My mission of late is expounding the virtues and many uses of UHMW. Due to its cost, any scraps are squirreled away for future projects. Since I needed buttons for my oars I thought it would be fun to make some rather than keeping UPS busy. The materials and tools used included .500" uhmw, 3" holesaw, 2" holesaw, 3/16 radius router bit, assorted drill/dremel tool bits and #6 screw w/locknut. The oar wrap in photo is heat shrink. RM
It is so reassuring to see the work of yet another duckboat craftsman with the requisite OCD/fussiness gene....a gift and a curse.....
I am in the middle of 4 gunning vessels right now - but am compelled to use my time on what some might view as :minor details. The motor well on this Arthur Armstrong Blackjack has a drain, but.....
There were two problems I set out to fix. First, the drain was not low enough to drain the well - so a bunch of water would sit there - to freeze in the colder months or grow algae and mosquitoes in the warmer months. (It was also about 1/8-inch off center.) So, I bored it out; set a wooden plug in thickened epoxy; faired everything inside and out; then 'glassed it over with a light cloth nd more epoxy. The new drain will be just a bit above flush inside - to accommodate a lip on the brass drain tube once installed.
The second problem was that the hole was unlined - and exposed the plywood core of the transom. After boring the new hole, I slathered a generous coat of straight epoxy inside the hole - and masked to "work clean".
The new tube will be installed after I repaint the transom and well - and the paint hardens for a couple of days.. It will be bedded in 3M 5200.
BTW: The eye-bolt in the lower transom drain - which needs no remedial action - allows me to lift and turn the hull with my chain hoists.
Steve,
Thank you for the kind words. Birds of a feather do indeed flock together. I may be a little OCD but I make no apologies. Like you and many others on this forum, I truly love making things with little more than my imagination and hands. Thanks also for posting your work which has provided many ideas for my current boat and for future projects. Your drain tube looks awesome and I would not abide standing water either. RM
