Wood sled restoration...
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Very nice looking boat. I have always had a dream to build a wooden boat after I retire, either a stitch and glue drift boat, or a sled. Your project inspires me. I suspect the bottom is not one piece the entire length, so are you able to see how two pieces are joined together? Could you describe how you rebuilt the transom and a few more pictures of it. Nice job on your restoration.
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The plywood was scarfed together, both bottom and sides. The transom had been 'reinforced' with some standard dimensional lumber. So we took it off and used Meranti plywood and added a piece on the outside and a a full piece on the inside gluing them thoroughly. Then varnishing the new additions. The new transom really is solid and holds the 4-Stroke 15hp perfectly.
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wow Andy that looks awesome!
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Looks like a great boat and fun project. Thanks for sharing it with us.
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Bringing this old project back from the dead.
Had to pull off the transom off and add some, reinforcing and add some height after adding a 25hp Yamaha 2-stroke long shaft and an 80-pound Minn Kota Riptide.
As you can see, I’m still fishing and hunting the boat from the sage to coastal.
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A couple of things have changed on the boat, mostly motors, the 15hp four stroke was just a little too heavy and not enough horsepower to plane the boat with 2-people. The 25hp does the job well and idles down good for trolling, the Minn Kota Riptide does a good job with its infinite throttle to make backtrolling steelhead or picking up decoys a breeze. The camo vinyl wrap is very durable and a good protector or the hull.
A couple things learned:
1). The chemicals in Pressure Treated plywood bleed through the vinyl and stain it. I think someone warned me about that
2). The wood boat handles weight a lot better/different than aluminum boats I’ve had in the past. I had originally put batteries and fuel up front, but that proved to be too much weight up front, moving the batteries to the back helped and going from a 6-gallon to a 3-gallon fuel tank also helped.
3). Coat it and carpeted bunks stick together and don’t slide very well and makes loading and unloading a little more difficult.
4). Be prepared to talk about your wood boat when on the water and the boat ramp! It’s amazing how many people walk right by a Pavati to take a look at my project boat
Had to pull off the transom off and add some, reinforcing and add some height after adding a 25hp Yamaha 2-stroke long shaft and an 80-pound Minn Kota Riptide.
As you can see, I’m still fishing and hunting the boat from the sage to coastal.
A couple of things have changed on the boat, mostly motors, the 15hp four stroke was just a little too heavy and not enough horsepower to plane the boat with 2-people. The 25hp does the job well and idles down good for trolling, the Minn Kota Riptide does a good job with its infinite throttle to make backtrolling steelhead or picking up decoys a breeze. The camo vinyl wrap is very durable and a good protector or the hull.
A couple things learned:
1). The chemicals in Pressure Treated plywood bleed through the vinyl and stain it. I think someone warned me about that
2). The wood boat handles weight a lot better/different than aluminum boats I’ve had in the past. I had originally put batteries and fuel up front, but that proved to be too much weight up front, moving the batteries to the back helped and going from a 6-gallon to a 3-gallon fuel tank also helped.
3). Coat it and carpeted bunks stick together and don’t slide very well and makes loading and unloading a little more difficult.
4). Be prepared to talk about your wood boat when on the water and the boat ramp! It’s amazing how many people walk right by a Pavati to take a look at my project boat
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Yep, Oliver still can’t keep a secret while out fishing. He’s definitely getting older and slowing down a little but his enthusiasm hasn’t slowed at all.
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Wow nice little fishing platform there.
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Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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10-4 Thanks Andy.
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