Boat Forum / Building / July 2004

In several of the mailing lists of which I partake, there's been discussion
of generators of late, originally about using AC, but migrating to charging,
noise, space and cost considerations and other issues.
As we prepare to cut the cord for the rest of our lives, we're actively

I was asked to build a dock on lake front property. Does the dock have
to float or can I build it like I would a deck? Please help. The dock
would run 20 out into the water and would be about 2 feet deep at it's
deepest point.

I am doing a small job on my boat and would like to get a few small
pieces of teakwood. There is a website in Thailand that sells it but I
would like to purchase locally, at least in the US, if I can. I live
in central New York. Any body know of a place I can get some teak?

After spending untold hours trying to get a smooth finish on a plug for a
mold, I'm looking for alternatives, such as using stretch or shrink wrap
over the plug.  Here's my plan:
I have some 18"wide furniture wrap which is like big, tough saran wrap.

This is a 22' foot 1958 Chris Craft Sea Skiff.
One of the problems on our first day launch
this weekend was a trickle leak. It's occuring
where the bottom-most plywood strake meets

I am looking for a boat design.
Intended purpose would be general purpose, use on twisty rivers with at most
class 2-3 rapids, and river/lake tripping in Quetico or similar locations.
Weight matters

I am wondering how many gallong of paint I should get for my 32ft.
double ended ketch. The hull is steel, and will be sandblasted to bare
metal. How many gallons per coat?
(full keel, 10ft beam, 10ft from keel bottom to cabin top)

After 2.5 years of restoration + making our trailer we FINALLY
launched Delilah yesterday. Had some minor problems and some
things we have to work out. But we did enjoy using the boat
all day, so overall it was a success.

I've recently purchased a 30 yr old unfinished mirror dinghy.
Unfortunately, the boat didn't come with the construction
manual/plans. Does anybody out there have the plans/manual that I
could borrow/copy/have, or know where I may be able to acquire them ?

Hello and thank you in advance for your suggestions. I'm in the
process of refinishing my boat. The exterior Port lights and fairleads
are of solid bronze. I'm going to sand and polish to a bright finish
and need to coat with a urethane, or some other durable product that

Do any of you home builders have a source for insurance on the boat
through different stages of completion?
Thanks muchly,
Brian Cleverly

I will soon be painting a small 14' skiff that will never see salt water
and will be summer only wet.  I don't want to use antifouling paint so what
would be a good choice?
The hull is marine plywood with a coating of epoxy.

I am in the process of repairing a rotted deck core. The
area is about 6 sq ft and is built up with polyester cloth.
Is there an additive to thicken polyester resin to use as a
fairing compound? Can automotive Bondo be used? Will fairing

Has anyone built a boat from Chris Kulczycki's The Canoe Shop book?
The wife wants a solo canoe and I don't have the time to build another
cedar stripper for her.  I am thinking about the 14' boat in the book.
Any other suggestions in that range would be welcome.  Looking for a

I am repowering twin crucaders. The lag bolts that are used to secure the
motomounts to the engine beds should I use stainless or galvanized? I heard
the stainless are to hard and will snap due to vibration?
I have the original Crucaders manual and state that either type of bolt may