Building a Houseboat

This Blog Is Not Abandoned

2009-03-20T10:22:00.002-05:00

Yes, I know that my last post was months ago. Unfortunately, Greg hasn't gotten his house in order, so there's nothing to report. Sorry. Maybe I should come up with a "Best of" post.

He's Moved

2008-12-17T16:14:00.002-06:00

Well, he's moved. And let me tell you, that guy had a lot of crap. I knew the guy was a pack rat, but I never fully realized exactly how much stuff he had in that tiny little house. Moving the contents of his house, garage and shed from their original locations to the U-Haul and two pods was like watching a marshmallow expand in a fire, or when a magician pulls that scarf out of his sleeve. All I can figure is that his old house was somehow like a space bag, and mysteriously shrunk shit enough to fit into the little nooks and crannies in the place.

One of the first things we moved was the boat, and I'm pleased to report that it survived the trip without incident, despite the fact that the internal framing isn't even completed -- almost four years later! (Yes, we've been at this for almost four years, and we're still not done!)

The new garage is even cooler than the old one... bigger, warmer, brighter, and it has running water and drains built into the floor. Unfortunately, Greg is currently using the garage and the hull of the boat as an overflow area for stuff while he gets the new house situated. This means no boat work for at least a month or so. The crazy thing is, I already miss our boat/beer/cigar/guy talk time, and I'm looking forward to getting back at it.

In order for that to happen though, Greg needs to organize the garage, which means that he needs to put up shelves and so forth. He's tentatively planning to do that between Christmas and New Year's day, and I'll probably help.

Time Flies

2008-11-15T07:44:00.002-06:00

"I'm not dead."

It seems that I've been saying that a lot lately. It's not that I'm neglecting things per se, it's more accurate to say I'm prioritizing. The internet, and my blogs in particular, have been downgraded in priority.

Greg and I are still doing work on the boat, but it's been slow going. I hope that our pace will pick up in the not-too-distant future. The slow pace is really more of a soap opera than anything, but if you're interested, read on.

You see, my ex-wife and Greg's wife are best friends. The ex got evicted from her apartment around the beginning of the year, and having nowhere else to go, Greg's wife agreed to let my ex move in with them. I don't exactly hate my ex, but I don't enjoy her presence either. And while I must give her credit for trying to not infringe on my male-bonding time when I went go Greg's for boat work, the knowledge that I was -- in some sort of twisted way -- hanging out at my ex-wife's place, certainly put a damper on my desire to hang out at Greg's house.

In addition to this, Greg and his wife started house-hunting. They found a new home and will be moving in a couple of weeks. The garage is bigger and better than what we have now, and the ex isn't moving with them. This means that we may have more boat time... but not until after Greg gets moved in to the new place.

Lazy Days of Summer

2008-07-30T08:27:00.003-05:00

That's not really a phrase that applies in our situation, but it sounded good nonetheless. Greg and I are still working on the boat, and we are still taking our time. The inside of the hull has been glassed, and we have test-fitted the stringers and frame pieces. Next weeek, we plan to tack the stringers into place, and then after that, it will be time to secure the stringers and frame pieces to the hull.

Greg also purchased a trailer last weekend. It looks nice, but Greg says that he'll have to make some minor adjustmenst to it.

Boat Scar

2008-05-14T12:35:00.002-05:00

I've finally got a picture of the scar.

Click on the picture for a larger photo and some notes.

I Almost Cried

2008-04-23T13:31:00.002-05:00

I went to Greg's for another round of work last night. When I got there, I saw something that almost made me burst out in tears. Greg had virtually cut the boat in half.

After rolling the boat, Greg measured the width of the boat, and it was something like eight and a half feet wide, roughly six inches over the maximum width allowed without getting a permit to tow a wide load. Greg had originally decided to risk it... after all, the width would be difficult at best to measure. Apparently he changed his mind.

In order to get the width reduced, Greg put a relief cut in each side, from the top to about three inches from the bottom. He then used straps to pull the hull to the width he wanted, and then filled the relief cuts with thickened epoxy and re-taped the hull, inside and out. He cut through the spray rail and everything.

