OUR PROJECT!
The Glen-L website describes the boat : "The UTILITY is a practical boat ideal for fishing or water sport use. The lightweight hull is easily transported and can be car-topped. The generous beam provides plenty of room for gear or passengers. This feature also gives the boat exceptional stability. Combine this with a good "vee" and the flaring topsides, and you have the ideal modern utility boat.
The construction of the UTILITY is ideal for the amateur. It's easy and inexpensive to build. Three 4' x 8' sheets of 1/4" plywood will plank the entire boat. The forward part of the bottom is put on in a single sheet, slit up forward to form the vee portion. This method eliminates a joint along the keel giving a smooth, leakproof hull."
OUR PROJECT!
OUR GOAL - ZOOMING ALONG! ------------------------- AND "BOBSLED" LAUNCHED SEPTEMBER 20, 2005!
Length: 11"
Beam: 5'
Hull Depth: 26"
Weight: 140 lbs
I am using System 3 Epoxy as the glue for this boat too.
System 3 Epoxy Website
I had already purchased and read the book "Boatbuilding With Plywood" by Glen L. Witt so I had a good idea of how the boat would go together. Good basic instuctions came with the plans as well as 4 sheets of details and a really big single sheet of "full size patterns". There were patterns for each of the frames, the transom, stem and breasthook. Note that the pattern details for the frames and transom only give you one half of the shape. See the pictures below for how you get the other side onto the wood.
I found that I could draw the bottom arc on the transom and frames easier and more accurately than I could trace it from the big pattern sheet. Instructions for drawing the arcs are on the plans. I used poster board to make patterns of the side pieces. I cut these out and traced them onto the wood. I used the full size plans to check my work by laying the pieces on the pattern blueprint.
Building the frames was time consuming and fussy woodworking but I loved it. I did not realise that the sides and bottom are curved until the plans came. A straight sided, flat bottomed boat could be framed in a weekend I bet. I could have bought the fully assembled frame kit from Glen-L for this boat but wanted to do it myself. I saved about $55 plus the freight cost by doing it myself. I would have saved more by using douglas fir marine plywood like Glen-L would but I used top quality BS1088 Okume so I can finish the transom bright if I want. Also I am not planing on fiberglassing this boat so I did not want to be worried about the fir plywood checking. I also used clear mahogany for the frames. I made the frame gussets from scrap 1/4" BS1088 ply I had on hand. Compared to the Mill Creek I am really enjoying not using all the epoxy. The frame gussets are fastened with bronze ring nails and epoxy glue.
I decided not to keep track of time or number of days on this project. I will keep track of the expenses. It will be a fast build I think without the fiberglassing. I ending up doing each frame in a weekend. The transom took several weekends to do. One other note - I bought a small bench top band saw and a benchtop sander (belt/disk combo) that have made the frame building much easier. I also used my sabre saw a bunch. Time for a new Bosch unit I think.
Since so much detail is available about building this style of boat I will not go into the same level of detail as my other websites. Photos and comments on key points should cover it! Please email me with questions. Glen-L has a boatbuilders forum too.
Each frame goes together pretty much the same so I am including photos of just one of the frames and the transom.
Dash beam arc drawn and nails ready for batten.
Batten sprung to mark the top of the dash beam.
Fitting dash beam to the forward frame before cutting.
Drawing second side of transom pattern. By using two sheets of the pattern transfer paper you get the mirror image on the back of the supplied pattern sheet. Then you use that to draw the second side. This is all explained in the instructions.
Transom bottom and sides on and cut to shape (oversize - see notes below). Ready to disassemble then cut keel, batten and chine notches. I'll glue the frame pieces to the transom after the notches are cut.
