davebrewer

Whatever ply you use,it will last much longer if you encapsulate the whole job,including underneath and especially endgrain,in 2 coats of boatbuilding epoxy,such as WEST System,Botecote or System 3.This is the approach taken in timber boatbuilding using modern techniques on entire hulls.Good exterior ply would be OK for this,it has the same glueline as marine but dodgier plys,more voids etc than marine(which can vary a lot anyway,some cheap Asian stuff is just crap).You need to seal any surface exposed to the sun,epoxy degrades quickly under UV exposure,with carpet or tough exterior or marine enamel-Norglas and Brightside are both good.If you want hatches,you might need a thicker ply or simply just frame the opening with some oregon underneath,sort of like a picture frame,overlapping your cutout to provide a lip for your hatch to sit on.Thickened epoxy clamped until cured can be used for this-forget screws.Make sure that like everything else,it's sealed in 2 coats of neat epoxy.Lots here on the details of using epoxy: http://www.westsystem.com/ss/use-guides/ Cheers, Dave.

I just had one custom made for my new timber boat by TMC trailers at Gosford-these guys really know their trade,I can't speak highly enough of them.Might be worth a call. Cheers, Dave.

I've been doing that for years at work when I run out of straight fuel without a problem,just don't try doing it the other way around.(I did that once accidentally and seized a 2 stroke engine very quickly). Cheers, Dave.

That's one beautiful boat,your brother should be very proud indeed.How long is she,and has he decided how to power her yet?Is it his own design? Cheers, Dave.

"nothing 30 mins with a jigsaw and some particle board wont fix."" Better make that plywood.A 5 or 6 with a built-in tank would be great with that,I had a 12' lightweight tinny with a 5 years ago that would plane no problem-depends how fast you want to go of course. Cheers, Dave.

With a rig like that Cameron,you'll probably want to exceed 10 knots pretty quickly,so getting a license now could save you trouble and expense in the future.

http://www.maritime.nsw.gov.au/docs/sbh/bh...rt1.pdf#page=14 Dave.

I understand that motor size over 5hp requires the boat to be registered,probably where the confusion arose. Dave.

Terrific posts Jani,thanks very much for putting them up.Wonderful pictures,what a great expedition. Cheers, Dave.

I keep them like that all the time,just be sure to remove any crook/dead ones promptly and keep them somewhere shady.Water changes will keep them going longer still. Cheers, Dave.

I use to wear a longjohn for luderick fishing on the low shelves,some of the other guys wore springsuits-also gives some protection in the event of a knockdown,needless to say I always use cleats in this situation.If I'm not fishing where it's constantly getting wet I just use shorts shirt and a good sprayjacket(and again cleats)-wetsuits aren't that comfortable on hot days if you're not wet.Any surfshop sells a range,a cheapie is good enough for this,hopefully you won't be in the water. Cheers, Dave.

Sorry Theo,not offhand,but I'd try our site sponsor Gofish as a first port of call. Cheers, Dave.

No reason not to use A for heavier rods but I wouldn't be doing it without a powered winding jig unless I had a lot of time to spare-winding by hand like I do is very tedious.Miller and Clemens both suggest C for heavier applications,that's good enough for me. Cheers, Dave.

Standard practice is to use A for light rods, C for heavier-surf, rock and game rods etc. Cheers, Dave.

Boomer raises a good point about epoxy-most people can use it with no problem,but after using it for a few years I developed a sensitivity to it and have to use barrier cream or non- latex gloves(allergic to latex or the powder in them) before I go near the stuff,or else it triggers a persistant dermatitis.This can happen to you the first time you use it.You shouldn't even think about sanding it without a mask either. Cheers, Dave.

Marine ply has the same glue line as premium CP,it's just supposed to have selected laminates with minimal voids-and you have to choose carefully because there is a lot of crap marine around.In the case of a floor this isn't a problem as it would be with a hull say,so I'd use good CP.What lets all ply down in these situations is lack of protection from water penetration-and the builders would know this.I'd get a hold of some boatbuilding epoxy like Boatcote or WEST System and once your floor is cut to size give the whole thing 2 good coats,especially on the endgrain.That's how modern timber boats are encapsulated before painting/varnishing,and they can last indefinitely as long as damage is repaired promptly.You do have to protect bare epoxy from UV which degrades it pretty quickly,that's where carpet/paint comes in.HTH. Cheers, Dave. This link will help: http://www.westsystem.com.au/west_system/basic_techniques Dave.

Yeah,looks like people hang on to them-not a sign of a second-hand one on the net.The 5 year warranty on Mercury will be nice though. Cheers, Dave.

Cheers Huey, PM sent.

Does that mean the Johnson/Evinrude units are not available now-I was planning on buying new.What would your recommendation be Huey,in terms of what you sell? Cheers, Dave.

Lovely fish Saad-hope your next one's not far off. Cheers Dave.

Launch day for the boat I've been building off and on for the last few years is finally in sight-just a bit of painting to go.Anyone have any experiences good or bad with any brands?TIA, Cheers, Dave.

I've had a Stearns Superior on my Rumrunner for 3 years and it works well-no water gets through and it is trailerable.It's still in great condition despite being outside continually.About $400 from BIAS,I was quoted $1000 for a custom by the place that did my bimini. Cheers, Dave.

Geez Ross,that was a thorough job!I knew there was a good reason I rarely tidy up my work area. Hope it heals up quickly, Dave.

Many thanks to everyone-it's nice to have a birthday on a non-working day! Hope to have my new boat (14' ply clinker) finished next time I get to Tuross,unfortunately something went wrong with the topcoats and the whole lot started lifting when I took off the masks the other day so I'll have to figure out what went wrong and redo them.oh well,better now than later.This is the job another guy on my boatbuilding forum has made of the same design(I must take some pics of mine): http://i726.photobucket.com/albums/ww261/h...ie/IMG_1687.jpg http://i726.photobucket.com/albums/ww261/h...ie/IMG_1697.jpg Looks like he'll beat me to launch day now. Anyway,with yumcha for lunch,roast turkey for dinner and permission to lash out on my other hobby, http://www.wingnutwings.com/ww/modelkitsets, it should be a great day! Cheers Dave.

Search buoyancy foam and you will pull up plenty of info and suppliers-I would get the approved close cell foam if I was doing a major job like this.As for ply,marine is the best but quality exterior-no voids visible from the edges-is OK.In any case,it will last indefinitely if you seal it in a couple of coats of epoxy-WEST system.Boatcote and System 3 are all good brands-it's important to really saturate the end grain as this is where water gets in easiest.The top surface must be painted or carpeted as epoxy degrades rapidly under UV exposure.Heaps of good stuff about epoxy here: http://www.westsystem.com/ss/ HTH, Dave.