My little wooden boat project... by a complete novice

Remember...epoxy and UV is a no-no so you will have to maintain your clear finish diligently. Scratches and abrasions my go unnoticed until the epoxy starts to chalk. A yearly sand and recoat would definitely be in order.

Steve

 

In Canada you could get by with recoating every few years, with occasional touch ups to dings and scratches as needed. Use good clear coat material as it will have the most amount of UV protection. It's no economy to use cheap stuff, unless you just like to watch it peel and flake before your eyes.

Here in Florida and other tropical areas, we need to recoat, sometimes more then once a year. In Canada, the angle of the sun is substantial and intensity not quite as bad.

Keep the boat covered, clean and dry. This will help greatly in the clear coating's life span. I have a molded powerboat I build 20 years ago. It's completely varnished (real varnish), not a drop of paint anywhere. It's received one full sand down and refinishing in it's life since birth and several touches. Then again it lives in a covered area, out of direct sun light, gets cleaned and wiped down regularly, is waxed a few times a year and minor dings in the coatings are treated promptly. The coating needs to be redone again, as it's getting darker and I can see some minor wood damage (also darkening), but it's still the varnish job I did on it ten years ago. It has no epoxy anywhere on the boat, so maintenance of these coatings is paramount to the survival of the wood below it. I don't recommend a boat be done this way, unless you are willing to provide the care necessary. It has to remain covered, out of direct sunlight or you'll wish like hell you never thought of going all clear coat, trust me.

 

Just a quick update.





I've decided to go with the 'spar urethane', for a number of reasons. I hope that no one is too offended I didn't take the epoxy route.

So far I'm pretty happy with it all. I guess wish me luck down the road!

Now it's time to flip it over and sand the inside. Then: seats and the likes. I plan to toss it in the water before I do the seats so that I can check the trim... and make sure it floats!

Ok, thanks again for all the input, and I'll be back again soon.

 

Spar urethane is my preferred finish for SMALL boats, too. If a boat is light enough then a few coats of varnish or paint is all it needs, since it is light enough to be handled carefully and not fast enough to do itself a serious injury on a log or bridge piling. I think that epoxy without glass is rather a waste of time, adds weight without adding much strength and still needs UV protection. Good luck, hope she rows up a storm! Well, not literally of course

 

Hey guys,

I dropped it in the drink this evening for the 1st time. Just thought I'd share some quick snaps!

 

Looks Great......................Thanks for the pics. Enjoy

 

Looking good: now you have to make oars I guess? It never stops!

 

Actually...doesn't look like you have the beam to use oars...at least not without outriggers. Looks good though. Have fun with it.

Steve

 

That's a point, although the first drawings were labelled flat-bottomed rowing skiff, so I just assumed. Beam was stated to be 3 ft, probably around 27" on the bottom. Might go best using a double paddle a la kayak. It's about time I got started on my next build. Boat-building is a highly communicable disease and I think I just got reinfected!

 

Thanks for the nice comments guys.

Oars are in the works, and I think out riggers will be my strategy.

I'll keep you posted.

 

Well, the weather and everything else has been keeping me away from the boat. (I'm sure you've all heard that line before.)

Anyway, I've got the inside sanded (as best I can) and I've done some of the finishing carpentry stuff. I'm almost ready to install the seats, but wish to get everyone's opinion on something.

It seems to me that the point where an oar mount attaches to the boat will see a lot of mechanical stress. Does anyone have any rules of thumb that they follow when designing this point? I had originally planned on having a pretty beefy counter part to the gunnel for the full length of the boat on the inside. However, it appears that the boat doesn't need it structurally, but is was also what I had planned mounting the oars on.

Thanks in advance, and I've promised myself I'll launch the boat inside a few weeks... so pictures should be forthcoming!

 

Depending on what style and brand sockets you use, you'll want to beef up the gunnel in the general area. Taper the ends of this reinforcement so as to not create hard points.

 

If you plan to use the boat in calm waters, and not race
it.. The oar locks can be very simple.

I just finished my first set of "nice" oars. I have done a
few quickie get bys in the past. These took a lot more time
than I had planned on. About 40+ hours in fact. And I used
power tools as much as possible.



I laminated the blanks from 3/4 pine stock. Best I could
find around here. I live in a lumber void.



I wanted them to match the boat, so the colors.



The oar lock sockets. I have used this type for years and
never had a problem with them. I am a leisure oars man.
If it is work, I don't do it! I have rowed for several hours in
90` weather and not broke a sweat.



Now the point of my post, after all the rambling.

I learned to row with a set of oars that were too long
for the boat. they over lapped about a foot. Now I like
over lapping oars. About six to eight inches. These are
about six inch over lappers. Once you get used to them,
they are great, the longer, the easier they pull.

My little boat rows very nicely. 12', 51" beam, in rowing
configuration, about 175lbs with motor and battery on
board. 222lbs in sailing configuration.



It looks like your first boat is a real beauty.

 

Thanks guys. I'll taper down the renforcing piece.

Lots of good pictures there BHOFM.

 

Well, here it is.

The official launching.









The oars are temporary store bought ones (I just HAD to go rowing) that I plan to replace soon. I'll hopefully buy the wood this weekend (the lumber store is 9-5).

I want to thank everyone who posted in (or even read, I guess) this thread. Some of you have made very nice and encouraging suggestions, for which thanks are in order.

The boat itself seems to row nicely. It goes, in my limited experience, quite quickly and tracks pretty true. It even seats two. I did try the oars over lapping, but found that they work pretty well even woithout an over lap. The distance from the lock to the end of the handle in this configuration is probably ~20". The oars themselves are only 7'. Something I'm pleased with are the seats (or more specifically, the seat). It is just a long bench, so the rower can sit where ever is more comfortable for them. It also allows for comfortable relaxing of the more vertical type.

Anyway, I might post once or twice more after the oars are done (or if something breaks!) but I think this is a completed project. Now on to the next one, I guess. (We'll see, right now I'm converting an old Tercel to electric drive, and I think it is going to eat up any spending money for some time yet.)