Boat Builder Central - Builder Forums

Posted: **Mon Jan 06, 2014 12:43 pm**

Ok guys, Iv'e had the plans for 6+ months and the materials since the week before Christmas. It's my first build.
My major fault is I tend to over-think/analyze everything almost to the point I don't get anything done.
My first dilemma is whether to build this thing on the garage floor, a set of sawhorses or a table like CL did on his GF18 build. I can see the advantages of the table but is it really worth the extra expense of doing it?

Thanks and this will most likely be the 1st of 10000 questions.

Posted: **Mon Jan 06, 2014 1:16 pm**

It's a matter of ergonomics: I am older than when I started boat building and my back hurts if I have to build seams and sand on the floor.
You will do a better job with the hull at a comfortable height.

You could assemble the hull on the floor and once it is stiff enough, raise it on pair of saw horses.

Posted: **Mon Jan 06, 2014 4:59 pm**

I'm the same as Jacques, the older I get the more it hurts my back to bend over for long periods. Make it a comfortable working height. I would not build it directly on the floor unless it is a wood floor and you don't mind marking on it, cutting on it or shooting screws into it.

Here is a simple frame that I built a GF16 and a GF12 on.

Posted: **Tue Jan 07, 2014 6:49 am**

Thanks. I figure 4' wide and 12-14' long. The way the bow curves up it doesn't need to be the length of the boat does it?

Posted: **Tue Jan 07, 2014 8:50 am**

I think you will find that it does need to be a full length frame in the beginning- you need some way to hold the bow and stern transoms in accurate position as you assemble the hull.

Posted: **Tue Jan 07, 2014 9:41 am**

What Peewee said. You will also be using the frame for laying out, marking, cutting and splicing the panels on, so it should really be full length.

Posted: **Thu Jan 09, 2014 7:10 pm**

OK Thanks. I will go ahead and build one. I'm not as young as I used to be either...
Should it be decked with plywood? I've seen them both ways.
My plan was to start today but it has rained all day and is still raining. Didn't want to deal with wet wood. Hopefully tomorrow.

Posted: **Fri Jan 10, 2014 11:06 am**

What I did on my build was lay a bunch of 2x3 down on top of my saw horses for cutting the plywood on top of, then I put down sheets of [what my hardware store called] 1/4" melamine on top of those when it was time to glue and glass. It is basically 1/4" press board with a thin sheet of plastic or formica on top. The epoxy does not stick to the formica. That gave me a workbench the size of the boat to build it on that the epoxy doesn't stick to, and if I bugger up the to formica sheet too much, I can replace it for another $18.

Posted: **Fri Jan 10, 2014 4:42 pm**

Thanks, I just bit the bullet and got plywood.

Posted: **Sat Jan 11, 2014 10:39 pm**

I got the frame built today and now I'm ready to start making some progress. Unfortunately, it will probably be Tuesday before I actually get to work on it. I've never posted pics on this forum so I'll have to look into that as well.

Posted: **Sun Jan 12, 2014 12:04 am**

Nice-looking stand. I would cover it with a tarp or some kind of sheet of plastic or like that quarter inch melamine I was talking about earlier to keep the epoxy from sticking to it because you're going to get a lot of epoxy on it over the build. And as for gilding the Lily, if you reinforce the legs a little bit you might be able to put casters on them and roll the boat around the garage to make accessing various corners easier too.

How long is your garage? It looks like your stand is almost as long as the garage itself like you have just a few feet behind the back of the stand and you'll have to have the garage door open in order to work on the boat. Please keep posting pictures this project. I'll be watching it. I'm thinking about making a GF 16 for my next build (or an FS 17 or a GF 18 or a CK 17; who knows, too many good plans to choose from.... Now how big is my garage?

)

Posted: **Sun Jan 12, 2014 10:23 am**

The garage is 20x20 and the frame is 16x4. I may need to move the compressor, table saw and welder off of the back wall but maybe not.
I will probably cover it with visqueen when the epoxy starts flying. A tarp is a good idea, I have some left over from the twin hurricanes we had in 04 that were covering our blown off roof.
I thought about casters still kind of up in the air on them. $$$ is adding up quick.

I hear ya on all the different possibilities here. I actually had a set of FS18 plans and a partial FG and plywood kit. I bought it from a guy on Microskiff. I ended up selling it because I wanted to start with something easier first, I didn't want to build it outside and SWMBO refuses to park her ride outside

. I would need the whole garage to build an 18 footer...

Posted: **Mon Jan 13, 2014 11:11 am**

I'm using scrap tarp material on my work bench and other places. Cured epoxy comes off of tarp pretty easily.

Posted: **Mon Jan 20, 2014 3:56 pm**

I'm in the process of laying everything out. Do you cut out each frame then lay out the next or lay it all out and cut it at one time? I guess I'm really asking is if the width of the saw blade requires you to lay out and cut each panel individually? I ask because some of the seat frames touch each other on the nesting diagram.

Thanks

Posted: **Tue Jan 21, 2014 12:03 pm**

CL already answered in the powerboats section.

Posted: **Tue Jan 21, 2014 9:59 pm**

Definitely add some casters...and get 3" or bigger. You're going to want to roll that thing outside for sanding, cutting, sanding, sanding, getting it out of the way, sanding, sanding, and sanding.

Posted: **Tue Jan 21, 2014 11:10 pm**

I'm local, give a shout if you need a second set of hands during your build.

Posted: **Wed Jan 22, 2014 7:41 am**

Matt Gent wrote:I'm local, give a shout if you need a second set of hands during your build.

X2

Posted: **Wed Jan 22, 2014 10:46 am**

Thanks for the offer Matt and Walker. I may very well take you up on that.

Posted: **Thu Jan 23, 2014 4:54 pm**

Nothing really exiting to report. I have most everything laid out. I hope to finish that and get everything cut tomorrow.
Feels good to finally be started.

Posted: **Sun Jan 26, 2014 11:58 am**

Using the Cracker method of laying out the curves on the sides.

I'm resisting the urge to go full bore on this and trying to take it slow and steady. The frames, seat tops, deck, transoms, clamping boards and sides are cut.The next step is laying out and cutting the bottom panels.

Posted: **Mon Jan 27, 2014 9:48 pm**

I laid out the bottom panels tonight. I will cut it tomorrow and plan to glass the splices on Wednesday. Maybe have a boat by the weekend...

Posted: **Wed Jan 29, 2014 6:02 pm**

Spliced one side of the side panels today amidst the crappy weather.

Posted: **Thu Jan 30, 2014 9:27 am**

very fair lines

nice job

Posted: **Thu Jan 30, 2014 11:06 am**

Thanks Joel.

Today I spliced the mid seat top together and did the other side of the side panels. I did allot better with the epoxy quantity today, pretty much got it right on the money.

