I have started the Bayou Skiff....

[oldsparkey]

Dad gum Chuck, that oak plywood is really coming "out". I am afraid you will have no choice but to Varnish. Check my post about the weight, but when looks that pretty, who cares about about a few pounds?

Already responded to yours before flipping over here. That Oak Plywood is some heavy stuff so as far as adding weight ...I did that when I got the wood for it , not something I normally do. :wink:
No problem it is going to be trailered and at some time and have a small motor on it. ( the tax man will love that ) Not doing my normal thing and building as light as I can...... Going the other way this time and not thinking about the weight ... just the way I envisioned it.

By the way ... I planed on doing my inside rails like you did on yours ...have had the wood sitting out there since I purchased the plywood to build the boat. Just waiting till I get to that step in the building.

Chuck.

 

[oldsparkey]

Only when building a wood boat we get it looking good then go in and make a mess ( Both in the boat and on us ) like this with the sander.

Just to get the next step done which will look good till we need to sand something again and then that last time before we varnish it. :roll:

Chuck.

 

[oldsparkey]

Suppose to cool back down for a couple of day so I wanted to get the skiff glassed on the inside. Managed to get that done this morning.
So now it is glassed with the 1st coat of epoxy on the glass , more to do but no rush on it , I can get to the inside railing and seats before then. I still need to epoxy saturate the ribs but that is not a priority.

The glass will be trimmed when the epoxy sets up a little more.

Chuck.

 

[Kayak Jack]

Your plywood gussets at the rib joints look like they'll add a lot of strength.

 

[oldsparkey]

Your plywood gussets at the rib joints look like they'll add a lot of strength.

The ribs are a little larger then the ones in the pirogues but the gussets should help , a 1/4 inch on each one so that adds 1/2 inch of wood to the joints of the ribs. The skiff is wider then a pirgoue so I guess Uncle John is doing them as a safety feature and reinforcement.
As you like to tell folks , additional reinforcement on a seam is a good thing , which it is. Especially on the ribs since they take all the strain since there is nothing across the top ( thwart) to reinforce them as in a canoe. Unless you want to count the seats as some low thwarts , which I guess a person could call them. The other side of the coin ... The gussets look cool , function and adds some character to the skiff , sort of an old time look.

Chuck.

 

[oldsparkey]

The cold snap we have is setting the build back so I figured I would get some stuff done that does not require epoxy , things cut out to saturate and fit together later on.

Cutting the angles with a hand saw ( yesterday) just does not cut it so the folks at Home Depot were smiling when I left there today. I have surrendered to modern technology and got a jig saw so I can angle the foot of it to the desired degree and make the cuts. This way everything should fit together as suggested. "O" I also picked up more wood and paint rollers for the epoxy.

I'm getting to know those folks at Home Depot really well. Especially Sandy who has the Hot Dog Stand outside the exit door , no longer does she ask how I want the hot dog or which type , I make a step her way and it is ready for me when I get there , including a cold Coke to go with it.

Chuck.

 

[oldsparkey]

It sort of warmed up , a little , today and I managed to get more done.... 2nd coat of epoxy on the inside of the skiff and have the spacers on one side , ran out of clamps to do both sides at one time. Anyway it is progress , slow progress but progress anyway. :lol:

Chuck.

 

[captaindoug]

I notched the top of my ribs so my inwale would be continuous.

Now that mine are done I suppose you are gonna show me a better way to do it?
After I put the second coat of epoxy down on the inside, it filled the weave of the cloth and really made it slick, what are your thoughts on non-skid to fix that? I was thinking about some fine playground sand sprinkled in the first coat of varnish, then varnish over that to trap the sand.

 

[oldsparkey]

Doing my normal thing and fitting the rail in between the ribs. More work and sawing but it is the way I am use to doing it.
Some sand on the bottom would stop the sliding or some good rubber bottomed ( non slip ) shoes will do the same. Only problem I could see with the sand is later down the road when you want to re varnish the inside it would be a night mare to sand.

As you use the boat the inside will get roughed up , scraped , scratched and worn from getting in and out of it.

Chuck.
PS. Paint stores have the non slip sand , it is really some fine stuff , almost like a powder.

 

[oldsparkey]

Getting the inside rails done.

Building up the area where the oar locks will be. They are one inch and a quarter thick ( 5 of the 1/4 inch pieces laminated together) where the oar locks will be attached , there are 4 of them , two in front of the middle seat and two in back of it.

Let the epoxy cure , then get in there and do some sanding , shaping and a little filleting and things will begin to look better. While I'm at making a mess it's a light sanding on the inside of the skiff and a good cleaning then the 3rd coat of epoxy and when it cures .... I start on the seats.

Chuck.

 

[oldsparkey]

Need to step in here and get sort off the subject but staying with it if that makes any sence. :roll:

The Oak paneling I am using is something different to me. I am use to Luann. This oak is harder to work with , weighs more and costs more but is almost indestructible. About 2 1/2 times the cost and about the same as the weight it has over the Luann.

I have left some pieces with parts of them , glassed , epoxy coated and plain out side in our weather. There is no difference between any of them. They have been rained on , frozen in ice after the rains , heated back up , rained on , baked in the sun and drenched in the dew and fog , even made it threw the humidity we have. The pieces have been out from the early December to this date the last of January and in the same condition as when I put them out there....... 1 1/2 months. They will stay there for several more months to see how the act.

When using the rest of it for the skiff I found that the epoxy will saturate almost ( Not quite ) to the center core of the panel by using just one coat. The other nice thing is when the wood is saturated with the epoxy there are no whiskers ( small wood fibers filled with epoxy that want to stand up like whiskers ) Which means there is no additional sanding needed when glassing after the saturation of the wood.