It's his boat, so he can do what he wants. But had I known what he was thinking, I'd have done everything in my power to talk him out of doing that. We could have used straps and epoxy and pulled the hull in, attaching it to the frame pieces, and things would have been much less invasive. Additionally, the bottom is probably ever-so-slightly hooked now, and the spray rails will likely have a noticeable bend at the cutting point. The biggest thing though, is the fact that we're going to have to re-sand and re-paint this scar, and probably re-tape it a couple more times as well.

I almost cried.

Bigger than I Realized

2008-04-02T09:34:00.003-05:00

I can't describe how nice it is to be doing something other than sanding and fairing. The stringers have been removed, and we're now beginning to tape the internal seams. Greg taped the front transom over the weekend, and we both taped the rear transom last night. During last night's session, my younger daughter climbed inside the hull and cruised around on her Heelys. That was when I realized just how big this boat actually is. I took a video of this, which is posted here.

Just a shell

2008-03-21T14:34:00.003-05:00

Greg and I had an impromptu boat work session today. After about five hours, we had shored up the unstable frame pieces, removed the old frame (which is no longer necessary, since the boat is now flipped) and have removed the boat's structural frame pieces.

Over the next few days, my younger daughter will be removing nails from the lumber that we're able to salvage, while Greg and I remove the boat's stringers, leaving us with a hollow shell. Next comes glassing the inside of the boat, in preparation for re-installing the boat's stringers and structural frame pieces.

Flipped Out!

2008-03-16T09:11:00.003-05:00

We got the boat flipped, but it was a day where everything that could go wrong, did. Okay, not quite "everything." Nobody was hurt, and the boat is still in one piece. But it did take five guys four hours to get her rolled.

I've been waiting to roll this boat for years... literally! We've been sanding and fairing for so long that I don't remember what it's like to not be in sanding and fairing hell. Now, after years of making the boat look right, we can continue the structural and functional construction.

Here's a link to a video I made, consisting of photos and comments.

Boat Frame III

2008-02-20T13:17:00.001-06:00

Boat Frame III
Originally uploaded by OzzyC

I haven't forgotten about you or the boat. It's simply that we're operating slowly this winter. We're close to flipping the boat, so there's not much to do other than build the cradle for the flip. As you can see from this picture, the cradle is nearly finished. Once the snow melts a bit and the weather warms a little, we'll flip 'er and get back to work.

(Ready to) Flip Out

2008-01-11T13:45:00.000-06:00

We're done with the hull and are building the frame in order to flip the boat over. Don't worry, I'll take some pics of this momentous occasion.

Black Bottomed Boat

2007-12-13T18:32:00.000-06:00

As I mentioned earlier, we changed the color of the boat's bottom. Here's the pic I promised.

Updating the Blog

2007-12-09T10:16:00.000-06:00

Over the next several days (or weeks if I'm pressed for time), I will be moving some of my older pictures and videos to a new host. As a result, if you are an RSS subscriber to this blog, some of my posts may not be in chronological order. You are, however, still welcome to read these older posts... think of them as "best of" episodes.

New Bottom Paint

2007-12-05T19:21:00.001-06:00

We laid the first coat of the graphite-infused, epoxy-based bottom paint, and I've got to say I'm really pleased with the results. It went pretty quickly, and I like the black better than the red. Unfortunately, I didn't bring my camera, so no pics this time.

Dancing the Boat

2007-12-02T12:02:00.000-06:00

Building this boat is kind of like dancing a box step... step forward, step sideways, step back, step sideways, repeat ad nauseum. Greg decided that he didn't like the red finish on the bottom... too much orange peel texture for him. So we sanded it smooth and tried a roll and tip. It wasn't good enough. Now Greg's decided to do an epoxy-based, black-tinted bottom, infused with graphite, giving us a smooth bottom that (theoretically) will give us a more durable bottom coat that does a better job of sliding over rocks without killing the paint. He had done the copper-infused bottom paint, but since we're going to be running this almost exclusively in fresh water, he's not concerned about buildup on the bottom.

