Coffin Blind Help/Suggestions

Denny, are the runners to protect the hull while you drag it along? The easiest is to simply add some glass to the existing hull. You can tell from the wear pattern what areas are taking a beating. I did this on a glass kayak I had worn thin... rough up the area and wet out some glass. I added a couple layers of thickness and over painted with epoxy to fill the weave. A little sanding and a rattle can paint job.

If you want runners for tracking I would use some Azek decking or another all plastic deck material. Cut on the table saw as a trapazoid so you have a larger bearing surface on the cull and attach with thickened epoxy. Use a wire wheel on a grinder to really roughen the decking, and clean it with acetone before the epoxy.

For the rail that is cracked.... I would rough it up on the underside and lay in some cloth there. Then grind/clean up the outside and lay some cloth there too, prefilling with thickened epoxy any depressions.
 
Dave,
I'm adding the runners hoping the coffin will pull easier more than to protect the hull.

To attach the runners with the epoxy would you just place a lot of weight on them to hold them in place while the the epoxy hardens? I was afraid I'd have to screw the runners in place?

I'm a fiberglass idiot. I'll have to look up how to do what you describe.

Thanks,
denny
 
I suggest the thickened epoxy because you will be able to make repairs some day.... I would not drill holes. Depending on how much flex you get in the hull, you can use bungie straps, ratch straps, or weight. Sand bags work well as they hold down, but also in postion though you lose some visibilty due to having to cover with plastic first. I would use ratchet straps and weight if I was doing the job.
 
for this small a project, go to Walmart. In the automotive area, where they have the touch-up paint and bondo, they have glass cloth. I think a 3'x3' piece is a couple dollars. Likely a Tractor Supply will have it too. Just use a sharp scissors to cut strips. Buy your own scissors at Walmart too, that way the wife won't complain that you made her's dull....
 
Denny, just re-reading this.... you want the runners so it pulls easier? Over land or towing through water? Easier in what way, less resistance? Runners will help it track perhaps, but I don't know that it will pull easier? Guess it depends on the surface you are pulling it over. Why not add wheels?

Now I say all that, but for several years, John Bourbon and I pulled our poke boats across a lawn, and through the marsh until we could float them....then broke ice with them to get to a blind. Gravel, and stumps to scratch the heck out of them... and so when I could see light through the hull, I added glass as I already described. In hindsight a cart would have been nice, but we were younger and stronger then!
 
You can add wear rails to the bottom so the bottom does not get gouged-up from dragging over whatever. I would get some stripes of white oak about 1" width and 5/8" thick. Start from the two back corners run them parallel to the centerline to where they meet the edge of the bottom near the front. Mark the width of the rails and sand the top coat in these areas. Coat the rail with boat building epoxy as a prime coat. You can let it set-up and if you do, sand the epoxy before bonding. Then mix up epoxy and wet out the bottom area for the rail. Mix some wood flour or bonding additive to the epoxy to a creamy peanut butter thickness. You will need some weights to hold the rail down while the mix sets-up. Make sure you leave room to use a stick or something to make fillets down each side of the rail. If the rails do not go far enough to front. You can a short rail down the center and a little ways past the side rails. You can screw stripes of aluminum to rails if choose. Also, you can sand the bottom an coat it with epoxy. I have added rails to the bottom of a layout boat so the glass would not get cut from pulling it over the gunwales or setting it on something that could damage the bottom.

.
 
I seem to recall seeing somewhere that Brad Taylor had put a very slick plastic runner on a boat or two that he built. A product like that might be the ticket for this purpose. I don't recall the name of the product.
 
Or... you could do what boat builders have done for centuries... cut your runner, Trex slides easier, goop it up with caulk and screw or through bolt onto the bottom.
Easy peasy, and it will last till the cows come home.

No offense to the FG fanatics, but filet a runner?
I can build a new box before all that epoxy stuff cures. lol
 
George, Denny still has not really defined what he wants to pull this over... but you would drill a bunch of holes to mount the runners in something as flexible as a pondbox? The 5200 or other adhesive might be sufficient to hold the runners, but he already commented that he had the epoxy... I would be concerned with flexing and working on any fasteners. Perhaps I am once again over-engineering.... I have been accused of that many times!
 
I've got 2 of these pond boxes I bought about 10 years ago.
I use to pull them quite a bit but now I leave them on a point we hunt for the season.
I just thought I'd fix them up a bit. I'm going to add fencing so I can grass them up.
I'm going to add the runners without spending a ton of time and money.
All the opinions have been really helpful.
Thanks for the help.

denny
 
No problem Denny
I shot a lot of ducks out of one years ago but hated pulling in on the marsh for more than 50 yards.
 
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