Windshield brackets, farmer style[OT];<}

[Oyster]

A while back before I had my photo album hacked, I had posted some detailed shots on building a wooden windshield. I had someone mail me about the now gone shots. Recently I have just built another one in another type hull but have incorporated simple methods to also achieve sturdy brackets and what I consider pleasing to the eye in the interest of maintaining a wooden boat look.

There are some multiple steps but costs very little and can be done without breaking the bank too. I did a walkthrough bassboat style wiindshield and needed to obtain some form of structual intergrity at the centerline when in open seaway and when open for anyone going for and aft. I hope this is not to rambling here.

I first built the windshield in one piece planning for a centerline cut in the center styles after I finished all the parts including making the mortises in solid an seperate woods. You need to do tis so all the parts will line up better than just doing this in three pieces. I was able to achieve this also out of one piece of wood, 8/4 resawn making the winshield bookmatched woods too.



I first installed plywood pieces mortised to the double console mouldings. I did this because the pieces would need to be more stable than what small pieces of wood and grain issues would have been to also grab onto and the stress related issues.


I then riped mahogany to less than a quarter inch and glued up to the sides. he pieces also overlayed the mouldings for further structual integrity.



I sanded both faces smoothe.


I then figured out my shape for built in handrails and cut to shape.





I then glued up a face veneer, ripped also to about 3/16".



I then sanded the face and ended up with an fairly nice structure and not to heavy looking, pleasing to my eye and have not broke the bank doing so.


I will now clean up the inside cutout and run a small piece of thin glass around the edge grains to seal it up and paint out a dark brown color. YOu will need to seal the faces with duct tape to keep clean of any resins too. [/img]

Also for increasing the stresses over the long haul I installed corner gussetts to further strengthen the free standing sides which will help in case someone is pushed or shoved against it. The solid framework also were built with dovetails which keeps wood joints from working further too.



I also fabricated the opening joint on an angle so an issue with jamming down the road will be minimized too, or so is my opinon.



Enjoy, and hopefully these shots will help someone and may not be too off topic here. If there are any other questions in the way that the initial windshield was created, feel free to ask. I have the steps in a photo journal.

[Dave Grason]

WOW, that is VERY, VERY nice. That's a beautiful way of getting a nice windshield. I was planning on building a wooden windshield for my Mist Miss, whenever that time comes. I will definately be referring back to this thread.

[gregggrundon]

Oyster,
You're why I love this forum! Beautiful, functional, floating furniture. Perfect!
Very pleasing to the eye, and strong.
When I grow up, I wanna build boats like you!
Thanks for the insperational photo's. Please keep sharing your work. We're all taking notes.
Aloha,
Gregg

[Oyster]

Thanks for the kind words. But there are plenty of folks here that shine every single day. I am forced to improvise in most cases and most of my stuff comes with the old adage, "Necessity is the key to invention" since I have more wood than money and avaliable outside resourses too in the case of fabicated parts such as the supports. Its not rocket science for anyone, though, and you cannot worry about being like the "Jones" either, a favorite expression around most parts.

In the end, being on the water is of top priority and building another one in the oven. We are all doomed when addicted, and need our drugs to keep our sanity these days. If I can be of any assistance, let me know. While I do not attempt to look like a fool and share too much ignorance on these projects on these forums, I do check out the projects here and enjoy all of you guys dealing with the same addiction.

[Fifty Plus]

Oyster,

I think you wrote a book's worth in that last post. Your work is superb, and functional. TIME ON THE WATER is what it is all about. Thanks for the words and pics.
I had a good hit for my building addiction with the 5 yrs. it took to finish Fifty Plus. I have spent lots of time on the water with her. I would like to do another boat, but with the way things are here in Michigan, that is going to be a dream only for a long time.
I am so glad that I built a boat that is cheap to run. If I hadn't, I would be getting very little water time now.

Carl

[Oyster]

Thanks fifty plus. I feel for you guys indeed. I have watched the situation evolve in your area for a very long time. One of the wood providers that also provides a lot of the wood along the outer banks also had a place in that area and has just this past couple of weeks closed up, World Panel, great operation and management. They have now transfered all of their materials to the Windsor location and hopefully they can still keep that operation open along with their main office in Florida. The amount of workers that the boating industry has employed and the many skills that the one off industry employed cannot be replaced if part of a generation is left on the streets either.