Posted: **Thu Jan 30, 2014 11:26 am**

Splices look great! Not bad for a first timer

Posted: **Sat Feb 01, 2014 3:52 pm**

Alright, I made a major screw up I'm afraid.
I cut the rear section on the side panels 2.5" too tall. I overlooked the rear dimension at the transom on the plans and cut the whole back of the boat at 1' 8 7/8" instead of the 1' 6 3/8". How can I fix it? I'm guessing the transom angle is off, the bow curve and maybe the bottom is now too short? I know I cant take it off of the sheer line. Can I cut it off the bottom and blend it into the bow curve? I'm thinking if i do that the transom angle will be wrong if that matters that much.
Do I start all over with new ply? Of course I didn't figure it out until I was putting it together and the transom was way too short.... I'm pissed in the PSL...

Posted: **Sun Feb 02, 2014 12:57 pm**

Now is a good time to stop and review. My thinking is that the panels need to be like the plans show or it won't assemble properly. Lay the measurements out like you would before you cut and see what you have extra or are missing. Builders sometimes opt to change the sheer line, but your chine edge needs to be like the plans show or the side panels wont fit the bottom panels or the frames. Hopefully you won't need to buy new plywood, but don't do any more cutting until you have it all figured out. Lay out the proper lines on the panel and post pictures, if you have questions.

Posted: **Sun Feb 02, 2014 5:29 pm**

Thanks peewee. I got it figured out after an hour or so of pondering today. I think i'm good to go. I have both sides clamped together and will cut it tomorrow.

Posted: **Mon Feb 03, 2014 9:30 am**

Can I cut it off the bottom and blend it into the bow curve?

If the cut is only offset a little high, then you should be able to re-draw the correct curve on the existing parts, then trim.

Posted: **Mon Feb 03, 2014 10:32 am**

Thanks Joel.
It was just a rookie mistake on my part. I cut the bottom of the side panel straight from the first measurement where the curve starts instead of angling the cut from that point back to the rear transom. I overlooked the 2.5 inch shorter measurement on the plans difference at the rear transom. I was able to also correct the slight difference of the transom angle cut since I cut it too high. Live and learn

Posted: **Wed Feb 05, 2014 11:58 am**

Is one 2 gal kit of foam enough flotation for this boat?

Posted: **Wed Feb 05, 2014 12:22 pm**

Real close, but you might want a little more. The 2 gal. kit under ideal conditions will provide 8 cubic feet and 480 pounds of buoyancy. The hull will be positive, floating itself plus a little bit. The fuel tank will float itself too. You need enough to support the weight of the engine, battery?, gear, anything that won't float, plus people, plus a little bit more, just for the heck of it

Posted: **Wed Feb 05, 2014 2:37 pm**

So probably add a 2 quart kit to the 2 gal and that will be 720 lbs? I'm thinking of a 20HP 4 stroke or a 25hp 2 stroke for power.

Posted: **Tue Feb 11, 2014 2:27 pm**

Looks like a boat finally

I have a question, as far as gluing in the frames the building notes say to glue with epoxy between the frames and side panels. Do you also put a fillet in at this time or do that later?

Thanks

Posted: **Tue Feb 11, 2014 2:54 pm**

I spot weld with little tabs of epoxy putty and build the complete fillets later when applying the tape.
That way I work wet on wet and avoid any sanding of the fillets.

Posted: **Tue Feb 11, 2014 3:03 pm**

Thanks Jacques. Do you glue all the frames as well at this point or just the transoms?

Posted: **Tue Feb 11, 2014 5:09 pm**

Yes, tack glue them all in, then go back and fillet and tape one at a time after the tack welds cure.

Posted: **Tue Feb 11, 2014 5:17 pm**

Thanks much Larry.
Couple of pics with the deck and seat tops set on. I'm feeling pretty good about it so far, way less problems than I anticipated.

Posted: **Tue Feb 11, 2014 8:15 pm**

Looking good.
Couldn't but notice the nice pronghorn mount. Shame to relegate it to the garage

Go Noles!

Posted: **Tue Feb 11, 2014 8:41 pm**

keysrat wrote:Looking good.
Couldn't but notice the nice pronghorn mount. Shame to relegate it to the garage

Go Noles!

Thanks.
Yeah, it is kind of degrading a bit. I had another and had to throw it out it was so bad. The taxidermist hosed me they were quite a few years old though.

Posted: **Tue Feb 18, 2014 11:05 am**

Not much to report and nothing photo worthy. I got the frames tacked in and she is square, woohoo.
Up next is the rubrail.

Posted: **Wed Feb 19, 2014 11:00 am**

I'm thinking of recessing a cooler into the center seat. Pros and cons?
Like so:

Primed the strips for the rubrail today.

Posted: **Thu Feb 20, 2014 4:03 pm**

Instead of recessing a cooler in the middle seat, why not just make the middle seat a cooler? The entire middle seat would probably be around 200+ quarts, so you wouldn't need all of it (1/2 storage and 1/2 cooler?) I built a coffin box with 2 layers of 3/4" blue foam for my OB19, and it'll hold ice for a week in the summer. For mine, I used caulking to glue 2 layers 3/4" foam to the sides, door skin over that (1/8" ply), then filleted and taped corners and used 6 oz fabric over everything. It's held up great after 5 years.

Posted: **Thu Feb 20, 2014 8:13 pm**

Good point Matt. So many options and variables. So many options to ponder. Thanks

Posted: **Fri Feb 21, 2014 5:20 pm**

Today I spliced the bottom together and primed the cleats.

Posted: **Sat Feb 22, 2014 10:53 am**

I have a question, when I was flipping the bottom panel this morning to tape the other side, the side that was done made a cracking sound and the panel partially folded. It did not separate. it is still intact and I just taped the other side. Should I grind the tape off of that side and redo, maybe put another layer over it or is it ok?

Thanks

Posted: **Sat Feb 22, 2014 4:45 pm**

Wish I had an answer for you but I don't know for sure.
You may get a faster answer in you repost in the Board index ‹ Plans and Building ‹ Power Boats section of the site.

No worries anything can be fixed.

Posted: **Sat Feb 22, 2014 5:18 pm**

I'd grind it down and tape it again. Won't take long and you won't have to worry about it.

No worry Dougster

Posted: **Sat Feb 22, 2014 5:58 pm**

try to get some glue mixture between the ends of the panels as well, that might help. It sounds like the fiberglass was bonded well but the ends of the panels let loose from each other.

Posted: **Sun Feb 23, 2014 6:06 am**

When I am flipping Largs panels, I always clamp a piece of timber across the joint, that way it can't flex at the joint. I also use this method to carry long panels to the boat, again it makes sure there is no stress on the joint.

This is particularly helpfull when you work on your own.

Hope this helps,
Cheers
Justin

Posted: **Sun Feb 23, 2014 11:11 am**

Thanks for the tip Justin. Live and learn I guess. The joint looks ok I think. After the other side cured I flipped it back to look closer at it. I should have looked closer at it instead of taping the other side right away. I'm prolly going to take dougsters advice for piece of mind and grind it and re-tape. Thanks

Posted: **Sun Feb 23, 2014 11:17 am**

Yep. Now is the easiest time to fix it.

Posted: **Sun Feb 23, 2014 11:29 am**

Heres some pics. I'm just a rookie so I'm not sure. It looks like it might have separated at the bottom of the pic. Is a re-do in order here?

Posted: **Sun Feb 23, 2014 6:35 pm**

Made some progress today. I got the cleats glued in.

