The Little Drifter That Will.

[Bodofish]

Ok so a couple of us die hard Power boat guys decided we need a boat for the little lakes with no motors and to go where no jet sled dare...... OK I'm getting into swinging a fly more and more these days too but, mainly because of local interference, truck and trailer damage and bullet holes...... So the Sickbayer and I got drunk, smoked cigars and all manner of mayhem that proceeded, we decided we must have a wood boat. We were looking for a Don Hull with the wide stern but got aced on a couple and found this. It was a must have from our first sight. She was built from plans that were drawn form a guy in Ferndale, his name escapes me now but he was a very prolific designer in the 60's and 70's. She was built in the late 70's buy the previous owner who was a cabinet maker/carpenter by trade.

On the way home from Tumwater, stopped Cabelas and the License store and transferred the title on the trailer.



At Home in the Drive.






We knew there was going to be some repair to the bottom as the glass had been broached in a couple location. We got her off the trailer and turned her over on to the saw horses....Note to self, when turning over a drift boat have as many people as possible. Sickbayer and I just about busted a nut on the flip but we made it. After we got her turned we looked at the little spots and found the glass had let go of the wood on the entire bottom. and we were able to pull it off in a couple of pieces. At this point we found the boat had been built with a double bottom, so it has two sheets of three eighths in the center danger zone with glass in between.

Bottom Ripped Off and Ready to Go.



And the sanding and filling commenced for many days and many nights. Side note for anyone doing repair on any glass boats or anything, just say no to polyester and vinyl resins, they aren't worth the time and money it takes to manufacture them. Only use quality epoxy resins and glass cloth.
So we jumped out and bought all the supplies, and contacted my nearly life long buddy Rick who is also a confirmed GlassAholic and along with me we fell off the wagon and started to get very excited at the prospect of laying a large amount of glass cloth and epoxy resin. We got right to it, I'd just come off a graveyard shift and he met me at the house at 9:00am on a sunny day. We laid fourteen ounces of glass in two layer on the bottom in single sheets, yeah I know we're crazy but that's the way we roll!

After Fourteen OZ of Glass and Gallon of Marine Water Proof Resin.





And a Final Top Coat of Resin to Fill the Weave.



After the glass we trimmed all the excess sanded the edges smooth and started to think. Off to chat with the experts on the Wooden Drift Boat Forum http://www.montana-riverboats.com/phorum/list.php?3. We know glass and epoxy is very impact resistant, all in all very strong stuff but it's weak point being abrasion resistant, it just can't take scratches and water together. Side note polyester or vinylester boats are not made with water proof material. Period, no argument accepted as it is what it is, it's why manufacturers put gel coat on the outside, it's marginally better when it hasn't been compromised. I will entertain discussion at a later date if needed.

Trimmed and Ready to Proceed.



Stay Tuned for Part 2.

[primetime]

Pure jealously. Very nice!!

[Bodofish]

Thanks for the kind words.

[oneshot]

Super cool story and work! That thing looks cool and nostalgic.. Love to take a ride down the sky in that some day..

[Bodofish]

OK had bite to eat, grabbed a cool one and where was I........... Oh yeah.

We needed an abrasion resistant material, a thin sheet of SS or a sheet of hardened AL was a first thought, it is very susceptible to Epoxy resin when the proper mechanical properties are roughed in so the adhesive surface could be made but no.... there has to be a better way. Again or back to the awesome guys on the Wood Drift Boat Forum http://www.montana-riverboats.com/phorum/list.php?3 to pick some brains, the old school guys (No disrespect intended, I'm in awe.) are just using a heavy alkyd enamel and turning over the boat a lot, it also helps with the other big down fall of any resin, UV. I didn't like the idea of all the repairs and turning the boat over... remember the part about busting a nu.... Well I'm sure you all get it. Anyways, back to the bottom of the boat. What do we know is easy to apply (or have someone else do it.) looks at least half @ssed. Something that's just tougher than all get out, stands up to gravel, rocks, shovels, dropping stuff on it, dragging stuff over it, is weather proof and sticks like all get out........ Hummmmm..... Pickup Truck Bed LIner!!!! And Uncle Sam has started coating a lot of it's equipment in various places that needs to stand up to sand and gravel. Take a look at YouTube for the Myth Busters tests on the bed liner stuff. Anyways after the a couple of the hand made boat Mfgs. have been doing it to the boats they sell (and their personal fleet/armada). With some well placed questions I found that LineX is their coating of choice and as a side, it also slides over rocks easier than gel coat or aluminum, it's speculated it's the ridges and the poly rubber against the rocks. Cool!!!!!! I set out to get some quotes, I had previously done my jet boat anchor to try and quiet it a bit in the rocket launcher. Easy new business, $50 for three coats on the anchor, how much could the bottom cost....? $700 plus I flip the boat and prep it with no guarantee. It's less area than a pickup bed and easier to shoot. I'm a DIY kind of guy and if I need to repair it I don't want to be beholden to them. What to use? I checked out the stuff Uncle Sam has been using, $135 a gallon and wait for two weeks for delivery and hope it's enough, the directions call for three coats minimum. What can I buy local? Ah ha!, The local parts guys have Ryno liner and Bed Armor. Internet search for applications and durability. Right off the bat Ryno has a black eye as it sometimes has hard time bonding to less than perfect surfaces. The Bed Armor has Kevlar, gotta be good, right? Turns out the stuff is brand new, traded email with a couple guys that have automotive shows on TV and they've done the application for a show and they've taken the stuff out and abused it. Neither had anything bad to say about it and Duplicolor has been making tough car stuff for a while and they stand behind their products. Bought a Gal, $98 out the door, here we go....... Well the directions say mask anything you don't want it on real well. To start shake can for thirty minutes, ok feels like water in the can and then stir till it's almost a homogeneous liquid. Hahahaha Well I opened the can and it was the weirdest stuff I'd ever seen, the liquid was all mixed up but there was this mass in the bottom of the can....... Found the Kevlar! I started mixing and the clumps started to break up, stirring very slow and methodical as the can is quite full. I stopped stirring for a sec to think about it and almost five seconds after I stopped stirring, it went Blooop! and a bubble surfaced and the stuff went flying out of the can and landed right on my shorts. This is the weirdest paint product I've ever used...... Rolling the stuff on was no less crazy and the stuff would just fly off the roller at strange times, blop right on anything in range. Mask it well!!!!!!