The cycle gets broken and there is no way that some of the talent gets pasted along if this is too also happen, which is what we are also seeing now, with people and small businesses going under here. The residual affect of declining incomes and incomes that may be penalized more from the numerous producers in this nation does indeed also ripple through to the small and mom and pop businesses even to the area of real wood furniture now. This is another area thats not being talked about when we slowly watch handcraft stuff go the way of China too Sorry, did not mean to get on a soapbox, but for me I truely have been blessed with being able to do what I enjoy all of my life.

[Cec]

Thanks for the kind words. But there are plenty of folks here that shine every single day. I am forced to improvise in most cases and most of my stuff comes with the old adage, "Necessity is the key to invention" since I have more wood than money and avaliable outside resourses too in the case of fabicated parts such as the supports.

But that's the real beauty of your work. Anyone can buy (I'm guilty of it) but the work you did was quality as well as beauty. wow... what glass are you going to use for the window panes?

[razopp]

Again,

This is a post worthy of being archived in the Glen-L newsletter. Someone needs to point Gayle this way...

Robert

[Oyster]

Well she is ready for paint. I know its not a Glen=L. But I thought I would update this thread. The angle does not show the height of the windshield as well. But I think it came out okay outside the shed. Its sometimes hard to know in a confined area.

If anyone feels this post is out of line, feel free to have the proper experts remove them. Thanks and hoping for one and all here to have a nice holiday season with friends , family, and eats.


This is with two coats of sealer and will do the finish work after painting the hull.

[jeff pierce]

If anyone feels this post is out of line...

I'm not sure how this post could be "out of line". This is exactly what this forum is (and should be) about: builders sharing their ideas and craftsmanship, providing information and inspiration. Step by step photos like you provided are especially useful.

I don't recall reading any rules that said we could only discuss Glen-L boats. Besides, your example may be helpful to another builder who is building a Glen-L boat.

Anyway, I am really impressed with your work. The design and execution are superb.

[Dave Grason]

Is there ANY chance that we could see this boat at the 2009 Gathering? This is just so superb looking that many might not ever get to see it otherwise.

[upspirate]

Is there ANY chance that we could see this boat at the 2009 Gathering? This is just so superb looking that many might not ever get to see it otherwise.

Or ANY of the boats you have built...they are all neat looking.

(would like to meet you guys too don't just send the boats!!!)

[Oyster]

I am humbled by your comments. What I build cannot even compare to the works of art that I see coming from some of the boats on this forum and in the picture sections. What I do attempt to do is to create common sense boats thats easy to use rated "G" sometimes with a touch that I personally consider to be like no other ones thats been built at the boat ramps too these days. Of course this can also apply to most all the boats built on this site.
The "G" rating system for me is something that has not been rubbed to death with flawless finishes and that can withstand sand and kids, and be put away with a few a swipes of a cleaning cloth and mop and chamios.

Paints are another consideration for me. I have always been the type that wants to have the ability to go to a local purveyor of goods and purchase quality stuff without paying with my first and second born kid too, and stuff that can be recoated without consuming the same amount of time that it took in the beginning to get the same finish on it too.

I am a blue jeans and overall guy and boat that way. Everyone here can were the worse of shoes and bring with them the snotty nose bratty kids and hop aboard. I also test them to the extreme from the very start, pushing them to the limits so materials are also important to me, knowing whats under the surface and the fits that are always required for longterm too. I also take my product engineer, my wife to tell me where I went wrong in the area of a woman's point of view too. She has worked with me for almost thirty five years now. If she ain't happy, no one else is happy. Repair is also taken into consideration.

Sorry for the longwinded lipservice. But I do not build sissy boats. I can but mostly leave that for the OTHERS catagory.
This is another hull that I am working on that will be a 24 foot marsh hen, with a small sleeping quarters foward, a coastal type cruiser of my own design using leftover wood in the shop for almost all the pieces. I will need to purchase a bit for the topsides.

This is the bottom almost ready to glass. Its a combination of cold moulded and sheet plywood. I still have one plank on the one side to install after sliding the boat out a bit and will help the look as it looks a bit lopsided now in the shot. But the bow has a bit of flare foward to maximize the use of the foward area without taking up a lot of the usable area are for playing.

Thanks for the space Glen L and always enjoy reading your guys posts and projects. I am lurking about but cannot really contribute that much but do attempt to keep current with the events here.

[Dave Grason]

WOO HOO another nice boat from the erster.

[Oyster]

LOL! I take it that you have been following the piecing together of the scrap?