Note that I beveled the transom before cutting the notches. The bottom gets a 13-1/2 degree bevel and the sides get a 7 degree bevel. Allowing for the bevels really gave me some head scratching time. Let's see - which way does that bevel go again?? The plans give you the final shape and size of the transom to the outside (aft) - or SMALLER - dimension. You have to lay out the transom big enough to allow for the bevel cuts back to the plan size. I drew the final shape on both sides of the ply then added a second (bigger) outline on the inside or forward side of the transom. That way I had the lines for both sides marked. I cut the ply/frame pieces to the bigger line then used the band saw and benchtop sander to bevel the pieces. If my sabre saw was more adjustable I could have done it by just marking the final cut lines once and cut the bevel as I cut the plywood to shape. Next time. (Thoughts added later, after planking on. I am not sure I would pre-bevel the transom. I would do it as part of fairing the hull to receive the plywood planking. The actual bevels needed may not be exactly 7.5 or 13 and therefore beveling the transom in place with chine and sheer on might be easier. If you do a boat this way let me know how it works out.)
Stem and breasthook ready to go. The stem pattern is full size so it is just traced right onto the plywood. Both the stem and breasthook are two layers of 3/4 plywood - glued and screwed. The notch in the bottom layer of the breasthook fits onto and around the top of the stem locking the breasthook to the stem.
The breasthook fits onto the end of the stem. The longer cutout on the aft end of the stem bolts to the keel - a piece of douglas fir 1-1/4" x 3".
DATE: If you want to keep track of my progress note that its 1-15-05 and I am ready to scarf plywood and set up the strongback!
The good stuff. Lloyd's Grade Stamp. BS1088 Okume.
(Left) Plywood stacked with 3" setback ready to cut scarfs at a 12:1 ratio. (Right) Scarfs cut. I used my new power plane to cut most of the scarf. The plane was tricky at first to get adjusted but with fine cuts I had the time to practice before getting too much wood removed. I used a random orbital sander to finish up the scarfs. That was a mistake. The ROS would snag the delicate edge of the plywood and catch the sandpaper tearing the plywood edge. I had to be very careful. A belt sander would be much better to finish up the scarf.
Scarfing the first side panel. I do these one at a time this way: position the panels along a straightedge. Nail in place so they can not move. The top panel is nailed back far enough that I can lift it enough to coat both faces of the scarf joint with unthinned epoxy then coat the bottom face with thickened epoxy. All sides of the joint are taped to reduce sqweeze out clean up issues. When its all together and cleaned up I weigh a board down with 2 gallons of paint and a box of rocks. The green container is full of thundereggs we gathered/dug years ago. Cut a few. Very cool. This will cure for at least 3 days before I move it. Then another side panel and the bottom panel.
Big Epoxy Mess Up!
I have mis-mixed batches before but never one that was critical. I normally mess one up at least one batch every project or so. That led me to use a digital scale to weigh my batches. I never could count the pump strokes or I would get distracted and lose my place...was I on hardener or resin....I learned to throw the batch away if I lose focus and get unsure of what is going on.
Anyway, I glued up a scarf joint on some 1/4 Okume on Sunday. No big deal. I have done lots of scarfs. Monday morning the leftover goo in the cup was still soft. That was a bit funny to me but the shop is only about 60 degrees and I am using medium hardener. But by Monday evening the goo was not any more cured and still just as soft. The "oh crap" alarm went off in my head!
Only thing I can figure is that I forgot to zero the scale when measuring the hardener. I had mixed a batch that should take 30 grams of hardener. The cups I use weigh about 10 grams. That would put me off by a third. (it was still soft as of 6 pm Tuesday).
So taking everything I have learned and read about how to fix the mess I gathered a small window glazing tool for a scraper and my heat gun. The panels actually pulled apart fairly easily. Man was I glad at that point I was going to re-do the joint. I used the heat gun to soften the goo and scrape it off. This was the biggest surprise. It worked really well and took just a bit of heat to work. I could scrape and heat in one motion by holding the gun about 12 - 14 inches off the wood. I worked at it until no more goo bubbled up out of the wood with the heat. About 3 passes. Next I used a carbide scraper to knock it down some more. Until the scrapings were not too rubbery and the wood was back to its pre-goo color. Then I sanded the joints with the ROS until the paper was not gummed up.
My concern at that point was that the feather edges of the panels were still dark and therefore fully penetrated with the incorrect goo. So I used a straight edge and cut about 1/4" off each panel. Then I lined them up in the familar stairstep and sanded back to a feather edge. Mixed more goo and re-did the scarf joint. Glue was set hard by this morning - as it should be.
