I have started the Bayou Skiff....

[oldsparkey]

Thank's for the complements , Sometimes I get lucky and a boat turns out the way I expect it.

The sides are 12 inches and the transom is 15 inches at the highest point. I don't think a Jack Plate would be necessary since this will be a slow motion boat and not really speedy , especially with a trolling motor or a small 2 HP one.

Just put the third and final coat of paint on the bottom......

Chuck.

 

[mike]

That boat is going to be too pretty to use. You'll end up having to hang it on a wall and just staring at it. :lol:

Mike

 

[captaindoug]

Thanks for the response Chuck. I am getting ready to cut the shaft on my trolling motor for my skiff "Lite" and I wanted to make sure I leave it long enough in case I end up building the Bayou Skiff. A guy on one of the other harbor tugs is trying really hard to talk me into selling him my boat and I want to leave all my options open. My reference to the jack plate wasn't pertaining to the speed factor, rather the back pressure caused by having the outboard's exhaust too deep in the water. They just run better as designed as far as the depth of the exhaust in the water, not to mention the shallower draft.

 

[oldsparkey]

Thanks for the response Chuck. I am getting ready to cut the shaft on my trolling motor for my skiff "Lite" and I wanted to make sure I leave it long enough in case I end up building the Bayou Skiff. A guy on one of the other harbor tugs is trying really hard to talk me into selling him my boat and I want to leave all my options open. My reference to the jack plate wasn't pertaining to the speed factor, rather the back pressure caused by having the outboard's exhaust too deep in the water. They just run better as designed as far as the depth of the exhaust in the water, not to mention the shallower draft.

The little Suzuki I have been drooling over is designed for a 15 inch transom. It is a 4 stroke and only 2.5 HP , weighs in at 30 pounds. At 2.5 HP and on the Bayou Skiff , it would make it move if you wanted it to , other times running at a lower speed you could cover more distance. The running time on the quart of gas is WIDE OPEN for one hour.
Since I will have to Pay Florida to have the boat registered , might as well have something on there that can take me anywhere. A 2.5 on the back of a wider and shorter Pirogue ( like the skiff ) should be a WILD RIDE. :lol: Not saying I have to use it but if it is there then I can use it when I want to.

My cardiologist was not real happy with the idea of me rowing up stream , down stream OK .. not upstream. Did that on one trip , paddling against the flow and my unit ( defibrillator ) armed itself 13 times in a 6 hour paddle ( That is just before it blasts you .. stops the heart and restarts it , not a lot of fun ) ... Thank .. GOD... It never went off and I knew when to take a break. That , Folks is why I will have something to help me go upstream from now on. :wink:

Right now I am waiting for Jamestown Distributors to get my Oars , Oar locks and side mounted oar sockets here this Friday so then can be installed when I flip the skiff over this Sunday and get back to the inside of it. They will have to do till I can get that Motor.

If I would have to build the transom up a bit , it is easy ...just lay in several strips of trim wood on the top of the transom ..... Till it gets right then make it permanent. I would like the cavation plate on the motor to be even or just a fraction below the bottom of the skiff.

Here is what Cabelas has to say about it...........
The Suzuki DF2.5 is small in size, but big on performance. Weighing in at just under 30 lbs., the DF2.5 is the lightest Suzuki four-stroke motor ever built. This versatile and portable outboard motor meets the rigorous EPA 2006 and CARB 3-Star Ultra-Low emissions standards. The little workhorse packs a 2.4hp single cylinder OHV four-stroke engine with 4.15 cu. in. of displacement that generates plenty of power for small tenders and inflatables. The smooth and quiet engine is water-cooled for increased dependability. The fuel tank holds nearly a quart of gas and has an estimated run time of one hour on a full tank. Steering and throttle tension and control are easily adjustable. F-N shifting with 360° steering for maneuvering in tight quarters. Easy-to-grip handle for tilting motor up. Four tilt pin settings for a custom fit. Shear mount.
Transom height: 15".

