It would seem to me that if I were to build the buffalo boat out of all 3/8 ply that through the magic of scarfing I could get it all out of 3 Sheets ? ( I have enough extra laying around for the bulkheads and decks and so forth). True or false ?

Don
Easton, Pa

Maybe. Not sure

We by golley I’m gonna look into it. I bet it wouldn’t weigh but 10 or 15 lbs more.

It may just be me but I didn't see the height of the oarsman seat mentioned. Also how far behind the oarlocks shall I locate the seat? For this boat I plan to make everything simple and utilitarian. All seats will be fixed. The seat will be a simple plank with a brace under it, cleats on the sides, but nothing to block the freedom of my feet.

How high is a Buffalo boatsman's seat?

The gusset diagram in the plans is angled on one side so it glues to the side of the boat.
The bottom of the gusset rests on the bottom of the boat.

The plan view drawing shows the oarlock pins dead middle front to back. I used to make two more oarlock pins holes further back for when I only had two in the boat, further forward for when I had three in the boat. But in practice it was too much trouble to move. When there are just two of us I put the beer cooler in the back of the boat.

So Sandy for a fixed seat how far behind the pins should the front of the seat be located? Should I futz around a bit before I permanently install or should I sit on a bucket and take a trip or two until I figure that distance out?
I'll look at the Gusset Diagram tomorrow. Got the sides glassed today with some 30 yr old wrinkly and dirty 6oz cloth. It'll take some goodly amount of Talc or microballons to fair it. I prefer talc if its not too much. Tomorrow I'll scarf the floor panels and cut out the Transoms and Gussets. I'm hoping to build this for less than 200 dollars out pocket minus Oars and Oarlocks. Having so much left over from old projects has been nice.

No I never ever make a fixed seat. Some guys have long legs and arms. Some short. The rower's seat goes on a rail so it can be adjusted forward and back as needed. If the main oarlock pin gets bored into something dead middle of the boat the front gusset, that holds up the rail the rower's set sits on, should end maybe 3" inches to the rear of that oarlock pin. With the seat adjusted all the way forward, as far as it can go, that makes it a tad too far forward. Which is just what you want. Now you can have it too far forward or too far back. And everything in between.

I use spring loaded metal double hung window pins to pin the rower's seat in adjustable spots on that rail. I do like to do it differently every time. Just to keep it interesting.

Do the sides need to be supported? In other words can I sit on a bucket for a couple trips with no other athwartship support?

Did you get the photos earlier in your emails?


Goodnight all!

Yes Don:

I'm getting your photos. I'll make a webpage soon documenting your build.
Yes you can sit on a bucket for the first few trips. Side-to-side support through a sliding rower's seat will stiffen things up but not that much.

Are we really limited to 1.8 mb photos? I haven't taken that small of a picture in twenty years.......worse yet, I'm such a computer dunce that, I don't know how to make the image smaller.
But anyway its not the only area that I come up short. I cut out and mounted the transoms and the rear one was 4" too short and the front was 1 1/2" short. Don't know why. I thought I followed directions. Next I'll take care of the minor twist with some fence wire. It sure has a pleasant posture sitting there in the shop with the sun beaming in. I sent photos to Sandy's email.

Any idea why the transom are short?

Guests today. I'll try to squeeze this in.

Sandy,

Can you show us a photo of the window pin in place? I’m having trouble envisioning this setup.

Yay, I figured out how to resize photos.
These transoms will be easy enough to fix. I made these according to the instructions. I was just wondering why I didn't notice it sooner.

Don
Easton, Pa

From: https://montana-riverboats.com/index.php?robopage=Buffalo-Boat/buffalo-boat-online-plans/Online-Diagrams/Stations-Transoms

"Actual transom dimensions will vary.

Use this drawing to establish a template drawing

on your plywood stock. Make the bottom edge 15"

as shown. Then extend the side lines up or down,

from the shown dimensions, to match the side panel

you are working with. "

.......I need to build that language into the online jpeg image so It's harder to miss. Sorry about this. Some builders split a 4x16 panel down the middle, on a bit of a diagonal, to make the two side pieces. But that makes a boat with high sides. Lot's of skiff builders choose to make a Buffalo Boat because they plan to fish mostly placid tailwater rivers. So they don't need high sides. So many Buffalo Boat builders choose to cut the side panels down 2 or even 3" inches. Then the boat is easier to get into and out of. And it doesn't catch the wind so much. You make the transoms extend up or down to fit what ever side panels you chose to go with.

I have an old BBoat in front of my shop I hope to get to someday. I want to cut the sides down and deck it, so it is mostly a two person white water boat you can also fish from. Like and extra extra extra wide and thick SUP board. It will have hatches, so you put lunch boxes water bottles and tackle boxes below the deck. That boat will only be something like 14" inches high.

Easynuf to fix. One of the few times I actually do something according to directions and look at what I get, lol.

While I see the reason to lower the side and also to reduce the rocker I thought I'd build according to plans. I haven't any expertise or Instinct about this type of boating and so it might as well be built as shown. Sure is cute sitting there on the strong back.

It was tough to draw the sides together that much. On the back I used clothesline and a plank for a turn buckle and On the front a ratchet strap. I preferred the clothesline as it was more adjustable and slower.



Don
Easton, Pa

Front using Clothesline.Went together very incrementally.

Next I will cut out the new transoms.

Found the problems. 1) I didn't read what you mentioned above. Read it but didn't understand and blew right by it. 2) Did not see and so did not print this page where the actual measurements are listed.

Well, twice taught once learned, I'm back on track. Now waiting on Raka to ship the much needed supplies.


I'm having fun!


[attachment 1399 IMG_3891.jpg

Back on track with both Transoms being upgraded to the correct size. tonight will be spent leveling them as each transom is off by more than an inch. The old wire trick, while it straightened the rear transom, it made the front even worse. Some custom skills will be used to get things lined up, scary.....

Bottoms up!

Lookin good Don

It is Racked 1"....Inclined to live with it.......Thoughts?

They are always wracked a little. Sometimes more.

You've got the bottom on now. I would take the legs off the middle formers and then run a double #9 wire from long corner to long corner, and then twist it until the transoms are parallel. Then turn it over and glass the outside.

You may have to also glass the inside with that wire on. And then add gunwales (perhaps still with wire involved) and then add front and rear deck, which will also contribute to holding the final shape. At that point it had better be pretty close to straight.

I have filled the seems holding the bottom on. Next I'll try that wire again and flip it over to glass it. Do you mean the opposite transom corners?

It is actually hard to see that it is wracked but you know how it is when its your own project and you start critiquing your own work.

Opposite transom corner to opposite transom corner. Pull on the long distance, and not the short.

Today the Buffalo received 2 Layers of 6oz and that will be all this budget can justify slapping onto this junky plywood. It has such nice lines.

How do I figure out what is level on water so I can level the seat rails. I did not see a design waterline in the plans. What did I miss.

The Buffalo Boat has a symmetrical bottom so it tends to sit on concrete the way it does on water.

However..........bits of sawdust and random screws can skew that a little. So make a pencil line side to side in the middle of the inside bottom. Then put a four foot level over top the center line. If level isn't level shim the boat until it is. Then you can make the seat rails. Also level.

Thats it? Nothing scientific, with engineering studies to back your claim? Seems way to easy but I'm game. Thanks

...I almost forgot