Posted: **Tue Feb 25, 2014 8:19 pm**

The decks and seat top are screwed down and got the rubrail on the port side. Need more clamps...

Posted: **Thu Feb 27, 2014 8:18 pm**

Finished up the rubrail today. Tomorrow or Saturday I hope to flip it and tape and/or stitch on the bottom.

Posted: **Thu Feb 27, 2014 9:10 pm**

Looking great Gary, you are powering through

Cheers
Justin

Posted: **Fri Feb 28, 2014 1:55 pm**

Thanks Justin.

I got the bottom taped and stitched.

I have about a half inch gap at the bow on the starboard side at the frame. I cant pull it in. Is it a big deal or can I fill it with glue?

Posted: **Fri Feb 28, 2014 2:55 pm**

If it's fair, fill the gap with putty: when you build the fillets, push the putty in there.

Posted: **Fri Feb 28, 2014 9:56 pm**

Thanks Jacques. Thats a relief.

Posted: **Sat Mar 01, 2014 12:49 pm**

Very cool Gary! Isn't it fun seeing a boat come together from your hands? As we are both first time builders I will be following your build closely.

Titelines,

Matt

Posted: **Sat Mar 01, 2014 4:06 pm**

Hey Matt, Its probably the coolest thing Iv'e done. I've had a great time with it so far. I'm kicking myself for waiting as long as I did to take the leap.

Posted: **Tue Mar 04, 2014 8:48 am**

Made a little progress last night. I laid the fillets in, taped and laid the cloth in the bow compartment, all wet on wet. No pic yet. Kind of a milestone with my first big chunk of glassing. It went ok I guess but took allot longer than I thought it would. I had one batch of resin cook off because I mixed it too soon, doh

. Live and learn.

Posted: **Tue Mar 04, 2014 3:37 pm**

When you get into bigger tasks, it really helps to have a second person mixing for you. And I only use SLOW hardener for our climate. The thinner film you keep the better, if you have a dish like a plastic cookie sheet it will give more working time than a butter tub.

Posted: **Thu Mar 06, 2014 9:22 pm**

Thanks for the tips Matt.

I completed the glassing of the inside with the biax tonight. I'm pretty happy with it.I had to do the section forward of the mid seat patchwork because I measured the cloth wrong and cut it too short....whoops
I plan to cover the sides, seat top and decks with 6 oz after I flip it and glass the bottom, hopefully on Monday.

Posted: **Fri Mar 07, 2014 8:17 am**

Looking good Noles! I'm amazed at the cleanliness of your work. Keep it up.

Posted: **Fri Mar 07, 2014 12:35 pm**

Looks very good and clean.

Build on

Matt

Posted: **Tue Mar 11, 2014 9:44 pm**

Thanks for the kind words guys.

Well I flipped her, filleted the outside seams and gave the outside a coat of epoxy last night. This morning I rounded off the edges cut all my biax tape and laid out all the wide cloth. I was surprised there was enough cloth to cover the entire outside of the hull up to the rubrail and both transoms.
I bought the FG kit and the plans only call for 6" up the side. I still have enough to probably do the inside hull sides. I don't know if e-boat mismeasured or if thats normal. Anyway, I started going to town, got all the tape done, laid out the starboard half of the bottom and side, wetted all that out and then looked at my epoxy stash. There may have been enough to finish it or maybe not it was that close. I didn't want to start and not be able to finish (if that even matters?) So I ordered a 1 1/2 gallon kit from e-boat and I hope to pick it up tomorrow morning. I will still be in the wet on wet window of 24 hrs to hopefully finish it off tomorrow. Glassing the hull sides made it too close to call with the epoxy. In hindsight I guess I should have just used what I had and I could have finished it up tomorrow and still been in the wet on wet window. Oh well I am a rookie. Heres some pics:
Primed and ready.

Look at all this cloth.

Taped

A little more than half done.

Posted: **Wed Mar 12, 2014 9:16 am**

Nice fiberglass job.

Posted: **Wed Mar 12, 2014 4:15 pm**

Finished glassing today. It came out pretty good I think. Yesterday was definitely smoother. I don't know if it was the temperature difference today (mid 80's) or if I was too close to the 24hr window for wet on wet, but it sure wanted to bubble today and didn't wet out near as well. I'm pretty happy with it.

Posted: **Fri Mar 14, 2014 9:21 am**

wow that looks great!

sand on............

Posted: **Fri Mar 14, 2014 9:38 am**

Very Clean, nice work

The epoxy will certainly wet out better when its warm. If its much lower than 60 degrees, i like to warm it up first (especially if wetting out somethign thick)

Posted: **Fri Mar 14, 2014 3:29 pm**

looking great Noles! You'll be ready for lobster season at this pace.

Posted: **Fri Mar 14, 2014 8:52 pm**

Walkers Run wrote:looking great Noles! You'll be ready for lobster season at this pace.

Thats an achievable goal I think Walker. Hope I'm done before that but we'll see.

I did make some progress today, sanded her down outside. Tomorrow I hope to get the runners and spray rails glued down. I have a couple of bubbles in the wide cloth, one on the corner of the transom and one on the corner of the bow transom. Nothing big though. I'm really happy with how it came out. Not bad for a first timer I think.

Thanks guys.

Posted: **Fri Mar 14, 2014 9:35 pm**

Not bad at all for a first timer

Looks good. You are moving along fast, wish we could get some of that FL weather up here in GA.

Posted: **Fri Mar 14, 2014 11:26 pm**

Looks good ,your moving along.
Dave

Posted: **Sat Mar 15, 2014 8:49 am**

Thanks Dave, your build is just off the chart in its level of fit and finish and Larry I'm on your thread daily especially when I'm ready to go to the next stage. This morning Its how you did your runners on the GF18.

As far as the weather, Its been a crazy winter for sure. We have run the a/c way more than usual this time of year. My son is up at Ft. Stewart and they have been in the field all week. Its been a pretty miserable winter up there for sure.

Thanks again guys.

Posted: **Sat Mar 15, 2014 6:00 pm**

That looks awesome Gary!

I know what you mean about this winter. We've had several 50 degree temperature swing in less than 12 hours this year. Two weeks ago I had two heaters running in the garage and today it's a sweat shop. I hope sweat drops on wet epoxy does affect how it cures

.

Titelines,

Matt

Posted: **Sat Mar 15, 2014 9:56 pm**

Thanks Matt.

Today I got the runners glued on. I still need to do a little shaping on them. I hit them with a 1/2 roundover bit with the router. I am going to glass over them, hopefully tomorrow.

Posted: **Sat Mar 15, 2014 10:13 pm**

Build on Gary! You are making me feel lazy

I'm almost finished tabbing the inside of mine...

Posted: **Mon Mar 17, 2014 10:19 am**

No you're not lazy, I'm just semi retired and have plenty of time.

Glassed the runners yesterday

Posted: **Mon Mar 17, 2014 3:23 pm**

Today I got the spray rails screwed and glued.

Posted: **Mon Mar 17, 2014 10:25 pm**

Very nice and clean glass work

Fast too, you are making great progress. The GF's are fine boats, you made an excellent choice for a build.

