Layout board - an under-rated amount of work. This took several hours.
Building the Frames. I elected to use genuine Honduras mahogany.
Frames, Stem, and Transom on the building form. I made the form tall enough that I did not have to bend so much and I could crawl under it if needed.
Wasn't ready to make the long/short shaft motor decision yet! I ended up with a short shaft Suzuki.
Bending the Chines. These bent without a lot of effort and no steam.It takes some creativity to clamp everything!Chines Glued InReady to steam bend the sheers. I found this method with the plastic sleeves to be quite simple and effective.Steaming about done. Now I'll bend it in and attach it.I'm now adding the second layer to the sheers.Sheers complete!I decided to steam bend the bow end of the battens so that I could get more length out of them. I believe this may have afforded an additional 4 to 8 inches on the innermost battens.Faired and ready for plywood.This stuff bends nicely! No steam needed.Building a home for my Zip.This should last awhile. I really like the idea of concrete slats on deep, pounded in pilings. The water depth at the end is only about 4 feet, but the pilings there are 40 feet long!Ok, back to work!Port and starboard plywood on.Meanwhile... As a footnote, this dock withstood a beating from a direct hit from Hurricane Florence. It was one of the few left standing.Hard, Exacting work to get everything lined up.Enough putty to sink a ship (I hope not).Epoxy fumes again.Fiberglassing was easier than I thought it would be. I elected to use the dry method.Painting the bottom.Painting complete.I built this rolling cradle. It worked really well! Just had to block it up so it didn't roll around when it needed to be stable and level. In retrospect, I should have cut a slot in the front board just like the one in the middle. When it came time to put it on the trailer, I had to cut the front board out!The team is here to help flip the Zip. From left to right: My son, Travis, stepfather Sam, daughter Karla, me(Joe), mother Barbara, and brother Karl. Not pictured is the photographer, my wife Marci.A flipping success!On the cradle in the garage.Strongback and Deck Beams.Carlings.More carlings.Interior epoxy done.Building the center cabinets.Seat and floorboard support system.I decided to extend the carlings and add a small cubby with a glovebox-like compartment.Test fitting the motor. I decided to go with a new four stroke Suzuki 25 HP with power tilt/trim. This is a short shaft.Motor well.Added a wider dash and precut for all instruments.Fitting floor boards.Finishing floor boards.Fuel tank test fit midships. The other cabinet will house the battery.Yep, let's wire this thing while it is still open!I used no-feedback steering. It does track well without a lot of strain on the driver.I know the Lowrance is not classic, but I'm really going to use this boat, in the saltwater no less!If there was one easy part to this build, it was putting on this sub-decking!I thought this was supposed to be a boat, not a spaceship...Now for the fun part - the finished decking. I used genuine mahogany with maple strips inserted afterwards.A clamping nightmare.If you have enough clamps, you've done something wrong.King plank.Adding the maple strips.Taught myself to weld. This was my first project. Not perfect, but good enough! The U-Bolt goes all the way through the stem. I like the size of the opening and the additional attachment point offered by this system.System Three Varnish being applied.Boat jewelry.Tessilmare rub rail. I really like how this went on and the level of protection it provides.Back seat. Not perfect, but I'm an amateur with a sewing machine. I do recommend the Sailrite LSZ for this and all the additional work on the Bimini and cover.Anchor system has some pulleys and ends up here.Shiny new 316 stainless anchor.Bimini nearly complete. I bought a Sailrite three-bow kit. If you can sew, it is not too difficult.Bimini cover and transom stainless edge.First time outside on the new trailer. Motor tested perfectly.Naming ceremony!And it floats! It also rides very nicely. I'm still breaking in the new motor so I haven't had it up to speed yet. But it looks and feels great in the water!At home on the lift.Cover I made, mainly for UV protection.
