Sneakbox Renovation

[Paul Meisenheimer]

Just a thought on oar length...I've done a bit of rowing over the years, including sneakboxes. My feeling is that the shaw and tenney formula works well for rowboats with a gunwale well above the water but I find the oars so sized a bit long in a sneakbox. They tend to drag without making a conscious effort to feather them and keep your hands low on the recovery stroke. Sometimes it isn't possible because you get jammed against your legs, or the cockpit coaming. Because of the variation in sneakbox decks and oarlock holders, trial and error works best for me.

I found this response quite interesting. I spent a lot of time rowing about on Lake Superior when I was younger. I normally used 7.5' or 8' oars that we made ourselves. They always had spoon blades and I was taught to always feather them on the return. I rowed several boats ranging from an 8' dinghy to a 19' three seat dory but I didn't ever row close to the water like a sneakboat.

I am planning to build a very small dinghy for duck hunting that is fairly low to the water and your comments will factor into the setup. I want to deck it and have a small cockpit combing so I will have to consider this. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

 

[Steve Sanford]

Good morning, SJ~

Your observations ring true - from my experience rowing my Great South Bay Scooter since I was a youth. Another practical consideration with any decked-over vessel is stowage. Oars that are too long can be a challenge to stow quickly - as when you row out to retrieve birds then get set to hide again. I believe my Scooter oars are 6-footers. I am curious to see how my Sneakbox rows with the new oarlock locations (several inches wider than original) AND I am about to make my combination backrest/rowing seat. I am hoping to sit at least 4 inches above the floorboards.

All the best,

SJS

 

[Steve Sanford]

All~

Thanks for the kind words and appreciation.

Just a few small tasks here - been pulled in a few other directions of late - including installing AC in my shop. I decided last summer that - for the end of July and the beginning of August, drier, cooler air in the shop would be a big help.

I installed the Beckson Deck Plates (4-inch) in the aft bulkhead because I was all done fastening through the deck (the thatch rails).


As per Beckson's instructions, I bedded them in silicone - not 3M 5200. I apply a liberal bead to ensure their air-tightness.

I primed them with Rustoleum Camo spray paint before installation. They have since been top-coated with Pettit 3303.

The Bail for holding the forward (upper) end of my push-pole is just some heavy galvanized wire wrapped in tarred nylon decoy line.

It is fastened through the deck with 1/4-inch s/s carriage bolts bedded in 3M 5200.

Here it is all painted.

The aft push-pole Chock has also gotten 2 coats of 3303.

Now it gets a keeper made from 1/4-inch shock cord.

I use s/s hog rings to crimp the loop on the shock cord. Regular slip-joint pliers suffice.

I wrap (whip) the crimped section with tarred marline - to protect my hand or gloves from the hog rings - and to add a bit more "salt" to the rig....

When gunning - with frequent use of the pole - the keeper is beneath the push-pole handle - and protects from chafe.

When traveling, the keeper goes over top and snugs the pole down. Over the years - without a keeper - I have lost 2 poles when running wide open for long distances. I think the wake can grab the duckbill and pull it right out.

All the best,

SJS

 

[Steve Sanford]

All~

As promised, I have been sewing some canvas - and working on a few of the loose ends/finishing touches.

I began with the lap cover.

Sunbrella Tresco Birch is a color that would hide well in many habitats.

I basically re-created the lap cover I had used previously. It snaps across the aft coaming and is held in place for gunning with a bar-and-chock arrangement.

This is my first time installing snaps. I bought the $12 "occasional" tool - instead of the $100+ pliers. The simple tool worked fine - and was more than adequate for my volume.

I used a drill with an 1/8-inch brad point bit to make the 4 necessary holes. However, before I began work on the spray dodger, Dave Diefenderfer explained how he heats a nail with a torch to melt holes through the canvas. A much superior approach which I have since adopted!

Four snaps across the aft end hold it in place - usually for the whole season.

A section of an old broom handle is held by a pair of chocks inside the coamings about mid-cockpit. When hiding, I can set gloves or binoculars on the canvas because it is taut and supported by the bar. When I sit up to shoot, the bar pops up and out without a thought.

The webbing holds the thatch. I will lash bundles to it along its length - including forward of the bar so thatched canvas covers my chest when I'm hiding.

Tacking webbing on is my least favorite canvas job.....

I melted the ends of the webbing with a flat tip on my soldering iron.