Finished with the Bed Armor W/ Kevlar.










I got three coats on and what do ya know? It looks really good!!! So get her all cleaned up, touched up and invited some unsuspecting family members and friends over for a cool beverage and over she goes and on to the trailer. Much easier with a bunch of hands. She's On the trailer and I could take her out and float her! OK reality sets in, I have to work for the next five days and then up to Camano with the family and catch a bunch of crabs and drink too much! OK she's going to sit and harden for a bit in the hot garage. Got off work this last Sunday night and had the dentist and a bunch of crap errands to run on Monday and today I was supposed to play a round of Golf with some buddies. What do ya know they pussied out because of the heat and about five minutes later Sickbayer calls and says he's taking the afternoon off. Git on over here and bring your fishing rod!!! We took her to an un-named lake and went for a row.

At the Ramp!









And the story begins. We rowed out and were starting to tie up some gear and we hear this guy yelling from across the lake. So after a bit we row over and find this guy sitting on a log that's sticking out in the middle and his canoe is next to him rather low in the water. We ask what happened and he proceeds to tell us, "I was sitting in the canoe getting my gear ready when I bump that little thicket of stuff on the log. It's a bees nest! a really big bees nest! they flew out and swarmed me and I flipped the canoe trying to get away. I'm allergic to bee stings! And my paddle has drifted away and I can't get the boat emptied.". Well we found his paddle and emptied out his canoe and steadied it while he climbed in. We recovered his tackle box but the rod and reel were long gone. We sent him on his way, glad it wasn't anaphylactic shock and he didn't drown. Gotta be good Karma right?
well it was for Sickbayer but not for me, I couldn't catch a fish to save my life and he was catching one on almost every cast. No worries, it was still a great outing. New boat, dusted a half rack on a sunny afternoon (well except for the rain, not enough to make me put a shirt on.) Shared a very aged cigar with a great friend and we weren't at work! We've got her wet. Now the Story begins......


Many thanks to the guys on the Wood Drift Boat Phorum http://www.montana-riverboats.com/phorum/list.php?3 And especially Sandy for hosting the forum offering awesome plans and directions with huge amounts of insight and a bit of good old home philosophy!

Mike and Arron, you guys too for this wonderful forum I know sometimes it's more referee than Host.

[Bodofish]

Super cool story and work! That thing looks cool and nostalgic.. Love to take a ride down the sky in that some day..

There is no doubt! Best git to poppin that little Oneshot out!

[hewesfisher]

Nice work Bodo and I enjoyed the story. Looking forward to more woody adventures.

[Mike Carey]

wow, love the classic wood of your drifter, you did a beautiful job of restoring it!

[Augwen]

Nice job on the boat. Let us know how the bottom holds up.

[Gringo Pescador]

Sweet!

[natetreat]

Very cool! I'd love to see that out on the water. How does she row? How much does she weigh? Wooden drifters are always so pretty.

[Bodofish]

Well so far just had her out in the lake but she rows real easy (I've done a lot of rowing, my folks didn't believe in motors for kids.). Heavy, well yeah a bit. but not to bad, I'm guessing about 300# she's framed with hard wood and so is the bright work. All trade offs. Very quiet on the water. The Bed Armor is going to bear a sharp scrutiny, a lot of guys are waiting to hear how tough it is. Price and DIY are a big deal for wood boat guys.

Thanks guys, it was fun working on it, don't forget Sickbayer had his hand in it too. It's been a while since I've fallen off the wagon and had to break the resin and glass out, it's truly a disease, one I'm willing to indulge from time to time.

[SoDakboy]

That is really cool, I don't think I would have ever thought about applying bed liner to the bottom of a boat. But it makes sense now that I think about it.

[Rosann G]

Very nice and thanks for sharing the great story about her.