The Mallard Boat

Vinalester resin is a superior product for a fiberglass resin part, But not for wood.

You need the bonding and flexability of the epoxy when sheathing over a wood hull.

Ask Sam what he is using now for a brand. I know in the past it was System 3 or West, but I dont know now.
Others have had luck with the rest of the copy cat makers at lower price but I dont keep track. We use those two at work because call backs are more costly than the money saved buying the cheaper product.

I can picture that salmon trolling in the AM hours. Your 8 will move it just not fast.
 
Dave,

Glad to hear you found the best design for your needs. Seems no one boat can do it all. After crabbing and fishing with my 2 boys, I keep thinking I could really use a Snow Goose. But I also like being married....

It is interesting to hear Sam's recommendation on the Meranti. It is a good bit cheaper than Okoume. I used Meranti for the hull of my BB2 (and the deck over the bow, since it is made from the hull scrap) for the exact reason mentioned. The bulkheads and reamaining deck are from okoume because it is lighter.

Enoy your build!

-Bill
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Bill,

Sam has been reccommending Meranti for quite some time, at least 7-8 years. The only reason he was big on Okoume in his book was that at the time, it was the only decent stuff available - Fir had gone way down hill and none of the other tropicals were reliably good other than okoume. I've always felt that meranti was superior for our use - stronger and more rot resistant. I built just the same as you - Meranti for everything, but the bulkheads.

Get working on that snowgoose.

T
 
I believe the dodger was built and sewn by David Clark, but I am not sure. He may chime in.


In the picture the decoy bag on the bow makes it look bigger. There are two boys under the hood.




 
I rode my harley down to Devlin Boats this morning and sat down with Sam for awhile. We talked about MY style of hunting, where I go, what else I want a boat for and many other things. I traded my Mallard plans in for Cackler plans. Sam gave me some modifications he had planned for the boat, but had not added to the blupeprints yet. We talked about changing a few things here and there.

Sam also gave me a couple of contacts for buying materials at wholesale prices for his customers. I will send them along if anyone is interested. They are in Seattle and Port Townsend. Not too handy for folks outside of out immediate area. Sam also told me he recommends using Meranti or Keruing plywood. I had never heard of either of those species. He said they are "harder" then the usual marine plywood and gives a better hull strength. The bulkheads and transom don't matter so much. I will run up to Eldensaw (Port Townsend) tomorrow and get my materials.

I MAY have this completed by this fall, I don't know. I am also training to compete in the World Games this summer in Vancouver, BC. That is taking a lot of my time.

Dave

Good choice on the Cackler, I've been working on a modified Cackler myself for the past year or so.

Duckboat-1JPG.jpg


I added 1 foot in length, 4" beam and made a full transom to mount the outboard all the way aft. On the home stretch now. Don't hesitate to post questions. I bought my wood from Edensaw great company, I used US Composites for the resin which I like a lot.


John
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My neighbor across the street has an extra gallon of MAS resin. I am planning to use WEST resin. Does anyone know if I can use one over the other? I mrean after it cures for subsequent coats? Or should I stay with the same brand all the way through. The reason I like the WEST stuff is because they sell it very near to where I work and it is handy.

I won't get to it for a week or so. I have to go back to work tomorrow.

Today I got the plywood scarfed and bonded together. My neighbor helped me. He has a power planer. Scarfing went a lot quicker than I had imagined. We had the sheets scarfed and bonded together in about an hour. That power planer sure makes a lot of saw dust! My neighbor is a carpenter. He kept commenting on the quality of the plywood. I guess I have a good start. I didn't get my Harley far enough out of the way before I started. I had to wash it after were through. It was covered with dust.

After a good washing, I felt it necessary to ride it to the tavern. What can I say?

Dave
 
You mentioned cost a few times but then comment on West epoxy. Don't get me wrong, that is great stuff, just very pricey. I have used this epoxy several times and so have several friends with no issues. Much cheaper, even when you consider shipping. Just mentioning it for a possible alternative if you choose to look.

http://www.uscomposites.com/

Oh, and watch the meranti (or any other exotic plywood) slivers, those damn things get infected almost the minute they get into your skin.

good luck, let's see some pic's.
 