It is a heavier panel in the 1/4 inch then the Luann ( Which I really miss not using and really like ) but this is an experimentation build on my part so it meant using something different from the box stores.

This Bayou Skiff is a different boat for me to build and to keep with that thought it does have all sorts of different wood's in it which might be an understatement :lol: , Maple for the wood flour , Oak for the panels , Pine for the rails , Cypress for the stem and ribs and even California Red Wood for the seats. The best of all the woods. One way or the other I will get some Florida Citrus ( Orange Wood ) in there. Not sure how but some way.

Building for your fun is something to be enjoyed and to do to have fun with , not to just build something to use later and trust me ... This Ole Fart is having some fun on this build. Hell , my good friends tell me that I enjoy building the boats more the using them , They just might be right.

Chuck.
PS. Almost forgot , the Oars will be Bass Wood since it will be a boat for camping and Bass Fishing. :wink:

 

[tx river rat]

Just figure out the motor you need one of those 6 hours mud bugs.
Ron

( Chuck here.. I like my mud bugs , streamed , boiled or fried , tails only when fried. )

 

[oldsparkey]

Have the rails sanded and shaped , sanded the inside of the skiff , will clean it out and apply the final coat of epoxy to everything on the inside when the weather warms up , 55 degrees here right now.

Then it is on to the seats which I have some .... not normal ideas about , will make the center seat removable so if someone is with me then we can remove it and make room for the double amount of camping gear. More time to do it but I have the time so why not make it the way I want it to be.

Chuck.
Yep... This is a slow build and things or ideas keep changing on how to do it.

 

[oldsparkey]

Lousy weather here today , nothing out of the upper 50's and ..... RAIN..... all day long.

I did manage to get the skiff cleaned up ( all the dust ,shavings and sawdust removed ) Even managed to get a roller cut in half to use. I use the 9 inch ones and cut them to 4 1/2 inches. It's ready for that last coat of epoxy in there tomorrow afternoon , sometime if the weather folks are correct , low 70's around 3 or 4 P.M.
Also got the ( Red Wood ) seat blocks cut for when the epoxy sets up I can dry fit them , then measure and cut the seats , to install them after several coats of epoxy saturation.

They will be on the sides of the skiff to set the seats on .... one set is for the removable seat in the center..... Pictures to follow when it is done , or gets done.

Chuck.

 

[JammyJ]

Looking good Chuck...
I really like the dark colour of the maple wood flour.
That boat would be a fine job for fishing for trout on the wild irish loughs.
James.

 

[oldsparkey]

Well I have managed today to go from this .........

To this.........

( Should look even better when it is done , sanded ( again ) and varnished. ) That will take some time , going to use a gloss varnish with tons of sun block then over it a satin one that does not have the sun block in it , that's the reason for the one 1st coat of varnish...... 1st I have to get it made and/or completed. Just thinking ahead of the game. :lol:

Now on to the seats and I think they will take a while , between attaching and epoxy saturating. Then flipping it over and tackling the outside.

Chuck

 

[oldsparkey]

I need to say that anyone watching me build the Bayou Skiff , it can be done simpler and easier if not faster then the way I am doing it.
I have a lot of boats to use for my enjoyment ( all solo ) so I am taking my time on this one. I have the luxury of having them to use while working on the Skiff and thinking about what I want to do on it. Not even thinking about the web searches to find what I think I want to add on it.
I did find some good stuff for boats and will say if it is after I use and try it. :wink:

I do not plan on using it till later in the early part of summer for fishing a lot of back water ( Spring fed , clear water ) lakes in the Ocala National Forest that a 4 wheel drive vehicle needs to be used to get back in there to them. ( They call them Jeep Trails for a good reason ) The up side is you can have the place to yourself , camp , fish and just have a good time for the cost of a tank full of gas to get there and back.

So this is a slow build on my part and with the weather holding me back a lot of the time on the way I am building it , progress is ... SLOW. Plus I am trying some new things which I have not done in the past.

It will be made and tested sometime , before summer gets here , I hope. :lol:

Chuck.

 

[oldsparkey]

Have the seat blocks cut out and started to mount them in the boat and just for kicks I tried one of the seats for the pirogues. Someone filped on a light , they are removable , will go anywhere in the skiff and if it is just me in there all I need is one seat , really leaving the boat open.

Have the one , all I need to do is like beekeeper did and make a base to set it in to raise it to the 8 inches that is recommended for the seat height.
IF.... It is needed since the Skiff and the Pirogue both have 12 inch side boards , the skiff is only wider. Have to get it complemented to find out.

Then make another in case someone goes with me.

 

[oldsparkey]

Managed to get this done today , some cutting and lots of sanding yesterday , then epoxy saturating these pieces of Red Wood so I could get them in place today.......

A closer look .........

They still need some more epoxy and will get it in the morning , a fillet along all the edges and the rails need another coat of epoxy after sanding the whiskers off them today. Plus I want to do an epoxy fillet over the top of the transom in place of adding a strip of wood over it..... Like the idea of some solid epoxy there if or when I put a motor on there.

Slow progress but we are making it.... If Pups will get out of my way in the shop , plus out shopping for the wife's Birthday present.

Back to business........ I am thinking the fillet over the top of the transom with the same mix of wood flour ( Maple ) will pull the fillets all together so they look like the belong there. Not just thinking function and protection but the artistic ( Pleasing to the eye or Looks for us normal folks ) of the over all boat.

Chuck.

 

[oldsparkey]

Capt Doug ....

Got one of the little rollers at Home Depot and several refills for it.

It is the Cats Meow for doing touch up work , just used it on the rails and pieces on the transom , it is awesome for light work. Sure beats using a full size roller.

Chuck.