Boat Builder Central - Builder Forums

Well guys, finally made it to the ramp. I am pleased to report it was a fantastic event, the OB17 performed as best as I can tell, flawlessly. We really put her to the test, with great results. But more of that later lets get some photos up hey!











I just LOVE IT. Thanks to the designer, the support from the forum and all those I have stolen ideas from.

Let me be first to congratulate you for a job done well Beautiful boat, beautiful family! Enjoy her for a little while, before you start the next one

Definitely a job well done. Congratulations

Macs

Congratulations Now go out and put some hours on that engine and some blood on the decks.
Some performace numbers and more pic's would be nice also

Wow, very nice looking boat Congratulations on the splash

Richard

Good job and congrats on your splash.

Great job Slippa, and great pics as well. Congrats.

Will

Congrats!!!!

Matt

Love the action shot. What a great looking boat!

Slippa I hope she feels as good as she looks. Congrats on a job well done. That is of course if she,s done. Are they ever?
Good luck and put some fish on that deck. Keep posting pics of her and performance data.
Dave

Just beautiful, Slippa! Congrats! The family is quite happy, which is great too. They know you're gonna keep building yet?

Building a gorgeous custom rig like that sure doesn't make the tinny next to you at the launch look any better, does it?

Thanks guys for all the kind words, I really am very pleased with her. She tracks on rails even at top speed on messy water. Turns very well, very precise , minimal slip, rolls in just nice.

Amazing feature---No hump before planing, in fact very hard to tell the transistion from displacement to planing. Also no spray in your face, not once! We tryed all speeds and directions in some nasty rough stuff too. Tried to stuff the nose into the back of some big waves, at a quater angle too, would not even begin to broach. The rub rail makes a good spray rail as the bow tries to bury into the back of a wave...the water just peels away.

I am raving on, I know but it is so good. Oh! performance figures so far. 17 inch pitch high cup ventilated trial prop (Viper) 5400 RPM 74.2 KPH WOT. Smooth water with some messy boat wakes.

One can trim the motor up at full throttle untill there is a big rooster out the back and the boat will not porpoise...it just gets faster! The Etec is grunty and very quiet ....good thing!

Cheers. Re. Slippa

WooHoo - Congrats Slippa. Bet your heart was racing as you backed her off the trailer
Your performance numbers sound like you got her dialed in already.

chicagoross wrote:They know you're gonna keep building yet?

G'day Ross, yep they know and don't mind, next build will be at a lesser pace (night time mostly and no weekend work) Just have not completely decided on which one next. I have learned alot from this one so next will be easier as well.

Cheers Steve.

BassMunn wrote:WooHoo - Congrats Slippa. Bet your heart was racing as you backed her off the trailer
Your performance numbers sound like you got her dialed in already.

Thanks Shannon, I got to tell you that I was pretty nervous, did not know what to expect really. The previous two nights were fairly sleepless. But, once it went into the water and no nasty habits or problems were revealed, I was at that moment the happiest man in the world... I'll fess up I have put in excess of 1400 hours into it So... I was nervous/anxious.

Yes, The prop figures are excellent straight up...that will do. I can lift the motor more too for a bit more speed, it never even looked like cavitating.

Smiles all round here.

Thanks Mate !

Steve.

Oh wow how did I miss this thread. Congrats Slippa on the launch!! Bet it felt great and seems like you had a nice shakedown run. It took me a little while to get things sorted.

Your performance numbers look great. 74.2 k is 46.1 MPH That's pretty fast for a small boat, the best I did was 42 with some chine walking and it freaked me out a little.

Anyway congrats again on the splash, you built a really nice clean boat, enjoy!

kdog wrote:Oh wow how did I miss this thread. Congrats Slippa on the launch!! Bet it felt great and seems like you had a nice shakedown run. It took me a little while to get things sorted.

Your performance numbers look great. 74.2 k is 46.1 MPH That's pretty fast for a small boat, the best I did was 42 with some chine walking and it freaked me out a little.

Anyway congrats again on the splash, you built a really nice clean boat, enjoy!

