Pipefitter

I guess my point was more to the effect that if both outer plies were thicker with the grain running longitudally,or even if the 4 plies of a 7 ply panel's grain was orientated in that way,their characteristics would be closer to that of a solid wood plank with it's grain running the same way from a bending in a curve across frames standpoint.Maybe that would make a difference in it's bending characteristics as well. I just don't know if this is an engineering consideration when designing a panel for marine grade or other kind of construction panel. If when sheeting in a floor and you are a piece short and your only drop has the grain of the outside skins running the wrong way,even if it fits, it will be a soft spot between the joists compared to a drop with the grain facing the proper direction.

The meranti smells different than the luan. The meranti smells just like a cigar box and from what I heard,cigar box wood was thought to be spanish cedar. The room that I kept it in smelled like a cigar box,when I cut it,even more so. The one question I have never been able to get clearly answered has to do with the thinner outer veneers. On standard construction plywood,with most of it's veneers the same thickness,is a consideration when arranging the sheets in relation to the framing.The grain on the outer plies makes the sheet stronger in rip direction or it's length across frames or joists or whatever. Is this maybe why that some marine panels are said to bend funny? Is the last thicker veneer just under the outer thin one's grain going across the width of the sheet? If this is the case,it would seem that this could add to that starved horse effect of a plywood planked,framed boat?

The weekender sure looks nice.

Why is the occume better than meranti other than the weight issue? Seems odd that a panel made from a less durable species that costs more. The meranti from world panel had no stickers but a red inked stamp. I ordered in 2 lots,6 months apart and the wood was nearly identical. 9mm had 7 plies. I know you guys are the experts but trying to make a choice on which to get was rather troubling. Have you tried meranti Oyster,anyone else?What did you think of it?Was it a bad choice on my part?

I used a different paint tactic on my boat. I want to repaint mine every couple years. Imron and awlgrip as stated, is the toughest paint systems going. I chose a paint system that sands easy. I can sand prep and repaint my hull exterior in a day. Take a mil off and put one on, trying to somewhat keep a thin coat on. I had awlgrip sprayed on my FG boat and when I got scratched or dinged,because of the lack of a paint booth and all the equipment needed,I would procrastinate getting it redone if ever. I want to be able to easily renew this or change color once I get tired of this one. Awlgrip or Imron will eat sandpaper like it's free and alot of folks end up using aircraft stripper to get it off.Another mess. I needed something I could do outside with a brush. Depending on the size of one's boat and the availability of a pro paint applicator makes a difference too. Mine is a small skiff and is actually pleasant to put a coat of paint on. I used brightsides which as many hate as will as many like it. Also,being my boat is glued lap, I wanted faint brush strokes to grain the planks somewhat to kind of keep it looking like a wood boat.The brush marks disappeared tho and all I can see is the 320 grit scratches from the sandpaper.Fortunately,I sanded lengthwise with the planks so that the grain looks correct. You have to stare at it from a foot away to see it. Almost too glossy. I love the smell of oil based paint.

I agree that thinned epoxy as a stand alone sealer may not be a great idea but as a base for normal epoxy coating or paint than surely it can't hurt, being that it is so thin that the subsequent coats of normal epoxy still are almost directly going to adhere to the flexible epoxy even if only mechanically via a keyed surface. Also it should be noted that in the crude testing I did,I found the epoxy to be flexible as you said but then wait a few more weeks or better yet,break the glazed surface which seems to promote yet a more expedient(you can smell the solvent allover again upon breaking the surface) outgassing and the stuff becomes more brittle/hard again. This was more easily noteable on the disposeable natural bristle brushes used to apply it with. They would remain quite flexible for a few days after applying. 2 weeks later, after sitting in above 80

That boat sure is pretty along with the great pictures. I like the top view picture the most. I bet you get quite a charge out of getting so much use out of something you built. Very nice job as the boat just gets prettier with seeing it more. Keep the pictures coming.

I doubt I would dump anything.I pretty much have figured out everything I have ever ridden,driven or flown in without injury to myself or others much less my pride.I'm not the hang 10 type and pretty much express moderation in anything I do or have done until I become familiar with it. The visual was funny though. You wont see my mug on Americas funniest home videos anytime soon. I'm the guy that appreciates the lower speed sweet spot of a running engine and not for all it's got. Especially since I am the one repairing it if it breaks.