 

[oldsparkey]

Since I promised pictures of this build here is the next step I did....... Removed the tape so I can Varnish the sides with the UV Protection varnish and then the Satin Varnish....... Then stripe the side like I want it to be..........

For that completed picture of the outside , It should be posted Sunday ( I hope ) so I can show what the completed process looks like. :lol:

From this .............

To this ..... Same darkens on the bottom just more light on it since this was shot during the dark hours.......Plus it is still wet and has not cured. Does not really matter since the only thing that will see the bottom when the boat is being used will be the fishes.......... (With any luck) before they get to take up residence in my cooler and be invited home as the guest of honor for supper.

Chuck......
PS. Those fishing rods in the background ( Right side ) are not all of the ones I have , By a Long Shot. :wink:

 

[islandpiper]

My favorite GREEN. Cool. piper

 

[tx river rat]

Chuck
In all the playing I did with the motorized boats ,to get the best performance we set the cav plate at least a 1/2 inch above the bottom up to 2 inches above the bottom depending on the set back of the motor.
The water coming of the back of a a boat rises as it is decompressed and you can also run much shallower .
Ron

 

[oldsparkey]

Chuck
In all the playing I did with the motorized boats ,to get the best performance we set the cav plate at least a 1/2 inch above the bottom up to 2 inches above the bottom depending on the set back of the motor.
The water coming of the back of a a boat rises as it is decompressed and you can also run much shallower .
Ron

Ron......Good Point.
Here in Florida the Cavitation plate is normally even with bottom of boat or a smidge lower. when the boat is up on plane. I don't think I will have the skiff planing out or pulling water skiers. :roll:
Then there is the flip side of the coin where they suggest ( as you did ) that it is 1.5 or 2 inches above the bottom of the boat to get the best speed and performance.

My guess is it is what ever floats ya boat. YES... I do like the idea of the shallower the better. Again , Not really worry with a little boat and 2.5 HP we would never get past the Geezer warp speed. ( You know that speed a Turtle can go with a broken leg ) Now if I was to install a V-8 , 409 with a shaft or jet drive in it ........... Bad Idea , Bad Idea. :wink:

 

[Steve]

. . . Now if I was to install a V-8 , 409 with a shaft or jet drive in it ........... Bad Idea , Bad Idea. :wink:

Just had this vision of Chuck, dressed as Indiana Jones, strapped to a rocket sled flash before my eyes. . . .

 

[oldsparkey]

Hard to tell in this picture but I have a coat of the gloss varnish on there for the UV protection and then today a coat of the satin varnish over it , it sure takes the shine away but lets the wood come to life.

A couple more days and I will be able to move it outside in the sunlight and take some pictures of the outside of the skiff being done.

Chuck.......

 

[oldsparkey]

The Oars just arrived with the rest of the stuff I had ordered for the skiff. A day early .

The Caviness Basswood oars from Jamestown Distributes are rougher then a corn cob with a few kernels left on them , all around it..... Some real nasty finish work as far as I am concerned. They are from the Feather Brand.

"O" Well since the finish is ....CRAP.... on them I will be sanding them then applying some epoxy and then a coat of varnish before I use them. That will set me back a little while before I get the Skiff in the water.

Might try it with the crappy finished oars before then to try the Skiff out on the water .....I'm sure a test rowing will not hurt that finish they have on it...... not at all... all it could do is to help it. :roll: .... Then make them the way they should of been before they were shipped to a customer. ( Yep.. I am Pissed off to put it midley )

The up side is I will know they have the epoxy coating and then are varnished with a good UV varnish...... Since they do not respect there work but I do respect mine and want it right , the same as all of you do in your boat building and accessory items. Guess that is why we have better boats and equipment then the commercially , mass produced , junk.

What the Hell , I do not plan on using the Skiff till the weather turns warmer and better for fishing. They say the 1st day of Spring will be on the 20th of this month......... Might be ready by then.