Many thanks kdog, I am still enjoying the feeling of satisfaction and it is fun to play with the "new toy" more fun than just buying one.

I believe my OB17 will be heavier than yours. Your boat floats higher in the water judging by the photos. I went a bit overboard with the internal glass. The plywood I used is Aussie Hoop marine ply and it is heavy (but super strong) The engine is145kilo and the transom is two inches thick etc etc. No regrets though it handles and rides well and at top speed tracks on rails, I have not experienced any chine walk (yet). Maybe the extra weight helps or may have something to do with the reverse chines. It also has no strakes or any skeg, but very sharp transom and chine edges.

I rekon I can get it a bit faster yet so I will update the figures if there is a change. I noticed that 2800rpm is 18 MPH and 3300rpm is 25 MPH. Cruises along very happy at half throttle and I think it is getting 2.5 Miles per litre

Regards Slippa.

Missed this...CONGRATULATIONS! She is definitiely a head turner and the numbers are amazing! Inspirational.

Very nice, people will be asking you all kinds of questions about her.

Beautiful boat and family. Bet the kids and everyone else thought you were crazy when you started this project. It's a great feeling of accomplishment when she turns out as fine as yours has isn't it? John

sideslippa wrote: I believe my OB17 will be heavier than yours. Your boat floats higher in the water judging by the photos. I went a bit overboard with the internal glass. The plywood I used is Aussie Hoop marine ply and it is heavy (but super strong) The engine is145kilo and the transom is two inches thick etc etc. No regrets though it handles and rides well and at top speed tracks on rails, I have not experienced any chine walk (yet). Maybe the extra weight helps or may have something to do with the reverse chines. It also has no strakes or any skeg, but very sharp transom and chine edges.

I rekon I can get it a bit faster yet so I will update the figures if there is a change. I noticed that 2800rpm is 18 MPH and 3300rpm is 25 MPH. Cruises along very happy at half throttle and I think it is getting 2.5 Miles per litre
Regards Slippa.

Me and Lucky Louis had the same experience as you as far as the handling, it definitely tracks on rails in all sorts of turns at speed. Your reverse chine design seemed to work very well and it loses the drag of the skeg and strakes.

Some of my problems came from having a hook in the hull and having a rounded off transom so the water doesn't release so good. I should know this stuff from building surfboards and how water flows over different surfaces (lift, drag, release, concaves, foils, etc). Same probably applies for you and flying planes. I keep saying I'm going to fix some of the problems but I've been having so much fun over the past 5 seasons I didn't bother.

No worries about the weight if you can get her going that fast and even looking for more. I just realized that you've got a 90hp on there.

Man I missed this Congrats broseph, must be an amazing feeling. Especially since you've worked so hard to earn it, rather than just buy one

Congratulations,

a very nice boat - I like it. You did a very good work. Enjoy it !

Bye
Bernd
Germany

I'm a little late on this one too...but better late than never! Beatiful job! Love seeing these boats go in the water for the first time. Again, great job on this build!

Fonda@kauai wrote:Man I missed this Congrats broseph, must be an amazing feeling. Especially since you've worked so hard to earn it, rather than just buy one

Thanks Fonda, I am looking foward to see your boat splashed, keep up the good work, I see you are making a very nice job of it. The feeling of operating your new owner built boat for the first time is wonderfull, you can look foward to the day.

Best regards... Slippa.

bernd1 wrote:Congratulations,

a very nice boat - I like it. You did a very good work. Enjoy it !

Bye
Bernd
Germany

Thankyou for your comments,

best regards Slippa

Lower wrote:I'm a little late on this one too...but better late than never! Beatiful job! Love seeing these boats go in the water for the first time. Again, great job on this build!

Yes it is a great result, thanks for your comments.
best regards Slippa

cape man wrote:Missed this...CONGRATULATIONS! She is definitiely a head turner and the numbers are amazing! Inspirational.

Thanks cape man and thanks to anyone I have forgot to thank. I have been out useing her as much as possible and I am getting the feel for her. The relationship is between me and my boat is just getting stronger and stronger..I love it!!!

Slippa.

