Planking and Epoxy

It is amazing how much you can get done when you have a three-day weekend. This week was President’s Day and I had Monday off for the holiday so I put my time to good use. My good friend Terry Kohler and my brother Gary came over to lend a hand. When it came time to epoxy and screw the sides and bottom on I had my hands full and they were a big help, always one step ahead of me.



Gary Gauthier and Terry Kohler, they work for food...yeah







I learned that you really don’t want to leave a lot wood over hanging because it just causes you more work later when you need to trim it off. Another lesson learned is that I wish that I had made my “jig” a little taller. If the boat frame was mounted just a little higher it would be easier to get under the boat if you wanted to mark something or just look things over. It would also be just a little easier on your back, not having to bend over so much.

I was very happy to see how well things fit. All that fairing is paying off. The seams along the joints fit great and things are going well. A few straps helped the clamps pull everything into position for the final fit. Pre-bending the plywood with hot towels really gave the wood shape so we did not need to put a lot of pressure on side pieces.

I am using famowood wood filler to cover the screws and MAS epoxy with wood filler to seal the joints.
Next…. will be to finish sand everything smooth and epoxy an end cap ¼” plywood on the transom. The only end grain that will show will be covered with a stainless steel transom band.









I will also need to finish planking the bottom (front), fill the screws with filler and seal the joints with epoxy. I am not sure when this will happen because I am leaving for vacation this week and will be gone all next week. My wife, Lynn and I are off to our vacation home in Longview, Texas located on Lake Cherokee.