The tool works well, but..... It takes a long time - several minutes - to fully heat up. I am concerned that I will get distracted and forget I have a hot tool sitting on my bench unattended. It does not get hot enough to "cut" the fabric (and seal the edge) - my original intended use. So, I may decide to upgrade this in the future.

I roll the lap cover onto the stern deck when operating the vessel.

I have been getting both pairs of oars in shape. For these spruce oars, I reinforced the vulnerable tips with epoxy+Dynel+powdered aluminum+powdered graphite. You can just make out the slightly thicker tips.

I also lubed and nourished the leathers with lanolin.

The Ash oars are pinned. I have removed the oarlocks, stripped the varnish from them, and then coated them with linseed oil. They will get another coat of linseed before they are reassembled.


I like these rugged buckets (from Tractor Supply) because their flat edge allows for efficient bailing. I did not want the steel bail rusting and clanging, however. So, I spliced on this piece of 1/4-inch nylon instead. BTW: I have a conventional ThirstyMate bilge pump, too. The bucket would more effective in a catastrophic swamping - but also comes in handy for many other uses.

This Backrest/Rowing Bench worked out better than anticipated. I was able to strike the right combination of dimensions so it would:

1) give me the proper angle - 50 degrees for me - when hiding

2) give me a rowing seat about 5 inches above the floorboards

3) wedge between the forward coaming and the floorboard at the intended angle AND not need a chock to hold the lower edge in place. (The rest/bench in my Dad's Scooter was set up this way but I have never been able to replicate the critical dimensions in other boats.)

Note how it just fits under the coaming.

I have not yet found the right foam. I'm thinking 1-inch thick closed cell would be about right. It will get glued to the seat top.

I am ALMOST done with the spray dodger, but....my 40-year old Sears Kenmore sewing machine (wedding gift from my parents) quit yesterday (I'm thinking clutch). Although it has served me well for lots of canvas - and I will have it repaired - I am treating myself to a Sailrite machine - a tool designed specifically for canvas work. So, the full story of the dodger will have to wait until the next post.

And, since I could not complete the dodger, I began work on a hatch for the cockpit. I will use a canvas cockpit cover during the gunning season but this hard cover will provide much better protection off-season - especially from rodents and insects.

It surely is a lovely time of year.....

All the best,

SJS

 

[Capt Rich Geminski]

Excellent work as usual. Back rest / rowing bench is cool...

 

[Dave Diefenderfer]

The Bail for holding the forward (upper) end of my push-pole is just some heavy galvanized wire wrapped in tarred nylon decoy line.

It is fastened through the deck with 1/4-inch s/s carriage bolts bedded in 3M 5200.

Here it is all painted.

Steve, what gauge wire are you using and where do you find it?

 

[Eric Patterson]

Steve

For your foam search consider GI bedmats from an Army surplus store. I have laminated them with Rubber Contact Cement (Original formulation) to get thicker padding and it holds up like nobody's business. It machines very well with a router for nice clean edges too.

Eric

 

[Steve Sanford]

Good morning, Dave~

I have had this roll of heavy wire in the shop for decades. It looks like either 10 or 8 gauge. I'm sure I got it from some hardware store.

All the best,

SJS

 

[Steve Sanford]

Good morning, Eric~

Thanks for the recommendation - esp. re machining the edges. I think I have a brand new one kicking around somewhere. I have used them in my duckboats for decades and I have one in the shop just for laying on the ground - under truck or tractor or trailer - as needed. Long ago, one of my gunning partners dubbed them Old Man's Pads - to make laying in a grassboat all day a bit more possible.

All the best,

SJS

 

[Shawn Linn]

Really nice canvas work Steve, I think you will enjoy your new sailrite machine. The one my buddy Bob uses is scary fast and with the binding attachments available really makes the work easy. Looking forward to the update.

 

[Steve Sanford]

All~

Whilst waiting for my new sewing machine to arrive from Indiana - probably this coming Monday afternoon - I made a storage Hatch to cover the cockpit of my Sneakbox during the off-season.

My plan is to store the Spray Dodger, Lap Cover, Motor Cover, other gear and decoys right in the boat - along with a fresh box of mothballs - off season. The Pushpole will be stored inside - hung from the shop ceiling - because it is too long to fit inside the boat.

The sides are 1/2-inch AC plywood, the top is 1/4-inch AC and the ends and frames are clear lengths of pine I cut out of some knotty pieces. It will be sheathed with 4-ounce 'glass cloth in epoxy resin and then painted inside and out when done. It will probably be held in place with brass hooks-and-eyes.

