Did we build the only one?

My brother and I built this Honky Dory back in 2000-2003 with the balsa wood core. We dubbed it "The Cold One". Im not sure that many folks ever built using the Balsa core, we do love the weight! It has been down the Colorado, Roaring Fork, and even the Arkansas Rivers here in Colorado many times. It has lived in the Garage its whole life, and we have taken pains while rowing to dodge the many rocks down here. But I now need to do a bit of repair work due to a few deep cuts I received on the Colorado (in the dark) here at Glenwood Springs. Ill be dropping a few questions here and there in the coming weeks.

Tom Trowbridge
Glenwood Springs, Co.

Wow. I built two. I'm thinking maybe a half a dozen got built all together. A now retied MSU art professor Fran Noel built a pretty one.

I had trouble with the balsa core bottom soaking up moisture. I eventually taped Visqueen to the inside bottom. Then pressed 2" foundation board down onto the visqueen. Then put 2x4s from side to side, inside the boat, pressing down firmly onto the foundation foam, with screws through the side of the boat into the ends of the 2x4s.

Then I turned the boat over and scribed a magic marker line 1" inch down from the bottom all the way around. Then I rented a water feed concrete saw and cut the bottom off.

Then I put a plywood bottom back on, with the foam and visqueen still there, held in place by those 2x4s. Then I glassed the shite out of the outside. And then the inside. If I had that to do all over again I'd replace that balsa bottom with Plascore rather than plywood.

Plascore is similar to end grain balsa. But it doesn't soak up moisture. So. Balsa is fine everywhere except the bottom panel. Balsa is easier to bend around weird shapes because it is a collection of small end grain squares, held together on one side with a soft mesh.

You can bend balsa over almost anything. A boat that was balsa above water line and Plascore on the bottom would be an interesting boat. I built the first balsa HD in 1987. Fwiw.

Cool pics.

You could try to grind off the cut areas so the balsa core could dry out. And then wing it from there. I maintained mine for about a decade before giving up and cutting the bottom off.

I would think that a router jig could be fabbed to take both bottom off lickety-split.

I mentioned visqueen and foundation foam. That's how I did it but I doubt it mattered. If I ever had to replace a balsa bottom again, l'd just use 2x4s side to side, inside, tight to the bottom. Then cut the bottom off and plascore it

Interesting idea do pull the bottom and replace with Plascore. Assuming I'm going to just remove the damages glass, dry out and patch, and then add an additional layer of glass over the bottom, what weight glass should I use?

Trout

Over balsa core I'd to with 4 layers of 10oz fabric. That's a lot of glass but that's the price you pay for a core of any kind, that has no inherent rigidity. Same for Plascore.

So i think we have about 3? layers on the bottom currently,6-8 on the chine. I dont have the old plans any more (funny, I think I tossed them only about 2 years ago). Do the current plans have any references to the origional directions? Just trying to remember what we may have done........

I kept the "Balsa Core" plans for a long time but eventually erased them. I'm sure I have an electronic copy but finding it on an 8 terabyte disk that is half full is nigh impossible.

What ever I said thirty years ago is now superseded by what ever I say now. I declare it so.

I've been on lakes all this spring with the Buffalo. Rows terrible on open windy water but it gets the job done. Once anchored it is very comfy. Been slaying pickerel.

True dat.

No flat bottomed driftboat is worth a shite on flat water. They work. Sort of. But they're too highly optimized for drifting in current.

I have stronger shoulders after rowing that thing around all spring. Once the water is in the 70's I'll be back on the Delaware.

It has occurred to me a drift boat could be made to perform better on flat water if it had some sort of a drop-down optional keel near the rear end. The motor goes on the transom so you'd need a slot behind the rower maybe. Which just gets covered or somehow sealed when not on flat still water.

Like the drop-centerboard on a Sharpie Sailboat.