I hear ya. Figured that might wake someone up. It is breezy here alot too in summer. That Gulf breeze that after getting over land,finally hits Tampa Bay nearer to the middle. I guess I am going to have to make myself part of one of those sailboat pics but thats like a whole other hobby in itself. Then I would have to get someone to teach me to sail the damned thing or figure it out near the flats where I can stand up when it flips over on me. I guess it better to look like a fool dumping a sailboat than a jet ski. Atleast lookers on could atleast be amazed of the recovery.

You people keep putting all these posts on here about these wonderful boats. I recently got a short ride in Oyster's beauty and it was just enough to let me know I would like it. He almost has me talked into building a sharpie for these shallow FL waters. There is usually always a breeze in Tampa Bay except in maybe Aug or Sept when it is too hot to be out anyways. I still don't know how y'all stand the confinements of winter and cabin fever would kill me. If we were meant to live in that,we would have ben born with fur. I do feel the vibe of all you yanks finally getting out from your hibernative dens with new spring about. I have been planning to move north and keep my home here as well so that when it gets to me ,I can come home for a dry out and fishing excursions. Also,it is known that if I am to move,that I have a workshop to while away the winter days not stuck inside the house.

You can also make your own CPES with your normal epoxy. I used my thin,non blushing layup resin and mixed it per instruction,let it sit 20 mins to kick off the chemical reaction and then added interlux's 2333n solvent that is used for thinning their epoxy primer at a ratio of about 30% epoxy to 70% thinner. If you try it,you will never spend that rediculous price again. It will soak in forever just like CPES and will leave the epoxy trace just as well. You can get alot of sealer out of a quart of solvent for a hell of a lot less money. Some will say stick to the experts but once the solvents are outgassed,what are you left with? If you make your wood taste like plastic,most rot organisms dont want to eat it along with restricting the oxygen supply to it helps retard rot as well. I am not saying CPES is bad but I like the idea of compatibility of the base sealer being identical to it's topcoats. From what I understand,the 2333n has base solvents that are derived from ethylene glycol which is known to preserve wood and destroy fungus.

Other than fillers,there was a fibreglass mechanic at our old shop that had this roller with hundreds of sharp spikes on it. It would put thousands of tiny holes in the outer veneer of plywood and knurl/raise the surface slightly as to give the resin somewhere else to go besides out of the seams.Filler was used to normal consistency and rolled on,could clamp as tightly as you wanted to.The raised surface (caused by the tiniest flitches as the roller moved ahead) would not allow the plywood to get closer than 1/64th of an inch. He would also use this tool when installing coremat over plywood. Even tho he used polyester resin,he claimed to never have a delam with glass on wood or wood on wood using this roller. It was roughly 6" dia. and quite heavy. Looked like something you would use in the garden.Much faster than sanding or scoring. In this way,there is endgrain saturation to a point across the whole surface, via the tiny, perforated ruptures caused by the spikes. Not sure if it is necessary with epoxy but it did seem like a good idea with polyester.

Congrats on your award at the show in Cortez. http://www.fgcscf.org/ Lee Hickok Award for Traditional Design; Traditional Construction: Sprits'l Skiff - Mike Fonville of Moorhead City, NC

I built a lobster boat and a garvey from lines drawings.Used WRC as it works alot like a hard balsa.If nothing else,it is a great lesson in patience and perseverance.I was hoping it would cure my boat building itch but it just made it worse.I was more confident on my real boat after doing a couple models.

Try a little builder salesmanship..."if we use a hinged hatch,when it is open you can lay back against it like a chaise lounge whilst you tan."

Ha! Willie Nelson and a video to boot! Boat looks great.Looks like it was fun for sure.

Just a thought as to smashed fingers. Could you not put a damper on the hatch like is seen on car hatchbacks? They make them in stainless steel and with a twist lock feature using detents for easy and positive locking.

