I'm getting old so have patience with me as I learn to use this Blog thingy. I'll try to edit and list thing chronologically on rain or cold days when I can't be outside. In the mean time I am just trying to get things loaded onto it so I don't lose or forget them.
A few years ago someone asked me if I wanted a free boat. I immediately replied "no way" because I didn't want to end up with another "project" I hadn't chosen myself. Still I was convinced to go look because it was supposedly wood and looked neat. The boat was outside in the weeds and had been for some time. Initially I gave it a quick glance and wasn't ready to wade into the weeds for a closer look. Then I noticed what appeared to be solid wood under what had appeared to be a completely rotten boat. So I waded in and took a closer look. I was surprised to find the boat's bottom, planked diagonally with 5/8 inch mahogany was in like new condition. Evidently someone had attempted to rebuild the boat but had either died or lost interest after doing a really good job on the planking. The rest of the boat was a complete disaster and barely recognizable as the boat it once was. I decided I would take the boat home and see what I could salvage from it. So we hooked a rope around the stem and drug it out to where we could lift the front up high enough to get it onto the trailer and then lifted the back and shoved it unceremoniously onto the trailer. Once home I shoved it into the back of my shop lot and left it for a while till the weather made it reasonable to do a closer inspection. It was obvious that the entire boat above the waterline was not even worth salvaging as a pattern much less any usable wood. Upon further thought I decided I would cut everything above the re-planked hull off and see what was left. I did that and found the ribs, stem and entire bottom were in very good shape even though it had sat for a long time out in the weather. I loved the shape of the hull's bow and couldn't bear to destroy that work of art. A friend helped me flip the hull over and I sanded and applied a layer of fiberglass just to stabilize it and left it that way for the winter.
It sat like this for almost 2 years while I did other things. I'm pretty much convinced that it was originally an old (1940s?) Inboard Chris Craft Runabout. I'm kinda sorry I didn't take any pictures of it before I cut the top off so I could possible find out for sure what it was. Originally I had planned to covert the entire boat to firewood so hadn't though it was a picture I would have needed. Anyway in the early part of 2014 when the weather had warmed enough to do outside work comfortable (about the 1st of March or so), I pulled it out of the back and thought about what to do with it. I figured whatever I built on the top of it the hull would perform pretty much as it was designed to do as a runabout. I decided the first thing I wanted to do was deck over all those ribs that would have been a bear to work around. So, after stabilizing the ribs I turned the hull into a 16 foot paddle board using 1/2 inch plywood.
At this stage the only accurate thing to reference for symmetry are the 2 exposed fore and aft runners from the original boat. Everything from this point forward used these runners as the reference point. I assumed that these runners from the original boat were designed to be level with the water when the boat was floating. The engine mounted directly to them and I assume the decking was attached to them as well.
Once the Paddle-board was complete it was much easier to visualize building something on top of it. Unfortunately with only the 2 for & aft 2X6s from the original hull and no plans everything would have to be built without the benefit of the experts like I usually get with plans. However, I have build 30+ boats prior to this one. While most had been smaller open boats, one had been a Bolger Microtrawler that was similar in complexity and size. I settled on a sleep-aboard cruiser with a pilothouse. I was spoiled with the standing headroom Pilot House and full sized bunks in the Microtrawler and was determined to not have anything less in this new build. I moved the hull to a jet ski trailer that I could use as a building cart that would fit into my carport and still allow me to close the gates.To begin with I fiberglass clothed a few sheets of plywood on both sides and then cut one into two exact halves 2 feet wide and 8 feet long. I butt-joined them using three layers of fiberglass cloth on each side of the joints. I built a temporary jig/frame on the Paddle-board to help attach the 2 sides. The original hull would be the lower chine and the plywood I was attaching would be the upper chine. I would allow the "line-of-the-chine" from the original boat to determine the flare of the plywood I was adding. When you bend plywood it basically only bends in one direction. Consequently when you attach it to a sweeping upward hull, the sides have to flare out to accommodate the upwards curve of the curved chine and allow the plywood to bend upward without having to twist. I'm sure there is a more nautically correct term than "Line of the Chine" but I don't know what it is.
