Ozarks float boat | SouthernPaddler.com

Ozarks float boat

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dawallace45

Well-Known Member
Aug 27, 2003
1,067
1
67
Oakhurst , Queensland , Australia , 4650
Not sure if this is the place to ask this but here goes , I've been given a set of plans for the Ozark Float boat , a mate bought the plans from Boat plans DK some time back but lost interest in the whole building thing but he'd still like to see the boat built so he gave them to me , seemed to think I wouldn't be able to resist building it , even though I really don't need a boat like that , of course it would be handy if I want to do a trip down the Mary and I have been thinking about that , would also make a good boat to bow fish from and would be a great boat to fish the skinny water up the mangrove creeks , a mate of mine has been talking about a fishing and bow hunting trip down the Mitchel River in north Queensland for some time and it would be perfect for that too,

From looking at the plans it seems to me that this boat would be more stable than a open canoe but paddle just as easy and still be fine with a small motor , now in the last few minutes I've pretty much convinced my self I need to build this boat but I would like to build it as strong and light as possible , the plans call for 9mm [ 3/8" ] ply and just taped seams , nice and easy but where I'd be wanting to take it more abrasion resistance would be better and also the boat is supposed to weigh in at 41KG [ 90 lb ] so lighter would be better .

So what I'm asking in my round about way is could this boat be built using 4mm marine ply and fiberglassed and epoxied both sides ? and if so would it still be strong and would it come in under 90lb

Gentlemen I await your opinions

David
 
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oldsparkey

Well-Known Member
Aug 25, 2003
10,479
123
Central , Florida
www.southernpaddler.com
You might want to look at the one I am building at this time , it has a lot of rocker in it which reminds me or the river boats.

bayou%20skiff%20022.jpg


It is a cross between a Pirogue and a normal boat , can be built lighter then I am doing it and has some stability to it.

uj-dance.jpg


Hear's is all the pictures.......

http://www.unclejohns.com/bysk14/photo.htm

It can be rowed , paddled , sailed or even used with a motor on the back.

The boat is 13 feet 9 inches and 1/4 when made. The full story on the forum with all of the chatter while Uncle John was making the 1st one. He is the guy standing up with that nice "T" Shirt on :wink: while Cristy is thinking he will go swimming , judging from the look on her face and Jason is just sitting there. :lol:
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=7251

My Build........ viewtopic.php?f=3&t=7336

Chuck.
 
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dawallace45

Well-Known Member
Aug 27, 2003
1,067
1
67
Oakhurst , Queensland , Australia , 4650
Mike

Yep , thats the one

Chuck

Yeah , I do like the Bayou skiff but I only just sold a boat very similar to it and the only reason I'm thinking of building the Ozarks float boat is because I've been given the plans and I happen to have 4 sheets of 4mm marine ply a supply of epoxy and some glass tape , wouldn't take a lot to get some glass cloth to finish it off .

So what do you reckon is it doable with 4mm ply ? obviously there would need to be some stiffening and some keel runners to stop oil canning

David
 
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oldsparkey

Well-Known Member
Aug 25, 2003
10,479
123
Central , Florida
www.southernpaddler.com
I would make the boat , then try it and if there is a problem then add the runners .... When one is in the water it does make a difference.
Naturally you would get a good feel for it while making it ....... Off hand .... With 4 mil I would thing some sort of support would be needed.

You can always add to it , taking something away can be a problem.

Chuck.
 
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hairymick

Well-Known Member
Dec 8, 2005
2,107
2
Queensland, Australia
Dave,

i have been studying this boat for some time. I think it is very doable with 4mm ply and fully encapsulated in epoxy and 6oz cloth.

it is only 882mm wide. i would be looking at running a keel for support or a couple of runners.

Like Chuck, I love the bayou skiff and am about to start a build. i think either boat would be a very usefull addition to our fleets. the reason i have gone for the skiff in preference to this one? No idea really, i think they both will perform pretty much the same.

