Subject: Picture of Norm Tyler's glassed and painted console skiff
Date: Thu, 27 Jan 2005

Enclosed is a picture of my console skiff with raised Bulwarks. It took me 6 hours to fiberglass the hull (not including all the time it took me to tape and fair the seams - 16 hours). There are some cosmetic flaws in the finish, as I did not get enough glass to cover the hull and had to patch in several pieces; I did a mediocre job blending the seams, but I am pleased. My customizing the front end is what caused the most difficulty. Had I stayed with your design, it would look much nicer and cleaner. I used 1/2" AB on the raised Bulwarks instead of 3/8", because I could not find the 3/8" in AB. That presented problems when fairing the seams and then subsequently taping them.

Best regards, and thank you for you assistance thus far,

Norman Tyler
Spring Valley, CA

Date: Mon, 7 Mar 2005

I enclosed the forward section for dry storage. I placed a gasket on the door that I made.

I fiberglassed the entire interior and then covered the deck with grey nonskid paint. I made little effort to fair and sand the glass seams, as this will be a fishing boat that will see a lot of heavy use and saltwater fish flapping about the deck.

Poor planning forced the exposed wiring for the navigation lights.

I poured "unsinkable" expanding foam into the below-decks and left two small access hatches forward.

I decided to build a larger console because I do not like to have to do repairs and maintenance in small spaces. Also, I wanted more wind protection. This console stands 40". I resin puttied all the seams and made fillets for those that needed it. I will fiberglass all seams but only exterior face.

While the boat is not very attractive (due to my impatience because I fiberglassed almost everything), it is very practical, and I am amazed at how good your plans are.

Thank you again,
Norm Tyler