Once the temporary framing was complete I joined the 1/2 sheets of plywood to form 16ft X 2ft long sides, adjusted the temporary jig to accommodate the width of the plywood sides and attached them to the frame and them fiber-glassed them to the bottom.
One side attached and one to go.
I then added the Bulwarks to the top of the front side pieces (I call them "Bad Ass Boards")to help deflect spray that might otherwise come over the bow.
You'll notice in later pictures that the wide gap at the top is pulled together and filled making the front of the boat a full 5 inches of solid wood and fiberglass. I want the bow to be bulletproof and the bow eye to be able to hold the entire weight of the boat.
It was at this stage that I installed one of my most important parts used in all my boats. I mixed some epoxy with some of the ashes of my Dad and my good friend Horace Johnson (No kin to me) and permanently attached them to the hull below a planned panel that would cover and protect them. They'll be boating with me every time I go out! I'm not sure they get along all that well but they sure stick together regardless of what happens!
Most of the temporary frame was removed and I began to install some of the structural components (furniture and strategically placed parts to support the sides) I also installed some of the false bottom parts that would also serve to support the side panels. All of these false bottom compartments serve as flotation should it ever be needed.
These watertight compartments add a tremendous amount of structural support to the sides of the boat. Not only are the sides fiberglass taped to the bottom but also to these compartment tops and the deck. Plus there are vertical supports and structural furniture bulkheads attached to the sides as well.
At this point I added some of the decking so I could tie into it with the pilot house part of the build. You will notice the transom area is left wide open and only help apart with a temporary 2X4. The boat at this point is just a little over 16ft long. That is about all the length that I can get into my carport and still be able to close the gate. I plan to add an additional 2 feet to the length but want to wait til I get the rest of the boat finished first so I can store it under the carport as long as possible. I will have to store it beside the building after I add the 2 feet. Plus is makes the boat a lot easier to get into and out of with the transom off.
I added the rub rails and now it's time to go vertical.
Trying to get everything square and symmetrical is difficult if all you have to go by is the 2 fore & aft 2X6s from the original boat. I use a lot of scrap wood temporarily screwed to various points to hold things in place while the epoxy cures. I also use some homebrew to calm nerves from all the "self design stress".
Self designing may sound cool but having to dream up and then figure out each piece takes a long time and I was starting to feel like it would never end! Still, the pieces continued to go on and the boat began to take shape. I wanted to have as much room as possible in the V-birth area so I raised the deck in front of the Pilot house enough to be able to sit up without bumping my head in the morning. I installed a hatch in the raised portion so I could get to the anchor/Sampson Post without having to get outside the boat.The boat is long and narrow and I knew it would be hard to walk around the pilot house without the boat tipping way over so I needed a way to do the work from the fore-deck without trying to climb around the pilot house.
I like the idea of a bow sprit to run the anchor line through so the line is held away form the painted sides. I also like the nautical look of a Sampson Post so I added these to the front of the boat and heavily attached them so they could take the strain if I anchored in heavy seas. The boat will weigh around 1500 pounds but the front is pointed and the bottom has a pretty good V shape so there shouldn't be too much stress on the bow sprit and no hard jerking motion from the waves.
I decided to fabricate sliding pocket doors for the pilot house thinking they would be better than the standard swinging doors for keeping the water out. I also installed a drip edge on the top to keep the water away from the windows. I put a Sampson Post on the front for the anchor line and a hatch through which I could duck and stand up in to reach the Sampson post without having to go outside around the pilot house. I put rub rails on the sides. added seats in the pilot house, extended the roof to back of the boat, a couple of storage boxes and began to paint to protect the epoxy from the sun's UV rays......Oh, and I extended the boat's length by 2 feet to a total of 18ft. The beam is 6 feet.
I'm gonna need a bigger carport if I ever build a bigger boat. I had only a couple inches of room at the top and virtually no extra room for the length.
I decided I wanted steps on the back of the boat to be able to get into and out of the boat without having to climb a ladder or roll/wallow over the side so I did something a little different....By adding 2 feet to the length while leaving the transom at the original location I gained the additional flotation without pushing the weight of the outboard further back. That should help keep the boat more level and also add the opportunity for steps to board on each side of the transom.
More to come