A Second First Coat

2007-11-21T08:14:00.000-06:00

Last week we saw the results of our first coat of paint and were not pleased. Lots of lines in the paint. Greg decided to sand the paint smooth and start again. This time around, things look better, and we've agreed not to do any more sanding until the second-to-last coat is applied. This way we have a build-up of paint. Next week, another coat.

No More Sanding

2007-11-11T10:30:00.000-06:00

That's not exactly true, but it feels good so say it and mean it... at least in this context. Yes folks, Greg finally said "good enough" and decided it was time to paint. In a desire to support this decision (and get a coat of paint on the boat before he changed his mind), we did a rare Saturday session. Between the final round of sanding (a quick but thorough sanding of both transoms and sides with 220-grit sandpaper), prepping the surface, mixing the paint, and the roll and tip process, we put in roughly four hours.

We had the little Ozzlet there to help us out. She's a great little photographer, and she also helped us prep the surface, paint a little of the hull (rolling, not tipping) and she watched Greg's girls.

On Tuesday (our regularly scheduled boatbuilding day), we will do some light sanding as needed and apply a second coat of paint. We're planning to flip the boat sometime between late November and mid-December.

I know we'll be doing some touch-up sanding between coats, and I understand that we'll be doing another round of sanding and fairing when we build the deck and cabin, but it shouldn't be quite as long and arduous as the hull. I can't describe how gratifying it is to be out of sanding and fairing hell.

I have several more pictures here...

Or, you can view the slideshow here.

Fair-ly Short Session

2007-11-01T09:41:00.000-05:00

We didn't paint any more this week because we were short of the 220 grit sandpaper needed for topcoats. So we did some more sanding and fairing on the port side. It was okay because we saw an immediate payoff, because there are progressively fewer spots to handle, and each spot is progressively smaller. We're hoping to have her painted and flipped sometime in December.

Nightmare

2007-10-19T08:39:00.000-05:00

I had kind of a crazy dream last night. In the dream, I went to Greg's house to check on his dogs while he was on vacation. As I walked through the garage, I gazed at the boat -- and was instantly horrified. Greg had gone on some sort of crazy spree; he had sanded off all of the paint, and on the bow he had sanded back down to bare wood. On the sides he had fabricated some sort of space-age shaped add-ons that looked like the fins from a 59 Chevy on steroids. As my eyes adjusted to the horrific site, Greg nonchalantly strolled into the garage (it was a dream, remember) and casually asked me what I thought of the work he'd done.

I went ballistic and woke up. Thank God it wasn't real.

More Painting

2007-10-17T09:36:00.000-05:00

Last night we applied our first coat of white paint. This is the paint that uses a cross-linker, and has a high-gloss finish, as opposed to the copper-infused stuff I mentioned previously. We applied the paint to the bottom, figuring that it's an area nobody will ever see, which allows us more latitude for mistakes. The roll and tip method seems to work well, but we ended up with a couple of runs. We noticed the runs after the paint had started setting, so we decided to let it completely set and see how well it sands. Wish us luck.

Baby's Bottom

2007-10-10T19:08:00.000-05:00

Last night's session brought another round of sanding and fairing, and a second coat of the copper infused bottom paint. I also remembered to bring the camera, so here are a couple of shots of our progress...

This first shot is taken immediately after laying the second layer of bottom paint, though the picture doesn't quite do it justice. All of the white is a high-build primer. The bottom paint is the red in the back.

It's still shiny because it's still wet. Once it dries, it looks pretty much like your run-of-the-mill rust-colored primer. Either way, I'm pleased at the progress.

Before we laid the paint, I ran the random orbit sander over the starboard side, the bow and the stern for a final sanding, using 120 grit sandpaper. After laying the paint, Greg and I chatted, and we agreed that we will do no more sanding on these areas until we have placed a coat of paint on these surfaces. He still wants to do some additional touch-ups on the port side, which is fine because I agree that it needs a bit more work.

As I took the pictures of our paint job from the front, Greg asked me to post a shot of the skeg, so here it is. The skeg is constructed from a 2X2 strip of cypress (used for its highly water-resistant properties), with a strip of aluminum screwed into the top, after shaping the wood.

