Tucker's Squirt

[BarnacleMike]

I agree with everyone else.. the fitting on your hull looks great!

I believe you're making a wise choice to leave a little bit of overhang to fiberglass and paint. Too much overhang would make the sheer difficult to grip when flipping it over... but it's much easier to trim the sheer accurately when the hull is righted.

I trimmed my sheer down with a hand plane until it got pretty low. I had to be careful to avoid causing any damage (chips, etc.) From there, I used a sander to trim the remaining overhang to match the sheer. It worked fine for me. I can't speak for using a router in this application... I just don't have much experience using a router.

[TDI]

Humidity??
So I have this week off work and figured it would be the perfect time for me to fiberglass the boat. However, it is suppose to rain every day I am off work...figures. I am working in my garage and using System Three SilverTip. Is the rising humidity going to affect this epoxy or will it be fine? I was planning to apply multiple coats before needing to sand per system three instructions.

[Bill Edmundson]

Tuck

If you're painting the hull, you should be fine. The hull and fabric must be dry. The epoxy may cloud a little. You don't want and dew or condensation on the surface you're working.

Bill

[BarnacleMike]

Tucker, if you can keep the hull dry in your garage, I personally would not hesitate to fiberglass with System Three Silvertip if it's raining outside. If your garage is dry, and warm, I don't believe you'll have a problem. As Bill said, you don't want to get any water or moisture on it, though.

[TDI]

Thanks, I will carry on then!

[TDI]

I have a piece of maple that is almost 3 ft long. I was hoping to use this for my skeg. It is extremely hard wood. I plan to coat it with epoxy and then paint it. Will maple be fine to use as my skeg or is it a bad choice of wood for this piece?

[billy c]

Tucker-
Maple is not such a durable wood. I have used it in kayak building for it's blonde color. It is cloth and epoxy coated so works fine in that application. If the skeg gets scratched up from beaching the boat and stays wet it may be a problem over time.
Billy

[TDI]

Quick update with where I'm at and then a question. I started to paint the boat with Interlux perfection. However, the Texas heat came quicker than I could paint and I just couldn't keep it cool enough in my garage to finish the coats. The sections where I would roll and tip would dry too fast to prevent from getting marks at each section I did, even with adequate thinner. So, I decided to flip the boat and will just have to finish painting next fall. Will be Perfection snow white on bottom and flag blue up to the deck. Now I am working with the decking structure and ready to figure out where to place the aft deck beam. So I've got my motor and ready to put it on to make sure I will have plenty of clearance at full tilt. The motor clamps have grooves to indent into the boat to prevent it from moving. I'm wondering if i need to worry about this when clamping the motor onto my plywood transom. Will those indents be fine? Or do I need to do something to prevent it from biting into the wood? I'd much prefer my motor doesn't slide around back there.

[chugalug]

how about one of these rubber transom pads? I'm gonna order one for my boat- about 32 bucks

Jamestown big book page1176

[Hercdrvr]

Use the permanent mounting holes on the motor, not the clamps. Even SS bolts with large washers will dent the transom, so I used this mounting bar.
Matt B

[PeterG]

Agree with Matt B, a plate or other "interface" can be used between the motor bracket and the transom to take the punishment instead of the transom. Bolted or clamped, those ridges on your bracket want to bite into the transom. I suggest something like a 1/4" thick plywood or 1/2" thick solid wood "plaque" like oak or mahogany on the outside of the transom and another inside for the through-bolts or clamps. These can be made decorative, painted or stained/clear coated to match or accent transom. They should be attached to the transom to keep them in place. If they get too mangled they can be replaced without major work to the transom finish.

[JimmY]

My Johnson outboard had similar ridges on the clamp. I couldn't stand the though of them biting through my paint and veneer. I ground them off and have some hard rubber pads (look in plumping section of HD) between the clamp and the transom. I've been running it all summer and it hasn't moved or loosened.

[TDI]

Really appreciate it! I think I'll use a bit from all those suggestions. I'll see what padding I like best and use it for the clamps on the outside and use a plate on the inside and bolt it into place.

[mrintense]

Always refreshing to see new tips come across this forum. I've sometimes wondered about the eventual mounting of the outboard on my Vera Cruise. I've seen the transom bands mentioned by Matt (i.e. Hercdrvr) but the rubber pads are something I didn't consider. I can see that this is another area I am going to need to do more research into, although still a year or more away from having to do that..

Nice work on the Squirt. in your blog.

[TDI]

Thanks! In fact, I think I read through your blog a while back to learn about boat building. Very thorough blog which is really nice. I wish I could keep up with my blog I just prefer to spend all my extra time building!