Posted: **Thu Mar 20, 2014 4:06 pm**

Thank you.

Well I got the bright idea to lay a level on the hull. I was pretty exicted I laid it down in the center of the hull and she was flat as can be. I moved it back to the transom and I have almost a 1/4" gap at the transom, rocker I guess? I got an 8' piece of my garage door hurricane brace and laid it on there and it looks like it starts at the rear seat frame.
How big of a deal is this? I'm assuming its supposed to be flat all the way to the transom. What are my options?

Posted: **Thu Mar 20, 2014 6:56 pm**

Just about everyone who has built the GF 14-16 has had this problem to some degree. Yours does not appear that bad. If you attach a hydrofoil to your outboard it should eliminate any porpoising that it may cause. These boats will need a hydrofoil for optimal performance anyway. ( others may think different, ask Cracker Larry he has built a few GF's)

Posted: **Thu Mar 20, 2014 7:52 pm**

Thanks Irish, I guess I didn't do enough research on it. The building notes don't mention it either. Searching now its been quite a while since it was mentioned on the forum.
This is going to bug the crap out of me. Do I try to build it up with glass? Is it too much to build up with filler? The runners are already on and glassed. Do they have to come off or can I build it up around them?
I had the bow supported when I put it together and I only used 4 stitches in the boat and they were at the front in the curve.

Posted: **Fri Mar 21, 2014 8:19 am**

That's not enough to worry about, it'll be OK.

Posted: **Fri Mar 21, 2014 8:47 am**

It's designed that way: with 1/2" "rocker".
Some of that 1/2" will be filled with fairing putty but a little rocker will be left. Many designers include a tiny little bit of rocker there.

Posted: **Fri Mar 21, 2014 11:31 am**

Whew....that's a relief. For the life of me I couldn't figure out what I did wrong. I went back and read several old threads where it was stated that the bottom should be flat for the last 6-8' so I was pretty worried about it. Thanks for the response fellas.

Posted: **Fri Mar 21, 2014 12:16 pm**

The last 3 or 4 feet are what's most important, that's what will be in the water when planing. !/4" of rocker in 8' is insignificant.

Posted: **Mon Mar 24, 2014 9:23 am**

Thanks CL. My concern was its all in the last 20" of the bottom.

Posted: **Mon Mar 24, 2014 8:17 pm**

I pop in from time to time to see how my fellow boat building friends are doing and tend to follow boat building threads about boats that I am familiar with a little more often. When I saw this thread about the rocker, I sent Gary a PM about my experience with my gf14. I advised not to let the rocker go and thought about it and think that it should be shared for everyone to ponder and to help Gary and future builders come to the right conclusion.

I checked the bottom of my boat once while building and thought that it was flat from the mid seat back, which is what I had read in threads dating way back on the gfs. I launched with an old mariner 15 and was quite happy. It would push the boat 23-24 mph by myself and would plane okay with my wife and small dogs. Later, My brother and I took it out to the flounder hole and he weighs a touch more than Maggie!

The boat really struggled to get on plane with that extra weight up front. I also noticed that the bow was riding higher than I thought it should and it would porpoise really bad by myself. I was okay for a while but about six months went by and I started to question what was going on. I then checked the bottom closely and found pretty much the exact rocker as is in this thread. Last 20 inches or so had 1/4 inch of rocker. My thoughts were that the boat was trying to run on that 20 inches. By adding weight, the motor struggled to lift the bow to run on that planning surface. Thinking about how to correct my mistake...... I decided to turn it over and take out the rocker. Luckily, I used graphite on the bottom and up the sides a bit. I taped the paint and sanded the graphite down some. I glued a 1/4 piece of ply to take half of the rocker out, cutting around the runners. I shaped it down with a grinder to about 1/8 inch thick toward the bow and used biaxal strips at varied widths to build up and take out the rest of the 10" or so of the rocker. I covered the ply and the biaxal strips with a full piece of biaxal. And then one more piece to cover the entire patch and around the sides a little. Then a new fillet along the runners and taped them again to tie it all together. Faired and rolled some graphite on it all.

I noticed a difference right away. The boat would run with a lower bow at 27 mph by myself with the same motor. No problem planing with two and porpoising was all but gone while running solo. I don't know if my repair was the best way but it has worked well for a couple of years and if it fails (don't think it will), a gf16 will be in the future with no rocker in the last 20 inches. I am sure that more horsepower would have overcome my situation and I thought about getting a 25 before the repair. I did replace the mariner with a four stoke 15, due to dependability of the mariner, and it performs the same with the heavier motor. Does any of this make sense or am I just obsessive about getting the best performance possible!

Posted: **Mon Mar 24, 2014 10:05 pm**

Does any of this make sense or am I just obsessive about getting the best performance possible!

It makes sense to me

Posted: **Thu Mar 27, 2014 12:04 pm**

Thanks Cedarock for taking the time to address this issue.

I'm a little perplexed about the lack of comments on this as well as some contradiction of advice given in past threads. Those threads were all consistent in that the recommendation was to fix the rocker. The GF boats should be flat from the mid-seat to the transom...Now, it was designed into the boat and the same amount of rocker as outlined in past threads is ok.

Posted: **Fri Mar 28, 2014 10:29 pm**

Crickets... Not surprised

I'm fixing it btw pretty much like cedarock did. Iv'e read too many articles and threads on forums about mediocre performance and porpoising with rocker to leave it.

Posted: **Sat Mar 29, 2014 10:31 am**

You have OCD like I do

I really don't think 1/4" will make any difference, but if it worried me I would certainly fix it so I could sleep at night. It will be quick and easy to build it up flat.

Posted: **Sat Mar 29, 2014 10:55 am**

Cracker Larry wrote:You have OCD like I do I really don't think 1/4" will make any difference, but if it worried me I would certainly fix it so I could sleep at night. It will be quick and easy to build it up flat.

You got the OCD part right for sure.

I would just hate myself if I didn't fix it and then wasn't happy with the performance of the boat. I've strewed about it for a week now. Its a small setback I guess in the overall process.

Posted: **Sat Mar 29, 2014 11:31 am**

I've strewed about it for a week now.

You could have fixed it in less time than you've been stewing

Make her flat and get some sleep.

Posted: **Tue Apr 01, 2014 9:48 pm**

Fixed it for the most part, I did it like Cedarock. I still need to tape over the runners to tie them into the repair and fair it in now...

Posted: **Tue Apr 01, 2014 10:44 pm**

Nice work Gary, that looks like a neat fix-it job.

Posted: **Wed Apr 02, 2014 10:34 am**

Thanks Justin. Good work on yours as well. I didn't have the cojones to start with something that big. This one is my learning boat for the flats. If it turns out good I may try a bigger one for offshore

Posted: **Wed Apr 02, 2014 1:39 pm**

Nice fix. Did you sleep better last night

Posted: **Wed Apr 02, 2014 4:34 pm**

Cracker Larry wrote:Nice fix. Did you sleep better last night

You know it.

Time to fair now, a new adventure.

Posted: **Wed Apr 02, 2014 6:01 pm**

Wow..that looks great Gary! You will enjoy the gf.

