Glen-L.com

Thanks for all the advice and build sharing in the past. It has led me to an AF4-Grande, its the only design that answered all the purposes that I had through about three years of searching designs. I found a bunch that I really like, but for the shallow water purpose I needed a large footprint with a flat bottom and lightweight design per the size. Here's the beginning and an example. currently all the bulkheads are cut out except one I'm that I made temporary to knock out after bend forming the sides and bottom on, after I make an altered located cabin front wall about 3.5 feet from the front for one fishing position in the nose. I plan to put an I-Pilot Minnkotta electric trolling motor on the nose as well.

It's been a while!!

Glad you came up with a design that meets your criteria....keep us posted as to your progress.

_________________
Boat building can best be defined as an endless series of
tragedies obscured by the occasional miracle, followed by a good bottle of beer.

Don't Dream Your Life, Live Your Dream

HI........I almost built the af4g...however settled on the tugg-along-18.....good luck with yours/ I still have the plans....may consider it for next time....check out my pix....Wayne....aka --flordia boy

I'm liking this

Almost ready for a rollover party!

That Open top Cabin or Accessway is a new-to-me show!
Do you have a 'pullover' or 'hoodie' to keep the weather out?
Real interesting design.

its starting to shape up.........keep the pix coming....want to see more....

Good for you, Thinwater! I was going to order those plans at one time and I'm also interested in his Dorado. How is the quality/detail of the plans? In the catalog they look like pretty marginal line drawings without enough detail to get me to drop the cash. Hope you can fill me in on that. Thanks in advance!

Hey, Stephen.

Sorry that I missed these posts earlier.

your build is looking good.


Say "Hi" to the family for us. The girls must be getting big!

B.

_________________
Bruce.

~~ Do what you love, and love what you do. ~~
~~ To me - only my boat is not yet perfect. Everybody else's is to be admired for I know the path they have walked (Dave Lott, 2010) ~~
Dow's Monaco Project

Well, here she is ready to rollover



and here is the rollover party. We did it with 10 but really needed 13, no good handles and wanted to roll it in the air and set it gently. We did, but it was rough.


It now has the front cabin wall installed, which I relocated rearward about 3 feet for a 7 foot long cabin with an extra foot at floor level to get to a forward bulkhead underneath a raised fishing deck in the bow which is also already installed. I'll get those pictures up next. I have bought two donor boats and trailers, one to aquire the trailer and kicker 6hp Johnson long shaft, and the galvanized tilt sportsmen trailer which has a cool lever operated pop up rollers. This will let me pop up the rollers above the carpeted boards when splashing in shallow parts of the river and don't have enough water to float the boat off of the trailer. The other boat was rough as a cob, but it had my 40hp Jet Outboard Yamaha on it 1999 model. The Riptide I-Pilot trolling motor 60" shaft should show up from Cabela's early this week, and I picked up the materials to make a composite cabin ceiling. 3/16 ply, 1/2 foam, 3/16 ply, for a strong but lightweight ceiling with some insulation for reflecting heat in the summer and possibly holding some in the winter. Gettin Stoked, and I'm pleased so far with the way everything has come together. Still lack drain plug holes and sleeves but have the sleeves and flanging die in hand. Still lack splashwell top, foldable bench seats and locating all accessories, oh and paint.

Update, vacuum formed a composite ceiling for the cabin, trimmed it with black cherry that fell on the farm when I was a kid. I fished off that cherry log at the creek when I was 6, my little brother got a portable saw mill and we drug it out and now I hope to fish off of it some more. It will trim out this Af4 Grande. I've got the bow plate for the trolling motor, I know thats wierd for a boat this style but its gonna be awesome Gps guided. Can't feel good about picking colors but their on the way if I don't like it I'll paint over it. I'm working on bending wood to chase the harder curves up the deck area, I'm also working on the bilge area to get that all sealed and painted before I put the splashwell top on. I'm not burn't out working on it, I just want it done so bad now to fish and cruise out of it now that I'll have a boat large enough for the whole crew.

The plans have the information, you just may have to chase across a couple of sheets to put some things together. I've enjoyed them.

Hey guys the trim is on and its in a major sanding era right now. I'm looking for some exerience to re assure me of something. I really want a boarding door in the starboard side of the bow in front of the front cabin wall. I'm extremely nervous about cutting it in, I'm afraid that the bowed plywood will spring back flat across the bottom when its cut loose from the rest of the boat, loosing the shape. What say ye about this. I also don't know whether to hinge it at the front, so that if its open and something rubs down the boat it will want to shut it instead of rip it off, or hinge it at the bottom. If I hinge it at the bottom that makes me feel a little better about the hinges holding the bow to stern curve in the door, but in the water the top of the door will likely be submerged in the open position, also to keep the hinge hidden to the inside it'd take a hinge with an offset in it of over 1/2" which I haven't found yet. Really need advice about this door, like I said, I want it there bad but am REALLY nervouse about cutting it.

I am not familiar with the plans, but if that is an unsupported curved area, I would venture to suggest it would definitely change shape. If it were me, I'd make 2 frames, one for the door itself and one surrounding it. Shape and glue/screw in place with a gap in between the two frames just enough to get a thin saw blade in, (hacksaw blade?) and when it is all set hard then cut in between. That will give you a rigid surrounding frame so it won't move, a straight clean cut for the opening, somehting to attach the hinges to, and an already framed door that matches perfectly. You might have to alter it somehow to add a seal, but that shouldn't be difficult.

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By the time I have built a boat, I'll be ready to build a boat....

Still working on laying up a backing reinforcement before cutting the door. I do feel better about it now that I've sought some advice. You know of all my build pics my favorite is the only one that seems to show the relative size of the boat, and there is really not much to see in that pic in the way of the final product.