Got a few more photos to put up soon.

The relationship is between me and my boat is just getting stronger and stronger..I love it!!!

Slippa.

I know that feeling And after almost 2 years it just keeps getting better

Some photos worth shareing....keep on building guys

Slippa.

absolutely wonderful Nice boat and good looking fishing grounds there

Beautiful boat, congratulations and enjoy. Photos like these will keep me motivated, thanks for sharing

Jim

Can't believe we haven't done this yet.
Feb. 26, 2009

Sep. 19, 2010

Now!

Just keeps getting better!

SS just back from vacation and pics like these just make me more determined to get mine done by next spring. Congratulations on the launch. You have done a wonderful job!

Tom

Thanks Guys. The start to finish photos was a good idea sit&fish.... that ute load of marine ply takes me back. All in all I enjoyed the boat build process.

I get some weird looks at the boat ramp...people trying to figure out what kind of boat it is. They usually ask "What's ya boat made of mate?" or what sorta boat is that mate?" I just tell em "its a home made wooden boat... mate!" They are very impressed and look very surprised and say things like... "Gees mate its a bit of orright ey! Didja make it yaself?" etc etc.

Well...I hope you blokes can read Aussie lingo. Anyhow it feels real good that people notice and you drive home with your new boat feeling very happy and just a little bit proud.

Slippa.

Nice pictures......
The boat looks really nice !

Bye
Bernd

Slippa,
What paint did you finish the outside of the hull with? looking at bottom shots on another thread... very nice finish.

Paul

AussieBoater wrote:Slippa,
What paint did you finish the outside of the hull with? looking at bottom shots on another thread... very nice finish.

Paul

No problem Paul. It is Protec Polythane AU625 two pack. Tough as nails and especially designed for machinery and boats. It has very good resistance to abrasion. I will be definately useing it on the next build too.

The finish on my boat was sprayed on but I did some experiments with rolling and found it rolled on well too. Just a dash of slow thinners and roll it on nice and thin... about three coats seems really good. It was applied over Protec epoxy high build primer (Epotec) which I found also to be an excellent product to use.

Here is the link.

http://industrialsupplies.com.au/wp-con ... ythane.pdf

Slippa

Slippa, You do very fine work. That boat is absolutely beautiful. John

Thanks Slippa,
I think I'll give it a go... I'll spray it too.

Very nice looking build and impressive performance. Are the paint and primer available in the USA?

What a great looking boat, and thank you for the performance numbers.

Do you mind if we use one of those pictures for the webpage?

shine wrote:What a great looking boat, and thank you for the performance numbers.

Do you mind if we use one of those pictures for the webpage?

Thanks Shine, Please go ahead and use any picture you like, that would be great.

Regards Steve/slippa

sideslippa wrote:

shine wrote:What a great looking boat, and thank you for the performance numbers.

Do you mind if we use one of those pictures for the webpage?

Thanks Shine, Please go ahead and use any picture you like, that would be great.

Regards Steve/slippa

I bet he wants to use this one.

are they both trained to stretch on command, thats a funny picture

Yeah, everytime I see that picture it makes me laugh...Nice work Sitandfish

Slippa

AussieBoater wrote:Thanks Slippa,
I think I'll give it a go... I'll spray it too.

Good idea Just a few pointers that might come in handy. The paint, thinned 15% worked well for me and nozzle size 1.4mm. Don't make the same mistake as me and spray on a cold day Choose a nice warm day if possible) I had a couple of sags to deal with cause I used slow thinners on a cool day. Slow thinners makes it easier to spray large panels and get an all over lovely gloss, but you get more dust on the finish and there is a higher risk of saggs/runs etc.

Have fun...best regards Slippa.