Posted: **Wed Apr 02, 2014 7:14 pm**

Thanks Justin. Good work on yours as well. I didn't have the cojones to start with something that big. This one is my learning boat for the flats. If it turns out good I may try a bigger one for offshore

Gary, this was my first attempt, really rough, but it floated and gave my wife and I something to muck around in the river with

I was so new to boat building that I didn't even fibreglass the bottom

(as I found this website after I built that).
Learnt a lot since then, but I still have a lot to learn, and this big boat is sorting me out for sure. Good fun though, and this forum is super helpfull.

We have a 5m aluminium boat for fishing, but it is an open side console and I got sick of getting wet when we go offshore, so I decided to build a boat with a cab, I wanted to to build the p21, but it is just too tall to get under my house to the garage out the back, with a modified trailer I can get the P19 under....well I hope I did my sums right, otherwise I'll have to turn it into a spa out the back or something

Keep up the great work Gary, you are making super progress.

Cheers
Justin.

Posted: **Wed Apr 02, 2014 9:39 pm**

Thats a cool little boat. You can always air down the tires some if you were off by a little.

Posted: **Wed Apr 02, 2014 9:45 pm**

If I am off a bit, I have considered making a removable cab roof..in which case I should have built the P21

.

Boat building is certainly an addiction. It is all I think about during the day, makes it hard to get anything done here at work

Posted: **Wed Apr 02, 2014 9:59 pm**

Boat building is certainly an addiction. It is all I think about during the day, makes it hard to get anything done here at work

It is a hard mistress. Be careful, soon you will just quit work and build boats like I did. Of course it is still work, but beats doing most things

Posted: **Wed Apr 02, 2014 10:02 pm**

Yep, If I had a choice as to what to fill my day with, I would be out the back building boats for sure

You've done well Cracker!!

Posted: **Thu Apr 03, 2014 10:54 am**

Cracker Larry wrote: It is a hard mistress. Be careful, soon you will just quit work and build boats like I did. Of course it is still work, but beats doing most things

Hmm, interesting thought. I can't say I haven't thought about it, need more practice though.
I did retire from one job after 27 1/2 years, but it seems the job market for 50 somethings is not good at all.

Posted: **Fri Apr 04, 2014 4:45 pm**

Fairing has begun.

Posted: **Fri Apr 04, 2014 9:26 pm**

Gee, no mucking around, you're straight into it!

Nice work Gary!

Posted: **Sat Apr 05, 2014 1:30 am**

You have made huge progress. I went back to page one of your thread and am really amazed at how much you've done in 2 months. Your boat looks great!

Posted: **Sat Apr 05, 2014 9:27 pm**

Thanks will.
I started sanding today. My finish expectations are dropping I'm afraid, might be a workboat after all, flat paint and all. I'll keep plugging away at it. Hopefully I'll figure it out and it will turn out ok.

Posted: **Sun Apr 06, 2014 10:25 am**

I'll keep plugging away at it. Hopefully I'll figure it out and it will turn out ok.

Just be patient. What you've done so far looks great.

Posted: **Sun Apr 06, 2014 6:28 pm**

gk108 wrote:
I'll keep plugging away at it. Hopefully I'll figure it out and it will turn out ok.
Just be patient. What you've done so far looks great.

Thanks for the vote of confidence

Posted: **Mon Apr 07, 2014 11:15 am**

Gary
One tool that help me a lot was a DA sander. First level everything with the long board then use the DA to smooth the surface. Also don't confuse the DA sander with an palm orbital sander. They work the same way but the DA is more powerful.

Posted: **Mon Apr 07, 2014 11:25 am**

Thanks stuff. I have an airhog of a DA that wants to kill my compressor. I also have an RO.

Posted: **Mon Apr 07, 2014 1:58 pm**

I got an electronic DA from Harbor Freight. It might die by the end of my build but it's doing a great job so far. I think i cost me less than $60. Also you be surprised of how much the high build up primer can cover so don't worry if is not perfect. I guarantee you that it will come out better than you expected.

Posted: **Mon Apr 07, 2014 2:25 pm**

Noles309 wrote:Thanks will.
I started sanding today. My finish expectations are dropping I'm afraid, might be a workboat after all, flat paint and all. I'll keep plugging away at it. Hopefully I'll figure it out and it will turn out ok.

Don't worry about it, at one point I thought the same thing, but then the next day is a fresh new day to start over with sanding, filling etc. all those days of doubt still makes a nice finished product, what I wanna say is, although at times it seems like a day wasted it still is progress

Hope you understand what I'm trying to say.

Posted: **Mon Apr 07, 2014 5:42 pm**

Thanks Stuff and Peter for the encouragement. I guess it will be fine. I have done paint and body on cars but that is way easier than this. I was disappointed for sure in how the 1st round came out. I'll plug away at it. Gonna need more blended filler though.

Posted: **Mon Apr 07, 2014 6:16 pm**

What you've done so far looks great. Not too much, not too little. Do it 2 or 3 more times and it will be perfect. If you are ordering blended filler, I'd also get a small kit of Quick Fair for the final round. I start with 2 or 3 rounds with blended filler and finish up with a couple more of QF.

Posted: **Mon Apr 07, 2014 7:54 pm**

Cracker Larry wrote:What you've done so far looks great. Not too much, not too little. Do it 2 or 3 more times and it will be perfect. If you are ordering blended filler, I'd also get a small kit of Quick Fair for the final round. I start with 2 or 3 rounds with blended filler and finish up with a couple more of QF.

I have a 3 quart kit of Quick Fair but I didn't have enough blended filler to go two rounds, one round and about 3/4 of the bottom on round 2. I got some silica for squaring off the chines and transom, they gave me the monster bag of silica. I could blend my own if I knew the ratio. Any guidance? Is the 3 Qt kit of quick fair enough for this boat?

Thanks, I have sure used your current build as a guide.

Some pics, I had already started the second application on the bottom when I took these. Feel free to critique.

Posted: **Mon Apr 07, 2014 8:05 pm**

A 3 qt. kit of QF will be plenty. The ratio is roughly 20% silica to the MBs. It's not critical. The purpose of the silica in the mix is mostly for anti-sagging.

One more piece of advice I can give is that you'll never regret spending an extra week on it. Fill it and sand it a few times until you can't stand it anymore, then rest up a few days and go back fresh and do it one more time

Posted: **Thu Apr 17, 2014 7:33 am**

I found a really good deal on a trailer on craiglist. The length is good and its a little wide at 64" between the fenders. My concern is the weight rating might be too high for this boat. It was for a 17' Boston whaler which has a weight, less engine, of 1400 lbs. I know the GF16 is nowhere close to that. The owner doesn't know the weight rating of the trailer and it is about an hour from me. Any thoughts?

Posted: **Thu Apr 17, 2014 7:33 am**

I found a really good deal on a trailer on craiglist. The length is good and its a little wide at 64" between the fenders. My concern is the weight rating might be too high for this boat. It was for a 17' Boston whaler which has a weight, less engine, of 1400 lbs. I know the GF16 is nowhere close to that. The owner doesn't know the weight rating of the trailer and it is about an hour from me. Any thoughts?

