I just bought plans for the FS14 LS, will be picking up plywood in Boston in a couple weeks. The support on these forums was a big part of my decision. Really great user-base here, hats off to all of you.
This will be my second build, I built a SnG drift boat from plans last winter, still putting some final touches on it but my wife and I fished hard from it all summer. She's a recent convert to fly-fishing after a 15 year obsession with whitewater kayaking, the fly-fishing obsession appears to be just as strong or stronger. We have no experience with flats fishing but am not going to let that small detail slow me down building a dedicated flats boat and getting started. We both work from home, have an RV and plan on spending some time in FL, already have trip booked to Homosassa in March/April to start scouting. Will bring the driftboat with a trolling motor, some SUPS and try our luck.
I think the FS14 LS is probably a bit small for the two of us but it will fit out my basement door, it will go good with a honda 20hp 4cycle I have lined up, it will fit on the trailer I currently use to haul the drift boat and motorcycle together, and it should be no less stable than the SUP's we fish on regularly, in whitewater.
I've been studying the plans and drooling over Seaslugs build. I don't expect mine to be anywhere near that build quality but it's good to have a benchmark. Giving myself about 18 months to get it splashed, goal is to bring it to florida on next years spring trip.
I have a couple questions which will not actually be pertinent for quite a while.
First question: Plans show a motor well. I noticed seaslug did not put one on his boat. The plans do not indicate if the motor well should be closed to the bilge or open. My preference would be to skip it if it looks like the motor can be tilted without it(no plans for jack plate presently, and not sure if that even matters), otherwise sealed from the bilge with scuppers though the transom. How critical is it and what's the recommended configuration?
Second question is about the self-bailing cockpit. I actually built the driftboat as self-bailing but went the super-simple method of adding a pluggable scupper just above the deck: no hoses, no throughhulls etc. I normally plug it while drifting and open it when left on the trailer/dock to drain rain, but I can leave it open in heavy whitewater to drain waves etc, which was the goal. That particular function has not really been tested yet. The The FS plans don't specify where to run the drains, how big, if they should cross(I have a sailboat and the cockpit drains cross to prevent flooding while heeling) and if they should drain below the waterline of in that small gap between the waterline and the sole-top.
Any thoughts more than welcome.
Thanks,
jeff