Ronny B

Hi Jim, I think 1200 to 1400 lbs dry weight is very achievable. I used 3/4" purple heart, maple and walnut for the cabin top, pilot house top and trim pieces. The 60HP Evinrude weighs 260 lbs alone. I don't know what the weight of a 25HP motor is, but I'm sure at least 100 lbs could be shed there alone. If I reduced the amount of fibreglass and epoxy on the inside of the hull, a lot of unnecessary weight could have been eliminated. My dry weight also included the down-riggers and a couple of cast iron hatches. Kind Regards, Ron

We just arrived home after a great long weekend at Blackstone lake. The launch of Ronny's Raft went extremely well. It was rolled off the trailer with huge family support, cheers, whistles, shrieks and champagne. It was christened with all the things one would expect at a family reunion. It only took about one hour before the first beer was spilled in it, about two hours before the first fish bounced off the seats and floor,(complete with blood and guts), and not long after that the first head bashed against the pilot house top. Kids used it as a swimming platform and the 280 lb brother in law decided that his seat should recline, resulting in the screws being torn out of the swivel. It's was all just good fun. The boat weighs 1705 lbs dry. With all of our gear for the weekend, fishing equipment, 20 gallons of gasoline, a cooler full and four adults, it came up on the plane within seconds and cruised at 25 mph at 4800 rpm. I didn't really push it, but I was surprised and impressed with the 5600 rpm hole shot. It is a great looking boat that can troll at 2 mph at 800 rpm; perfect for down rigger fishing. The third picture is my wife Lynn and yours truly. Ronny B

Miyot, I have been following your build from the day that the first post was entered on this forum. There were days that I was fed up with the whole thing and I'm sure you were as well. It was always refreshing and inspiring to read your posts. Your persistence and determination resulted in a beautiful boat that you should be very proud of. Congratulations on a job well done!! Ronny B ( Ronny's Raft will be launched tomorrow and hopefully as successful as yours)

My little project finally came out into the big bad world. The Canadian registration arrived last week, so off to the sign shop we went. After that, Ronny's raft was chauffeured up to Doe Lake to have the electrics rigged up. Hopefully, it will be ready to have a test run on our July 01 Canada day long weekend in Blackstone Lake near Parry Sound. If all of this goes as planned, the OB20 will reach it's final destination in Wiarton the following weekend. Regards, Ronny B

I can't believe that my last post was in the middle of April. The engine did finally get installed closer to the end of April. The helm console was made out of an old medicine cabinet and a piece of walnut. The fuse block and connections should all fit in there. I found it necessary to build another console on the port side to fit both a stereo and the chart-plotter/GPS/fish finder. The red glove box is a chimney clean out and the bottom spare battery holder was a 40's milk box from a home demolition. All these little hatches and access doors were all relatively inexpensive. Official marine access doors are just stupid expensive. It bothers me that putting the word "marine" in front of any product is some kind of licence to triple the price. I could have just made all these doors out of plywood, but it wouldn't be nearly as interesting The consoles do look a little eclectic and weird, but they certainly are original. I am slowly running out of scrap pieces of lumber in the wood shop. This OB20 has darn near every species of wood that is commercially available. The seats are all mounted on swivels for doing whatever is on the agenda, fishing, chatting or travelling. The speakers are mounted in the seats and can not be seen in the pics. Several conduits run from the transom to each console and between all seats. The engine works, but the rest of the electrical needs to be installed. This is something that I don't care to play with. The downriggers and some other things that just hook on to the battery with in line fuses are fairly simple. The lights, horn, bilge pump,stereo etc, I have no interest in. I am hoping to have Ronny's Raft in the water by July 1st. I'll keep everyone posted. Regards to all Ron

Hi Striperick, The windshield gasket came from Spaenaur, (page K4) product #RW-92. The sliding track came from Beckson Marine, and the port holes came from Tendercraft boat supplies (page 37). Hope that helps? The engine arrived yesterday and I will install it this weekend. Regards Ron

Hi Ian, A little more progress since I returned from Costa Rica. The motor is apparently arriving this week. The engine sales guy was worried a bit about transom flex with the 60HP evinrude, so another layer of 3/8" ply was added. The transom is now 1 7/8" thick. The glass and some trim was installed as well as a bilge pump, battery access doors and splash well. Still lots to do, but I figure Ronny's Raft will see water this summer. There is probably a good three weeks worth of detailing to be done, but like Miyot, I also want to go fishing and boating when the weather's nice. I'm sure there will be ample opportunity in winters to come for details. Regards, Ron

