Action Tiger

Temporary, bolt on slot top cover, for when it may be wet a lot, or,the breeze may blow the boat over. The oversized looking hatch slide rails are pretty light, really, but stout because EVERYONE is going to lean their elbows there, and/or press on the rails during ingress/egress. I will put some scuppers just forward of the hatch stop block once it’s in. Just forward of the slide rail is where the mast will emerge. It will have a small square lip built up around it to take the mast boot. Yes, I realize there are lots of water traps. The corners of the rails on top, and along the side rails at intervals will be drilled and filled scupper holes. Lots of decent sized drains. Inside the hatch will be a small transvers rail to stiffen the top athwart ship, and provide a spot to hang my little led lights at night for reading or whatnot. There are very few things left to do... Peace Robert

What, do you have a problem building boats, or something? Ahem. Hey, Chick, I have one serious question about the new motor cruiser. If you go moving around bulkheads and houses and whatnot, where is the sail gonna go? Also, how in the HECK can anyone have that much boatbuilding stuff laying around the garop not turned into boats? There were two sheets of passable fir on the floor of my garop for 19 seconds before I realized they’d make that skiff we wanted... Peace, Robert

Hahaha! Is that a sliding hatch? What kind of House you thinking to stick on her? Peace, Robert

Now, here is funny. Youngest Son and I are building a flattie skiff to play in, and we were adding thwarts. He asked why they were called thwarts, and before I could answer, Daughter yells, form the other room, “Because hey ruin the inside of the boat!” Haha. Rumor is we are due for some highs of 70s coming up. When we do, I will b able to lay the last few bits of glass I need on this boat. The saga is almost over! Peace, Robert

It’s not orange, Chick. Peace, Robert

http://65.110.86.132/plans/mckinney/centex/index.htm Dude, I just saw this boat. Similar to the AF4, but I slight vee bottom, and other minor differences. Seems there are a few cats thinking about boats this size/type, eh? Peace, Robert P.S. Everyone knows the color is orange. Orange boats.

Chick, You owe me one mouthful of coffee, and the cat a bath! Hahahahaha. I love you, Man. Today I’m going to work on a sliding hatch cover. Guess what it does? Peace, Giggles

The screws are only temporary clamps. Now I will glue some 1/4” solid fir pieces around the edges, with the joints reverse from the frame joints. Then I’ll round over the upper edges, apply a piece of light cloth to help stave off checking, and call it a hatch cover. Peace, Robert

I am busting my behind, is all. Loose ends are flying together on the boat, and I’m helping a kid build a boat. Busy Busy. Plus, I know squat about powerboats, anyway. Peace, Robert

Well, I am not at all a motor boat guy. I have owned exactly one in my life, and it’s still awaiting a refurbishment, so I really can’t offer any advice. That AF4 seems about like all the rest of his boats, though, which is to say, slightly odd, sometimes, but dang good sense. That AF4, for example, may be the best all around type of motorboat, What with a big cockpit, a neat and useable cuddly area, and that slot top. The slot top is cool. That said, one of those cool ramp type front ends on a scow type hull would be cool, like a landing craft! Peace, Robert

thull, I suppose it would be a rabbet type joint? The idea is to have a joint less prone to opening and leaking than a mitre, but have a bit more watertighness and less exposed end grain than a straight butt joint. I will do the frame around the hatch top the same way, but the frame will be built around the coaming with finish nails as spacers, to ensure the hatch fits over, and none too snugly. Peace, Robert

As promised. Continued updates, despite what I promised. I am such a dummy. Here is a hatch coaming. I will build the hatch top around it, and use turnbuttons and hinges to compress the seal. Whee. Peace, Robert

When I made strip glass canoes, I always painted the outside, and people always got upset. Suckers. You keep that thing shiny and bright. Besides, it’s cool when someone sees your canoe from far away and doesn’t give it a second glance, but then, later, when the see it closer, their eyes goggle because they realize it’s wooden! Hehe. This boat will live on a trailer on at the marina, waiting. It ain’t gonna be any more beautiful with varnished doodads everywhere. The spars themselves will be enough bright. Well, with buff tips. Peace, Robert

And, here is the coaming cap. This piece of 1/4” thick fir covers the raw edge of the ply, and raises the top edge of the coaming up to the height of the cabin top. There will be nothing bright on this boat save tiller and spars. Peace, Robert

