Brad Taylor (NC)
Well-known member
So many of you probably saw my previous post that included the boat I finished for a customer as well as the boat I just built for myself.
Well, the boat I built for my last customer wasn't your normal customer! I've known this for awhile but wanted to wait until I had color photos to share. Imagine my surprise when I came home to find a certified letter notice in my mail box from the Department of Homeland Security. Had me a little worried the next day at work until I could pick it up for sure!Turns out my latest "customer" was actually one of the 35 or so boats bought by the USCG this year for testing! I met with my normal CG guy the other day for my normal check in and he told me they were testing a number of "duck" boats this year.
I have never taken a boat in for the voluntary testing for several reasons, not because I was afraid or wasn't interested. The problem was, I only build a couple per year. If I were take a customer's boat in I was afraid that with being submerged for 24 hours that water would seep into every little crack and saturate areas of wood that would never dry and lead to an early demise. Secondly, I run all of my electrical with the sides off, so in order to not destroy the electronics, it would all have to run after the boat had gone through testing and sides were on. So my only other option would be to build one to spec that would basically be sacrificial, which on a teacher's salary was out of the question. So in turn, I did my calculations carefully and always erred on the side of caution and rated it down in persons/gear capacity from what I came up with.
Regardless, I am proud to say she passed all hp rating, person's rating, capacity rating and stability/floatation tests.
I got dinged for four minor non compliance issues. Two of them were on the capacity label, the manufacture's name Toller Boatworks wasn't an 1/8 of inch tall and an oversight on my part where I forgot to include the word motor on the XXX lbs of persons, motor, gear. The other two were with lights. The bow light must be marked USCG 2 NM, I use the Seasense LED bow light which can be purchased in stainless, black and white. For whatever reason, I could not find the black for a reasonable price this year so I bought the stainless...and neglected to tape over the USCG 2NM stamping when I painted it black. Lastly the stern all around light must be 1 meter above the bow light. I use the Max It Out LED stern light which comes in at 40". I've mounted it higher before but without thinking mounted on the hunt deck thus putting me under a meter above the bow light. Easy enough fix, although I'm working with the owner of Max It Out to produce a 48" version as I really want to keep using them but don't like placing them on the coaming beside the running seat as it puts the light in your side view while running.
Here she is with 6500 lbs of weight and 3" of freeboard remaining to test maximum capacity.
Filled with water and simulated motor, battery and fuel weight.
Port Stability Listing test...
And finally starboard stability listing test...
If anyone is in the market for a new wooden boat with a little testing on her, from my understanding she will soon be up for sale to the public through the contracting agency the USCG uses []
Brad
Well, the boat I built for my last customer wasn't your normal customer! I've known this for awhile but wanted to wait until I had color photos to share. Imagine my surprise when I came home to find a certified letter notice in my mail box from the Department of Homeland Security. Had me a little worried the next day at work until I could pick it up for sure!Turns out my latest "customer" was actually one of the 35 or so boats bought by the USCG this year for testing! I met with my normal CG guy the other day for my normal check in and he told me they were testing a number of "duck" boats this year.
I have never taken a boat in for the voluntary testing for several reasons, not because I was afraid or wasn't interested. The problem was, I only build a couple per year. If I were take a customer's boat in I was afraid that with being submerged for 24 hours that water would seep into every little crack and saturate areas of wood that would never dry and lead to an early demise. Secondly, I run all of my electrical with the sides off, so in order to not destroy the electronics, it would all have to run after the boat had gone through testing and sides were on. So my only other option would be to build one to spec that would basically be sacrificial, which on a teacher's salary was out of the question. So in turn, I did my calculations carefully and always erred on the side of caution and rated it down in persons/gear capacity from what I came up with.
Regardless, I am proud to say she passed all hp rating, person's rating, capacity rating and stability/floatation tests.
I got dinged for four minor non compliance issues. Two of them were on the capacity label, the manufacture's name Toller Boatworks wasn't an 1/8 of inch tall and an oversight on my part where I forgot to include the word motor on the XXX lbs of persons, motor, gear. The other two were with lights. The bow light must be marked USCG 2 NM, I use the Seasense LED bow light which can be purchased in stainless, black and white. For whatever reason, I could not find the black for a reasonable price this year so I bought the stainless...and neglected to tape over the USCG 2NM stamping when I painted it black. Lastly the stern all around light must be 1 meter above the bow light. I use the Max It Out LED stern light which comes in at 40". I've mounted it higher before but without thinking mounted on the hunt deck thus putting me under a meter above the bow light. Easy enough fix, although I'm working with the owner of Max It Out to produce a 48" version as I really want to keep using them but don't like placing them on the coaming beside the running seat as it puts the light in your side view while running.
Here she is with 6500 lbs of weight and 3" of freeboard remaining to test maximum capacity.
Filled with water and simulated motor, battery and fuel weight.
Port Stability Listing test...
And finally starboard stability listing test...
If anyone is in the market for a new wooden boat with a little testing on her, from my understanding she will soon be up for sale to the public through the contracting agency the USCG uses []
Brad