JD Sneakbox Renovation

Joe

Looks like you and a lot of others here working on boats are in the final stretch. That is going to be a nice craft come duck season.

Eric
 
Joe~


If you time everything right, those little buggers can provide the anti-skid for your floorboards!


All the best,


SJS

 
Joe
I built a sneakbox sailing model cedar planked from plans by J Howard Perrine circa 1911 can be seen an article in the shooting sportsman
titled Down Barneget way. I love to hunt with dobble hammer guns,classic clothing and boats.
Best Bill Perry
 
The port bow is an inch and a half higher than the starboard bow / side. I am sure that the fiberglass hull was cast off a plug made from an old sailing sneakbox that might have been a bit out of shape.

I tried a test sample using 1/2" white Pex for the grass rails. Not traditional but it will work and will not rot for sure. If it takes paint it will be a durable substitute.

Joe
View attachment IMG_0141.jpg
 
Good morning, Joe~


Interesting idea with the Pex. I would experiment a bit to get paint to stick. I might scuff sand with 220, wash with acetone, then spray with one of the Krylons or Rustoleums with "Fusion technology" that sticks to plastics. Try scratching it off after a few days of cure.


If that fails, you may need to flash heat with a torch immediately before applying paint - so the surface is chemically receptive to the paint.


Also - because the Pex is round in cross-section, you may need to lash each grass bundle. I would be concerned that there's not enough friction to keep the grass in place. - especially if the Pex is not stiff enough to maintain a constant space between the bottom of the rail and the deck (which is why I have not used PVC lumber for thatch rails).



BTW: An entirely different approach would be to abandon traditional thatch rails and instead run 2 rows (more or less parallel) of 1/4-inch shock cord - held to the deck every 12 inches or so with strap eyes. Bundles of thatch would be lashed to each row. This is how I thatch my gunning coffins. I would still run central thatch rails down the foredeck and the afterdeck. They are great for mounting hardware and nav lights (at least up forward).



All the best,


SJS

 
I was doing a plumbing job this week and I noticed that Pex snaps into clamps that screw into wood framing. It has about 1/4" standoff similar to grass rails. Pex is fairly rigid, especially when cold. I was going to use the Fusion paint which comes in flat camo colors. I could wrap the shock cord around the Pex. It might just work.

Joe
 
Saw a boat years ago the had netting cut to shape and ty wrapped down. The grass was tied to the net with sisal twine. Looked clean.
Saw a boat in southbay that had a metal frame with netting covered in iron grass. It was removed after season and put in the garage. Next season only thin parts had to be laced in. Neat idea...
 
Good morning, Joe~


Looks great! Your photo certainly shows how these Sneakboxes are but a little slip of a vessel. It reminded me of the time we gunned mine outside of Jones Inlet - for sea ducks - laying in light winds but 6-foot swells. It tested my faith in Archimedes.....


All the best,


SJS

 
I had a similar experience with a 13' Widgeon. We could only go 15 mph and we had a following sea at about 25 mph. The waves were washing over the stern. No water made it into the cockpit. That little coaming did its job. Fortunately we were in the bay. I don't want to think about what the ocean would have been like.


Joe
 
Thank you Bill. I have to say I enjoyed the task. I made no mistakes in the project thanks to Steve doing all the engineering and graciously sharing it with me.

Joe
 
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