Rapchizzle's GF14 - Creek Rat (COMPLETE! 8-23)

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Cracker Larry
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Re: Rapchizzle's GF14 - Creek Rat

Post by Cracker Larry »

I usually kept the tank forward of the center seat and ran the hose through the water drains in the center frames.

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Have you thought about floatation foam locations? I put an additional frame in the extreme bow and filled forward it with foam, and partitioned both seats. The starboard 1/3 of the rear seat is foam filled, the port 1/3 of the center seat, plus the bow section. You can fill this boat with water and it won't sink. We would regularly get it half full while shrimping. No problem.

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Completed GF12 X 2, GF16, OD18, FS18, GF5, GF18, CL6
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cedarock
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Re: Rapchizzle's GF14 - Creek Rat

Post by cedarock »

I almost did exactly what Larry did on the bow but wanted to keep access to the the bolts on the bow eye and cleat. I thought about it and said to myself that a life preserver or cushion will be under there anyway.....it will float more than the boat will weigh!

I concentrated my flotation on the rear and mid seats!

Don't use that life cushion!!!! :lol: It is there to keep the boat afloat!

Rapchizzle
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Re: Rapchizzle's GF14 - Creek Rat

Post by Rapchizzle »

I'm tossing around the idea of using the starboard 1/3 section of the middle seat, the area in front of the motor well, and one of the thirds of the rear seat. I like the idea of leaving the forward portion of the bow clear so that in the event I need to access the bow eye, I don't have to tear everything apart. Then again, if I do it right the first time, why would I need to access the bow eye?

I'm trying to decide what my storage situation will be (if I'll have enough space!) as I'll be trying to house 3 PFDs, 2 throw cushions, boat cleaning supplies, a dry box for registration and fishing licenses, the clamp on navigation and anchor lights, a jug of oil and measuring jar, and perhaps some tools. I'll probably keep the fuel tank in front of the middle seat, with the PFDs, throw cushions and cast net under the bow, and the lights, dry box, etc in the middle seat. The oil, measuring jar, boat cleaning supplies, and tools will go in the 1/3 compartment under the rear seat.

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Cracker Larry
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Re: Rapchizzle's GF14 - Creek Rat

Post by Cracker Larry »

Then again, if I do it right the first time, why would I need to access the bow eye?
Exactly. Not in your lifetime.

There is not much dry space on the boat. Especially if you throw a shrimp net a couple of hours. I carried a plastic ammo type container for tools, flares, wallets and phones. Kept it under the rear seat, plus an anchor and life jackets. Both the rear and center seat storage areas are huge in this boat, you could smuggle illegals in there. Plenty of storage, but plan on tupperware or similar to keep anything dry.

Don't try to plan every detail now, it will be easier when you can see it coming together. Just let it evolve, one step at a time. You know what makes a good boat.
Completed GF12 X 2, GF16, OD18, FS18, GF5, GF18, CL6
"Ships are the nearest things to dreams that hands have ever made." -Robert N. Rose

Rapchizzle
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Re: Rapchizzle's GF14 - Creek Rat

Post by Rapchizzle »

My plywood came in today and I got to measuring quickly after work. I cut the stern panel of the sides with a fine tooth blade on a 7 1/4" circular saw and found out quickly the blade was dull. I'm not very happy with the cuts but I have no doubt I'll be able to remedy that issue when I start putting everything else together. I then switched to a different blade and the cuts were much better.

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My rub rails, spray rails, runners, and cleats all ripped to the correct width. I used 1" x 4"s and 1" x 6"s of Southern Yella Pine and ripped them to the specified widths for each piece.

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I'm using Meranti BS6566 and got 4 sheets of 1/4" and 3 sheets of 1/2".


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My bow floor all measured out and ready to cut.

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My side panels stacked, measured, marked and ready to cut.

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This is when I cut the bow side panels. I fine toothed blade was dull so it made cutting hard and I got some pretty crooked and nasty cuts. I figure that with all the extra epoxy and whatnot I ordered, I'll be able to fill it in to the point it's 100% structurally sound and when it's all done, no one will know but me (and you...) about the crappy cuts. I switched over to another sharper blade for the rest of the cuts. I'm not impressed with using the bigger saw and will try to get a smaller one for the rest of the cuts even though I'm pretty much done with most of the curved cuts.

