OD16 Launch

[rcihard]

Thanks guys for the kind comments (or were you all talking about my mechanic?).
We did not get the chance to put the boat in the next day due to weather conditions and then I had to travel to Kalgoorlie (about 1000 kms from Albany) and spend the whole week there due to work commitments. Spent the whole week thinking about the boat (very frustrating and difficult when you you are lecturing to a bunch of students at the local college and all you can think about is your new boat!!)
I hope to take the boat out this weekend and get some better photos, but more importantly to test the adjustments I have made to the trailer because it was @+%$&^#@ difficult retrieving her last time. Has anyone got any suggestions? I have a brand new trailer with lateral skids and four center rollers (Trailer is designed for a flat bottomed boat) I have adjusted the skids so that the rear ends are slightly lower than the front, hopefully this will help bring the bottom evenly onto the trailer and stop the boat moving off centre.
Any advice would be appreciated.

Regards
Richard

[Cracker Larry]

With flat bottom boats, I always use side boards on the trailer to keep the boat centered. I usually just run the boat up on the trailer until it hits the stop. The side boards align the boat and keep it in center...

[rcihard]

Thanks Larry, looks like the answer to the problem I will get some gear and start making additions. Much appreciated

Richard

[timoub007]

Richard,

Also make sure that the boards supportting the hull extend out to or past the transom. If the boards end under the hull you run the risk of putting a hook in the hull at that pressure point. Post some pics of the boat on the trailer to show what you may need help with.

I went and had another look at your gallery and Larry is correct about putting side boards on your trailer. Not only will it help you load it straight it will keep you beautiful hull off of those galvanized fenders! One big mistake a lot of people make when loading a boat is to back the trailer in the water too deep. When you launch the boat next, make a mental note where the hull is barely floating off the back of the trailer. This is the deepest you want to back the trailer in when loading. Typically you can load with a bit less trailer in the water than you launch with. Hope that makes sense.

Tim

[rcihard]

Thanks Tim, it all makes sense. I checked my boards and they are about 13 inches from the end of the boat, I will have to drill additional bolt holes to extend them to the transom. Do you think a foot overhang will cause me some problems?? Its raining at the moment but i will try to get out in between showers to get some pics.
Thanks for the feedback.
Cheers

Richard

[timoub007]

No, too much board sticking out the back is not typically a problem. Maybe I read that wrong though and you mean that the boards stop 13 inches under the boat, forward of the transom. If that is the case then yes you need to get longer boards. Look at the front of the boards to see if you can move them back 15 inches or so. If the boat is touching the front of the boards less than 15 inches from the end then you would do good to replace them with longer boards so that they stick out both in front of and behind the boat. By in front of, I'm only talking about where the hull starts to sweep up. Again, I hope that makes sense.

Tim

[rcihard]

Tim, my discription was a bit out of whack! I did mean I was short of the transom by 1 foot. I have adjusted my winch bar so that the boat now sits further up the trailer, but I suspect that I will need longer boards as they do not run forward far enough to reach the sweep of the sole, though the boat does sit on centre rollers for the length of the center stringer.
Larry I made up some side boards from ceder covered with scraps of carpet, took the boat out on Wednesday and retrieval was much much easier.
The boat ran very well and we had a great day, the longer we were on the water the bigger the grin on my face!! By the time we got back to the ramp I was amazed at the impact this build was having on me, an overwelming sense of achievement that I had not experienced during the whole build process!
There were about half a dozen people at the ramp all with fairly modern commercial boats and most of them came over to check out the dory!
It took five minutes to load the boat but about an hour before we left because of all the questions and compliments ( I would of stayed longer but my mate was in a hurry to get going and said that I would not be able to get in the car because my head was getting to big!!)
Anyway as I have said before thanks to all the members of this forum and the team at Bateau for the great advice and design, cant wait to start the next boat!

Richard

[timoub007]

Sounds like you are enjoying the fruits of your labor Richard. Congrats!

The issue with the boards can be fixed in time, it is not an urgent item. Over time of sitting on the trailer and especially the ride to/from the ramp is when you might form a hook.

Enjoy your boat!
Tim

[rcihard]

Have done a bit more work on the boat (in between the rain!!) Have added deck tread, I used international interdeck, polyurethane, like the brightside it takes an age to fully dry. You have to be careful not to apply too thick a coat.
Waiting for material for windscreen, and will look at fish finders next week.
Havn't had the boat back in the water due to poor weather. Southern tip of Australia gets really wet during winter (thank god for open fire places and single malt whiskey otherwise it would be really depressing!)
Considering a T Top or bimini, not to sure which way to go (though I did like evilds' t top.
Will update when the other bits are stuck on the boat
cheers

Richard
http://gallery.bateau2.com/displayimage.php?pos=-13621

[timoub007]

The interior looks great! I really like how the tread is set off with the masked out areas. Excellent work!

If you fish much requiring a lot of casting, I find that a T-Top gets in the way on a boat of this size.

Congrats again, and I know what you mean about the rain. I've gotten over 5" at my house today. We have already gotten our yearly average of rain before July is up.

Tim