Action Tiger

Oh, yeah. If you're comfortable scarfing the whole board and ripping stringers, that would be less tedious, I think. I have cheated on both my Kudzu's and ripped 2x material. A bunch of 5/8 x 1 1/2, which I then ripped down to 5/8 x whatever, or just left. Kind of six of one, though, really. Have fun!

I just passed out and hit my head. I will go sit down and look at some more pictures of that, if you'll post them. That looks fun! And kinda pretty, too, eh?

Nooo! An external oil cooler and big spin on filter are cool, for the extra capacity, but don't monkey. Keep the gear reduction boxes, and just slow down, man. My wife and I put over 80,000 miles on the 1600 in our bug (67, the original 1500 was clapped), and lord knows how many on the Westy. The bug is still running around town, by the by. The pea shooters still chirp! The bus is long gone. Hope it's happy and loved. Those motors are sort of like The Old Man and The Sea. Simple, but perfectly balanced. Don't go monkeying. Except to change the oil. Oh, and an electronic ignition is pretty necessary. Running high octane gas helps when you're loaded, too. If you do any engine swapping, I would suggest the Subaru swap that is becoming popular. The radiator issue is easily handled, but the complexity issue is on you. Too many wires for me! I use an old Benz diesel wagon, now. Maybe I have something for funny sounding cars? Or is it slow cars? Hahahahaha! Cross post. Ooh, a 2L! You are golden, boy!

I'll second the congrats. That is a VERY cool boat. But, you all probably know that. Peace, Robert

Or a FROH ( ... Resting On Horses), or, a new category FROR (...On Rocks, in a delightful decorative stream bed), if you ain't got grass. The punishment... Hmmm? Dang, that's a good one. We do need an enforceable threat. Perhaps recalcitrants should be flogged with artificial sinew? Heh heh heh.

Egbert, Please excuse my drift. After this, I will push the leeboard fully down... Tom, The first boat I built by myself was a West Greenland style kayak, anthropometrically measured and all. Rack 'o eye, as it were. I had previously helped a friend build a cedar canoe. Yes, Virginia, the canvas kind. We built a boat, then built a boat on top of it! Anywho, I am a designer, artist, and builder, so the tied together boat just tickled some button, you know. From ther I devolved to wood/strip, regular old wood (carvel and lapstrake dinghies and canoes/pirogues), and plywood. I only found Kudzu Jeff's boats recently, but they are really neat. I quick, simple way to build a boat, and if you do it right, there is no sanding! Whoo-hoo! For the record, those Monfort boats are a little scary light to me, too. Thank you for your time and interest. Peace, Robert Back to you, Egbert. Thanks for more shots of the boat! Have fun, brother. Peace, Robet

Tony, No problem. You actually live in a great spot, by the way. The Petaluma and Russian rivers are close, and both neat, and you don't get any of the real valley heat. Plus, the Charles Schultz museum... Anyway, I'm sure I'm no match for Craig and his list, but I will try. I am "documenting" my build on the main forum. So far, not much fun, because it's all been dodging heat with epoxy! Peace, Robert

Tony, I just returned from you neck of the woods. Guernville/Windsor area. You live so close to "the line", where California changes color permanently. For those that wonder, the top half is green and wet, the bottom half is brown and dry. Man, this is a sweet deal. I just started a 20 foot sailboat build, though. I wish you luck in finding a successor to your boat. I will also ask around, maybe I can find someone to pay me to finish it for them, although, I should warn you I am hermetic and curmudgeonly, so the pool of applicants is small. Anyway, best of wishes and luck, Peace Robert

I used to sew my seams along one gunwale, ala Chris Cunninghams method. Makes a really smooth deck. I deliberately sewed a wavy seam into the decks of my firefly, because I am a weirdo. I am also sewing patches all over it. Relying entirely on shrinking to tighten a skin is a bad idea, no matter what cloth you use, in my opinion. I've only used cotton, nylon, and polyester, though, so I'm not sure about all the materials you can use, just those. If you shrink them to tighten, they will usually sag back out at some point. Shrinking should be for the last little bit. Again, my opinion. I adopted the double corded stitch recently and love it, because you can pull cloth drum tight with little worry about or danger of pull holes. The cloth on my boat is a VERY loose weave, and I pulled it tight with very few holes. Like I said before, though, if RM is looking into it, it may be worth checking out. I'm sticking with sewing because it is easy and fast. Jeff's boats are the quickest, easiest way to build these type of boats, which are the quickest, easiest type of boat to build.

