Joseph Podesta's Page

"the false stem wasnt too hard to do. you need to build a steamer, I did mine out of stove pipe but others have used PVC. be sure to presoak the wood for a few days as steam actually drys out the wood. you also need to router out a grove before…"

"Nice job on the Freestone Guide Joseph.  How did you do the false stem?  I built the Classic model & would like to install a stem like yours."

"Looks really nice!"

"thanks everyone! i hope it motivates other builders, either to push through or start up a boat project. now i need to get it registered (california law) and call my insurance company...those two things will be an adventure on thier own..."

"Hi Joseph, Congratulations on your build.  You must have a grin from ear to ear.  Let us know how the water test goes.  Don't forget to tell everybody............."Wood Is Good"."

"looks good, i really like the curve on the stem."

"Joseph, Congratulations, on a beautiful boat.  Hope you have many opportunities to use it. phil w."

"Joseph, your boat look fantastic, I hope you feel as good as your boat looks! Good job. Rick Newman"

"That's an awesome looking boat. Congratulations for a job well done."

"Nice job, Joseph.  Way to go with working through back surgery. "

"Joseph, there are two schools of thought on spare oars that have been discussed on the site. School one, always have an oar ready to go. I have only had to have a spare oar to or three times in several thousand miles of floating whitewater,…"

"oh and i used a brush and a roller...goes on just like paint. i think finish would be nicer with roller."

"i did 80 grit and it worked just fine. You will need to clean the surface aftwards with Zyline so the materials can bond. wear gloves and make sure any surface that you want everlasting durabak on is wiped down with zyline. once durabak goes on…"

"i posted pictures of my boat its basically a Montana boat builders freestone guide but I customized it and kept the beam smaller. the river I fish the most is Salmon spawning meca so the idea of a Queen Marry size drift boat running down…"

"We anguished over the same options a few months ago when we finished our drift boat.   We were afraid that if we had a cover made from away, it would not fit well, so finally opted to spend $600 on a cover made locally.   It was…"

"Tnks for the info...but i wish i knew how to sow...but fabric is not cheap for sure....now that i spent hours and hours on her...i want a nice cover and i want it out of my shop...time to move back over to gunsmithing...."