually flex (I didn't think about how large the panel would be).

The extra core made a huge difference. The extra glass I'm sure helped too, but the increased stiffness is mostly from doubling the core. The ride feels much, much better overall, and the extra inch or so isn't noticeable when walking around.

As for the tabs, yes I think less surface would do better. I think once disadvantage of the short tabs is that the actuator is nearly vertical. Full range on the short tabs makes the tab at a much more severe angle than a longer tab would be. I think a skinny, long tab would be best, but would be more prone to catching stuff. One nice thing about these short tabs is that they are pretty tucked up and out of the way. I think cutting the sides in at 45* or so should help a little. I considered wiring in a resistor or something to slow the tabs down, but I don't think it's worth the risk of damaging something.


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## bryson

hillcharl said:


> Awesome info now that you are "finished". Glad you were able to fish it for a week! Why to you say it is a 2 person boat? What factors lead you to that opinion?


There's nothing that really limits the boat to fishing 2 people. The boat actually fishes 3 easily, although there's not really a good seat for a third when running.

I guess I just have always thought of it as 2 person boat -- I think of it as a small skiff that's made to run light, although there is plenty of deck/cockpit space for all 3 when fishing, especially if one or both are using spin gear. It's surprisingly stable, even when standing on the platform and having 2 other guys shuffling around. I think the flat bottom helps with that. On my first water test I was able to run and jump all the way around the decks and gunwales, no problem.

I guess I should edit my previous post; it's not "absolutely a 2 person boat", I just prefer it to be, and I had that in mind when making decisions and evaluating performance.


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## C Brueckner

She’s a beaut Clark!!! A true functional work of art. Have you figured out what your gonna do with all your free time now?!! Haha I’m not sure how I’m going to live with a clean garage and the project complete haha


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## bryson

C Brueckner said:


> She’s a beaut Clark!!! A true functional work of art. Have you figured out what your gonna do with all your free time now?!! Haha I’m not sure how I’m going to live with a clean garage and the project complete haha


Thank you, yours as well! Guess you'll just have to fish more now that the skiff is done! 

Since I finished up around 4am and had to be at my buddy's house by 5am to head south, my garage still looks like a boat shop exploded in it. Next project will be getting the garage in order, then I'll begin the slow process of convincing my wife to sign off on another boat build one day


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## Lmhanagr

Just wanted to toot the horn of this boat a little bit, especially having been the guy who ran around the keys for a week sitting in the front of the cockpit of this boat. First off, I would say the flex we were seeing in the cockpit has been fixed, and it is no longer noticeable underfoot or visually. The added interior layup (foam and glass), significantly added the ride and feel of the boat to be like that of a high end skiff. We stayed on the ocean side of the keys, and had to welcome a strong east wind and swell every morning that this skiff took it extremely well. 
_Note to others_ if you have limited seating, bring along a large boat fender, and it makes for a great back-saving seat for whomever gets the short straw. We happened to snag one floating along, trying to help clean up, and turned out to be a great forward seat.
As for the draft, Bryson has given you the numbers, but with 3 people we were poling this boat in water where you could see the tips of the turtle grass breaking the surface. Last year (super light lay up), with only two people, there was quite a bit of wind slap in the chines that was silenced with the additional angler. This year, with the heavier lay-up, we did pole this same flat with only two people once, and the boat was super quiet and still amazingly nimble. 
The layout of the boat is fantastic, everything you need and nothing you don't. The rear hatch is huge and dry. The front "hatch" is huge and well thought out. It holds the fuel tank, 3 PFDs, 1 throwable, 30qt soft yeti, 2 backpacks, and a Turtlebox speaker. I highly recommend taking on the challenge of these style rod holders to any future builders, as the rods were never kicked or even slightly in the way - and they look pretty good as well.
The fit and finish is awesome. Sure, it wasn't popped from a mold, but is more than impressive. I'm elated I got the chance to fish it, and hope others get to as well-or at least check it out on the water or at a ramp sometime.


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## Jeff Stuckey

bryson said:


> I’m in the beginning stages of building Chris Morejohn’s Conchfish. I’ll be extending the skiff to 17’8”, and widening the upper chines (spray rails), but only by about 0.5” on each side. I’m also planning on having a straight transom with heavily rounded corners, more along the lines of the Islamarine 10wt than the original Conchfish 16 design.
> 
> The plan (for now) is to keep the boat simple – open bulkheads and no floor, and I have a 2002 Yamaha 30 tiller 2 stroke with some serious nostalgia attached to it that I'll be rehabbing and throwing on the transom.
> 
> I tried listing the things that were extremely important to me, and the following made up the top five (in no particular order):
> 
> Serviceability
> Simplicity
> Seaworthiness/Safety
> Aesthetics (sexiness, if you want to stick with the “S” theme)
> Longevity/Durability (I want this skiff to outlast me)
> 
> I’ve spent my whole life fixing things, so serviceability is paramount. I strongly feel like every option or feature is just another potential point of failure down the road. Sometimes the benefits of the feature outweigh the failure/service concerns, but usually not. For things right on the line, I’ve found I might be able to tilt the scale by making the service/replacement an easier undertaking.
> 
> I’ve also had the unfortunate experience of sinking a 26’ center console over 50 miles from land. Obviously, that will affect some aspects of the design as well.
> 
> A few examples of some features/designs that I plan to incorporate into the skiff:
> 
> 
> A goal of zero sheet metal or self-tapping screws in the entire skiff. If for some reason I can’t figure out how to through-bolt something, the screw location will be overdrilled and filled with thickened epoxy.
> Take into account access for all fasteners.
> Zero holes through the hull below the waterline, aside from the drain plug. Absolute minimum of holes above the waterline.
> Positive flotation, in strategic locations.
> 
> Fair warning: this will likely be a pretty slow-moving build thread. My wife and I just had a daughter in October, and I feel like the house/car projects are never-ending. I am also really trying to take my time and not rush things. It prevents mistakes and results in a nicer end product, but also has the added benefit of letting me appreciate each step a little more.
> 
> For example, I probably spent an average of 45 min or so per station just drawing out the station profile, but I really enjoyed the process. I have lots of confidence in the accuracy, and am very happy with my jigsaw work so far. I also took my time figuring out the additional station, so I’m hoping it won’t require much adjustment, if any.


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