Boat Forum / Building / January 2006

Has anyone here had experience with Brent Swain's origami steel boat
building method ?
I had his book handed to me the other day. It's quite an incredible approach
to steel boat building.

A small 2-square-feet area around an inspection hole on the deck of my
fiberglass boat is kind of springy.  I believe water has found its way
through the flange of the inspection hole into the core, and I believe
that the core has become rotten and has delaminated from the ...

If interested, here is a few pics of a traditional lapstrake I just
finished.
http://www.pbase.com/classictender/pram
                                         ...Ken

Does anybody know how to install a porthole that is designed for 1/4
inch (6 mm) thick fiberglass in a steel hull that consists of 1/8 inch
(3 mm) sheet metal on the outside, welded to 3 inch (75 mm) angle iron
and 5/8 inch (16 mm) wainscoating. Total thickness roughly 4 inches

I have just acquired a 1962 Bell Boy 18' Sedan Cruiser with an Evinrude 100
hp electric start outboard. I am seeking information about this boat. Can
anyone help?
Bob Swarts

  Its like the Eagles song about California:  "Call something Paradise
and kiss it Goodbye".  As a Fl native, I grew up snorkeling in the
springs, crystal clear rivers and picking up scallops in the bays.  N.
FL was devoid of the tourism that I saw as a cancer on south FL.  Life

I am restoring a 15 foot speed boat of maybe 50s vintage.
It has a ply deck that looks like a laid deck and it has rotted.
I am replacing the ply decls but am not sure how the markings were done
to imitate a laid deck.

any advice? am looking at using the jet ski hull's bottom half.

Is anyone aware of a boat, or plans for a boat, that would encompass light
weight (<1500lb), trailability, 16 - 22 ft, able to plane at high speed on a
relatively small motor (15-25 mph on 25-50 hp), cabin to accommodate two
people for at least weekends, and still be sailable? I ...

Can you point me to some on line and off line suppliers of rigging, cleats,
blocks, etc?
The hardware of the sailboat ...