Hey Trev, I think that I started at 45 degrees, but the scribing eventually changes the angle. I didn't measure the angle after the first few pieces because it was easier to cut the top and bottom if the piece fit. On occasion the top or bottom may have been an inch wider or narrower, and at one point I put a 3" strip in to maintain an adequate stagger between inside and outside layer. It doesn't come with an instruction manual, so I assumed that there are no rules. I painted the top side off white because the grey was just too dark. I also added a bunch of bling this weekend even though there are a lot of details to clean up. There comes a point where I just want to see what it will look like. I'll be in Costa Rica for the next three weeks. This winter thing up here has just been too much. You never know what kind of crazy things I'll find for the OB 20 down there. Regards, Ron

Things are moving along on the OB 20. I finally got back at it in January. The laminated cabin top and pilot house top have been hard mounted. Windshield frame has been cut out and installed. Side windows have been reinforced and ready for tracks. Gunwales are laminated and mounted as well as a stainless steel bumper guard (same material as the keel strip). The toe strip around the deck is also installed. I have ordered an Evinrude Etech 60hp and a trailer. The next steps involve painting, glass, console, live well and finding some marine electrician to help me figure out the electrics. I'll keep you all posted with the progress. I have owned boats that have had electrical issues, and it can completely take the fun out of boating if fuses pop and motors don't start. I took a course this winter on making paddles, and the port holes on Ronny,s raft could be converted to oar holes.(Just thinking out loud). By the way, whats with this "polar vortex" thing. Mars has been rather balmy compared to Canada lately. I have never seen this much snow or been this cold, ever! Kind regards, Ron

I miss working on my boat as well. Things are just nuts around the shop. Sixty hour weeks for the last month and I still want to enjoy the cottage while the weather is comfortable. The OB 20 will be continued in December I figure. Contractors seem to wait until the last minute to order product and then cry when they can't install because the ground is frozen. I end up being the gratis winter storage facility because they might need to pay for their product when it's picked up. It has been the same old drill for the last forty years. Building a boat has been very enjoyable for me. It really is a great stress reliever, and the ultimate distraction. Regards, Ron

Hi Trev, The white is just the undercoat. It will be painted grey. I will probably go with a new 50HP Evinrude E-Tech. They are a two stroke and have a little more oomph than the four strokes. I haven't really made up my mind. I will wait until the fall or early winter when the prices drop a little and then decide. The OB20 will not get wet this year, but it will certainly be ready for next spring. There is only about six weeks of the boating season left up here in The Great White. I could have saved myself about 100 hours of work, if I just did the top in 3/8" ply. I,m not sure why I find it so difficult to follow the plan. It's always been like that. Maybe I should seek some professional help! Then again, we are all building our own boats so that we can make it our own. Regards, Ron

A little update on Ronny's Raft, Not a whole pile of progress since the last post. Cabin top now has a raised section to support the hatch. Cabin access door is made from the original piece that was removed. I was going to make a flat access door to act as a small table, but stuff will just end up all over the dash and windows. Around these parts, advertising drinks on the dash is not a good idea. We'll stick with a discrete table at seat height. Six ounce cloth went over both pieces along with three coats of epoxy. A final sand and satin varnish will be next. I'm not a big fan of the high gloss. It makes everything look like plastic. In the snap shots, the glare off the shop lights make it very difficult to photograph. I also made the grab rails out of purple heart and mounted them with 1/4x3" stainless bolts. The first coat of primmer was also applied to the deck and cabin sides. Regards to all, Have a great weekend, Ron

Fantastic! I'll look forward to following your builds. I have not done much on my OB20 in the last few weeks. It is cottage time on the weekends and this working for a living thing is really annoying. I will post some progress shots on my thread this week sometime. Regards, Ronny B

Hey Miyot, I have been following your build from the beginning. Your precision and attention to detail really is outstanding. Awesome job! Regards, Ron

Ronny's raft update, I finally got back at it for a weekend. The cabin top, pilot house top and windshield were dry fit. So far the most challenging part of this build was trying to fit that two piece windshield on the boat. It's my own fault because I changed the thickness of the cabin top from 3/8" plywood to 3/4" laminated cedar and purple heart. The plans included an expanded pattern of the windshield and measurements were clearly shown on the drawings, but wow, that was complicated. I could have made it fit quite easily, but custom warped glass is not in the budget. It is still not 100%, but nothing that thickened epoxy and trim can't fix anyway. The whole works was taken apart and put on saw horses to sand. The hole is cut out for a pre fabricated hatch in the cabin top. A section is also cut out behind the windshield to allow for easy access to the foyer of the master bedroom, (with en-suite I might point out). All is sanded and will be finished bright. The next step is to sand, prime and paint the cabin. This will be a lot easier with the cabin top removed. Who knows when that will happen, but that's the plan. Regards to all, Ron