The easiest way to make this was to build it right on the boat. It needed to fit the shape of the coaming and be just a bit loose.

So, I began by making a set of spacers from 1/8-inch Masonite (MDF). Their purpose was to ensure that the hatch would be just a bit larger left-to-right than the coamings themselves.

So, the side boards were clamped to the coamings with 5 spacers each.

I also needed to leave some space between the aft coaming and the Hatch because of the 4 snaps I installed there for the Lap Cover.

The top edges of the side boards were beveled on the table saw - to match the crown of the Hatch.

The end pieces were beveled to mate with the side boards and then the crown of the deck was scribed onto their lower edges.

Once all 5 frames were fitted or width, the crown was cut on each.

Before all the pieces were glued and screwed together, the inner edges of the sides and ends were rounded over on the router table. Both lower edges of the 3 frames were rounded, too.

I covered the coamings, decks and floorboards with waxed paper before breaking out the glue. For this job, I just used Titebond II.

The top was glued to the frames and fastened with 1-inch staples via the pneumatic stapler. The stapler makes quick work - just a few minutes - and avoids lots of pounding compared with hammer and nails.

I made this jig to locate the edge of the sides so I could draw it on the top before stapling the top to the sides.

I set the skilsaw on "shallow drive" to trim the excess top.

Except for the bottom edges of the sides and ends - which I kept square so that the 'glass cloth would not pull away - all other edges were rounded over with a router and the orbital sander.

U. S. Composites 3:1 Medium Hardener Epoxy was mixed with their Fairing Compound (Cabosil + Microballoons) to fill all the holes and knots. I purposely put the "bad" (C face) side of the sides and top out because I could easily fill and fair them. They would get covered with plenty of resin and 'glass. The interior, however, just gets paint - so it is easier to get a nice finish inside this way.

As usual, the first filling and fairing caught 90 percent of the blemishes. A second round was needed to get everything ready for 'glass. Both steps were sanded with 60-grit on the orbital sander.


The interior got a prime coat tinted pale Grey.

The exterior and the bottom of the edges got the first "sealer" coat of resin. I cut my full-size roller covers in half and use a small frame for better control - and twice the life from the covers.

The next step is to carefully sand this coat with 100-grit - then apply the 4-ounce cloth and its resin. My non-boating neighbor - a very skilled woodworker and mechanic - wants to learn how to apply 'glass over plywood - so he will be my helper/student for that step.


All the best,

SJS

 

[Steve Sanford]

Shawn et al~


After a brief interlude sans operable sewing machine, I just completed my Spray Dodger.

The Lap Cover was rolled out of the way - onto the stern deck - during this process.

I use 1/2-inch thin-wall conduit (= EMT = Electrical Metallic Tubing) for my bows. In many ways, it is the most difficult part of the job. A full-size jig is needed to bend the steel around. I drew the pattern full-size onto the floor - traditional "lofting". Then I sawed out the 3 legs of the jig and screwed them to the floor. (One important reason why boat shops should have wooden floors.)

I hold top-dead-center down with a simple wooden cleat. I fastened hose clamps to the ends of the conduit so I could lash some line to the ends. Then I pulled the conduit around the jig with the line. Once "mostly there", I screwed some more chocks to the floor and worked everything in to where I wanted it. The conduit has a bit of "spring back" but is easy enough to pull into the toe rail on the deck.

I bent this dog-leg into the ends in the vise, then rounded the ends with my angle grinder and drilled the holes for the hinge pins. The steel hardware here is temporary - but the nylon spacer is an important component.

I propped the bow up with my old strut - just to establish the dimensions. The bow has been sprayed with Rustoleum self-etching primer. The ends ultimately got a coat of Pettit 3303.

I used some old plastic to make a pattern - held to the toe rail and bow with SeamStick - which is a double-sided tape normally used for basting, i.e., holding the canvas in place until it can be sewed. The plastic worked well but next time I will invest in some Dura-Skrim - a reinforced plastic made as pattern stock. ( http://www.sailrite.com/Dura-Skrim-2-Patterning-Material-74 )

I wrote plenty of notes about hems et cetera right on the pattern.

I checked my port side pattern on the starboard side. I never assume things are as symmetrical as they should be. In this case, both sides were the same - so I did not need to make a separate pattern for starboard.

I trimmed to pattern to the finished size.....

...then I transferred lots of notes to each piece so I can maintain the appropriate orientation.

After sewing port and starboard sides together, I sewed the bottom hem and then installed the snaps.

