All the talk and beautiful pram pictures got me in the mood to build something again. I do a little woodworking now and then and I need something lighter and easier to load and transport to the water. I chose an eight foot flat bottom design that could be built from two sheets. I chose 6mm Hydrotech, a little more money, but great utility and workability. Lightness and stability are the main goals. This one should end up around 60 to 65lbs, I haven't actually weighed it yet, but the the sheets are 50lbs. I still have to install anchor rollers, rod holders and storage boxes, so the picture is work in process, couldn't wait to get it on the water to check to trim. I am debating about the bottom finish, I added two full length skegs for stability and protection on the beach. The seams are taped and there are a number of coats of epoxy resin, so do I need glass cloth too? Additional weight and expense are factors. I just came back from a trip to the OP and had to launch on less than ideal surfaces and the was unscathed. Thoughts. BTW, it rows and glides over the water beautifully.
I'm of no help, but I really like your boat and love those handles! What waters did you take this boat out on the peninsula? Oh, my Smith Pram (both of them) have glass cloth on the bottom.
Thanks Jeff, the handles add no weight or expense, and also work well for tie downs. On the OP I tried Teal Lake and Gibbs Lake. A couple hours on each, Teal showed no love, and I did better on Gibbs. Gibbs has no boat ramp and its about 50 yards done a trial to the shore. Taking the boat down wasn't bad, taking it back up was a challenge, but worth it, beautiful day, serene lake and a few fish.
A graceful little boat indeed. Very nice work. For stillwater you may not need to glass it having taped all the seams. On mine I used a lighter than normal glass on the bottom and gave it 2 coats of epoxy/graphite. It seems to be holding up well. Ive
Thanks for the input, guys. I'm leaning toward no cloth on the bottom for now, my full length skegs keep the bottom skin a couple of inches above the gravel, and I only do still water, so larger rocks and boulders shouldn't be a concern. Although, I did run into a half sunken log pretty good at Gibbs, but no visible damage. Just curious, where's a good place to get the graphite powder? As far as plans go, I really didn't have actual plans. I looked at lots of designs online, and finally decided I liked the Hudson Spring Pram "Flycaster" from Red Barn Boats. They offer a free download of a cutout that can be made into a scale model of the boat. The only problem was that the Flycaster is 9ft and I wanted 8ft. So I tweaked the dimension and built an 8ft scale model of somewhat my own design. I tank tested the model with scale weight and the trim and stability seemed right, so I used an architect's scale to convert the dimensions to full scale. Sort of a round about process, but I enjoy that sort of thing.
I assume most any shop that deals in boatbuilding supplies carries the graphite powder. But I'm way the hell and gone out in the boonies and it is a 200 mile round trip to the nearest shop. So I mail order and get all of my supplies from Raka, Inc down in Florida. I use (and really like) their epoxy resin, fiberglass cloth, tape, etc. And even with shipping it is much cheaper than going to town and paying high prices at West Marine. They sell graphite powder along with a full stock of other epoxy fillers as well. Buy the small package-a little goes a long way. Guys building on a budget might want to check out Raka. They sell a 6 qt kit of resin and hardener for $98 plus shipping. West Marine sells a gallon of 105 resin and a quart of 205 or 206 hardener for around $140. Cloth and other supplies are correspondingly reasonable. Ive
Ive, Thanks for the tip, Raka looks like a great resource. I'm in town, so I bought my materials on the local market, and paid full price. I will be ordering from them in the future.
