Jon Yenulonis
Well-known member
I finally had a chance to dig out my 'ole ZT Widgeon this afternoon. It sat all winter under several tarps and stringers. None the worse for wear. One little spot that was a little damp, but no damage.
Over the next few months, give or take, I'm going to be refurbishing her up and getting her ready for next season. I already have nice, removable decoy racks and a good solid hatch. Boat has been custom fitted to the old, galvanized second hand, freebie trailer, and I believe I have most all of the materials I'll need.
Plans will include touching up the paint on the decking. When I built this boat, I intentionally did not glass the top because I love the look of the wood. On the inside, where it can't really be seen, I gave the entire boat two good coats of marine Spar Varnish and it's held up well. Where it can be seen, I also painted her with Dead Marsh Grass enamel. I will touch up the fibreglass here and there, although that need appears to be minimal. The last thing I did to her a few years ago, was add three white oak runners along the bottom. One along the keel, and one towards the edge of the bottom of the hull on each side. I'll give those a coat of glass and resin, then paint them for a little added protection. I may even add a thin aluminum strip to the bottom of those runners for even more protection against the rocks and mud.
Next will be a fancy shmancy Dodger. I really like the one Dave Diefenderfer has on his boat, and he was kind enough to share step by step photos of how he and his Mother fabricated his. I do plan however, on making all of the attachement hardware that I can with what I have available, and buying as little as necessary, (trying to keep with the "homemade" tradition I have going). I have a couple of aluminum poles, plenty of small pieces of aluminum angles and such to fabricate the attachement points. I dug up some old medium duty marine canvas material in a dark tan that should be perfect for it. It came from an old blind I made for a boat I used to have. It's in plenty good shape and even has a few spray-painted pseudo camo stripes here and there.
After that will be a little wiring. I want to add a small battery and running lights so I'll be legal on the local public lakes. I'll probably add a 12v plug for a phone charger or light or what have you.
Somewhere along the refurbish I wall add a good, solid oak outboard bracket. I then have to find a good old lightweight 2 stroke, around 5 hp to power her with. I definitely want a motor with F-N-R and preferrably with a built-in gas tank, but I'll have to shop around and figure exactly what will work best.
Although this whole project shouldn't be anything different or spectacular, I'll be sure to post plenty of photos as I go along.
Jon
Over the next few months, give or take, I'm going to be refurbishing her up and getting her ready for next season. I already have nice, removable decoy racks and a good solid hatch. Boat has been custom fitted to the old, galvanized second hand, freebie trailer, and I believe I have most all of the materials I'll need.
Plans will include touching up the paint on the decking. When I built this boat, I intentionally did not glass the top because I love the look of the wood. On the inside, where it can't really be seen, I gave the entire boat two good coats of marine Spar Varnish and it's held up well. Where it can be seen, I also painted her with Dead Marsh Grass enamel. I will touch up the fibreglass here and there, although that need appears to be minimal. The last thing I did to her a few years ago, was add three white oak runners along the bottom. One along the keel, and one towards the edge of the bottom of the hull on each side. I'll give those a coat of glass and resin, then paint them for a little added protection. I may even add a thin aluminum strip to the bottom of those runners for even more protection against the rocks and mud.
Next will be a fancy shmancy Dodger. I really like the one Dave Diefenderfer has on his boat, and he was kind enough to share step by step photos of how he and his Mother fabricated his. I do plan however, on making all of the attachement hardware that I can with what I have available, and buying as little as necessary, (trying to keep with the "homemade" tradition I have going). I have a couple of aluminum poles, plenty of small pieces of aluminum angles and such to fabricate the attachement points. I dug up some old medium duty marine canvas material in a dark tan that should be perfect for it. It came from an old blind I made for a boat I used to have. It's in plenty good shape and even has a few spray-painted pseudo camo stripes here and there.
After that will be a little wiring. I want to add a small battery and running lights so I'll be legal on the local public lakes. I'll probably add a 12v plug for a phone charger or light or what have you.
Somewhere along the refurbish I wall add a good, solid oak outboard bracket. I then have to find a good old lightweight 2 stroke, around 5 hp to power her with. I definitely want a motor with F-N-R and preferrably with a built-in gas tank, but I'll have to shop around and figure exactly what will work best.
Although this whole project shouldn't be anything different or spectacular, I'll be sure to post plenty of photos as I go along.
Jon
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