A mary river float in a couple of these boats over several days or even weeks would be a very good thing mate.
:D
 
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dawallace45

Well-Known Member
Aug 27, 2003
1,067
1
67
Oakhurst , Queensland , Australia , 4650
Mick

I've been thinking of the Mary for about 20+ years off and on , I used to fish at the borumba dam and yabba creek and poked around the mary a bit , at the time I had a Sevlor inflatable and would talk of the idea of doing the Mary with my fishing mate , of course the Sevlor wasn't suitable and I never got around to getting some thing suitable , I think the float boat would be ideal ,

Also for some time I've been thinking of some thing to fish the mangrove creeks at low tide when they just turn into a chain of holes connected by a couple of inches of water , have tried it in the kayaks but getting in and out all the time as you have to with that style of fishing in a real pain but stepping out of a open boat like the OFB is a lot easier , my Jonsboat is too heavy to drag through the shallows for it to be suitable and a boat of some sort is a necessity as when the tide rips in it's easy to be caught out and stranded , been there done that , wasn't a pleasant way to spend the night , sitting on a small mangrove island with out even enough room to lay down on and getting eaten alive by sand flies and mosquitoes , fishing the deep holes in the creeks at low tide can be very productive at times , also I keep thinking it a good boat to hunt out of , been thinking of the Mitchel and the Gilbert rivers for some time , need to find out the logistics of doing them .

Did I ever give you a copy of the Boars and Barra DVD ? if so watch it and you will know what I mean

Been thinking that the OFB would be the ideal boat if it ever comes to the point I can't paddle any more , figure if I mount a forward mounted electric motor with remote control and I'll be set to keep fishing the little out of the way places I like and can't get to in the Jonsboat

Will give you a call when the OFB is finished and see if we can organize some thing for the Mary ,

We probably should think of doing some thing like three of four day around Middle creek too

David
 
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hairymick

Well-Known Member
Dec 8, 2005
2,107
2
Queensland, Australia
Yes mate.

Now that I have nothing to keep me home, I am up for anything.

The places we like to fish are very similar and I hear you about getting in and out of a kayak. the relatively narrow beam of either of these boats combined with their flat bottom should make them ideal for our needs and also work very well on extended trips away.

My thoughts about the Mary are to put in somewhere near Kenilworth and float/row/paddle to Tiaro (about 200 river miles I think), be self supported and camp along the banks. I would guess it would take between 7 and ten days at our geezer warp speed, depending on river heights and that would suit me just fine. (the longer the better)

I have fished and hunted some of the rivers in the Gulf and have no real desire to ever go back there. The crocks are too big to be messing around in a skiff like this. Good luck with that one mate.
 
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dawallace45

Well-Known Member
Aug 27, 2003
1,067
1
67
Oakhurst , Queensland , Australia , 4650
Mick

I think depending on how fast the water is running you would need at least 10 days , if it's running too slow you have to paddle too hard and if it's running too fast then you tend to spill your beer and it's just not relaxing , I figure that so far in my life I've had enough adrenaline , that was bought home to me a few weeks ago when I was doing some work down the back and a big Red Belly Black shot out and went through between my feet , I was way too slow jumping out of the way and when I come down on one foot my back twisted and my knee folded up on me , I went down in a heap and luckily the snake reckoned it was just all too much for him and buggered off but I was popping pain killers for the next few days just to get out of bed

Doing the Mitchel or the Gilbert you would stop well clear of the salt section , maybe a 100 km or so from it , doesn't mean there wouldn't be any saltwater crocs but it does mean there would be less of them and I have the perfect thing for them

P1000349.jpg


It takes the worry out of being close

303 with 18" barrel

David
 
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graybeard

Well-Known Member
Dec 24, 2009
255
0
62
Between keyboard and chair
Kayak Jack said:
Two things win wars. It takes BOTH firepower and will power. And, the only proven way to get peace is to win a war.
Click to expand...

A wise observation.

Reminds me of a quote by Churchill -
Those who can win a war well can rarely make a good peace
and those who could make a good peace would never have won the war.
Winston Churchill
 
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Kayak Jack

Well-Known Member
Aug 26, 2003
13,976
171
86
Okemos / East Lansing Michigan
An ugly thing about us as an animal is, that we breed in numbers like animals. We tend, like animals, to out breed the capacity for the world (plug in the word "environment" here if you like) to support the resultant numbers. A sad fact seems to be that, if we don't consistently and repetitively reduced our numbers by war, pestilence, and disease - we would already be totally extinct.

Helluva deal when we have to suffer those things because we're too damned dumb to curtail population growth by smarter means. Malthus, unfortunately, wasn't wrong. Neither was Pogo. "We have met the enemy, and he is us."
 
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graybeard

Well-Known Member
Dec 24, 2009
255
0
62
Between keyboard and chair
That's a nice start. Boats always look so simple and clean at this stage. Y'alls boats look simple and clean at the end too :)

One favor - before you take the next set of pictures, could you scatter some junk around the shop? If my wife is looking over my shoulder, I gotta be able to say, "See, he knows what he's doing, and his workshop looks like that too!"
 
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