Posted: **Thu Apr 17, 2014 7:44 am**

Well if you don't want it I might be able to buy it from you. I need one for my sailboat.

Posted: **Thu Apr 17, 2014 7:47 am**

The trailer should have a sticker with it's load rating on it. You could always remove a leaf spring to soften it up a little.

Posted: **Thu Apr 17, 2014 9:21 am**

It should be OK but a little bumpy. Cracker Larry that is a great idea.

Posted: **Thu Apr 17, 2014 9:41 am**

Thanks guys.
2400 lbs....still doable you think?

Posted: **Thu Apr 17, 2014 10:30 am**

With the cooler, fishing gear, the outboard, and everything else you should be around 60% of the rated weight. Maybe a little bumpy but not to bad. I think is a good trailer for your boat

Posted: **Thu Apr 17, 2014 4:59 pm**

Double Craiglist score. Went to look at trailer and the guy had a 2011 Nissan 20 HP 4s electric start. He says only 7 hrs on it and it looks it to me. Its real clean under the cowl. 2 years of warranty left. Wooo friggin Hooo

I feel kinda like I stole them but he was a grown man...
Motor has sat in a shed for almost 2 years and needs a carb rebuild. Its a tiller but he converted it to remote. I will be converting it back to a tiller. I have all the parts but an ignition switch and kill switch. The trailer is clean as a whistle to. I'm stoked.
Now I need to get off my but and resume fairing.

Posted: **Thu Apr 17, 2014 6:17 pm**

Nice trailer and motor

I would take one leaf out of the trailer springs. The design weight of that hull is only 165 lbs. You and I aren't likely to achieve that

but it shouldn't be over about 225. That engine is what, about 120 lbs, 6 gallons of fuel plus tank less than 50, beer and gear and ice maybe another 100. I'd guess 500-600 pounds top loaded down weight without people.

Posted: **Thu Apr 17, 2014 7:59 pm**

Cracker Larry wrote:Nice trailer and motor I would take one leaf out of the trailer springs. The design weight of that hull is only 165 lbs. You and I aren't likely to achieve that but it shouldn't be over about 225. That engine is what, about 120 lbs, 6 gallons of fuel plus tank less than 50, beer and gear and ice maybe another 100. I'd guess 500-600 pounds top loaded down weight without people.

I was wondering about that. It has 3 leaves so take out the short one on the bottom of the leaf pack?
Surprisingly it didn't pull all that bad empty on the way home.

Posted: **Tue Apr 29, 2014 5:26 pm**

Fairing, fairing, fairing....

Its coming along slowly and looking better, been sick and had my truck wrecked for me. It hasn't been a great couple of weeks. I'm switching to quickfair to finish it up. I hope to get primer on it next week. We'll see.

Posted: **Tue Apr 29, 2014 8:09 pm**

Fairing broke me, I actually started throwing tools around the room LOL!

Posted: **Tue Apr 29, 2014 8:51 pm**

Fairing broke me, I actually started throwing tools around the room LOL!

That's when it's time to walk away, make a drink, roll a joint, practice yoga, go fishing, or whatever it is you do to find peace. Sometimes I pull out the firearms and blow holes in paper. Let it rest for a few days. Then come back fresh. You'll be happier with the results in the end. Never work when you reach that point of frustration or you will just have to do it over again tomorrow.

Posted: **Tue Apr 29, 2014 9:13 pm**

Something must be wrong with me, fairing hasn't bothered me much and has been one of the easier things to do on my GF16. Now fixing my first build rookie mistakes that I made early on pushed my buttons a little. Looking forward to seeing your progress on this build.

Posted: **Wed Apr 30, 2014 8:11 am**

I think I am just plain bad at fairing and I should have definitely walked away and gone for a dip the ocean )

Posted: **Wed Apr 30, 2014 8:31 am**

mattken85 wrote:Something must be wrong with me, fairing hasn't bothered me much and has been one of the easier things to do on my GF16. Now fixing my first build rookie mistakes that I made early on pushed my buttons a little. Looking forward to seeing your progress on this build.

Thanks, you should start a build thread. Different strokes I guess. I don't enjoy it at all but I think I may be getting the hang of it finally. Have to sand today and see how it looks.

Posted: **Wed Apr 30, 2014 8:34 am**

jorgepease wrote:I think I am just plain bad at fairing and I should have definitely walked away and gone for a dip the ocean )

You and me both brother....I will be glad when April is over, the house A/C took a dump this morning and its supposed to be in the 90's today of course. It has been a bad month

Posted: **Wed Apr 30, 2014 10:38 am**

I should have started a build thread, a while ago. It is a little late now but I'll have something for everyone when I am finished. Should be soon.

Posted: **Wed Apr 30, 2014 11:38 am**

mattken85 wrote:I should have started a build thread, a while ago. It is a little late now but I'll have something for everyone when I am finished. Should be soon.

Never to late to start one, i.o.w. never to late for some BOAT PORN!

Posted: **Mon May 05, 2014 10:50 am**

Started working on the sharpening the chine edge and transom edge of the running surface. I poured it yesterday with a mix of epoxy, wood flower, silica and milled fibers. Going to work on planing it down today. Ignore the crappy fairing job.

Posted: **Tue May 06, 2014 10:33 am**

I got the edges squared up. I think I used too mix much though

. I started with a block plane and a sureform but it was just too slow and I broke out the grinder. Amazingly, I managed to not do any damage with it, just made a gigantic mess

I sharpened 6 1/2' of chine edge. That should be good for this boat?

I also mixed up a batch of Quick Fair to try it out. It seemed much easier to apply than the blended filler. We will see about the sanding a little later...

Posted: **Tue May 06, 2014 4:41 pm**

Well, I must have screwed up a batch of Quickfair. I know my measurements were right 7:3 by weight, according to the mixing Quickfair video. I guess it wasn't mixed good, hard to tell because it doesn't change color or anything. Some places are still tacky some 21 hrs after I put it on. I guess I have to sand it off or will it continue to slowly harden? Wishful thinking I know

This fairing crap is going to kill me yet. I'm over it. Seriously thinking about flat paint or truck bed liner and calling it a lesson learned... They enjoyment factor of building a boat is long gone

Though that monstaliner stuff is allot more expensive than flat auto paint.

Posted: **Tue May 06, 2014 5:06 pm**

My recollection is that the larger container is a brownish color and the smaller container is white.
When you first mix it it looks like a chocolate vanilla swirl that you would get at the ice cream shop.
When fully mixed its a uniform light cream color. Don't give up on it to fast. Its great stuff.
It should kick over fairly quickly within its usable temp range.

Posted: **Tue May 06, 2014 9:52 pm**

Correct, 1 is brown, one is white. 2 parts brown to one part white. I've never bothered to weigh it, I just eyeball 2/1 on mixing sticks on a piece of cardboard. Stir until cream. Never had a batch fail yet. In warm weather it cures to sanding in 4-6 hours.

