Building a ugly boat

[tx river rat]

Now Chuck you are going to have to come back to Texas for another trip on the Brazos,before you can get the boat and trailer

You are forgetting the Duck is a v bottom have to turn them horses that way or it to sit flat.
Jd my normal cockpit is 45 inches this one is 61 inches, I am going to try the foot braces in ths boat and also wanted enough room to put a camel back for fluids behind me. Plus this way I can trim her like I want.
This boat has proven 2 things to me,one like Chuck says any boat can be built as a stripper,2 you can control the quality of the wood so much better and at less than half of marine ply.
I caught a lot of flack on another forum for using white pine ,was told it would be so heavy that it would put a dent in the water . Well thats bs ,this boat is still light. I will have to say I think my boats from now on will be built this way.

I bought the wood for this boat on the 13 of October, and if I wanted to I could paddle her tomorrow ,so time wise it is sure feasible ,I am going to take a few more days and slick her on up before I paddle her.
Ron.

 

[jdupre']

Weight wise, you gained maybe 3 or 4 lbs over cedar. No big deal. What interests me is the fact that you don't have to worry about sanding through an outer ply like on luan. That is a big advantage right there.

I like your idea of a big cockpit. Seems like a more handy all around style.

Joey

 

[tx river rat]

JD
My normal cockpit is 45 inches from bulkhead to bulk head,this one is 61 inches,that still gives me over 5 ft on each covered deck.
I really think this boat is going to lighter than one built from Laun and I bet there isnt over 2 lbs difference from ceder to white pine.
When I finish getting the glass on her I will weigh it.
Ron

 

[a Bald Cypress]

A fine looking boat ya got there Ron.

Of course there MUST be a bit of "well except for that" thrown in. In my case it would be only one thing.

I think the bow should have more of a curve to it. I say that because I me-ownself built one of my canoes with a bow that was "to verticle in form"

Every time I paddle it and bump a branch or log, the bow just pushes it rather than riding up and over it. That makes it much more difficult to travel . That boat has been regulated to the status of "trash hauler" only used for "cleaning trips" on the bayou or ponds.

I do realise that your boat will not be used for "expeditions" but rather for racing so maby it won't be that big of a problem.

In any event. THAT BE A FINE LOOKING BOAT

 

[jdupre']

Looking good. I might have missed it, but what's the max. beam and width across the bottom panels?

Joey

 

[tx river rat]

Bald Cypress your right on the logs and trash ,that is another reason for the big cockpit ,being able to move weight back and raise the nose for log jumping. I will just have to learn to handle her and if its to bad I always have a saw :shock:
Jd the bottom at the widest point is 20 inches.
I am sure I will have to start off low in the hull with my seating.
Ron

 

[tx river rat]

No pics today just sanding and running another coat of glass on her.
Ron

 

[tx river rat]

Boy this a normal deal I guess,I put the finish coat of glass on this afternoon and had made my mind up to give the duck a chance to sink or swim tomorrow,yep started raining. Happens everytime.
She isnt finished but I have an itch to see if she will do what I think she can.
Then I will come back and start slicking her up.
Ron

 

[Kayak Jack]

Ron, your long cockpit reminds me of my Pygmy Osprey kayak that is no longer a kayak. I opened up the cockpit about 2' forward and aft. It's now like a decked canoe, but since it had been a kayak, I now call it a "kaynoe". (pronounced KI'-new) Gives the underwater performance of a kayak, and above water convenience of a canoe.

 

[tx river rat]

The duck is not finished but i couldnt wait any longer. I loaded her up and headed for the lake.

I was by myself so ya'll will have to wait for paddling pic.
I LOVE THIS BOAT.
It surpased every thing I wanted her to do.. I dont have time for a long report but I will say this there was wind blowing waves not quit whitecapping no foot pegs and I saw 6.5 mph on the gps
More tonight.
Ron

 

[Paddlin'Gator]

She looks fast just sitting on the trailer! Great job, Ron.

 

[Light Keeper's Kid]

I hope you can catch her,she looks real fast 8)

Mike

 

[oldsparkey]

Ron....

