It's a boat time!

No, I'm not Canadian...  But, it is about time, eh?  I am so happy this thing is finally done!  In the end, I've got a 15 foot boat that should be able to handle some fairly rough water. 

 Remember the front end where the gunwales came together?  Remember it looked like crap?  Well, here's the result.  I cut a little piece of wedge shaped wood in the middle and glassed it in.  I think it turned out okay.

 I used 16 foot lumber designed for deck material to make the gunwales and spray rails.  Lori said I should leave the natural wood grain and I have to say she was right.  It looks really cool with the wood showing.  I just painted them with the epoxy resin to protect them.   I decided to show the wood grain on the seats too.  Let's everyone know we've got a homemade boat.  Now comes the interesting part...  I've got to convince the North Carolina Department of Transportation that Lowe's Home Improvement sells pre-assembled boats!

Here are the lessons I learned while building this boat:

1.  Building anything out of fiberglass in the winter is a mistake unless you own a distributorship that sells propane and propane products (veiled King of the Hill reference).
2.  Power equipment and loose fitting clothes don't mix.  I had a great vest given to me by my in-laws that was eaten by my belt sander.  I barely got away with my life.
3.  When you breathe wood dust, you end up with wood boogers!
4.  When you breathe fiberglass dust, you end up with fiberglass boogers!
5.  When you breathe fiberglass resin, you end up high!
6.  When you breathe fiberglass resin and drink Killians you end up really high!
7. Cats eat corn.
8. True friends are the only ones that will help you sand.
9. Wood boats leave splinters...  Lots of them!
10.  If you sit a belt sander down before it stops, it will become an effective shop missile.  No really!!!!

I think this will be my final boat blog, but keep watching because I enjoyed this process and I'm sure I'll have more projects to follow.  So, stay tuned. 
Cheers,
Dennis  

Side Splitting Fun

Well, we finally installed the gunwales (pronounced gunnels).  Gunwales are the tops of the sides.  I went to my favorite marine store, you know, Home Depot.  I bought two 16 foot boards that are used for back yard decks.  I ripped the wood to about 2 inches X 16 feet.  Then, I cut a grove in the bottom that is a little over one quarter of an inch wide and about an inch deep.  

Fitting these things was a trick.  It was a two man, I mean two person job for sure.  My lovely bride dropped her quilting project and helped me fit these fiddly bits.  Thanks Lori!! 

We first fitted them and made the cuts in front and back.  Then, we mixed up some epoxy flox and put it in a ziploc bag.  We cut a small hole in one corner of the bag and then shot the mixture down into the grove.  Once we got it down on the sides, some of the mixture squirted out. 

The only problem we had was a small split on the left rear.  Not to worry, we can fix it with fiberglass.

I know what you're thinking...  You're thinking this joint looks like we were a little tipsy when we fitted it.  Now, it may look a little disappointing, but I think we can make it look better.  Tune in next time to see if we can salvage it...