Building a 10' dinghy/tender

[Instigator]

Started this project a while ago but got busy w/other things and never had time to work on it.

Going to hang on davits on the back of our cabin cruiser on Lake Erie.
Had a 10' Zodiac but was a PIA when you really use it like we do.

Found a set of plans on Glen L.com that was close to what I wanted. I inset the motor boar to keep overall length at 10' to match the transom of our cruiser. Any longer and it sticks past the sides of our hull and will snag entering/leaving dock.

Building it form 5 ply, 1/4'" Okume marine plywood.
Ive built a bunch of plywood boats but never w/this much curve. In theory, a panel will bend side to side or end to end but not both.
That is a compound bend/curve. The side of this boat have a ton and I almost passed on it cuz I didnt think it would work.

The pc on the transom is only there to hold everything square until the skin goes on.

Target weight is 100lbs.
I have a 35 hp motor for it that I just went through and painted.

Should run good.

We are moving in 3 wks and I lose my shop so I am under the gun. The skin went on this weekend.

Last picture is this design, framed for a full deck. Mine will be mostly open.

[FMP]

10' +100lbs+35HP= some kind of fun , white knuckles maybe.

[Instigator]

10' +100lbs+35HP= some kind of fun , white knuckles maybe.

Yep.

Built one yrs back that came out closer to 150 lbs and ran a 15 on it and it was a hand full. We knee boarded behind it.
If I can make it work, I want to install cable steering in this one due to expected speed but my davits are only good to 300 lbs so Ill be pushing it.

[David]

It's that a TNT?

[Instigator]

A fun/learning part of installing the skin was learning to do a scarf jont. Ive done them before but never 48" long and on 1/4" plywood.
It calls for a 12:1 ratio (12 x 1/4") so that made the joint 3" wide.
I make my own glue by mixing polyester resin w/Cabosil and 1/8" glass fibers.
Having problems loading pixs but was able to bend a strip in a 18" radius before it fractured and the glue joint remained in tact.

Way impressed.

[Instigator]

It's that a TNT?

Good guess but no. I have the plans for a TNT but its 11' (1' too long) and too low of freeboard.

Its a Squirt.

[Bodhi]

Damn!! That things gonna move with that 35. I have an 8ft wood skiff at 80lbs and that is pretty quick with a 15.

[H2OPERF]

I hate to tell you that motor is waay tooo big for that bathtub so what do you want for it... Motor looks amazing gary.. Its gonna be a handful .

[FUJIMO]

Gary. Please don't use polyester resin as glue. No good for that.

[home made tunnel]

WOO HOO !!! More little boats!!! Looking great.
Is that motor restored? or that clean original?

[Instigator]

Gary. Please don't use polyester resin as glue. No good for that.

Mixed with Cabosil and 1/8" Milled fiber seems to work.
You can drill and tap it once cured.
Used it for yrs.

Did you think I was using plain resin??

[Instigator]

More headway.

Sides and bottom are skinned.

If all goes well tomorrow it will get a coat of stain.
Ordered 3 qts of Epithane varnish today.

Short wk this wk but hopefully by mid next wk it will come off the jig and be righted.
Then I'm throwing the jig on the burn pile and lighting it!
Sick of walking around the damn thing.

Anxious to see it right side up.

[MattGreen]

Mixed with Cabosil and 1/8" Milled fiber seems to work.
You can drill and tap it once cured.
Used it for yrs.

Did you think I was using plain resin??

Gary not to be a downer but FUJIMO is 100% correct - thickened polyester is not a good wood glue - need to spend the dough on epoxy. Overall polyester is not great for wooden boats projects - epoxy is your friend

Matt

[Instigator]

Gary not to be a downer but FUJIMO is 100% correct - thickened polyester is not a good wood glue - need to spend the dough on epoxy. Overall polyester is not great for wooden boats projects - epoxy is your friend

Matt

I think you guys are thinking of the micro ballon powder additive.
It adds viscosity for use as putty and the micro balloons makes it easy to sand but is for cosmetic repairs only.

Conversley, Cabosil and the like, adds viscosity and density. Now add 1/8" milled fiber, as in, 1/8" strands of glass and now you have something.
Of all the tricks I've learned working w/glass, this is my favorite.

Perfect for building fillets where stringers meet the bottom, filling voids around a new transom core etc.
Alter the amount of Cabosil to change consistency from glue to putty.

While in Fla I tested it. I took two pcs of scrap plywood, glued them together and threw them out in the yard for a yr.
The wood broke down, the glue did not.

Heres a challenge for you:

Take two 12" x 12" pcs of 1/4" plywood, good 5 ply mahogany, w/no voids (not the 3 ply fir crap at the hardware stores) and mix a Dixie cup of the cheapest polyester resin you can find, mix enough Cabosil to get a mayonnaise texture. Now add a golf ball size amount of 1/8" milled fiber and mix.

Now spread your mixture one one of the panels. Instructions would say to coat both but I'm confident enough that one will work.
Now put the two panels together and set a concrete block on them to act as a clamp.

Tomorrow, after your morning coffee, pry the panels apart w/o destroying them.

Then post pixs of your results here.
Do that w/o destroying them and you'll have my attention.

[XstreamVking]

If it breaks, he knows someone that can fix it......