My hats off to you and at that speed I imagine your hats off also. Good Job.

Now , I have to ask , The river , if I remember it correctly , from the pictures you posted , has a lot of twists and turns in it. Along with blowdows you have the thread the needle to get threw , under and over ... My question is this.

Do you think you can hold that 6.5 speed or close to it on the race with other boats bidding for the same water and openings under the blow downs and over the obstacles. Even around the bends in the river without running the rest of the paddlers over.

Just a suggestion...........
If the Ugly Duck responds like a kayak then you need to lean to the left to make a right hand turn and to the right to make a left hand turn , just the reverse of a canoe. You might want to try that on some open water and see how the Duck responds to that movement. It would save a lot of back strokes or braking strokes and loss of speed to make a turn while going down river.

Chuck.

 

[tx river rat]

This is a short summary of the ducks first outing.
I took a lot of chances on this boat,and invested a lot of time and energy not knowing if it was going to work out. The striper s@g was the first one. I have to say I really like this way of constructing a boat,benefits of the S@G and the versatility of the stripers.
Second thing ,this was the narrowest boat I had built,20 inches at the bottom and I wasn't sure
if I was good enough to handle that and how stable she would be.
Third chance was a full 16 ft water line ,I didnt know if I was a good enough engine and I didnt know if I could heel her being that narrow.
I unloaded her threw a seat in and got in,hum that wasn't bad,backed her out from the bank nd turned her,didnt turn to bad

I started paddling out toward the open lake,and started hitting the swells and small white caps,three strokes I glanced at the reeds and they were flying by ,I was grinning from ear to ear.
I turned her sideways to the wind and waves and let her ride for a minute ,no problem paddled back to get the gps. as I came up to the bank I heeled her over till water came over the side,not the coaming,she turned like a dream.

 

[tx river rat]

I started back out into the lake and it was getting rougher, she is long enough to handle some serious waves without taking on water. I hit three are four hard licks with the paddle and then sat back ,the glide was awesome straight and long even into the waves,now my seat is loose no footpegs so basicly I am just arm paddling ,I started setting down on the paddle and watching the gps ,now I am fighting wind and waves. the gps started climbing and at 6.5 miles an hour I just sat back and laughed. turned around and paddled with the wind back to the launch.laughing all the way.
Couple more pics.

The last thing I was worried about was as narrow as she was might sit to deep in the water but with the long water line I think she floats just a shallow as the Cuda.

Needless to say I am tickled pink ,she will heel,fast good glide and so easy to get up to cruise
plenty stable, with decks now wind effect at all no weather cocking.
I LOVE THIS BOAT

Now I need to go put in the pegs put a finish on her put on graphite bottom,so I still have a lot to do.A very happy Ron

 

[jdupre']

Sounds like you hit on a winner. 6.5 mph is something to be very proud of. She looks good on the water, too. The other racers better look out.

Joey

 

[tx river rat]

Chuck
I am starting to get to the next stage in handling these boats,using the body to correct a glide,are make a long curve are a hard turn,I have the boat now I need to get good enough to wring her out. I plan to spend a lot of hours in her before the other race,I havent had a paddle in my hand since the first of Sept so it should get better. The hull is still pretty rough needs a lot of sanding,and adding footpegs tomorrow,should help some more,and this was on a rough lake so no wind and waves should help to.
I am going to predict she will do over 7 with everything finished on her and smooth water,if my gps is accurate,
I will find out in the next few months
Ron

 

[Bellybuster]

Nice job Ron. I am now on the hunt for some cedar, I am bent on trying the Laker this way
thanks for the inspiration....I think

 

[oldsparkey]

7 looks like a good shot when you get her done , the graphite on the bottom will help with that since you said it is rough right now , the slicker the quicker.

Chuck.

 

[tx river rat]

Chuck
I cant wait to do the run we made on the Brazos,It has enough different kinds of water to get a really good feel of what she will be capable of. Getting the seat in the right place and secured,footpegs in,and sides and bottom slick should really add to the power and speed of this boat.
Belly
I think you will really like this way of constructing a boat.
Ron