No I ain't take a picture, but I cut out a bunch of bent plywood basketball hoops. A bunch because I'm using 1/4 inch. I happen to have happened upon some marine ply chunks in a pals pile. Not a lot, but enough to get a few whole rings and enough pieces to fill in the rest. 6 layers of ply should be stiff! Anywho, it all a gluing, a layer at a time, because I'm slow, if you ain't been following along. If you have enough projects going, you never have to be idle while you wait for glue... Unfortunately, one of my projects is weeding corn, and squash.

Just went through your album. I think you built the most difficult boat in the world to build! It is very cool looking, though. Please be assured, these boats will be much simpler than figuring out all that. Good job on figuring out that hybrid boat, though. Very neat. Peace, Robert

Bagarre, We don't share photos to educate, but to commiserate. Please update your builds. People really do watch and care. Enjoy. Peace, Robert

JP, Ooh, color me a little jealous! Man, that van, and that boat are a recipe for some great times. Change the oil every 1,500 (it works HARD!) and keep a steady eye on those head nuts, check torque every oil change. Oh, and slow down. Mindset vehicles. Ha ha. Oh, good times, indeed! I hope you have the little sleeping hammock/loft. As for the compliments, they were all related to the beautiful thing you made, that cool boat. You earned them, and you are welcome. Peace, Robert

Oh, pleasepleaseplease tell me you plan to tow it with that Westy! Gad, my wife and I, and later the first two kids, must have driven 6,417 miles with a 20 foot guide canoe I built on the roof of a beetle. Then we "upgraded" to a 68 Westy to tow with. Whatever you tow with, enjoy that boat. Quite a pile of work you should be proud of. It looks just perfect from the aft quarter, like that. Peace, Robert

Well... I learned a TON from that guy's book, built a couple of the boats in it. He knows what is up. I really appreciate the attempt to experiment and progress, too, but that's not for me. That method looks to be about 1,486% more tedious and uncertain than sewing. It really is a clever idea, though. Perhaps it would be ideal for an "open cockpit" type boat (you hear me, Castaway?) with a trim or coaming strip over it. It's got to be a more secure grip than staples... I don't know. I think it's cool. Probably not for me, though. I HAVE been threatening to build one of those Castaways (I'm actually thinking to build three at once, because I got two regular fishing buddies...), and I do got a buddy with a router and bits I could use, though I'm sure those grooves could be cut with a circle saw. Yes Virginia, I know I still ain't finished my Firefly. What, you think I plan to stop? I got THREE going right now! One day I'll have to get a real job, see what that's like... Either way, thanks for sharing!

Egbert, I am so glad you found a boat for you. So many people are afraid to do what they like, and suffer with unpleasant, cheap alternatives. There is no any you are going to lose hat beauty in a crowded mooring! By the by, my solution to the boat lift problem is to stop using it. Just quit doing everything else and spend all your time in that gem you built getting lost in that lovely looking place! Peace, Robert Tom, You drew a boat that gets me Right There, you know? Still, if I ever do get a boat with a motor, it will probably have to be, or at least look more like, my beloved Monterrey Boats. Something about that felucca shape just gets me RIGHT THERE. Peace, Robert

This stuff is WAAAY outside my experience or knowledge, but I had to look at this thread, because that boat is NIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICE! The upside to not getting more juicy photos of some neat thing, is learning a lot about boats, their structures, and how to manage them from two guys who know what's what. I am very interested, academically, in what comes of this. And did I mention that is my type of motor boat? Nice work to the two gents involved I penning and realizing her...