Posted: **Tue May 06, 2014 10:04 pm**

Mine is tan and white. There is no appreciable difference in color when mixed or I'm earth tone colorblind, maybe just a shade lighter idk. I made double sure it was mixed good and cut the batch in half today.
Going to OK for 4 days to see my middle son graduate from Army Basic. If its still tacky when I get back I'll sand the crap off and start over. Luckily it was only one batch, but it was a 10oz one....

Posted: **Wed May 07, 2014 8:11 pm**

Just keep going, it definitely sucks the joy out of boat building but it all comes back on the next steps!

Posted: **Mon May 12, 2014 11:09 am**

jorgepease wrote:Just keep going, it definitely sucks the joy out of boat building but it all comes back on the next steps!

I hope so. I'm back and ready to get to work. It sucks having borderline OCD and ADD combined

How is yours coming? Isn't it about time for an update?

Posted: **Mon May 12, 2014 12:31 pm**

Have you seen the electric fairing board.

http://forums.bateau2.com/viewtopic.php ... rd#p310186

Its a couple of posts down.

Posted: **Sat May 17, 2014 10:09 pm**

That is pretty cool. I'm about done though whether its perfect or not. Iv'e decided I have one more small round left in me and thats it. I'm thinking of painting it camo (Mossy Oak Shadow Grass) and calling it good. https://styx-river.com/products/?catego ... =3#product

I also made the mistake of not going to Vero to get more Quick Fair. I went to a local FG shop and picked up some Awlfair. It takes forever to dry (24 hrs to sand) and when it is dry it really loads up the sandpaper. I don't recommend it.

Posted: **Tue May 20, 2014 9:31 pm**

She's in primer finally, whew

Two coats and it looks pretty good, I can still see some of the pink Awlfair though through 2 coats

Definitely looks better all one color. Not surprising, I found some places I need to fair a little more, mostly around the transitions with all of the extra glass I put on it to take out the rocker. Ordering Quickfair now, no more pink crap. Pics tomorrow the flash pics are no bueno...

Posted: **Wed May 21, 2014 4:31 pm**

Primer Pics:

Posted: **Wed May 21, 2014 4:45 pm**

That looks mighty fine! The primer always shows you what you missed with fairing. Good thing about the S3 primer is you can fair right over it to fix the little spots

Posted: **Wed May 21, 2014 6:28 pm**

Looking good! I love this phase. Wax on wax off

Posted: **Wed May 21, 2014 7:18 pm**

Looks like a boat. Nice.

Posted: **Thu May 22, 2014 10:46 am**

Thanks guys

, I'm heading up to e-boat now to pick up some supplies, mainly Quickfair, so I can finish it and flip it. I'm going with Gator Glide G4 on the bottom. I hope to have it on and the boat flipped by mid week. We'll see.

Posted: **Thu May 22, 2014 12:10 pm**

You sure you haven't done this before?

Very nice work

Posted: **Tue May 27, 2014 11:15 am**

Thanks Richard. I was sorry to hear about your mother in law.

I got the Gatorglide G4 on over the weekend. This stuff is slicker than snot. The color is supposed to be "Marsh Mud" but it is really light. I guess the additives in the G4 lighten it up over the G2. I went with the G4 because its supposed to be more abrasion resistant than the G2. We'll see. I got 4 coats out of a quart.

Next up: Flip it after this cures a couple of days and finish the inside...

http://www.gatorglide.com/G4.html

Posted: **Tue May 27, 2014 2:25 pm**

That's cool. Congrats on the nice looking work, too.

Posted: **Wed May 28, 2014 10:59 am**

Thanks Will, I noticed you painted yours before flipping it. I'm wrestling with that now. I can't really decide, are you happy with your decision?

Posted: **Wed May 28, 2014 11:36 am**

That is so clean!

You are close, when the boat is finished, you can keep it at my dock, I will not use too much

Posted: **Wed May 28, 2014 10:33 pm**

Noles309 wrote:... are you happy with your decision?

Definitely. With the hull upside down I had good lighting and I think better access to the whole thing.

Posted: **Thu May 29, 2014 12:45 pm**

Yeah, I'm still not completely sure what I want to do about paint so I flipped her today. Her guts haven't seen daylight since I don't know when.
I'm going to have to strap her down though. If you bump it she's sliding off of the table. That gator glide is no joke.

My son and I set her in the grass to flip it and you could spin it with one hand.

I have a question about glassing the rubrails. Do ya'll usually do it? I'm not sure if I want to round over the edges or not. I was planning on glassing the inside with 6oz but I don't think that will cover a sharp edge either without bubbling will it? I don't plan on putting a aftermarket rubrail on it. I do plan on coating it with bedliner though. Thanks

Posted: **Thu May 29, 2014 1:11 pm**

I rounded over the outer and inner rail edge and the glassed over the rail only. I'm not sure if I should have glassed over the rail and then down a couple of inches on the hull side. I think it would have required a large fillet on the underside of the rail which is challenging when your boat is right side up.

Just what I did, definitely get some other opinions.

Posted: **Thu May 29, 2014 1:50 pm**

garym wrote:I rounded over the outer and inner rail edge and the glassed over the rail only. I'm not sure if I should have glassed over the rail and then down a couple of inches on the hull side. I think it would have required a large fillet on the underside of the rail which is challenging when your boat is right side up.

Just what I did, definitely get some other opinions.

Thats what I was thinking about stopping at the bottom edge. I glassed up to the bottom of the rail with biax. Thanks

Posted: **Thu May 29, 2014 2:00 pm**

I used 12oz biax tape to cover the rail. I rounded over the rail with a 3/8 router bit.
The glass will provide MINIMAL protection. When I trailered the boat to get the engine the white pvc trailer guides were touching the rub rail. The bouncing around on the trailer chaffed away the paint and the glass on the rail. A little epoxy and quick fair and all was well.

Posted: **Thu May 29, 2014 2:13 pm**

This is looking great!!!

Posted: **Thu May 29, 2014 9:49 pm**

garym wrote:I used 12oz biax tape to cover the rail. I rounded over the rail with a 3/8 router bit.
The glass will provide MINIMAL protection. When I trailered the boat to get the engine the white pvc trailer guides were touching the rub rail. The bouncing around on the trailer chaffed away the paint and the glass on the rail. A little epoxy and quick fair and all was well.

May not even be worth it then. I might seal it up good with epoxy, prime it and roll the bed liner on it.

Thanks Jorge.

Posted: **Fri May 30, 2014 8:05 am**

Get a 2nd opinion before you do anything.

Posted: **Fri May 30, 2014 8:55 am**

Yeah, the plans don't call for it so I guess it would be ok with Jacques.

Got allot of other stuff to do before I have to make a decision on that though

Posted: **Fri May 30, 2014 9:42 am**

Many GF16 owners like a spray rail. No problem to install one but I would not fiberglass it. Epoxy coating is enough.

Posted: **Fri May 30, 2014 1:52 pm**

My spay rail was just glued on... No problems with it after a few years use.. I would definitely put it on again it helps keep the boat dry... Enjoying watching the build.

Posted: **Fri May 30, 2014 2:07 pm**

Gary,

Did you mean the rub rail attached to the shear or the spray/rub rail in the middle of the side?