Here is how I finish the back corners.

Thanks to Dave Diefenderfer, I now "bore" the holes with a hot nail. Held firmly in Vise-Grips, the nail gets red hot in seconds with my Bernzomatic torch. I folded and aligned the canvas and so was able to bore 2 holes - port and starboard sides - at once.

The post on the button squeezes up between a nice heat-sealed edge - and then the snap is peened down for keeps.

The studs are fastened to the toe rail AFTER all of the snaps are installed in the canvas. I work from the center outward.

I use spring clamps to get the top hem - which is really a generous pocket that will contain the bow - roughly in place. Then I pull the hem taut and mark it inside. I use the SeamStick basting tape once the canvas is back flat on the bench.

Since my 40-year-old Sears Kenmore gave up the ghost at this juncture, I ordered a new machine from Sailrite. I got the Ultrafeed LSZ-1 - their basic machine but with the zig-zag feature.

The "walking foot" on the new machine really gives great control on the canvas. The hem and the webbing are now sewn down as they should be.

I added the webbing "just in case". I typically do not hunt with the Dodger up. I fold it down after crossing the bay and then hunt "supine" - lying on my back against a headrest - to disappear next to the low salt meadows. But, in the event that I hunt next to tall cover, I can now stuff the appropriate vegetation into the pockets in the webbing.

Here is the finish hardware. Although the brass may not get along well - in the galvanic sense - with the steel over time, its color will match the saltmarsh soon enough - and I wanted the acorn nut inside to preclude chafes or cuts.

I first used a piece of scrap pine to fit the final strut.

It's OK to use Red Oak - not as rot-resistant as White Oak - for a job like this. I wanted a wood that would withstand lots of handling.


The notch fits onto the toe rail and the "finger hole" gives me a good grip for wedging it into place - or removing it. As I did with my last strut, a force fit - working against the very slight stretch of the canvas - allows me to do without fasteners. Because of the geometry, the strut really cannot escape without my help.

The upper ends fits within a canvas pocket and mates with the conduit.

Here is the finished strut - ready for paint.

This shows how the Push Pole stows just outboard of the Dodger - whether it is up or down.

One last feature was a loop of webbing right at the fold on the lowered canvas.

The Sunbrella is stiff enough to stay upright during a hunt. It hides my head and keeps the wind out of the cockpit. I will be making a short roll of thatch (future post) that will get fastened to the folded Dodger during the hunt.

Next: A bit of work on the bottom.

All the best,
SJS

 

[Bill Ferrar]

Steve,
The canvas really finishes the boat nice. I like the clean canvas work..

 

[Tony H]

Shawn et al~


After a brief interlude sans operable sewing machine, I just completed my Spray Dodger.

The Lap Cover was rolled out of the way - onto the stern deck - during this process.

I use 1/2-inch thin-wall conduit (= EMT = Electrical Metallic Tubing) for my bows. In many ways, it is the most difficult part of the job. A full-size jig is needed to bend the steel around. I drew the pattern full-size onto the floor - traditional "lofting". Then I sawed out the 3 legs of the jig and screwed them to the floor. (One important reason why boat shops should have wooden floors.)

I hold top-dead-center down with a simple wooden cleat. I fastened hose clamps to the ends of the conduit so I could lash some line to the ends. Then I pulled the conduit around the jig with the line. Once "mostly there", I screwed some more chocks to the floor and worked everything in to where I wanted it. The conduit has a bit of "spring back" but is easy enough to pull into the toe rail on the deck.

I bent this dog-leg into the ends in the vise, then rounded the ends with my angle grinder and drilled the holes for the hinge pins. The steel hardware here is temporary - but the nylon spacer is an important component.

I propped the bow up with my old strut - just to establish the dimensions. The bow has been sprayed with Rustoleum self-etching primer. The ends ultimately got a coat of Pettit 3303.

I used some old plastic to make a pattern - held to the toe rail and bow with SeamStick - which is a double-sided tape normally used for basting, i.e., holding the canvas in place until it can be sewed. The plastic worked well but next time I will invest in some Dura-Skrim - a reinforced plastic made as pattern stock. ( http://www.sailrite.com/Dura-Skrim-2-Patterning-Material-74 )

I wrote plenty of notes about hems et cetera right on the pattern.

I checked my port side pattern on the starboard side. I never assume things are as symmetrical as they should be. In this case, both sides were the same - so I did not need to make a separate pattern for starboard.

I trimmed to pattern to the finished size.....

