Foam/Plywood boat plug construction ?s

[cla17]

Guest:

I appreciate your candor, and I'm sure you mean well. I am building this boat because it is a dream. I love wakeboarding and I love design. I have been very interested in boat design for many years and really feel that this is an attainable goal. I know many people in the marine industry and have been building wakeboard accessories for a couple years now(fat sacs, towers speakers and lights). Now its time to step it up and make this boat happen. I feel I have some truly original ideas for this boat. Mostly involving interior design and wakeboarder comfort features. I am very good with boat mechanics(engine work and running gear) along with electronics. The only thing left is getting this plug built and laying up this hull and deck. That’s why I'm here, asking the generous people of the web for a little shared knowledge. This boat will happen, for better or worse, but I hope for the better.

Anyways, as of now I have refined my designs a little further. I have built the base of what will become my plug, and I am waiting for my foam and gel-coat equipment, which should have been here Wednesday butt... The plug will be mostly wood with foam used in the curvier parts of the plug. I appreciate all the advice thus far and will try to keep the board posted with my progress and difficulties

Thanks,

Chris

Honestly, I share your same dream and vision of building a new ski boat...and I did.

Ski boats, bass boats and race boats are difficult to successfully "home-build"...why? Because you will instantly be compared to the countless others that are floating in you favorite lake. If you're design isn't either faster, better, or nicer looking it will not help your ego.

Tournament Ski boats are probably the toughest because not only do they have a performance expectation....they also have a very high level of fit and finish...this is a tough combination to design in your first attempt.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do...

[gonzo]

Tournament ski boats need to be approved. It doesn't matter how they perform.

feel better gonzo.

[davis]

Originally Posted by cla17

8knots: These links will be very helpful. I plan on buying a 2 quart pressure pot and a HVLP gun to spray my gel coats and I have a magnum chopper gun system coming for the lay-ups. But I wasn't planning on using gelcoat on my plug. I assumed a sturdy automotive paint would sufice for the plug finishing. Am I incorrect in this assumption? Well I guess it is not an assumption, I have read and seen video of auto paint being used on plugs but if it is better to gel coat your plug then by all means correct me

Thanks

I have built plugs for fiberglass for the last 9 years and yes auto paint is acceptable. Reason is, it goes down alot smoother than gellcoat. Thus leaving you to only wax it up and get ready to start laying up your mold. I do suggest that you use a two pat epoxy primer filler though because it can be sanded, buffed, and waxed to your liking, since it's alot tougher. Have fun.

[lprimina]

Listen to Gonzo, he hasnt steered me wrong (Yet anyhow) .... Cold mold the boat first and then make the mold..

[tcma66]

I know this thread is dead but I want to add something real quick. Just becuase there were expert designers at Mastercraft that didnt keep them from producing a terrible design from 1998 to 2001. These boats (Model 197)would spin out due to the fact that the chine was designed incorrectly, so at high speeds and quick turn arounds the boats would spin out. Even expert drivers were putting these boats on the shore. My advice is to keep the dream alive and design and build away!

[cla17]

This thread has been going a looooong time now. Well, I appriciate all the words of encouragement and we have actually finished our first production boat now. The name of the company is Epic Boats and the new boat is the Epic 23v. The boat has been performing very well and impressed even the harshiest critics so far. We actually just finished a photo shot down on San Diego Bay by the aircraft carrier with a couple of the world's best wakeskaters and the boat performed flawlessly. Helicopters, chase boats, monstrous tug boat wakes that almost killed a camera man. It was a lot of fun and great to see pro riders stoked on the wake and the boat. Anyways, I just wanted to say thanks and give you guys the website to see what can be done if you stick with a great idea... www.epicboats.com