Boat Forum / Building / July 2004

Greetings all;
Got back from a trip East last week. Managed a day in Mystic,
Connecticut. Here are some shots from the trip:
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~mrwizard/sail/mystic/mystic.html

Once again, I'm looking to expand the FAQ I have on my website on
registering your home built boat.  So far, I have information on the
following states:
AL, AZ, CA, FL, LA, PA, TN, TX and VA

My port side engine has a loose alternator belt, and the alternator is
at the outer limit of its adjustment.  I took a look at the belt today
hoping to find some markings on it regarding size, type, etc.  No
luck.  Short of removing the belt and taking it to a parts dealer, is

Has anyone  here ever built an kayak or canoe from polystyrene coated with
cloth and Epoxy? I'm in the process now and  find that even one layer of
cloth and epoxy
are quite strong. Where the  cockpit area is I have used  1/8" plywood as

I have a metalic paint on my boat. What do I need to clean the paint
and get back the original shine and make the flakes sparkle again.

I am building a S&G kayak and I am finding that as I build up layers of
epoxy the finish tends to 'orange peel' and requires a lot of sanding to get
it smooth. The first coats of epoxy went on flat.
Any help would be appreciated.

Ok, so here are some pictures from yesterday
when we launched for the first time.
http://tinyurl.com/4coae
Generally everything ran well enough that we enjoyed

I have a couple Mad River canoes with the almond color gel coat finish.  I
need to repair some gouges/scratches etc. in the gel coat.  In years past,
Mad River sold the gel coat repair material.  Now that its been bought out
and down sized, the repair material seems to no longer be ...

Does anyone know if it's possible to download a manual
for a Mercruiser 888 outdrive? Does the year matter?
Someone told me they are all the same, but I don't know
what to think about that yet. I believe it's a 1971.

I'm confused about how to join the two pieces of a frame. The plan and
the book tell about gluing and nailing the plywood gusset over the
butt joint. What size and how many nails per gusset should I use? Also
the butt joint used to join the two pieces of a frame seems a bit

I just started a new forum and I want to invite all of you to come
check it out.  It is basically a forum for information regarding
anything around the workshop or automobiles (welding, electronics,
wood working, paint tech etc etc.)  The site isn't that popular yet so

Does anyone know of a good source for marine ply?
I only want one sheet of 4mm for a repair.
Robert

Nearly finished with #2.  Rain every day has really slowed things.
Trailer is also nearly finished.  Had to greatly modify the trailer
from Northern Tool but will be able to carry the two Minicups and a
sailboard.  After getting both boats on it yesterday, I realized that

Hello to all,
I'm looking for a 6 meters folding trimaran...(day boat)
I have searched on the net but i have nohing found
Someone can help me ? Someone know a such boat ?

Does anybody have any experience with plans from Kurt Hughes?