Boat Builder Central

I'm the guy with the 25hp. With just me in the stern (no tiller extension) I've gotten to 29 knots per GPS. I don't doubt I top 30 with the extension. But I really question the safety of the boat at that speed. I've only done it dead flat calm, and wouldn't THINK of doing it with any chop or other b...

What he's referring to is that the GF12 & 14 use butt blocks to stabilize the hull panels under the midseat in addition to connecting the pieces. The GF16 uses fiberglass tape splices only because Jacques couldn't fit the butt blocks on the nesting diagrams and would require an extra sheet of pl...

It's a relative thing. I wouldn't worry about the structural ability of the transom to hold the motor (within reason), but it will affect performance. I have the 25hp Johnson with electric start. I can sit in the stern (I'm 195lbs) and plane off without difficulty, but it will be smoother when I get...

If you're going to be crossing any bays I would really think about a V hull. I love my GF16, but I'm pretty limited in where I can go when there's much wind at all. It really kicks up a chop, which the flat bottom just doesn't take well. In retrospect, for the kinds of water I need to navigate, I wo...

Yippee ki yea, there pardner! Isn't it a big thrill, being out there on the water in what was, just a mere few months ago, a stack of plywood, a few jugs of sticky resin and some rolls of incredibly itchy fabric? I find that thrill highly addictive. I'm holding off on tiller extension construction u...

I used a polytarp kit for my V12 the first couple of years and it did fine. Eventually the tape came loose and the sail started looking bad and losing performance. I could've refurbished it, but it was time to sew a "real sail". Using the polytarp gave me the experiences I needed to know h...

Bryan, Congrats! She looks great! I feel a little pride in thinking my advice might've contributed a little. I'll send you the transom shot when I get a minute at home, but I've moved my transducer into the rear seat well. I'll send a PM explaining why I like it better. Talk to me BEFORE you go dril...

For use in a bay I would recommend avoiding the flat bottoms. I didn't, and often wish I had built one with a slight V hull.

I just went through the core removal process on my GF16. I wasn't satisfied with my transom mount because every time the boat got up to speed I lost signal. I assumed that was because of turbulence, so I cored the hull and mounted the transducer in a bed of epoxy/fiberglass that was bubble-free. The...

Boy, are we stupid if we don't just piggy-back on the Duckworks Messabout that's already scheduled for Matagorda Bay on May 22nd. I was there just last weekend, and it's a great place to have one of these things. It is, however, a little farther from the Gulf than I would've chosen- it's probably 8-...