Important: According to Greg, copper and aluminum do not go well together. Apparently, they will cause a lot of corrosion. In order to prevent the aluminum strip from coming in contact with the copper in the paint, Greg was very careful to lay a thick coat of primer between the aluminum strip and the copper-infused paint. Please keep this in mind if you choose to mimic our addition!

Greg suspects that the addition of the skeg may reduce the maximum speed by one mile per hour or so, but he thinks (and I agree) that the increased maneuverability and handling will more than offset the decrease in top speed.

Next week, we plan to lay some white paint, using your standard roll and tip method. We plan to experiment on the bottom area. Since this is an area that few people will ever see, we figured that it's the perfect area to work out the kinks in our technique.

F*ckin' A!

2007-10-03T08:14:00.000-05:00

Greg and I laid our first coat of paint last night! We painted the portion of the bottom and sides that will be underwater, and after being stuck in sanding and fairing hell for a couple of years, words cannot properly express the gratification that simple coat of paint brought us.

The paint itself was a little different than I expected. I expected a bright red, high-gloss finish. What we saw was rust-colored and had a flat finish. The paint was more watery than a latex paint, but it ran less and dried very quickly. Since I didn't expect to paint, I didn't bother to take the camera, so no pics. Next time.

Man, I'm stoked!

I Missed It

2007-09-26T11:28:00.000-05:00

Greg and I finally had an opportunity to work on the boat last night. Despite the fact that we spent yet another evening in sanding hell, I noticed that Greg had done a lot of work since I last set eyes on our project. And as I sanded the hull to a smooth-to-the-touch finish, I realized that regardless of how much I've bitched, moaned and complained about sanding and fairing hell, I missed hanging out with Greg and working on the boat.

Still Alive

2007-09-20T09:01:00.000-05:00

We're still alive, but no progress has been made on the boat. Greg and I have had other commitments, but we hope to do some more work next week. Besides, there's really nothing to report until we get it painted.

More Bling

2007-08-29T10:17:00.000-05:00

Despite my lack of posting, we're still working on the boat. Okay, it's mainly Greg who has been working on the boat. Between my busted leg and family commitments, I haven't had the time, but the point is, a lack of updates doesn't necessarily mean a lack of work.

The biggest change is that Greg has decided to add a skeg. (That's the aforementioned bling.) The skeg should help the boat track a little straighter, and add a little tip-resistance during turns. I really wish he'd have decided this six months ago, though. We had the bottom completely ready for painting, and now that he's added the skeg, we're looking at another ten hours or so of sanding and fairing before the finish meets Greg's stringent standards.

I also gave him some crap about continuing to use the quick fair. When we did our last session a few weeks back, we had decided that the starboard side was ready for paint, and that the port side was "close." Well, when I dropped over last night for a round of work, both sides had another round of quick fair added, with the intention of filling dozens of little pinholes in the pre-finish. I've been telling Greg for months that we need to just lay the paint and find out if it will fill these pinholes. There is so much surface area that it's virtually impossible to find and fill all of these pinholes, yet finish the boat before we retire.

I semi-jokingly told Greg that if he keeps doing this work when I'm not around that I'm going to make a "Keep off the Boat" sign and put it up when I'm not there. We've been "just about ready" to paint since June or so, but every time I go over there, Greg has done more crap that sets us back by a week or two.

It should be apparent that I'm quite frustrated by this lack of progress. Greg and I have different approaches to this portion of the project. Greg wants things to be perfect before going to the next step. An immaculate finish is very important to him. I think that we should forge forward and see what happens, based on the law of diminishing returns. In ANY project, you can do a quick and sloppy job, or a perfect one. As you move closer to perfection, the amount of time you spend increases exponentially, and the payoff decreases exponentially. We are at the point where we need to quit looking for pinholes, fix the bottom (where we added the skeg) and paint the damn boat.

Now that I've vented, I need to reiterate my position. I know my place in this project. I know that it's Greg's baby and I'm the free help. I also know that Greg listens to my input. The thing he needs to get though is that we need to be flipping this boat soon. We've only got another month or so before it starts getting cold, and once the snow hits, it'll be more difficult to get the boat flipped. We need to get the thing flipped before this winter, so we can continue working on the project during the snowy time of year.