Boat Builder Central

Beautiful build! I just acquired a free 20hp Merc with less than 10hrs...and I'm trying to decide what to put it on. I live on the water near Galveston, and own a 23' Ranger Bay. A nice little skiff would be great for the marshes around here. I bought PH22 plans years ago when they first came out, a...

Quick question; how much 'flash' time is minimum for in between coats of epoxy? For instance: If I am taping/filleting joints on the bulkheads/frames, how long do I need to let them set before I apply a complete coat over the bare wood? I'm trying to gauge how much time I will need to do all of the ...

Thanks Shine! I'll play with the hull sides and see how much more stiffening the rolled edge needs. The factory rolled edge is plenty strong. There are just a few areas where there was some 'dock crashing' done, and it weakened the rolled edge. I am mainly looking to fix/stiffen these areas, not nec...

I would use glass in the bait well for sure. As for foam - I'm an active duty coastie...I know all too well about all of that stuff! Excellent, and thank you for your service 8) My pleasure! I'll keep you guys posted on my progress. Not sure when I will make the order, looks like about $500 worth o...

The port aft box will be a baitwell - anything special I need to do with it for holding water? I assume as long as it is good and coated, then painted, I should be safe. Should I go ahead and glass the entire interior of that compartment just to be safe? As for foam - I'm an active duty coastie...I ...

Thanks again... Playing daddy daycare today with a sick kiddo. Hopefully I can get back in the garage tomorrow and finish cutting all of the frames and laying out the cleats. I'll take a look at those drains. When you said 2-coats of epoxy on everything, minimum - does that mean 2 coats, THEN glass ...

What type of clearance/gaps are acceptable in between the frames and sole/seat top? The boat is not 100% square, so I did my best to use cardboard to make templates. There are areas where they are fairly tight, and areas where there is 1/8" or 3/16" of light shining through. Should I clean...

Excellent info, very clear. Pics look exactly like I was thinking in my head. Now I need to decide exactly where I want to mount pumps/drains, etc. Any input on how to drain the forward compartments without letting water in? I was thinking about a small hole, all the way inboard, in the aft-most bul...

I need some help on how to wrap and attach my new decks, as well as how much epoxy and glass I need to purchase. The boat is constructed of poly resin/glass with wood core and floors. In addition to the decks, I want to add some support to the rolled gunnels as a few areas have taken a few docking b...

Thanks for all of the input. What are your opinions on building it all outside of the boat? I'd basically complete the frame, false stringers, deck, and forward bulkhead. Then, set it on the boat and tab it in. Also, for hatch lids - if I plan to make a simple mold, and NOT use any wood core, just g...