Feedback: Console Skiff
by Dan Hehn
Continued
Things I did right:
- Bought the relevant kits and video from Glen-L. Not having to cut the angle on the transom was well worth the cost of the kit.
- Contacted other builders in the project registry and solicited advice when needed.
- Chose BS1088 Meranti marine plywood for the hull. Nice stuff. The next boat will be built with 100% Meranti.
- Used System Three paint system. Very easy to work with and very tough.
- Built a cradle with wheels to properly support the boat and allow me to move the boat in and out of the garage as desired.
- Only used power sanders if they were connected to a shop vacuum with dust filters. This greatly reduced the amount of dust in the garage.
Things I would do differently next time:
- As noted above, stick to the plans for the width of the motorwell.
- Not rush the interior finishing steps. I was anxious to get the boat in the water during the end of the '04 season. The result was a lot of re-work that had to be completed in the spring of '05.
- Don't leave the boat outside on the trailer when the remnants of a hurricane is rolling through New England. I didn't realize that I left the plug in the boat. The result of 18" of water in the boat. Water got into places that I never believed possible.
- No ACX. You save nothing. ACX requires extra epoxy, fiberglass cloth (to stabilize the surface and prevent checking) and fairing effort.
- Use something larger than 2.5" PVC for the cable chases. Even with electrical sweep elbows, I had a hard time getting the cable through.
In the future, I would like to fabricate a small anchor locker in the bow, install a trolling motor and fabricate a windshield for the console.
My family and I are looking forward to the 2005 season and plan to do plenty of fishing, boating and tubing with our boat.
Thank you Barry and the others at Glen-L for their support and a very nice design.