Lots of lessons here but the one I think matters is that the re-do was not all that hard and only cost me a day in the overall building process which is nothing. And I don't have to worry forever that the joint may fail. (And I know I can fix $60 worth of BS1088 Lloyds stamped Okume!)
Time for an update: 2-05-05
I completed the second side panel scarf without incident. Whew! I decided to wait to scarf the bottom panel until I am ready to install it. I just do not have room to store a 4' x 12' piece of plywood.
Transom knees finished.
The transom knees have been cut and sanded to size. There seems to be a difference in the plans and instructions for the boat. The plans/instructions show or refer to 2 knees or 1 knee depending on where you look. The knees install on each side of the keel strip against the bottom. I'll opt for the safer approach and install two knees, one on each side of the keel.
I cut the keel pieces. The keel is laminated out of some 3/4" and 1/2" Douglas Fir for a total thickness of 1-1/4". I was very pleased to find the 1/2" stock. Not only does it make the spec'd thickness of the keel piece easy to achieve but it makes the chine a piece of cake to install since I can do it in two pieces 1/2" x 1-5/8" to make it 1" thick overall when laminated.
The battens and sheer clamp pieces were cut from some 3/4" mahogany stock. The battens are 3/4" x 2" and the sheer clamp is 2 pieces 5/8" x 1-1/4" laminated. The plans call for the sheer to be done this way in two pieces. I selected mahogany for the sheer clamp since it is exposed in the cockpit area of the boat and I may want to finish it bright. It is also more flexible than Douglas Fir for a given size.
The keel, chine and sheer will be laminated in place on the frames.
The only way to keep straight what I was doing, cutting and needed to buy for stock was to lay it all out on a spreadsheet. Otherwise I get inside the lumber yard with all the wood...and get lost.
Cut list spreadsheet for keel, chine, sheer and battens
Building form is finished and frames set on. I built a form based on some photos seen on other websites and the basic idea from the plans. I anchored it using concrete screws set in 1/4 inch holes I drilled. Note - next time get the hammer drill! Getting the building form level and plumb was tricky fussy work. I also had to be sure I got the frame exactly where I wanted it in my small shop so I could still walk around the boat to work on both sides. I can easily walk around the stem end. I also raised the form to a height of 32 inches from the plans detail of 21 inches which put the sheer just a few inches off the floor. I can work sitting but not lying down!
Transom mounted on frame. The back legs are angled 12 degrees. Taking a hint from Glen L's book I fit the two other frames then used the keel to set the transom height. Worked great. My original guess was off by only about 1/4 inch - thus the notches in the leg tops. Clamps hold the transom to the legs and the frame sits on the notches. Once the keel is glued and screwed in place the transom won't move.
The forward frame sits 2 inches lower than the base line (top of 2x4's) so I set a 1x3 in place for the frame to sit on.
Test fitting the stem to the keel and forward frame. This was done after the correct height and location for the breasthook end of the stem was worked out. I had to do a bit of sanding to get the stem to fit flat against the frame. It fit nicely otherwise. The keel is a full 1-1/4 inches of doug fir. I used a 1/2" and a 3/4" piece to get the spec thickness.
Stem and breasthook blocking. This is an idea I took off another builders website. The breasthook sits on a level 2x4 mounted to the vertical plywood piece that is fastened to the building form base. By making sure that this mounting was at the correct distance from the forward frame AND the correct height in relation to the building form base line the stem assembly was easy to get "just right". I then used 2 screws to lock the breasthook to this setup. After it was all in place and looking good I ran a centerline with masons twine and used a plumb bob to be sure the stem was straight. I only had to move it about 3/16 or so. I probably worried more about this step than any other so far and it turned out to be one of the easiest.
Keel, stem, frames and transom all set and ready to glue. That is now done and the next step is to mount the transom knees and blocking that connects the transom and keel. This will be much easier to do before the planking and with further stiffen up the transom mounting for the installation of the chine and sheer clamp. Date: 2/13/05
Transom knees installed. I needed to assemble them to the transom block (the piece between the knees that fits against the transom) before installing to the keel/transom since I could not get a drill driver or even a regular screwdriver in that close to the transom due to the building frame.
