hightechmarine Posted October 19, 2018 Report Share Posted October 19, 2018 On February 20 2013 I started my Ocracoke 24. Five years later I finally have finished. I want to first thank Graham for all his help and beautiful lines on this boat. This boat is all composite. Core cell foam and fiberglass. To those who are thinking of building the 24 I strongly suggest the outboard bracket. The boat runs just fantastic through the water. It is powered by a 150 Suzuki. Only had it in the water for 2 weeks. Saw 46 mph with four people and 35 gallons of fuel. That was at 4800 rpm. Fast enough for me. Thanks to everyone on this site for there ideas and inspiration to keep going. Unfortunately work commitments kept me from the Mess About this year but hope to be there next year 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PapaFoxtrot Posted October 19, 2018 Report Share Posted October 19, 2018 Beautiful work! Congratulations on completing a lovely boat! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul356 Posted October 20, 2018 Report Share Posted October 20, 2018 Wow! That's stunning. Did I understand correctly that you used foam instead of plywood? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hightechmarine Posted October 20, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 20, 2018 Thanks for the kind words. The credit is really goes to Graham and his sharp eye for shapes. Everything is foam No fasteners. Just glued together. Started with the stations and attached the foam with fiberglass nails. Glassed inside and out like a conventional plywood boat. All the fiberglass was vacuum in place Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hightechmarine Posted October 20, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 20, 2018 Every builder's fear. Thankfully she sits right on her lines Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oyster Posted October 20, 2018 Report Share Posted October 20, 2018 Very nice work .. Do you have any running shots available? I really like the rear seating set up. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hightechmarine Posted October 20, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 20, 2018 Unfortunately no running pictures. The weather was terrible and time was short. I can tell you that the ride was fantastic. I am a marine surveyor and I ride in a lot of boats. I was most impressed going downhill. The boat just surfs and is easy to drive. I have the QL trim tabs made by Volvo. I would never use conventional tabs again. They are extremely responsive and have very little drag. I am going to ask Santa for the automatic module that levels the boat automatically. The rear seat was a major benefit of the outboard bracket. Makes the cockpit huge. I would suggest the bracket to anyone building a 24. I added my bracket when I was more than half done. It also is composite so aluminum to blister. Graham was extremely helpful with the dimensions. I was worried since I changed the center of gravity moving the engine back 30". Thankfully it all worked out. Thank you for your kind words 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kennneee Posted October 21, 2018 Report Share Posted October 21, 2018 Beautiful is an understatement! Do you have any idea how much she weighs and how much weight the foam constructions saved over an Ocume ply version? Ken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hightechmarine Posted October 21, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2018 Kennneee That is the million dollar question. I think all up with 35 gallons of fuel it weighs about 2000 lbs. Somewhat less than an Okume plywood boat. It does not feel heavy going through the water. I have been following your build it is also very well done. Watching all the builds inspired my to sand just a little more, and add a few finishing touches. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reacher Posted October 21, 2018 Report Share Posted October 21, 2018 Nicely done! Please tell more about the foam. Can’t tell how you laid it over the frames. It appears you used some relief cuts to bend it. How did you fair it to get the smooth contours? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hightechmarine Posted October 21, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2018 I sliced the foam into strips. I made the strips as big as the curvature allowed. At the the flare the pieces were only 1" wide and at the chine 3" wide. 2, 4 x 8 sheets went on the bottom aft. I glued each piece to the next using Gorilla glue. I used to use thickened epoxy but only small batches could be made before it kicked off. The Gorilla glue was fantastic. The foam filled all the little voids between the layers and was easily sanded off. You can see in one picture small pieces of 1/4" plywood (sealed with packing tape) These held the strips inline. All of it nailed together with fiberglass nails. Lots of people on this site use the fiberglass staples. Then it is just a matter of fiber glassing the exterior like a wood boat and fair everything smooth. I used 3 layers of 17 oz cloth and one layer of 1.5 oz mat. The center line is solid glass 9/16" thick. The stem is added later as you can see in the photo. The grey material is Penske core or they call it Cosa board now. Extremely labor intensive. However the boat is fairly light and solid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adios Posted October 23, 2018 Report Share Posted October 23, 2018 Beautiful job! Congratulations, it looks professionally built in every way. i have a question for you. I am 3 years into building the same boat, Hull #13. I haven’t posted in a while but I am getting ready to order an Armstrong bracket. I am much mor e interested in building a bracket. I would like to avoid the aluminum corrosion issue and I can make a custom bracket blend into the hull lines better. Does Graham have plans for the bracket or did you design it yourself? thanks John McFadden Charleston SC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hightechmarine Posted October 23, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2018 Yes indeed Graham will help you. I cut through the transom and attached the "beams" to the stringers and first bulkhead. The trick is allow enough buoyancy in the tank to support the weight of the motor moving back 30". The tank is tapered upward 2" per foot. Graham has all the calculations. I added the diagonal braces and just glued them to the transom. Be sure to allow for your trim tabs and deck drains. More work put it never blisters. It added a month of elapsed time but it was well worth it. I also incorporated the fender rail into to it for a very slick look. The Armstrong bracket will work just fine but I like the seamless look into the fender rail. The sea in the back is the best part Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adios Posted October 24, 2018 Report Share Posted October 24, 2018 Very Nice! I will contact Graham re the plans. Definitely better looking and lower maintenance than an armstrong bracket Thanks again. John McFadden Charleston, SC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lotus Posted October 25, 2018 Report Share Posted October 25, 2018 Congratulations hightechmarine ! A very nice and well build boat ! Love all the setup Well done once again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hightechmarine Posted October 25, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 25, 2018 Thank you Lotus. However no one does it like you!!!!!!!!! You think outside the box and execute it perfectly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lotus Posted October 25, 2018 Report Share Posted October 25, 2018 Thank hightechmarine . I noticed that you did not used the conventional types of trim tabs but those that slide out ( don't know what these are called ) Whats your impression about them ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hightechmarine Posted October 25, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 25, 2018 They are QL trim tabs made by Volvo. They are fantastic. Less drag electric so no oil. They react quickly. I have seen these on many boats . When they first came out there were some issues but they are much better now. You can get a module that will keep the boat in perfect pitch automatically. I am asking Santa for the module. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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