I would think,that building a scale model from the plans of the real boat might be a one up from that. Alot of models are only seen on the outside so they dont always have the same parts a real boat would. If you build one from scratch via the plans of the actual boat,you will get a feel for things such as,dimensioning lumber,lofting,making fair curves and working with numbers from table of offsets,etc. After you build the model,it will be a relief to use full inches on the tape measure for the real one.I am not sure about license fees for building a model from plans as if that may be considered building 2 boats, where the fee in some plans only grant license to build one. I used lines drawings or free plans online or in books to build 2 models. Lots of fun. Oops,I built 3. The first was a lapstrake pram with bent ash frames planked with teak. Made the copper nails out of wire. Kids wore that one out in the bathtub.Didn't have to steam bend the tiny wood,just soaked it in water for a day before I installed them.

The gremlins always come out at that part of it. Mine are waiting until I get on the water Nice boat,and when you get it all fixed you will be wanting something else to do on it.Building withdrawals.

Ok,since everyone only takes pictures of the outsides of their boats and has no ideas for color schemes,I will just leave it and let the dirt decide. Scaled sardine silver,fish gut red and Tampa bay gumbo mud grey.

You know Oyster, I had originally started to build this boat as a bright and polished wood working marvel around some old cypress boards I had recovered from an old house remodel in Sarasota and then I started to think of the guys I fish with. They are all kind of rough around the edges and the middle too,I suppose.And all the other boats I used to have to work on, wearing those paper footies on my shoes. We wade fish alot. We get to the spot and get out of the boat so there is no disadvantages to boat positioning for guy in front vs guy in back and all that rod passing when we get into the hog reds all at once like. That black stinky mud that redfish love so much,would probably fill the caulk joints in that teak better than the caulking does.Cast net leads,oyster shell parts,net bucket sliding around maybe. I just saw scratches galore when I pictured a teak deck on my humble boat. Maybe it's the white frames on the off white sides I dislike and maybe i wont even care once I get a fish or 2 in it. I appreciate your input tho. I liked the way your skiff was painted as well as the sailboat. It's getting close

Hello everyone. Just wondering if some of you guys/girls out there could post some pictures of yours or other's painted interiors of your boats so as I could get some ideas of colors. I am looking for cool colors(not too hot to sit/stand on in the FL sun) yet low glare. I thought of spattered finishes and grey. What would look good on the interior of a Simmons Skiff. All I see is mostly varnished wood and white. I know white is a killer on the eyes since that is what most of the modern boats I work on are inside. What is the norm for coordinating colors between the inside and outside paint schemes. The blue on my Simmons exterior isn't what I was after. The paint swatch(Largo blue) they showed "online" at jamestown distributors is not even close to what it actually is. I wanted a more greener blue than that. Not sea foam green either.I wanted dark blue/white originally on the exterior but then I heard of dark colors being too hot for epoxied surfaces. I had to mix the largo blue with off white to get the blue I have now but it still isn't quite there. I have one final coat to go once all the rigging and stuff is done so I can still change it. The interior is painted to get the damned thing on the water this year. Any ideas and pictures are most welcome. Here is the brightsides color chart online and the largo blue that is depicted on the swatches is so far off that they shouldn't bother posting the colors online. Largo blue is more like dark royal blue in real life. The catalog they send in the mail is close but nothing like the online version. Largo blue is more like the saphire blue on the online chart http://www.yachtpaint.com/Images/15_6386.gif

Beautiful boat.Great pictures. Gotta love those cat boats.

I just looked over capt jake's kayak pages. I never remember to think to look at the "look here dummy" icons at the bottom of the member's posts. What nice work and documented process with pictures.Or maybe it's a subconscious, self preservation switch that keeps me from seeing things like this so I don't have to add to my already more projects that I can do in a lifetime list. Love that keel detail. I went to the Cortez boat festival yesterday and met up with Oyster and his wife and Jack Grebe and his. Nice people for sure. Got to see some strippers (boats) up close for the first time. This would be so hard NOT to attempt to build one even if just to look at. Got a bit of a ride in Oyster's sailboat (first time for me) and what a pretty boat he has there. First thing that caught my eye was the book matched cypress which is one of my favorite woods. You guys never cease to amaze me. Hope this isn't a hijack but as I was reading this topic is when I discovered Jake's www so I mention it here. I will pay closer attention.

I would agree to get the best you can.Atleast below waterline. I hear of alot of people using MDO for it's fine surface for finishing. That paper or glass/epoxy has to be a much better veneer than even the most expensive wood. Either way it is at the least that you're gonna pay now or pay later one way or the other. I had not considered how much my time was worth when I was having to spend whole weekends sanding the lesser quality materials.