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I got my side and bottom panels all lined up with the butt blocks ready for glue.

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I have the butt blocks glued and weighted and am looking forward to see how they turn out.

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Crooked cuts on the stern side panels.

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I found this bad boy floating out in front of our island this afternoon! It's a 110 acre undeveloped barrier island so we get anything and EVERYTHING washing up on our beach. I've found a few plugs, good 5 gal buckets, 1 pair of matching flip flops a couple months apart, message in a bottle, hypodermic needles, etc.

I'm already looking forward to tomorrow afternoon and getting back at it!

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Cracker Larry
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Re: Rapchizzle's GF14 - Creek Rat (update 5-15)

Post by Cracker Larry »

Good progress Chris 8)

Nice find on the plug. What did the message in the bottle say :?:
Completed GF12 X 2, GF16, OD18, FS18, GF5, GF18, CL6
"Ships are the nearest things to dreams that hands have ever made." -Robert N. Rose

Rapchizzle
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Re: Rapchizzle's GF14 - Creek Rat (update 5-15)

Post by Rapchizzle »

So I've made my first costly mistake... I glued my buttblocks the wrong way and cannot unstick them to turn and reglue them the correct way. I tried pulling them up when i realized early this morning and they had already cured to the point I cracked the plywood trying to undo my error. I've already got 2 more sheets of 1/4" on the way and will recut the side panels tomorrow evening. I was not happy with my cuts anyways and am not terribly disappointed that I'll get another opportunity to do it correctly this time. I can still use the side panels as scrap and learn from my costly mistake. But hey, this is the first boat I've built so I'm glad that if I were to make a mistake, it'd be early enough for me to catch it!

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Re: Rapchizzle's GF14 - Creek Rat (update 5-15)

Post by Doc_Dyer »

belt sander the blocks off and keep your panels that you have

believe it or not you are not the first one to glue the butt block on the wrong side :wink:
. sanded on a canoe, bought a used boat, stayed at a holiday inn last night

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Cracker Larry
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Re: Rapchizzle's GF14 - Creek Rat (update 5-15)

Post by Cracker Larry »

Nothing butt a thing. If you glue your first parts backwards, you'll just go ahead and get it out the way now :D
belt sander the blocks off and keep your panels that you have
Or use a router to trim them back down flush. Or even the circular saw, it would be faster than the sander, anyway. Set the blade depth the thickness of the block, clamp on a little jig and saw it off one blade width at a time.

If it were mine, I wouldn't use butt blocks at all on the side panels, I'd use a fiberglass splice instead. A piece of 6" biax tape on each side will hold it fine. The problem with the butt blocks is that when you bend the panels over the frames they create a wide flat spot, they don't bend like the rest of the panel, so they are a bugger to fair out. Unless you don't mind a big flat spot :wink:

Extra wood is always nice too 8)
Completed GF12 X 2, GF16, OD18, FS18, GF5, GF18, CL6
"Ships are the nearest things to dreams that hands have ever made." -Robert N. Rose

cedarock
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Re: Rapchizzle's GF14 - Creek Rat (update 5-15)

Post by cedarock »

I did that exact thing on my fs12......but only on one panel! It is frustrating but if you are like me, it won't be the last mistake made! :) I made a bunch of cuts with the circular saw and then finished with the grinder and sanding disk to remove that butt block.

I had trouble with the flat spot on the fs12 but on the gf14 it is in an area that is pretty flat anyway and I really can't tell where it is. Don't worry about the storage....like Larry, I find that this boat has plenty of it! I am using one of those plano dry boxes stuck under the mid seat and think I will get another!

Looking good!

I just went back and took another look.....could you use the panels and just trim the existing butt blocks to match! :idea: It appears in the photo that you laid them horizontal instead of upright. If so, that might work....but you have the wood anyway!
Last edited by cedarock on Tue May 15, 2012 6:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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