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Clark Fork Drifter Build Session
9 I forgot to bring my camera last week, so no photos from there. We did a LOT of sanding and put two coats of graphite impregnated epoxy on the bottom.
We started by flipping her over - easy to do as she still weighs less than 100lbs - this was the first we'd seen of her innards in some time. Man, I do like that design. I've been learning about drift boats, and one thing I've discovered is the pointy end is the stern, and a drift boat is properly rowed facing the pointy end. Knowing that 'most' people will row facing the other end, we've made her so a person could put their oarlocks either forward or aft (those longer blocks on the shearline.)
Here's what she looks like with her seats in. It is very tempting to finish her bright - all that lovely natural wood, but . . .
. . . there are some problems. When I was cutting the fiberglass, I'd drawn my lines with a felt-tipped pen, then didn't cut off all the ink. I simply can't let the boat out of my hands with this kind of sloppy error visible. We'll be painting the boat (whoever buys her will be happy we did, too - bright finishes are a pain in the patootie to maintain.)
Bill had been coming to the Boathouse for a couple weeks now, so I did what I do to everyone - put him to work. He is fabricating the breasthook - the one we had made before has gone missing.
The other activity going on was a technical review of the QT Skiff, the design we will be using for the Family Boat Build in March of 2013.
(3) sheets of plywood and (9) 15' 1x2s (plus a little more stuff for the fiddy bits) and you have a 14' boat powered by an outboard of up to 5hp and capable of holding 2+ adults.
The QT Skiff made a perfect platform for Curt to use for varnishing the wales.
(back to the Clark Fork Drifter) After much discussion, we decided to keep the vertical surfaces 'bright' and paint with sides and sole. I wanted to cover up the fillets, so I used a paint stirrer as a template for the edges of my tape.
All taped up and ready for painting.
Chuck and Seleen drooped by for a visit and to ask questions about car-toppable sailboats. It's kind of cool that people are starting to drop by to talk boats.
First coat of primer. We'll give 2 coats, then the inside will be dark gray and the outside will be navy blue.
Oh, she's gonna be a purty boat. |