I also had no experience with boatbuilding or fibreglass work. My OB20 started with a few sheets of plywood, a jig saw, a couple gallons of epoxy, and a prayer. If you read too much about all the challenges involved, you'll never start. It sounds like you can read a drawing and hold a saw. Pull the trigger, you'll figure it out. Cheers, Ron

Hey Trev, I would love to post more progress pics, but I have done absolutely nothing on Ronny's Raft for the last three weeks. My cottage on Colpoys Bay needed some serious attention, a family reunion on Blackstone Lake, and I still put in 50 hour work weeks. Once the dust settles, I'll get right back at it. Regards to all, Ron

Ronny's Raft update, I laminated all of the pilot house and cabin beams (3 strips of 1.5"x.5" fir). All of the beams were dry fit on the OB20, secured and removed again. I plan to finish the tops bright, using cedar and purple heart strips. Laminating, sanding, epoxy work and trimming will be much easier to do on the floor instead of jumping around the boat. The strips are 5/8" thick, and will add some weight. It will, however, reduce the amount of under-structure support pieces required, and the cedar is very light. The tops will be awkward to put on, but the overhead cranes in the factory will save me yet again. I do have employees that would be more than willing to help, but would prefer not to involve them in this build. I obviously have no friends either, until the OB20 is in the water. A hatch for the cabin top has been ordered and should be in on Friday. Six round port lights have also been ordered for the cabin sides. I would like to have all these things dry fit before all the sanding and painting starts again. Regards, Ron

Hi Trev, The OB20 is 71" wide at the transom. That would be at the widest part of the stern. The transom is 24" above the waterline and the bow sits 39" above the waterline. I hope that helps. Regards, Ron

Hey Trev, I'll take a couple measurements for you next week. This weekend, the the deck pieces, cabin and pilot house sides were all hard mounted to the OB20. The floor is dry fit, and I imagine it will stay that way until fuel system, bilge pump, toilet, storage compartments, and a bunch of other stuff is figured out. Two laminating jigs were made for the cabin beams and the pilot house beams. I should be able to make one of each every evening this week. I have a bunch of clear cedar and purple heart cut-offs from our wood shop that could be used for the cabin and pilot house tops. I'll see how it looks and then make a decision. Regards, Ron

A little update on Ronny's Raft, I finally squeezed in an uninterrupted weekend on the OB20. The transom now has a sporty looking cutout. Four "hanging knees" are installed to support the deck and cabin frame. All deck pieces are cut out and dry fit as well as the cabin front, sides and pilot house sides. I hope to have next weekend as well to attach everything. If all goes well, I'll update progress again next weekend. Regards, Ron

The OB20 has taken the back seat in my crazy life over the last month. I did go and visit my daughter in Prospect Nova Scotia last week. On a little side trip to Lunenburg, I managed to salvage a few items from the good ship Farley Mowat. It was part of the Sea Shepherd.org conservation effort, and rammed a canadian coast guard ship while causing havoc during the annual seal hunt in the north. The ship was confiscated and sold for scrap. If I had tools with me, a couple of port holes could have been easily removed and used for a hatch on the OB20. I did get a couple of cabinets,float, memorabilia, and two small hatches. These items will be incorporated into my build. With any luck, the build will continue in mid summer. Regards, Ron

I buy mine round.

Some pics of how I dealt with the transom. It still needs to be gassed in, cut out, and currently consists of 9 layers of 4mill ply. The OB20 will be hoisted in and out of my little boat harbour annually. To facilitate hoisting, I added two solid pieces of 3/4" oak, (yup, oak). Lifting rings will be attached through the transom. The boat can now be easily pushed around on it's jig with wheels and the fuel tank will be located forward of what is indicated on the plans. The motor will be in the 250lb range plus 25 gallons of fuel will make the back of the boat disproportionally heavy.(I think) Regards, Ron

Hi Alan, Things are getting real crazy at work. I knew that spring was around the corner here in the Great White, and the OB20 has been shuffled in to the big storage building until the madness subsides. I will take a couple shots this weekend and post them. The plan is to start glassing the stringers and chine flats this weekend inside the boat if time permits. The gas tank is ready to be picked up and I need another jug of epoxy. Luckily, I have deliveries into the city tomorrow, and detours are inevitable. Thats my story and I'm sticking to it. Regards, Ron