Koditten random project/boat build thread.

Made some headway on the boat yesterday. This was about 5 hours work.

Started out cutting strips. The widest point is 54" so had to weld in extensions.

 

Welding in the extension strips.

 

Getting ready to tack weld the bottom in.

 

trimming the bottom. This part really sucks! It just kills your arm trying to trim as close to the sides without cutting into them!

 

Removing the forms. With the bottom and sides solidly tacked together, the shape is now stable.

I can flip it and weld the inside.

 

Quick shot of the bottom.

 

Still need remove the piece from the rear. This was used along with the forms to ensure the boat hull did not twist.

Aluminum does so wild shrinking when the welds cool!

So far the boat is straight.

 

This is just a quick shot from the front.

 

Shop all cleaned up and tools put away. Truck back inside.

 

I really like the Red Wings sign way up there on the wall!

 

Great project drifter, thanks for sharing!

What type of blade do you use to cut aluminum like that?

 

Sorry, I didn't see your notification come in.

I just use the cheapest 3 pack of carbide tipped circular saw blades.

It's noisy as hell, but cuts similar to cutting hardwood.

One must use safety goggles or a shield and earplugs and muffs.

 

Got cornered into repairing an old aluminum boat.

Not sure how they managed to dent the transome. Regardless, the aft had to come off so I could beat it back to somewhat normal shape.

Resealed and screwed back together.

Painted the butyl putty and screws. The green is close enough.

 

looks like they didn't have a spotter when backing up the trailer... i'd bet the same thing that hit the transom also took that notch out of the bunk board...

 

Lol.

The trailer is tomorrows project. The boat does not go with the trailer. Just using the trailer as work bench. 2 different owners, 2 different projects.

 

Look at all the scrape marks, I bet they didn’t tie it down properly and it got loose on a highway and slid backwards into something.

Lots of people mess up when trying to properly tie down a boat for transportation. I know someone who dragged an expensive whitewater inflatable kayak for several miles by the bow line, and only half of it was left by the time they realized it.

 

Curious, are you gonna use full length gunnels? How do you bend those if they’re aluminum? I’ve never tried that before, do you have to heat it or something? I imagine it’ll have to be pretty thick in order to support the thole pins. Or will it be a thin bar with spacer blocks set in every once in a while?

 

Are you talking about the canoe repair of the drift boat build?

If drift boat build, I have already done the gunnel bending on the previous boat. You can look at my previous drift boat build. There is a link in my signature that shows how I did it.

If you don't see the link, turn your phone sideways and it will appear.

 

I have to figure out how to make the raft fit the trailer. Customer has been using the old Jet ski trailer to haul the raft. He tells me it works ok, but needs some modifications for it to be more user friendly.

He is a fishing guide on the Au Sable river here in Michigan. He tells me he needs to look a bit more legit for the customers.