Thanks Steve,
I'll remember the temp thing, you buffed your boat, didn't you? I used to spray large boats in Brisbane. We used Sterling paints on them... 130' boats, they were like large buildings to spray lol

Paul

AussieBoater wrote:Thanks Steve,
I'll remember the temp thing, you buffed your boat, didn't you? I used to spray large boats in Brisbane. We used Sterling paints on them... 130' boats, they were like large buildings to spray lol

Paul

The Bottom panels were left "off the gun" The side panels were blocked, denibbed and buffed because of the couple of saggs that I had. The paint was very very hard and as a result difficult to rub back...took me a couple of days But the result was nice. The top side decks combing etc is off the gun, I had got it all figured out by then

Anyhow, sounds like you have stacks of experience with painting, I rekon you should teach me a thing or two

Slippa

ok, you did a great job on the spraying.
I'll probably go with a light grey on the inside, carpet on the floor. I like the all white outside, I'm still tossing up about putting some dark blue on the sides.
I was thinking about using Sterling paint, it was always off the gun finish... not able to be buffed. So I'm happier to use the paint you did...

Paul

Slippa,
Been meaning to say what a beautiful boat you have built, my home computer has been down and limited on-line access from work, they would rather have me working, go figure , and your performance numbers right out the chute are fantastic, the boat looks solid, how does she ride, nice and smooth I'll bet.

Do you mind if we use one of those pictures for the webpage?

What an honor, CONGRATULATIONS!

Joe H

Thanks Joe, yes Mate, I have to pinch myself, I really did not expect the boat to perform as well as it does. I thought it would slam and bang a fair bit with it's shallow deadrise but it is really quite a good ride and tracks on rails. It is so solid, not a bit of flex anywhere...feels great...love it

I feel very proud that my boat could be used on the Webpage, can't stop smiling

Thanks again, best regards, Slippa.

Congratulations!

And yes! You are now the "official" OB17 photo. More to come.
http://www.bateau.com/proddetail.php?prod=OB17


BWM

bateau-webmaster wrote:Congratulations!

And yes! You are now the "official" OB17 photo. More to come.
http://www.bateau.com/proddetail.php?prod=OB17


BWM

Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

Your dogs look happy for you!

bateau-webmaster wrote:Congratulations!

And yes! You are now the "official" OB17 photo. More to come.
http://www.bateau.com/proddetail.php?prod=OB17


BWM

Wow, Thanks. Don't quite know what to say. It is great to see my pride and joy displayed for all to see. Very Happy here. Thanks again.
Kind regards Steve/Sideslippa and the rest of our gang here.

sitandfish wrote:

bateau-webmaster wrote:Congratulations!

And yes! You are now the "official" OB17 photo. More to come.
http://www.bateau.com/proddetail.php?prod=OB17


BWM

Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

Your dogs look happy for you!

Well, I was a bit cranky at them for sleeping without their tails lined up properly.

Slippa.

SS I finally had a chance to sit down and go through this tread from the Launch till now. I was on vacation when you launched. All I can say is WOW! Excellent top end numbers your Etec 90. Excellent handling with your reverse chines. Shine putting you on the main Bateau page. And those so cute dogs! and family. Guy, enjoy that boat you deserve all the time you put into it you deserve it!

Tom

Slippa, don't know where in Australia you are located, but hope that you and yours have survived the floods.

In reading various forums, I've realized that there are a lot of builders in Australia. My question (out of curiosity) is if you had any issues regarding "builder's plate". I have seen this raised as a big issue for Aussie builders, but they seem to be building plans from all over the world and manage to get those registration numbers anyway; maybe it depends on the common sense of your local authorities. Did you have any problems getting a builders plate?

Slippa is located in a city that has been flooded for 2 weeks...

FYI... the area affected by the flooding in Australia is larger than Texas... Some towns have seen 9 flood peaks in 3 months...

I have not heard how Slippa has faired with the floods, he lives in a coastal city... I do know they have had water sitting around in buildings for approx 10 days... Not normal for a place at the end of a river.

I've been thinking of Slippa and his family. My folks live in the same area.

I want to know if people in OZ have had an issue with the builders plate too... A bridge I need to cross further down the track...

I sure hope Slippa is OK And your folks too AussieBuilder. And all you other Aussie builders. I've been seeing those floods on the news, that's some seriously bad stuff. I know I can't be of any help way over here, unless it helps you to know people are thinking of you and that we care. Wishing for the best!