If it ain't the weather is is sloppy manufacturing and finishing setting me back on stuff ordered for the Skiff. :twisted:

Anyway it is progress , even if it is two steps forward and three behind... :lol:

 

[captaindoug]

Well Chuck, look on the bright side. Some of the reviews I've read about those oars, they had different colored wood, actually different dimensions, so if you just have to do some finish work, it sounds like you got one of the good sets. What length did you get, and are you going to tack down some leather, or wrap them with nylon cord? Will the different rowing stations effect the position of the oars in the oarlocks for "proper" rowing. 2 inch over lap of the handles and all that jazz?

 

[oldsparkey]

I measured where the oars would be and did the math as they suggested....... Measure the width and divide by two.... now multiply by three and add six inches to get the proper length.

Since there are two stations to row from I split the difference and came up with 6 feet 3 inches so I went with the 6 1/2 length for the oars. Might say I cautioned on the extra few inches ( length ) then to make them shorter. Look at it this way .. it will give me a 13 foot kayak paddle for the Skiff except both blades will be pulling or pushing at the same time. :lol: Jezeeeeeeeee.. the skiff is only 13 feet 9 1/4 inches in length. It will look like one of those long legged water bugs from above.

As far as the Proper way ... I do it the way it will work for me , or hope it will work for me and it normally does. If not then I can adjust to it without a problem , Ya have to be flexible. :wink:

I don't like the handles to overlap but just miss each other when parallel. Got the edge mount sockets since they are the strongest and to keep the oars from rotating when rowing the clamp on oarlock which keeps them in one position. Would of gotten the one with the pin that goes threw the oar but from psst experience it is always at the pin where an oar will break after a few years.

Chuck.

 

[oldsparkey]

Today is a nice sunny day so I got the skiff out of the shop and took a few pictures so you can see how it is coming along. The outside is done , now to complete the inside and it will be a go.

Chuck.

Since I plan on trailering the Skiff I attached two reflective strips of red tape on the transom for safety sake.

Wasn't sure if I would like that Satin finish on the skiff but it does give it a different look compared to the gloss ones.

Don't mind our Solar Dryer in the background , it does a good job on days like today..... Nice and sunny.

Back in the shop waiting on the inside to get completed.

 

[a Bald Cypress]

i have a 10 foot flatbed trailer that the skiff should fit on nicely.

Post a date for it to be finished will ya. I need to arrange for

the time off to drive down and pick it up.

I do have to be in Fl the end of this month to visit with M i L in Seminole so it
woudn't be all that far out of the way if you could finish it by then.

That will save me a bit of travel time and money.

Prechite your assistance with this. :mrgreen:

 

[jdupre']

Nice job, Chuck. Nice swoopy lines.

Joey

 

[Wannabe]

I love the boat. But I think you need 3 more rod and reels so you will have a complete set. :wink:
Bob

 

[oldsparkey]

i have a 10 foot flatbed trailer that the skiff should fit on nicely.

Post a date for it to be finished will ya. I need to arrange for

the time off to drive down and pick it up.

:mrgreen:

That's a good idea but I would hate to see you get stopped for littering on your way home , the boat is 14 feet so there is a good chance it would slide off the trailer and end up on the roadside.

Bob , You did not see the rods and reels I have in the house....... Fishing gear is like boats , you can never have to many of them. :lol:

Chuck...

 

[oldsparkey]

Have the Oarlock sockets in place and don't you know it ... they say the opening is 1/2 inch for the oarlock and it did not fit. The plastic inserts were to small on the top but the oarlock fit in the bottom one. They have two in there one in the upper part and one in the lower part.

Got the drill bit index and found a 1/2 inch that would ream the top section out but I don't have a drill that takes a bit that big.

The light came on and I had the answer........... Went over and got the Bit Brace for using the wood bits that go up to 1 1/2 inches.

Picture of a new one not the antique I have.......

Slipped in the 1/2 inch ( Standard , not a wood bit ) and reamed all 4 of the suckers out ... Now the oarlocks pin will fit in there. There is more then one way to do it. :lol:

A close up of one of them.

Chuck.

 

[BEARS BUDDY]

You done it again, Chuck. Beautiful boat.