Close up of the business end of the chine. Two layers of 1/2" douglas fir installed one at a time. The second layer was a snap to fit but the first was a bear. Lots of head scratching. The Glen-L book is the best source for the hints and how to's on this step. The biggest puzzle I had was the forward frame notches. I just could not figure out how to place and orient the notches. Finally it dawned on me to check the patterns for the frames. My first notch was "epoxy" quality but my second notch was fine. The aft frame notches were easy. I used a mock up of the full size two layer chine to mark and fit the notches. Then I fine tuned after the first fitting. Cutting the compound bevel where the chine fits the stem was actually pretty simple. With the chine fit in the notches I held it against the stem and cut using the side of the stem itself as the saw guide. Once I had it cut I fine tuned the position on the stem to be sure the chine side was parallel with the forward frame (at the forward frame) - setting the twist I guess you could say. With that postition marked I could cut the other chine. It took two tries on the first side and just one on the second side to get the angle right. Final fit was done holding the chine up to the stem and running an old saw with sandpaper stuck to it through the joint for a perfect fit. This was a really good tip. I cut the transom end of the chines last.
To cut the second layer chine pieces I could not use the stem for a saw guide and I don't have a compound miter saw. I used offcut chine stock scrap pieces to make "patterns". I rough cut the compound angle then used my bench top sander to get them just right. Then using the patterns I could easily duplicate the exact angle needed. This worked really well. After I had the chine pieces screwed in place I marked and cut the transom ends.
Views of the chine bend and twist. (Date 2/15/05)
Sheer clamps. This is the steam box I rigged to steam the second sheer clamp laminations. The sheer is two layers of mahogany 5/8 x 1-1/4. The first layer went on ok with a bit of help to torque it into place for fitting. To avoid having to fight with the wood again when I actually glued/screwed it on I used towels and boiling water on the first sheer clamp layer to relax the wood while still in place. Worked pretty well.
However, the second layer did not make the bend. I broke both pieces I had cut. Best guess after talking to some local boat builders is that the first layer could bend naturally while the second was forced to bend along the curve already established. Glen-L says that they have never had to steam wood to build any of their boats but I was using very dry mahogany. Also the boiling water and towel procedure seemed like it was not going to work all that well on the second layer. I have read where some builders do the sheer in 3 layers to avoid steaming or making too much kindling out of good wood.
The steam box was made from a $39 garment steamer from Home Depot, a bit of 1" heater hose and a piece of aluminum dryer duct. I stuck pieces of wire (cut from clothes hangers) through the duct to hold the wood off the bottom of the pipe. Each end was plugged with rags. Steam leaked out each end and the wire support holes. I did a test run with one of the broken sheer pieces to sort out the process. With the bugs worked out I steamed the first sheer piece for an hour. It bent in ok but was stiffer than I had imagined it should be. So I did the second piece for 10 minutes longer and covered the "steam box" with towels to hold the heat in. The second piece bent in much easier. Since this was the first time I had steamed wood I was amazed at how dry the wood was after steaming. I had expected it to be soaking wet.
Second sheer layers steamed and clamped in place to take the shape. I'll glue it after about 24 hours.
Now I can see the full aft end shape. The transom end of the second sheer laminations will be cut to fit when I glue it on. (Date: 3/5/05)
Fairing! Forward frame showing the changing or "rolling" bevel. I still need to fair the sheer clamp to the left (forward) of the frame. Although the fair part of the sheer (to the right or aft of the frame) looks thin it is actually triangular in section so the top side is full width.
I started at the transom fairing the sheer and chine forward to the first frame. That section was pretty obvious. However, like my puzzling over the placement of the chine into the forward frame I also spent a bit of time figuring how to fair the frame/chine at the point of this picture. Ended up re-reading the Glen-L book and devided the chine in half. One half for the bottom and one half for the sides. I also had to do a rolling bevel on the bottom side of the forward frame.
