Boat building

Gdurfey said:
Doug, you are now reminding me of something from very long ago before trolling motors were around with batterie. Seems dad would put the gas tank in one back corner to offset the torque of the little outboard motor. Hmmmmmm, where did that memory come from and is it right.
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Yes, the direction of the prop does impart some torque and folks did do that.
 
Mike Hill said:
The Natchez Trace is a definite recommendatiion. The speed limit is low so you don’t hit some wildlife while going fast. If going south from my end at evening - better be careful! Sounds like you are turning right somewhere along the Mississippi River. Too bad you are coming through Smashvegas - there might be a brisket wait’n on ya!
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Didn't find any brisket, but got some tips on where I might find a wood stash. :cowboy:

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2feathers Creative Making said:
There was another pile you missed by not too much. If you ran I-40 east out of Nashville, there was a yard full around exit 311 near Crossville
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Had a late change of plans and needed to come through Nashville on the way to TX, so actually passed that point yesterday, or maybe by then it was the wee hours of this morning. Staying here in the Protestent Vatican with friends for a few days before beginning my journey South by Southwest.

At any rate, found myself in Brentwood today for something and just had to see if I could sweet-talk a receptionist into giving me the address of the hoard hideout, since the proprietor was many miles away.
 
Finally back at it... a couple of family emergencies book-ended my planned 2 weeks out of town for a road trip and dove hunt in S Texas, so it was a good 4 weeks since I touched the boat. Hope to get a fair amount done the next couple of weeks before another hiatus for my daughter's wedding.

Inside of chines fileted and glassed.

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SENC said:
Finally back at it... a couple of family emergencies book-ended my planned 2 weeks out of town for a road trip and dove hunt in S Texas, so it was a good 4 weeks since I touched the boat. Hope to get a fair amount done the next couple of weeks before another hiatus for my daughter's wedding.

Inside of chines fileted and glassed.

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looking good. Congrats on wedding... I think- I found weddings and going into backyard to burn C-notes pretty much the same except you do get heat from the C-notes....
 
A little less time this week than I'd hoped but a little progress. #6 bulkhead in, fileted, and glassed, as well as supports for a battery drawer and dry storage. Also got #4 and #5 bulkheads tacked in place and ready for filets/glassing either tomorrow or Monday. I'm using West System's Six-10 for "tacking" and gap-filling - expensive, but the ability to drop a nice bead of epoxy along a bulkhead edge before slotting it in place and to use the caulk gun to force it into gaps is sure clean and easy.

Also got started with first coats of epoxy on the new #3 bulkhead, which will go in after 4&5 are fileted and glassed. Then (thankfully) back to some woodworking on shelves, etc. in between epoxy coats throughout the inside of the boat.

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Thanks for the reminder, I'd forgotten to update here recently. I had an extended break between wedding prep, wedding, and Thanksgiving in which relatively little got done, but have had a little more time in December.

Since my last update, I got the last bulkhead installed and fileted/glassed in, my keelsons (the longitudinal pieces that run along the bottom of the boat between the bulkheads) dimensioned, shaped, and installed, then epoxy-coated the inside of the hull bottom, and, most recently, got the sole (floor) sections cut out and dry-fitted. The keelsons aren't a structural component of the hull (though they do add some strength due to their epoxying in place), but provide support to the sole. The challenge in making them was getting their upper surfaces level with the lower sections of the bulkheads and ensuring a continuous flat plane fore to aft. The sole itself took a little work to get the shape to match the varying dimensions of the hull... and then to taper the outer edges to those hull rises so that it both sits flat and has a broad surface at the outer edges for support and epoxying to the hull.

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Next steps are to remove the sole pieces to get them epoxy-coated and glassed on the upper surface (for abrasion resistance) and final prep of the hull bottom before installing the sole. I'll probably paint the hull area that will be hidden under the sole with a glossy white enamel for a final layer of protection from water and to make it a little easier to inspect for any damage or joint/moisture issues, and will be cutting access hatches into each sole piece.
 
Thanks for the update, it's coming together nicely! Will the sole sections be removable or fixed permanently? I can see how all the various, non-straight angles and edges would make getting the sole to fit flat without wobble a task.
 
DLJeffs said:
Thanks for the update, it's coming together nicely! Will the sole sections be removable or fixed permanently? I can see how all the various, non-straight angles and edges would make getting the sole to fit flat without wobble a task.
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I'm planning to epoxy it in permanently, thus the need for access hatches.
 
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Only got a little more done, as attention turned to a couple Christmas projects...

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