And he's not kidding, either. These are kind of long pieces of wood, and when you compress them and stitch the fabric snug, the re-springing, if you will, pulls the fabric tight. Or, if you don't put enough pre bend in, and sew the fabric snug, when the coaming doesn't really spring back any, the cloth stays just snug. Ask me how I know...

Just sewn in.

I always like this part. It feels like trying to wrap a kayak as a present.

That rowboat/trimaran thing recently campaigned (very successfully) in the R2AK looks pretty neat. Not a kayak, but a pretty Swiss Army knife type boat, I think. Angus? Boats. Some-such. And, I also like Alan's canoe a whole bunch. Obviously a great boat, and proven right here before all our eyes. Of course, you still need to be as tough and awesome as those guys to pull off stunts like them, but I'm sure the boats would also work for just farting around like what most of us would do. Of course, if I could only have one boat, it would be a decent sized canoe, say 15-18 feet. Big enough, small enough, and you can paddle, row, or sail one decently enough to keep entertained.

Decided. I am going to use a method I have seen to sew in a baidarka coamings where the skin is sewn over the coaming, as opposed to under it. Since the entire coaming will be covered, I see no reason to use anything other than Jeff's plywood coaming, slightly modified. Instead of the sandwich, the layers will all be assembled as one big coaming, then sewn in. Am I worried about sewing through the plywood? Not really, too much, as this fabric will give way before any hole in edge grain. And the whole thing will be well painted and kept pretty darn dry. Whatever. I don't think I'll need the coaming "knees", but I cut them out anyway with all the other pieces, so I have them if need be. Really, I'm finally getting super antsy to paddle this darn boat, finally. Other boat is getting to a hurry up and wait phase, too, so it's time to juggle these suckers and get them done! I've also been adding more faux patches. I am definitely using patches in the graphical treatment, but I really don't want it to be spoiled. I think it will look neat, but then, what do I know?

Okay, sometimes things happen for a reason. In trying to figure out how to best comb my boat, I started doing a little research. I have these bundles of paper in my house, racks of them, and most all of them are grouped around the ideas of boats or ancient cultures. You see, these subversive packets of paper are what made me rethink my paddle, to make it more appropriate for a baidarka-style boat. Done, and done, because I like making paddles, anyway. The scribbles on the sheafs also depicted the coamings of baidarkas often had the skin pulled OVER the coaming, instead of UNDER it, which apparently, is more generically Greenland-style. These are all GROSS generalizations, to make it easier for us to discuss. The lines clearly blurred. Anywho, now I'm thinking I may go with the plywood coaming, which would allow me to replicate the look of a traditional coaming, in the fuselage-style, of course. Because, if most of it is going to be covered by cloth, no reason to use pretty wood, right?

S(?), Your hull is looking nice. I'm just down the 99 on the eastern rim of the valley, so I feel you on the weather. Why I am done working outside by 1 pm! When my buddy and I used to make strip canoes we always started our day around 6 pm! Get the glass on when it's still hot, but getting cooler. Of course, a canoe ain't all in it with a big old monster like you're building. This boat is going to absolutely rock out here. And you are doing an excellent job. Dang, but I love all the flare in that sucker! Them old Sound boys knew how to make a pretty boat. I'm more of a Monterey boat guy, myself, if I were going to have a power boat... Peace, Robert

Well, it's upside down. I don't usually need help moving the boats I build, so it was a nice change to need some help. We just rolled, hitched it over, and rolled again. It's pretty darn light, despite being made out of the worst, heaviest type of plywood in the world. I also got to make some snazzy new horses that small son has already coopted for his homemade Ninja Warrior course in the yard. Anyway, you know the stitch and glue routine. Now I'm gluing the outside, then just using cloth. Two layers of 6oz. overlapping the upper chine.