FS14LS or DS15 or PH15 or somthing else?

[RedfishMark]

Hey Orange,
Probably slim, to no chance I can get a CNC kit that is 10% larger. I wanted CNC because of how easy it would be, but I'm not necessarily scared of cutting all the pieces myself. Do you think a scale up FS14LS will have enough freeboard to deal with the wind blown chop?

I still have to go through and pencil out the costs of the FS14LS1.1 vs a regular FS14LS. I'm putting faith in SeaSlug's input that I can get into a little larger craft and stay within my budget.

[Capt UB]

Hey Orange,
Probably slim, to no chance I can get a CNC kit that is 10% larger. I wanted CNC because of how easy it would be, but I'm not necessarily scared of cutting all the pieces myself. Do you think a scale up FS14LS will have enough freeboard to deal with the wind blown chop?

I still have to go through and pencil out the costs of the FS14LS1.1 vs a regular FS14LS. I'm putting faith in SeaSlug's input that I can get into a little larger craft and stay within my budget.

Get the FS14 CnC kit and MarinEpoxy kit, then scale down from there.... Just have them CnC the hull panels, frames and deck without storage cutouts. Also, buy the FS14 LS plans.

[OrangeQuest]

Hey Orange,
Probably slim, to no chance I can get a CNC kit that is 10% larger. I wanted CNC because of how easy it would be, but I'm not necessarily scared of cutting all the pieces myself. Do you think a scale up FS14LS will have enough freeboard to deal with the wind blown chop?

I still have to go through and pencil out the costs of the FS14LS1.1 vs a regular FS14LS. I'm putting faith in SeaSlug's input that I can get into a little larger craft and stay within my budget.

I don't know how or what it would take to change the cuts for the CNC stuff SeaSlug is a very experienced builder and being a good builder means you know what the budget will get you. Before pulling the trigger invest in the plans and study them, even find a parking lot and a big piece or two of chalk and draw out the size of the boat with locations of seats, decks and anything you want to add like a poling platform. Put together a wish list with prices on a spreadsheet of everything you want on the boat. Also any tools you will need will they be part of the build budget or separate? Consumables like sand paper, brushes, dust suits, mixing cups and stir sticks all add up when building. Don't forget any bilge pumps, lights, fuel systems, battery and those kinds of things.

I don't launch from the Galveston side to get into the bays, I launch from the Brazoria County side and take a gas powered canoe for now. Before that I fished from a kayak for a few years. Only problem with low freeboard in chop is it is a very wet trip. Doesn't take much to get the spray off the bow to find it's way into the cockpit area. The FS-14 LS and the standard FS14 can be made to be self bailing with soles. If you don't mind getting wet then either should be no problem. I am planning to add spray rails when I flip my build to glass and paint the sides easier. I like a dry ride, I am old like that!

[RedfishMark]

Thanks Orange! That's a piece of advice I will surely act on (sidewalk chalk sketch). I too launch from that small boat launch about a mile or two to the west side of San Luis Pass (I assume that's where you are talking about). Ya i had full intentions of buying the planes first and looking them over. Ya i didn't put much thought into the consumables, I suppose a guy could chew through $200 on that stuff easy. I have thought about and accounted for the accessories though (Lowrance, battery, lights, fuel, etc.) and have that planned for. Though, those might change when I layout the sidewalk chalk sketch.

I for sure want spray rails on what I build. I don't mind if I get wet, but I'm not a fan of all my gear getting wet. A passenger might not like it too much either.

What does it take to incorporate spray rails? I had an idea of what to do, but it's probably not the best method.

Thank you all for the input, this is very helpful.
Mark

[OrangeQuest]

Here is my "3D" model of my chalk outline.


I launch from the Brazoria County Boat ramp right at San Luis Pass and when I kayak fished I would launch from Ernie's Bait camp on Christmas Bay. Ike took out the bait camp and it looks a little shady to park there now and with the motorized canoe we get around a lot faster so that is why we launch from the county ramp now.

There have been a few ways guys attach their splash rails, from screws, scraps and taping them. You have a little time to find your way of doing it. Some like to get everything faired up and then attach them and other like to attach them right after the glass is laid.

[RedfishMark]

That's awesome. Forgive my ignorance, I don't know anything abou splash rails. How does a guy know what they are made of, shape, length, and where to put them on the hull? I can't help but think that is something that needs to be placed correctly or it will essentially be useless.

I like that layout, I'm excited to get some plans and make a side by side comparisons of the various FS14s.

[seaslug]

To keep your build cost as low as possible while still using top quality materials such as Okoume ply, epoxy paint, etc., forego the idea of a CNC kit to start. The boats you're considering are small and uncomplicated, the plans are easy to follow, and laying out the frames and panels is actually quite fun and easy. Besides, any difficulty you may have will be resolved very quickly by just posting any questions you have. Also, as nice as the System 3 epoxy and the other matching products like Quickfair are, you'll save quite a bit of money using the very excellent Marine Epoxy brand, and mixing your own fillers, which is very simple. When you do decide on which boat you're going to build I can put together a list of what you'll need as far as epoxy, filler materials, paint etc. On my builds I used both System 3 and Marine Epoxy, which I would never do again because there is too much down time waiting for a full cure before switching brands. Even using some of the higher priced epoxy, Awlgrip primer and paint, custom fuel tank, $500+, custom aluminum trailer, $2000, new 20 hp Merc, $3200, custom poling and forward casting platform, $1050, wiring, switch panel, fuel line, battery cables, etc. etc., I still came in under $11,000 on my FS18.....Now for spray rails. I feel the FS14 LS is such a low sheer boat that the rub rail acts as a spray rail if you build it out an inch and a half or so. My FS18 LS is built this way and I've never taken any water into the boat. The rub rail knocks it right down in a decent chop, so I don't think you need to add an additional spray rail below the rub rail. Just my opinion of course, and I tend to fish mostly protected waters. Mike

[RedfishMark]

Thanks for the advice Mike! Right now I'm about 90% sure I want to go with the FS14LS and a 10% upscale. Im thankful that OrangeQuest is going to let me look at his FS14 (likely this weekend) so I can really get a feel for the size and layout.

I'm starting to agree with you on the simplicity of cutting these basic shapes myself. After looking at a lot of pictures, none of the pieces have very complex variations in their geometry. The more I look at these pictures, I gain confidence that I will be able to cut these shapes with a couple saw horses and an electric jigsaw.

I'm glad you are pushing me towards the Marine Epoxy brand in order to save on some costs. I sorta had myself convinced earlier that I would go with the high end Silver Tip Epoxy Kit since they have the putty pre-mixed and all you have to do is add the hardener. Lol be careful what you sign yourself up for, I'll take you up on that offer of helping me put together the BOM.

Of course it goes without saying, I'm more than excited to share pictures along the way.

Mark

[Fuzz]

If you follow Mike's advice you can not go wrong. There is a reason BBC bought his FS14 LS and take it to boat shows. He builds a dang nice boat
For cutting the plywood if you have a curricular saw you can set the blade just a little deeper than the plywood and it will cut all the curves you will need. I think you can get a much cleaner cut that way compared to using a jig saw.

[RedfishMark]

Thanks Fuzz! I'll try that on some scrap ply I have laying around. Hope it works well since I already have a circular saw.