Drifter skiff

Pics...or it didn't happen.

 

I know it's as rough as anything, but here is the proof. I start sanding tonight.

 

And I need to make time to clean up the workshop

 

Thank you for the pics, DriesLaas. I'm about to start one just a little longer than yours and expect it to just barely plane with my old 4hp Mercury. I also have a six horse that needs a little work and I'm hunting for a used 8 or 9.9.
kfly,
What size outboard do you have on your boat and what kind of performance do you see from it? Nice little boat!

 

The latest progress: top is sanded and epoxied. Now to turn and finish the bottom. I'm running the boat unpainted in some rough sea to see if the structure is OK, before painting. Plus I'm tired. No strakes for now, I will add as required.

 

Wat is the current weight?

 

Hi Tom,
I have not weighed recently, I still guess 75kg finished. Time will tell, not long now.

 

Flat bottom!

 

Bottom glassed and sides epoxied.
Tomorrow I can play, weather allowing.

 

28 days since the first sheet went on the cnc router

 

And as Murphy would have it, tomorrow is blown out and pouring rain. But Zululand is dry, so we are all thankful for the water. But Sunday afternoon seems OK.......

 

82kg is the final answer

 

Well, back to work for me today after a glorious summer holiday. The skiff is on the water, after a manner. Still some things to sort out:
It is a little too heavy at 82kg, I wanted a lighter boat.
The motor cavitates like a demon, so I probably need to drop it an inch at a time to see if it makes any difference. I should do a slight tweak of the trim angle as well. Not confident that this will solve everything....
The max speed I saw was 9.3 knots, which is disappointing. This has everything to do with the fact that I can't get power into the water.

I saw no sign of bad behaviour when turning, but this is because the turning speed was relatively low.

The boat is drier than I expected, again at sedate speed. Pounding was noticeable, but not excessive.

The fore aft trim is also not clear yet, I have to get proper video footage from an outside viewpoint to try and get more info. It feels OK though.

Static stability is good, and I will be able to fight fish around the boat without any problem.


The concept of the boat is very nice, and it will see extensive use. The boat "works" and my youngest daughter had a big smile on her face after her first spin, so that counts for a lot.

 

Looks good.

If you could get to that speed with it ventilating you should be able to get to a respectable speed with it adjusted correctly.

 

Thanks for using the term "ventilating."

It is of course quite correct, cavitation is when the low pressure on the prop blade reaches the evaporation pressure of the water and it "boils."

In my case I think the prop is being ventilated from the surface, which should be improved by lowering the motor.
From a quick bit of research it seems that the conventional wisdom of keeping the anti-ventilation ;-) plate in line with the bottom of the boat is applicable to higher powered motors, and these small motors want to run an inch or two deeper.

Does anyone have a feeling for how sensitive the motor is to the mounting height?
Do I cut an inch from the top of the mounting plate, or start with less?