Here is a summary of the first incarnation of the Betty Boop

http://fretwaterlines.blogspot.com/

Boop Oop a…

I just updated my blog to include many boating adventures from the last four months. Some of you may enjoy the pictures:

fretwaterlines.blogspot.com

So its looking like Ill get the oppertunity to build another boat this winter. Many thoughts are running through my head, one of the biggest is the finish of the boat (paint, varnish, oil, etc.). After talking with a sailor I am starting to think that paint would be the best option for what I am looking for (durability, low maintenance). I have done oil before but I feel like it does not provide all that much protection, plus I would like to do epoxy fillets on the decking that I will be…

I worked today on painting the boat name and the stripe on the boat today.  Almost finished but the weather threatened rain and I had to roll the boat back inside.  The stripe has some taper to it... 1/4" every 30".  The name is the Jenny Lind.  Named after Jenny Lind Rock in Echo Park, Dinosaur National Monument.  The process is time consuming but it's pretty cheep and technically easy once you can visualize the paint and tape layers.…

Still trying to get more background on my antique wooden drift boat. The comment about Willard Lucas was helpful. A couple of additional features which might be diagnostic are: a storage box (20x11x10 in.) made from plywood and mounted to the floor in the bow and a spare oar which is 2 piece with a metal ferrule joint that has a twist lock.

Also in checking the registration papers for the trailer I noticed that is was made in 1961. Does any one know if Willard Lucas…

Jayson,

Thanks for the response!! Do you have any idea what year (prior to 1969) this boat was likely built?? I have no background on Wilard Lucas Boats, was he building boats at the same time frame as Keith Steele?

Thanks again for the info.

Rod Woodin

Ok, as I said in the last post I've got the Eastside in the garage and am ready to start tinkering until winter when the real work will start.  I also decided to start on a chip cover for the boat.  Decided that with the high frequency of dirt roads I will be on that I needed a cover to protect the front of the boat as much as I can.  Dug out some canvas scraps I had around and got the basic cover put together.  need to reinforce it in a few spots and hem the edges for…

Hi Wooden Boat People,

I have a wooden drift that was purchased used in 1969. I am trying to figure out who made it and where it was built. I have been told many time over the years that it looks like a Keith Steele, but from info I have seen on this site I doubt it is a Steele boat.

It is 14 ft. 9 in. in length on the top and has a max width on top of 6 ft. There are 10 ribs and the drain is in the floor near the base of the transom. The anchor…

Picked up the boat and had a few surprises.  One of the leaf springs was broken but the owner replaced them both at a trailer shop and got me on the road.  I spent a day epoxying D rings into the boat and stripping the extra stuff from the boat to get it ready for the trip.  Dinosaur National Monument requires flotation in drift boats and open canoes so I fitted the rear area of the boat with 3 canoe float bags to make her legal.  Had a great time and was really impressed with the handling…

Heh heh... I just picked up a free boat to restore. 16X48. All wood... at least 20 years old according to previous owner, but no idea really. Built in Salem by a company named Ostrem Boats. I googled them and nothing! Everything seems to be good.. I could find no rot YET. It is painted inside and out.

It has some kind of plastic bottom over the plywood, I don't think it is UMHW, it is white. Plywood ends on top is coming apart a little. I will be asking lots…

Got'er done...she even handled some class II-III this weekend on the first annual Colorado Wooden Boat and Beer Float at Pumphouse on the Colorado (thanks Mark)...I've still got plenty of finishing touches to keep me busy for a while, but they're just details (rear bench, floorboards, casting deck, bottle openers, etc...)...

I got rid of the outside chine guard and rubstrip, filled/patched the dings, and glassed the outside, scarfed in some new gunnel material (never even…

I'm new to the group and I'm going to apologize for not having a wooden boat.  I'm starting with a vintage Eastside fiberglass 15' drifter that I plan to deck and outfit for whitewater trips.  The goal is to hold my self and my wife pretty much self supported for 3-5 days on class 3-4.  Will also make a great boat for taking the future kids on floats.  I'm running the Gates of Lodore the second week of August and will mess around with balance in loading and get a feel for where I want to be…

I actually started working on this thing LAST FALL for cryin out loud! Progress has been slow, but it is going well. I have all the inside seams glued up with thickened epoxy. Tonight i am going to lay fiberglass tape over all these fillets.



This weekend I am hoping to turn it over and do another layer of kevlar...and POSSIBLY another layer of fiberglass on the bottom??? Right now i have two layers of glass and one layer of kevlar. The bottom is pretty strong right now, but…

So I rowed down the run a little ways and anchored up just above the tailout. The water is running Bombay gin clear today. We can see 3 large trout and a few dollies in 6 feet of water in the “V” just ahead of said tailout more clearly than if we’d had scuba gear. Mi compadre pescador irfshn is in the bow of Jack Salmon II and the omnipresent upstream wind swings him into perfect position.

irfshn in the bow of Jack Salmon II last Fall:…

My goal has been to build as quickly and cheaply as possible.  Its really fun just ripping angles into this warped and knotty drift wood and not worrying about the details.  Close enough is the name of the game.…

After the driftwood for the frames were found I went in search of plywood.  It turns out the only plywood that survives the ocean and ends up on the beach is 3/4" or thicker.  However,  I didn't find that out until I had hauled about 400Lbs of the stuff home and measured it.  WaWaah.  At least I provided entertainment for the residents of sunlight beach as I rowed back and forth with a steadily sinking boat loaded with way too much drift plywood.  I imagined people were making bets on when…

So... After constructing the beautiful Zizumara, a boat I love a little too much, I thought a new direction in boatbuilding was in order.  Hence, the McDrift boat was born.  Attributes: cheap, disposable, made of wood and nails and a little oil to help it last 5 days on the Salmon River.  What happens on day 5? -Bonfire, Dam clogger, a return to drift wood or perhaps a free boat for the next river runner, who knows but it doesn't have to come back home.  This is a oneway trip boat.  (That…

Hello all,

I'm Bob from Salem, MA, and I have wanted to own/build a boat since I was 10. I now have the time, and a place to work, but want to make sure I know what I'm doing before I throw together something thinking it is good, only to sink in the harbor.

Fair warning, my carpentry skills are, at best, minimal, so I may be asking a lot of questions. Hopefully, I won't be too much of a pest!  ( lol )