Hey Guys we are OK. I was uneffected by the floods, thanks for the concern. There was a huge flood in my town but my home and business are on higher ground.I will catch up soon with more details about that aussie builders plate.
Best regards, Steve.

Glad you made it through OK, Slippa!

Great to hear your okay. Was worried about you and your family. Nasty stuff down there! Let us know if we can help in anyway.

Hello Side!

Better late than never mate, or not? congratulations with you launch!!! a awesome and honest build!!

hope you can enjoy it for years and years!

peter

Thanks Peter. sorry guys have not been on the forum much, we are in the middle of a huge House renovation , not even living at home at the moment.

However we went out on the water last weekend and had some fun with the kids skiing etc. My Daughter has a very good camera and took some great shots of the OB17 going flat chat and stuff like that. I will post the photos as soon as I get a chance.

Best regards Slippa.

Ok guys, here are some photos taken by my daughter on a day out on the river. We have had big floods here and the damage to the river is amazing. The water is still a bit dirty. Enjoy...we certainly did!

Oh! and here are some more, I hope you like them... We really enjoy the boat. From fishing to water sport it is really truly a great boat. Most of the photos are at 40 plus MPH.









Regards Slippa

WOW Steve that boat rides nicely

That's what I call ridding up on Pad




Love this photo


Your boat is very well sorted and it shows

Thanks for the pics

Looks great Slippa, looks like the whole family enjoys it as much as you.

Beautiful, Slippa! And the most important part - "A great time was had by all!" Clearly the family is enjoying your new toy!

Slippa I haven't got words to define your work... The only one that comes in mind is BEAUTIFUL!!! I hope I'll be able to do something at least similar to yours, really congrats, nice boat and nice family too. Regards
Daniele

Wow! I missed this one. Guess it slipped by me!

Congratulations!

ks8 wrote:Wow! I missed this one. Guess it slipped by me!

Congratulations!

Nice Pun
Sorry I missed your comment till now, Thanks for the compliment. I have been useing the boat alot for fishing and have been fishing alot... It is just fantastic and so far have not had any problems with anything. Well there is one slight problem apparantly, I am useing the boat too much
Here is a picture of a nice fish that ended up on the floor of My OB17 after a bit of a fight. The species is known here as a King Threadfin Salmon. They are very yummy.

Cheers re... Slippa.

Nice fish slippa, looks like a striped bass minus the stripes

Very nice fish

Looks great, i'm jelous that you finished yours, actually your OB 17 was the inspiration for me to start building that boat. I do have a couple of questions for you though if you dont mind answering them? I see that you dont have strakes on it (unless I am just not seeing them) and spray rail? Yours look like you may have a small spray rail (because at the chine at the transom looks like it flattens out from the V) Are these present and if not how does the boat ride? I'm really debating on adding them or not? Any help would be great. Thank you Eric

Hi Eric, sorry for the slow reply, I have not been on the forum much, just occasioally look in to check progress on some builds that I am following. There has been some recent discussion about those chines on my boat, I'm just not sure how to find it. Yes you are right there are no strakes and no skeg either, only reverse chines. If you go to my build thread you will see a fair amount of detail on how it is done.

I am totally happy with the set up and recommend it. The boat rides well and tracks very straight. The boat does drift/slide a bit in tight turns if the bow is trimed high, a small skeg would probably help here. The reverse chines setup is very popular in our part of the world, pretty much all plate alloy boats here have no strakes or skeg but have prominate reverse chines. I simply copied that idea.

I am currently midway through another build. ( traditional ply on frame boat ) I am installing the same system on that boat too. If it turns out to perform as well as my OB17 I will be one happy chappy

The OB17 is a great boat I use it every moment I can spare, I love it. And I got to tell you It can really take a solid pounding. I have not had the slightest problem. I once owned a aluminium boat, we call them tinnies here. Well it was rubbish compared to the OB17. The bottom panels caved in between the frames from pounding and it started to crack in places. It also flexed, it was noisey, it developed corrosion and was generaly horrible. Keep on working at your boat mate, you won't be sorry. Best regards Slippa.