The notches in the stem are the first part of the Rabl method of fairing the chine and stem. Detailed in the Glen-L book. Measuring from the stem/chine junction you mark out the chine and stem following the curve of each piece. I made a mark every 6 inches. Then you notch the stem and chine so the marked points can be joined with a straightedge. A-A, B-B and so on. Worked slick. From there I could easily bevel the chine just by connecting the notches.
I still have to fair the forward sheer clamps and the stem itself. Tools used were a small block plane and a rasp. I tried the power plane but it was too hard to see what was happening whereas I can feel the bevel rolling when I use the block plane. (Date: 3/13/05)
Faired sheer (looking forward). I decided to add a third layer of sheer to the section between the breasthook and forward frame. I was concerned that I would fair off too much of the sheer since it is set in vertical. Steamed the pieces and glued them in. After fairing I am glad it did it. Will be really sturdy.
The side panel has been fit to the other side. I marked it to the frame on the interior side of the panel. Pulled it off and drilled holes to mark where the screws will go. Faster than trying to use some sort of jig to mark the holes with the panel on the boat.
Looking aft at the nice curve on the side of the boat at the transom.
Transition joint towards bow. From this point to the stem is the only part of fitting the side panel that needs to be exact. Fully explained with pictures and diagrams in the Glen-L book.
Nice lines I think. I left the bow end long so I had some leverage to push the panel in place then drive the screws. I used sheet rock screws so I can just drive them in. Tomorrow I'll glue it. After the glue sets I'll pull the sheetrock screws and install the bronze screws. I am using a 4" spacing on the screws. (Date: 3/20/05)
The other side has been glued and screwed on. Battens installed and faired. The battens forward get faired into the sheet plywood bottom. Plane a little, check with a scrap of plywood, plane some more, check again and so on until it all fits. Next comes the bottom! (Date: 4/01/05)
Installing the bottom planking is outlined in the plans/instructions this way: using a 4' X 12' plywood panel cut the panel to a point about 12" aft of the forward frame. This cut allows the plywood to bend and overlap to form the forward vee of the bottom. Yeah right. I found that since I was using 8' plywood that only left me with a 4' section not cut. I have to scarf the bottom to length anyway. I'm doing that in place on the boat. I tried and tried to get the single piece to fit but finally gave up and cut the bottom into two pieces. (port and starboard) Maybe some one with more experience could do it in one piece but not me.
There was no way to lay the panel on the boat and mark the dimensions like with the side panels - the bend is too severe. The individual bottom panels were still a bear to fit but I could see and visualize the bending forces whereas with the single piece I could not. For example, as the panel bends around the stem and forward frame it wants to move the its aft end out away from the centerline (along the keel) unless the cut on the chine junction is at the correct angle. If it's not at the correct angle the panel humps up along the stem if you try to install it with the aft end of the panel tacked down (as I was trying to do to keep the panel centered)....With the one piece attempts I did not pick up on that.
So the best way to fit the panels was similar to the side panels. I cut and fit along the chine from the transition joint forward to stem then checked the fit of the whole panel. I had to adjust each one several times to get it just right and keep the panel straight as it bent. The bonus of doing the bottom this way is that once the bottom pieces were on I was able to easily mark the batten locations using the battens themselves and a straight edge. (4/03/05)
You can clearly see the transition joint in the bottom to side seams. They should have been placed about 6 - 8 inches aft. Still worked as designed but the natural transition point was aft. I will let the bottom panels set for a day or two allowing them to relax to fit. It makes the actual installation with glue easier I think. The gap along the keel is only about 1/8" so it can easily be filled with thick epoxy if it does not close up on final installation. I'll glue these pieces on then scarf the aft end bottom panels next. Then I will need to decide about spray rails and glassing the bottom seams (I have the glass tape already.)
