comments on cover photo-Phil's #381...

[micah202]

..from the front page,,,can anyone easily transport the picture here??

''#381 Phil just glassed the bottom of his boat and used peel ply. This shot was taken right after it had been pulled off. Looks fantastic and he's got a nice surface to start fairing. ''

..very nice to see a boat built on a jig,,,the 'oldschool' way.
...I'm SURE the time spent building the jig is VERY worth it...
...the plywood seems t'have MUCH less of the 'tortured plywood' effect,,,I'm sure the time saved in fairing alone will account for the time and expense of building the jig,,,let alone a MUCH more reliable and predictable hullshape.

...any comments Phil??..or did I miss them somewhere already?

[ryderp]

Actually, I didn't build the boat on a jig but I wish that I had. I think that the plywood looks less tortured because
1) I took advantage of a lot of the things that were learned by the early builds and curved the sides of my frames - Chad's posts were especially helpful there
2) I used angled scarf joints and was very careful in creating the long panels so that the joints were pretty much smooth before I ever started construction.
3) Luck

The fairing that I did have to do was due almost entirely to using the up-side-right approach, and the weight of the boat sitting on the cradle. I think that using the upside down frame technique would have resulted in better accuracy and virtually no fairing required. In fact, I think that it would be possible to build a boat with a natural wood finish if that were the goal.

Phil

[Kevin]

For posterity...

381-glassed.jpg

There's no way my hull could have been left natural. It just would have looked ugly.

Kevin.

[Tim Ford]

I'm thinking of leaving my hull "natural"...paint is soooo over-rated.

[ryderp]

The camera angle on my photo was carefully crafted so as to not show the large patches of fairing compound on the bottom and on the other side of the boat. Nah, actually, I just took it while standing in the doorway to the house. Rest assured, I am going to buy paint this week. Some future project (maybe a Kayak) will be left natural.

Phil

[M&S]

Knowing the proclivities of some of you guys I'd bet that someone is thinking about a clear LPU hull to show off all the bog.

[Kevin]

I fully intend to build a kayak with a cedar strip planked deck left natural some day. That will probably be around 2025 with my luck.

Tim, I like the micro balloon look and I think you should keep it too. Especially if it gets you on the water sooner. Looking forward to that picture!!!!!!!!!!!!!! By the way, have you come to a name yet. I'll offer one suggestion "Hoop Tent Maiden"

Kevin.

[Chad]

"Mossy Oak" is the cammo of choice around here, but anything-cammo meets with approval. There's some snazzy pink cammo at the WalMart, so you've got company if you go the clear-over-filler route. Your call!

Really glad your hull turned out so nice, Phil. After long boarding a bit, I put a full length batten on mine and found a wide, shallow low spot that needs addressing aft of the keel exit. Fill, sand, check, repeat. Kevin will doubtlessly accuse me adding the weight for ballast purposes!