...then I transferred lots of notes to each piece so I can maintain the appropriate orientation.

After sewing port and starboard sides together, I sewed the bottom hem and then installed the snaps.

Here is how I finish the back corners.

Thanks to Dave Diefenderfer, I now "bore" the holes with a hot nail. Held firmly in Vise-Grips, the nail gets red hot in seconds with my Bernzomatic torch. I folded and aligned the canvas and so was able to bore 2 holes - port and starboard sides - at once.

The post on the button squeezes up between a nice heat-sealed edge - and then the snap is peened down for keeps.

The studs are fastened to the toe rail AFTER all of the snaps are installed in the canvas. I work from the center outward.

I use spring clamps to get the top hem - which is really a generous pocket that will contain the bow - roughly in place. Then I pull the hem taut and mark it inside. I use the SeamStick basting tape once the canvas is back flat on the bench.

Since my 40-year-old Sears Kenmore gave up the ghost at this juncture, I ordered a new machine from Sailrite. I got the Ultrafeed LSZ-1 - their basic machine but with the zig-zag feature.

The "walking foot" on the new machine really gives great control on the canvas. The hem and the webbing are now sewn down as they should be.

I added the webbing "just in case". I typically do not hunt with the Dodger up. I fold it down after crossing the bay and then hunt "supine" - lying on my back against a headrest - to disappear next to the low salt meadows. But, in the event that I hunt next to tall cover, I can now stuff the appropriate vegetation into the pockets in the webbing.

Here is the finish hardware. Although the brass may not get along well - in the galvanic sense - with the steel over time, its color will match the saltmarsh soon enough - and I wanted the acorn nut inside to preclude chafes or cuts.

I first used a piece of scrap pine to fit the final strut.

It's OK to use Red Oak - not as rot-resistant as White Oak - for a job like this. I wanted a wood that would withstand lots of handling.


The notch fits onto the toe rail and the "finger hole" gives me a good grip for wedging it into place - or removing it. As I did with my last strut, a force fit - working against the very slight stretch of the canvas - allows me to do without fasteners. Because of the geometry, the strut really cannot escape without my help.

The upper ends fits within a canvas pocket and mates with the conduit.

Here is the finished strut - ready for paint.

This shows how the Push Pole stows just outboard of the Dodger - whether it is up or down.

One last feature was a loop of webbing right at the fold on the lowered canvas.

The Sunbrella is stiff enough to stay upright during a hunt. It hides my head and keeps the wind out of the cockpit. I will be making a short roll of thatch (future post) that will get fastened to the folded Dodger during the hunt.

Next: A bit of work on the bottom.

All the best,
SJS

I so hate concrete floors. hahaha

 

[RLLigman]

Nice peening work on the dodger snaps, I split nearly a quarter of them when i try. Do you think installing a small nylon bushing through the conduit and substituting a nylon washer under the acorn nuts would offset longterm galvanic corrosion issues at this site?

 

[Steve Sanford]

Good morning, RL~

re galvanic corrosion: A nylon bushing sounds like a good idea. I probably should have bored the hole a bit more oversize and coated the whole end of the conduit with a thickened epoxy for the same effect. Similarly, I have wondered if there is some chemical barrier/lubricant that would provide an electrochemical barrier.

All the best,

SJS

 

[Brad Bortner]

I want to be like you when I retire.

I think the nylon washer would be good for rotating/swiveling the hoop but I doubt it's needed for corrosion. I don't think you'll be leaving it expos owed to salt water for extended periods or failing to rinse it off.

 

[Capt Rich Geminski]

Had a visit from Steve yesterday while he was on the island. He took a look at my mini fleet in the yard and give me a bunch of info on my project boat. Haven't glassed in a bunch of years and he gave me a ton of info. Gonna try us composites.
Thanks Steve...

 

[RLLigman]

Steve, your thickened epoxy dip approach is likely the better choice, it solves the conductance issue and lends some added strength/support to the conduit bend sites.

 

[Chuck J]

Since my 40-year-old Sears Kenmore gave up the ghost at this juncture, I ordered a new machine from Sailrite. I got the Ultrafeed LSZ-1 - their basic machine but with the zig-zag feature.

The "walking foot" on the new machine really gives great control on the canvas. The hem and the webbing are now sewn down as they should be.

I feel emasculated with tool envy!

It's official (if it wasn't already)...you're in the club. Welcome to the Disparaged Brotherhood of Decoy (and other duck hunting related items) Seamstresses