The bottom panels are installed. Scarfing them in place with the slight curve of the hull bottom was easy. It helped tension the panels to insure proper contact. I spent some time under the boat cleaning up squeeze out since the aft portion is not covered fully by floorboards. It will be worth the effort when I get to finishing the inside. (4-10-05)
Oak keel/stem strip installed. Exterior chines/spray rails installed. Bronze screws done and ready for filling of screw holes. I had to steam the oak to bend it around the stem. Next I'll do a quick sand and apply two coats of epoxy. Then the hull gets flipped! (5/1/05)
The boat is turned! I did it myself using some ropes and straps to raise the boat off the building frame. Once the boat was up high enough I could roll it to one side or the other to dismantle the building form from underneath it. The boat was lighter than I imagined so it was not a big deal to just roll it over while it hung from the straps. So cool.
Now I can really see the lines and sheer. Its hogged a bit by design. You can see it in the photo at the top of the page but its tough to tell from the drawings how it was going to look. I think once the deck is on the classic design will be very pretty.
You can see the spray rail/exterior chine on the left and the oak stem strip on the right. I also planed off the extra plywood from the sheer. (Rolled upright 5/7/05)
I've got seats. The seats and seat supports were actually fairly tricky to get right. Taking the lines from the plans I found the seat height along each side. Hint - they line up with the tops of the plywood frame gussets. I marked those lines and made the seat supports. The supports need to be beveled on the top edge so the seats sit flat as well as in both directions where they fasten to the hull. Took many "cut, check, plane, check, plane some more" sessions to get them all to fit. Once I had the center seat supports installed I cut the center seat and fit it. Then I could make the support structure for the center seat that sits along the keel. The seats themselves are curved and beveled (rolling of course) where they fit next to the hull sides. You can see all this in the photos. I am a bit behind in the boat project since my father-in-law was in and out of the hospital most of the month of May and passed away over Memorial Day weekend. He was 91. (6/4/05)
Checking the forward sheer fairing and deck beam placement. Some work to do still! The hard part was that the basic fairing had to be done first then the deck beam could be fit then the final fairing was done.
Deck frame pieces fit (left) and the nice deck shape (right). Next I will take the pieces out so I can finish the area under the deck. Then I can re-install them and do the final (glued in place) fairing for deck plywood. Before the deck goes on I will fit and install the rub rails. (6/21/05)
The underside of the deck is painted and ready to install. I decided to paint rather than epoxy coat the deck underside since I have had an issue with condensation that is discolored from the wood (or wood flour in the epoxy used to thicken for glue) that stained the nicely painted hull interior of a previous boat project. Not sure of the exact cause of the coffee colored drips (wood flour or the plywood) but did not want to try to paint under the deck after it was installed. So I used cab-o-sil to thicken the epoxy when I glued the deck on.
Deck is installed after painting the interior. After several coats of primer and paint I need to buy a spray rig before I try to paint an interior like this again! The deck turned out nice with its arc on the overhang. "Arc to suit" per the plans. Now the boat has finally been moved out of the tiny shop and into the much larger garage for hull exterior painting and the varnish work. I'll install the oak rub rails before painting. At that point the boat is fully built! (7/25/05)
Rub rails are installed (under the blue tape). Boat has been primered and two coats of green paint applied. Several more coats of green to go. (7/31/05)
Birth of a boat! Now that the hull paint has cured two weeks I brought the trailer home and the boat is seen for the first time from a distance outside. I like the lines. If you look carefully you can see the cool bronze bow handle I got from Bristol Bronze. Its the piece called out in the plans and looks so right sitting on the bow. Later in the day I cut, fit and installed the deck trim. The plans call for a 3/8 x 3" piece. No way! I ended up at half that - 1.5". Some sanding to clean up the deck edges and then varnish. (8/13/05)
Floor boards. Made of 1/4 inch ply soaked in teak oil top and bottom. No varnish where you walk - slippery and hard to maintain. The floor boards needed 1/4" shims under the middle battens so the boards would lay fair with the thicker keel and the outside battens. I would have loved some 7mm ply but 1/4 (6mm) worked fine.
Finished seats installed. I pre-installed by drilling countersunk holes. I had to be careful to place the screws at the right place so I would not screw through the side of the boat. The screws go straight down but the boat curves! Then I removed the seats and taped the back of the holes so I could sand the seats again and soak the holes with varnish. Before installing I used a pipe cleaner to swab the holes in the seat supports with varnish. I dipped the screws in varnish before driving them them to install the deck. This beds the screw and screw head in varnish making a pretty good seal. A cloth cleans up the ooze out and a paper towel polishes off the varnish film leaving bright clean seats.
