I wish I could build this one day!

[i386]

linky

 

[Boomyal]

Re: I wish I could build this one day!

The sentiment is there i but not the desire. When you are done, you have a beautiful pile of wood with all of it's maintanance issues. Back about 1960-62 a friend of mines dad built a 16 ft' Glen L boat. It was a real butt buster but it was still pretty neat.

Shortly after, my dad bought a 16 ft Larson lapstrake glass boat with a 40 hp merc. It really rode a lot better than the glen-l plus you could just put it out in the back yard and forget about it.

I'd rather spend my time and money resurrecting and beautifying some thing that is fun to use.

 

[i386]

Re: I wish I could build this one day!

Idunno... those look like the oldies but are constructed differently. You think they're as high maint as the oldies?

 

[Boomyal]

Re: I wish I could build this one day!

Idunno... those look like the oldies but are constructed differently. You think they're as high maint as the oldies?

Yep! I do. Maybe some of the fiberglass/resin treatment has changed since those plans were designed but still it is wood. And back then, quality wood was probably some cheaper (relatively) than it is today.

 

[i386]

Re: I wish I could build this one day!

heh, who am i kidding... i wash my motorcyle once a year

 

[Bondo]

Re: I wish I could build this one day!

Ayuh,.........
I'd Much rather waste My time building a Glass boat from Junk,.....
Then Trying to Keep Up with Any Wooden Boat's Maintenance.........

 

[Mdude]

Re: I wish I could build this one day!

Guys, with all due respect, if you think that wooden boats are high maintanance items, you haven't kept up with the latest in epoxy technology or boat building methods. Building new boats from wood using Glen-L plans (I say this because Glen-L is the granddaddy of plans for the homebuilder) is an amazing process and yield a fine boat with no more maintanance issues than any new glass boat.

As far as restoring old boats, a product called Clear Penetrating Epoxy Sealer (CPES) from Smith & Co combined with 3M5200 as an adhesive has become THE standard for fine restorations. Granted, restoring old boats is not for the faint of heart but I've always said: "Wooden boats do NOT deteriorate because they're made of wood. They deteriorate because no one took care of them." IMHO, fiberglass boats serve many purposes in the boating industry. The least of which is that the habitually lazy can fool themselves into thinking that they don't need to take care of their glass boats. Nothing could be further from the truth.

 

[ondarvr]

Re: I wish I could build this one day!

I had a boat like that when I was 14 or so, it had a late 50s 35hp Evinrude on it.

Mdude
When you don't take care of a fiberglass boat the wood rots, very little happens to the F/G, maybe the gel coat gets dull. I have a couple of 100% F/G (no wood) boats that can sit out side for years at a time with no attention and all they need is to be cleaned up before use.

I don't have anything against wood boats, it's just that I'm lazy and have other things to do than maintain one.

 

[Mdude]

Re: I wish I could build this one day!

You may be right about the glass itself not breaking down. There is a fella not too far from me that has a hull in his back yard in the weeds with tail fins on it. I sneaked over there and took a good look at it. The floor is gone as is the transom but the rest looks like it's in easily restorable shape. It's a "LakeNSea." According to the Fiberglassics website, www.fiberglassics.com it's a 1958 Biscayne. I'm gonna try and talk this guy out of it.

 

[Mark42]

Re: I wish I could build this one day!

If you keep looking around you will find plans to build a similar boat using "stitch & glue" method. Basically the entire hull is cut from thin plywood and "stitched" together every foot or so with copper wire or plastic ties. Then the entire hull is covered with a few layers of fiberglass inside and out. The result is a hull that is mostly 'glass with a 1/4" wood core. These boats are easy and fast to build compared to the traditional method of wood boat building. And they last with much less maintenance.

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: I wish I could build this one day!

Fiberglass boats need less maintenance, but they are hardly zero maintenance. A plywood boat of that sort, properly sealed in epoxy inside and out, will have minimal needed maintenance from year to year - no more than a fiberglass boat. As with anything, that need for care will go up exponentially if it is neglected. Keep it clean. Keep it covered. It'll outlast you! That boat has really sharp lines, the kind you simply can't find in most glass boats. Building a boat from a kit or scratch is a very satisfying project. So is resurrecting a derelict hull. I've done both. Had fun with both. If you like it, build it. You won't be sorry...
- Scott