Wow, US Composites is significantly cheaper.... Just ordered on-line WS 105 and 206 2 gallons plus harder was $229 delivered.... could have saved $100! Has anyone compared the West System to this? What is the trade off? Dave
 
I much prefer the US Composites, I like the 2:1 mix ratio, easier to keep track of and easier to mix small batches. Most of my boat was with USC, the last portion has been with West Systems which is a pain in small batches. I had very good no-blush results with the USC. They only sell west System in my local shop and I was in a hurry or I would have bought more USC.

Question; Can I combine West System fast and slow hardeners 50/50 to make a medium fast mix?

thanks,

John
 
John,

Can't tell you about West but when I used RAKA Epoxies I almost always mixed hardners to get the desired cure time based on the ambient temperature. If it was cold I mixed it hot (faster) and if it was 90 degrees in the shade I used all slow and varying amounts in between.

I have used RAKA several times and will again. Larry, the owner is knowledgeable and makes sure you have everything you need. I think his pricing is very near US Composites and both are WAY cheaper the West.
 
Hey all:

The bread is profing and the oven is heating up so here goes.

You made the right choice not building the Mallard. I got one, and for what it gets used for its great. A long round trip is 5 miles, lakes and ponds only. With the Tanana river running @ 6 MPH, I wouldn't want to go up stream at all. The 15 hp pushes it but not a lot faster than a 9.9, and I'd guess a 5 - 71/2 would be perfect.

RAKA is my favorite. West has a place in anchorage and a local place in Fairbanks, its about 50% higher. RAKA's 6 gal kit came in delivered, for less than 5 gal in anchorage plus shipping, the local guy wasn't even close. The support was fine, and boats, Robber, Hummer, major repairs on the Mallard, and some on my A.A. Widgeon, turned out fine.

Best of luck with your project.
 
Here are some pictures of my project. Here is the plywood being scarfed. I have never done this before. View attachment scarfing2.jpg


I cut the bulkheads out yesterday. View attachment boatpieces.jpg

I have started to stitch the thing together. I ran out of wire so I had to stop for the night. View attachment assembly.jpg

Tomorrow I will finish stitching the hull together if I can find some help to hold things while I drill holes. My project is coming along nicely so far. Tomorrow is Monday so the fiberglass place will be open and I will be able to get some resin and wood flour.

Dave
 
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Thanks Eric. I will look into the other resin. I don't know much about this stuff. I had no idea the WEST stuff was more expensive. I thought WEST was some certain KIND of resin, not a brand.

Dave
 
Dave,

Wow! Looks likes you are off to a good start. I'm looking foward to seeing the Cackler come together!

Take care,
Bill
 
Here is my progress for today. I bought some wire today so I was able to stitch more pieces together. I don't have any epoxy yet so I wired the transom and front piece on without any epoxy. I pinned the middle piece in so I could get a feel for how the boat was fitting together. I plan on taking that stuff off again and epoxying the joints properly before I use the 4 and 6 inch tape at the joints.

My weekend is Tuedsay, Wednesday and Thursday. I will be riding my motorcycle around the mountains for two days so the boat will have to sit a bit. Having the bulkhead in the middle may help shape the sides after a few days so they will be easier to re-install. They were a real bugger to get in there. I had no idea plywood would bend that much. View attachment boat622.jpg

My boat measures 14 ft 1 inch. 2 inches shorter than the plans say. Maybe with trim or whatever comes later, it will be 14' 3"? This thing is beginning to look like a boat, anyway.

Dave
 
Thanks Eric. I will look into the other resin. I don't know much about this stuff. I had no idea the WEST stuff was more expensive. I thought WEST was some certain KIND of resin, not a brand.

Dave
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No problem, good luck, pictures look good so far.

keep posting them
 
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