The bronze boweye from Bristol Bronze. I had noted on the plans where the screws were located (breasthook to stem and deck strongback to breasthook) so I could locate the boweye without drilling into a screw. No way I was going to mess up a finished deck trim by having to relocate the boweye or use a shorter screw than desired for this critical piece. I love this little hunk of bronze. Now the boat is done except for a bit of touch up paint. No more screws! (8/23/05)
Photos from the first annual Toledo Oregon Wood Boat Festival. Toledo is up the bay from Newport Oregon on the central coast.
The deck turned out nice. I cut the deck panels from two different sheets of plywood. The first pair did not match that well so I cut a third one. Better planning would have enabled me to cut them from one sheet. Actually the grain match looks like they did come from one sheet so I am happy.
The interior with seats and floor boards and a close up of the transom knees.
Side of transom has a nice curve. It may be a few weeks until we actually launch "Bobsled". Water shots then! (8/29/05)
BOBSLED IS LAUNCHED!
On the water! Launched September 20th at Devils Lake on the Oregon Coast near Lincoln City. The gloss on the green paint really shows in the water.
Planes easily and fast with the weight of a big skipper on the middle seat. Not so good with the big skipper on the back side seat. Bought a tiller extension and will be strongly considering a wheel. Motor is a 1987 9.9 Evinrude. Boat is named "Bobsled". Estimated speed with one person on board is 20+ mph. The boat will be perfect for two kids or one large adult. The picture on the right is my favorite of all the in the water shots. Bobsled is a very stable boat. Holds corners as tight as the outboard will turn with no skidding. We are quite pleased with the handling and stability of her.
The sharp bow really cuts through the water. Boat wakes and spray are no problem. The boat rides dry at all speeds. Thumbs up for Bobsled!
ALL IN THE WATER PHOTOS PROVIDED BY STEPHEN CRIDLAND, PHOTOGRAPHER. VISIT HIS WEBSITE! Steve also provided the Evinrude, dock and his place on the lake for the debut of Bobsled who will live in the lake boathouse until Kaiti takes her to a new home some day.
Bobsled has her numbers and name painted by the talented Pete McKearnan of Signworks in Portland, OR. If you need first class work done send me an email and I'll put you in touch with Pete. (5/12/06)
Steering and throttle / shift controls installed. The control box mount on the seat turned out nice.
The May / June issue of Wooden Boat has my little Utility Skiff in the Glen-L ad. How cool is that!
Several people have asked me "what year is your boat". That pleases me since one of the reasons I selected the Utility Skiff was the old fashioned look and lines of the hull. So I asked Glen-L for the date of the design. Their answer: 1955! Perfect.
UPDATE SEPT 2006 - Bobsled speed tests.
At Devils Lake on the Oregon Coast near Lincoln City. This is the first speed run with a GPS on board. The steering set up with remote throttle and gear shift works slick. Top speed with the builder on board is 23 mph. Not bad for 11' and 9.9 of old outboard. Bobsled is a bit faster with Greg driving. He is my friends son.
UPDATE MARCH 2007 - Kaiti finally drives Bobsled!!
Daugher Kaiti finally gets to drive Bobsled. Her delight is obvious and the reason I built the boat. She drove it like a natural. Her work schedule and college have been a big delay.
Kaiti and Bobsled start giving rides to her friends Jake and Adrienne. As soon as the weather warms up I see some serious boating.
ALL IN THE WATER PHOTOS PROVIDED BY STEPHEN CRIDLAND, PHOTOGRAPHER. THIS INCLUDES THE LAUNCH, GLEN-L AD PHOTO, SPEED RUN AND KAITI DRIVES BOBSLED SHOTS. VISIT HIS WEBSITE!
______________________________________________________________________
My website on building a Swifty 12 sailboat
My website on building the Mill Creek 13
Vistors to this site: