Low Resolution (click) | | Brett Clark
Drift Boat comments
I built this 16' dift boat from Don Hill plans using six different kinds of wood, including Meranti plywood and white oak ribs (from old grocery store molding). The Meranti I got from Edensaw was lighter colored than I've seen in other boats, but had some beautiful burgundy patches that I tried to position symmetrically on either side of the bow. I made a number of changes including a 5 cubic foot storage compartment under the front seat and a raised rope seat with a back rest/rear knee lock combination. Knee locks were made from Australian lacewood purchased from the local Spokane specialty lumber store, which has a deep red color and an amazing grain. I made the knee locks deeper and positioned higher than called for in the plans because most kneelocks are too low and narrow for my liking. Other touches include ash gunwales/handrails, Ipe chine battens, and Ipe nose piece on the bow. The anchor system is bent ¾ emt conduit that runs through the middle of the ribs with turning blocks and the rower seat mounted cam cleat. After much research and consideration, I decided to, contrary to the forum’s conventional wisdom, do the UHMW bottom. After sealing the bottom ply w/ 4 coats of epoxy, I screwed the UHMW on. Then I removed it and filled each individual screw hole with 5200 caulk, then screwed it back on with the McFeely's silicon bronze screws used to construct the boat. I used several expansion joints to minimize the CTE warpage. I’ll remove one of the pieces in a couple of years and inspect for water damage. If my idea didn't work, I'll do the fiberglass thing then. Overall a very enjoyable project that took me 4.5 months and just over 3k including trailer.
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