If you make a paper pattern of the glass piece you need, you can pre-cut and pre-wet it on a piece of plastic, then apply the whole shebang. The paper will also help determine if the glass will drape around everything. I sheathed the vertical sides of the “house” on my boat this way with 4 oz glass. Same same with the bottom of the footwell and up the sides of it. Cheap, clear shower curtain liners work well, and the finish they leave resembles that from peel ply, only smoother. I have applied a six foot long, 30” wide piece of 4 oz glass this way, a few times. Alone. Peace, Robert P.S. I may be tempted to glass it all, if only to provide the same substrate to take paint. It may weather differently on the bare ply as opposed to the glassed, and look odd later. Happened on our Sneakeasy we are rescuing. No, not fir ply, but real imported fancy marine ply. It’s full of little sun checks on the bare wood parts.

https://youtu.be/PjzZmbdxJnE This is a link to the birb thing my kids showed me. Where I got American Death Log. Hehe. Olderst Son and I have held a gator. A “tame” one raised in captivity, as it were, but a gator nonetheless. Those things are snakes with stumpy legs. That body is pure muscle. Whoo! I think theyre pretty, too. And the babies is SOOO cute! Peace, Robert

Alligator = American Death Log. Anyone seen the birb memes? My kids showed me. There are birbs and sneks and doggos and cattos. Quite funny. Peace, Nope Rope

Ken, There are several boats here, all at your disposal, Friend. Maybe even the Sneakeasy by then...:) Also, I can direct you guys to some absolutely unique and off the beaten path things to see around here. I know, for example, of a grove of nearly 300 sequoias nearby that get practically no visitors. Or the deepest canyon in the contiguous U.S. With the craziest river running through it comprised of the entire spectrum of blues and clears water is capable of. Hijack. What’s that? Peace, Robert P.S. The sailing canoe in my avatar is being converted to a hand powered side wheeler. Really.

Man. Ken, I would LOVE to talk paddlewheelers with you. We can even get into feathering wheels and independent drive (side or sternwheel). We can talk about how easy the drivelines are to build (hard to build a good prop at home for most) and maintain, and how superior they are in shallow, weed-choked water, especially filled with bars, which the sternwheel especially excels at backing off. But, man I ain’t gonna defend every word and idea I have. I like dumb, unpopular things, and though I like to share, I’ve had enough of justifying myself and my every decision. Your motor looks amazing. I’d love to own somesuch. Enjoy it. Peace, Robert

Oh, I am INSANELY jealous. If I had that, I’d put it in a sterwheeler and disappear up some swampy arm of the Delta for weeks at a go... Details, man, details! Please. Peace, Robert

I’m devastated and relieved. And still coming! Honestly, build a duck punt. They are hilarious fun. Big old canoey thing, but you can sail it. Couple sheets of 6mm ply and an optimist rig. The foils are the steering oar. Good for quick trips, small enough to wrassle, big enough for you and your Dearest together, and lots of room for turkles. You can row or paddle them. You can build it with fillets or chines and frames, so any itch can be scratched, build wise. Me? We’re building a flattie skiff (to take the dog, she likes her primary stability, and at 130 pounds, we need to respect where her weight goes in a boat:)) and three pirogues, one as a gift for a kid we know and got hooked on boats. Then we’re going to go camp in the slough with them. Kid fun. After that, I GOTTA get my wife’s Sneakeasy fixed up and running, or she’ll get mad. Luckily she likes the punts a bunch. Peace, Robert

Hey, no fair! You’ve had more time to compile your list! Perhaps we can figure a matrix of incident density? I don’t even know what that means. Harhar. Peace, Coming For Your Title!

Well. Just to show it isn’t all 100% half-cocked, here is a truce photo of a scarf in one layer of the yard (standing lug main). Yes, that thick glue line where the two layers meet at the scarf makes me want to burn the whole thing and start over. Peace, Robert

Our day was fantastic! We took a kid to the lake who had never been. Our oldest two paddled her around in the big punt like she was the Queen. She loved it. Youngest got to row around with me a bit, paddle around with the bigs. It was great fun. Peace, Robert

Also, I should like to add, for any who may wonder, the CS in my signature line won’t be getting domestic ply. It will get Jaloubert stuff. Old number 55 will live. One day. For her I need to save up some scratch. Peace, Robert