If its the top rail at the shear then the answer may be different

Posted: **Fri May 30, 2014 3:14 pm**

Rub rail at the shear.

Posted: **Sun Jun 01, 2014 8:01 am**

I rounded over the top edge and when i glassed the deck with 10 oz i ran the glass over the rail to the bottom edge.
Decks and rub rail will be Monstaliner. If the rail gets beat up just scuff with scotch bright pad and touch up.

Posted: **Sun Jun 01, 2014 12:02 pm**

Thanks Top, I'm using the Monstaliner as well. I was just thinking it didn't really need to be glassed if using that as a coating since its thick and very abrasion resistant and the plans don't call for it either. I need to keep focused on the fact that this is a jon boat and was practice for something bigger down the road.

Posted: **Mon Jun 09, 2014 4:19 pm**

Been plugging away nothing picture worthy. The rub rail is rounded over and smooth. Got the backing plates done for the bow and transom eyes. I've been working on a PVC wire and fuel line chase to the bow and for the drain holes that will be covered with foam.

Posted: **Fri Jun 13, 2014 9:55 am**

I was looking at my manual for my 20hp Nissan/Hatsu 4s tiller it recommends a 70AH, 800 Marine Cranking Amps/650 Cold Cranking Amps battery. This sounds excessive for such a small motor and I see allot of guys on the web running the small AGM's like the Odyssey's that don't come anywhere close to these numbers.
Do they do ok? I will be using it for starting, lights and light electronics only. I'm looking to go small and light if I can.
Iv'e read of guys using this bad boy, 11 lbs and 7"x3"x5" http://www.amazon.com/Odyssey-PC545-Pow ... R0MM98HG9S
Thanks

Posted: **Sun Jun 15, 2014 1:50 pm**

Think your small battery is going to work just fine. It should deliver enough power to start your small engine. But off course you cant use a lot of electronics without your engine running before your battery run low. But it should not be the end of the world if that happens either, as your engine should have a back-up thru-cowl manual start if im not mistaken.
If it don't its a different story and it becomes way more important that you have big enough battery(s)

Posted: **Sun Jun 15, 2014 2:46 pm**

I only have one battery on my current boat but it bothers me sometimes when I let the gps run for long periods as I drift fish, so far no problems, must not take that much juice. Think I will put 2 batteries on this new boat though. I agree on the manual pull start, if it comes with that you don't need a bigger battery.

Posted: **Sun Jun 15, 2014 3:36 pm**

Yes, it has the manual through cowl start and that's pretty much what I was thinking. Thanks guys.

Posted: **Wed Jun 18, 2014 10:41 pm**

Got a little done on the center seat compartment. There will be a cooler recessed into the seat. The platform it will sit on was foamed underneath. The sides will be foamed as well over the drains and chase tube.

Posted: **Thu Jun 19, 2014 12:57 pm**

Rod tubes fitted in the mid seat.

Posted: **Thu Jun 19, 2014 3:08 pm**

Very clean work. Nice

Posted: **Thu Jun 19, 2014 4:12 pm**

Thanks CL.....FWC Inspection in the morning to Woohoo

Posted: **Thu Jun 19, 2014 4:15 pm**

-FWC inspection- Gettin it done before you're done. Nice!

Posted: **Thu Jun 19, 2014 10:03 pm**

Great work, your are flying through your build.
Looks like you have it well thought out.
Justin

Posted: **Thu Jun 19, 2014 10:19 pm**

Cannonball wrote:-FWC inspection- Gettin it done before you're done. Nice!

Yep, I had heard that it was taking months to get someone to come out so I decided I would call. Surprisingly, the officer called me within an hour or so. He said as long as it looks like a boat, he could do the inspection basically at my convenience.

Thanks Justin, it doesn't seem like its going that fast most of the time.

Posted: **Sat Jun 21, 2014 10:44 am**

Reference the Inspection, the FWC officer said they actually prefer the boat not be completely finished when they inspect it. Its easier for them to tell it is a built boat not a stolen hull. All he did was measure it and printed out the form for me to take to the tag office, took 10 minutes. He didn't want to see pictures or receipts.
He was a pretty cool guy and we talked boats and fishing for probably a 1/2 hr or so.

Posted: **Sat Jun 28, 2014 12:48 pm**

Been getting a little done here and there. I slurried the bow compartment to fill the weave up before I coat it with white tinted epoxy. I got one side of the mid seat foamed in, I'm waiting on my gps/fishfinder to get here so I can run the wiring before I foam in the other side. I made the cooler cutout. I wish I would have gone a little lower with it. I kept the cutout though, if I don't like it I will make a hatch out of it.
I have four coats of white tinted epoxy in the cooler compartment, It looks like it will take four more to be opaque, really wishing I had gone with gray now, If I do the bow and the rear deck storage, I will have a gallon into it it seems like. It would have been way cheaper to paint if that is the case. We'll see...
I'm really happy with the way she is looking. Next up is getting the jackplate built and the transom drilled and getting the grab bar built so I can finish off the mid seat.

Posted: **Sun Jun 29, 2014 8:22 am**

That's a pretty slick cooler setup . I use the gray tint , one coat neat epoxy and two with tint and its covered .

Posted: **Sun Jun 29, 2014 10:28 am**

I don't think you are using enough pigment. I've done a lot of white lately and 3 coats gives great coverage.

Edit: I like that cooler set up too

Posted: **Sun Jun 29, 2014 11:28 am**

Thanks guys, I've been using about 1/2 teaspoon of the paste per 3oz of epoxy. I only have med hardener so I have to do small batches. Is that not enough? There are no real directions for using it that I have seen anywhere.

Posted: **Sun Jun 29, 2014 12:51 pm**

maybe you should put in a chase tube for the gps wire just in case you need to pull it one day. I like the way the cooler turned out as well!

Posted: **Sun Jun 29, 2014 9:47 pm**

I have a chase tube but it is pretty small. Its 1 1/2" pvc cut in half length ways and will be glued in. There is no sole in the boat so the pvc runs along the starboard side bottom panel. I wanted to get the wires run before I foamed the compartment in case I had trouble getting the connector through.

Posted: **Thu Jul 03, 2014 10:31 am**

Still plugging away. I cut and glued on some rod holders towards the bow and finished out the rod tubes in the rear seat. Rods can go in from either direction front or rear and are long enough for fly rods.
I made some risers in the bow compartment so the two 3 gal fuel tanks will sit level in there. I also added some blocks for the tank tie downs. That is four coats of tinted epoxy in there, still not opaque but I'm not putting anymore coats on it...I'm debating on whether to put a door on the bow compartment or leave it open. I have a vent and the hardware to do it but I just want to get done at this point...

Chase tube into the mid seat cooler compartment for the GPS fishfinder and LED lights

Whats this?....If the boat ever ends up in the hands of any Gators or Hurricanes, It will always be a Seminole skiff

The vertical tube will be glued to the horizontal chase and the compartment will be foamed in after I get the wires run.

Thats about all the progress except for some drill and fill for vertical rod holders and cup holders.

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Re: GF16 In The Pizzle

Re: GF16 In The Pizzle

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Re: GF16 In The PSL