14ft Swamp Girl

tw541 · Post by **tw541** » Sun Mar 30, 2008 8:43 pm

Thanks, and Jack, I will contact you when I get back. I posted some desert photos on the SP forum. There are a couple of photos of the Black Canyon area below Hoover Dam that I was talking about.

tw541 · Post by **tw541** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 12:32 am

I'm a little late posting, but I have gotten quite a bit done on the Swamp Girl. I came back from vacation early and decided to finish this boat while I was off work.

This is 3 coats of graphite epoxy. I think I used too much graphite because I got a very solid black coverage with the first coat.

I am covering all surfaces inside and out with 6 ounce glass.

For my first attempt at fiberglassing, I am very happy with the way the inside glass wetted out. It was not much more difficult that the outside. I did the ends first, about 14 or 16 inches using scraps of glass.

I used 3 layers of plywood for the outer gunwale and covered it with 6 ounce tape, probably not neccessary, but I have the time and tape.

I have the inner gunwale completed and will take pictures tomorrow.

tw541 · Post by **tw541** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 1:34 pm

I'm almost finished with this boat now. Here are a couple more pictures. Since these were taken, I have finished sanded the inner gunwales and spacers and saturated with epoxy. Every surface of this boat is fiberglassed except for the inner gunwales and spacers, and they are well saturated. I think I will let it cure for a while before I paint it. I am going to try to get it to the water before I have to go back to work Thursday. A day of cleaning up the garage and I will be ready to start my next two boats, once I get the quality plywood I need. I have really enjoyed building this boat and have learned a lot, that will help me with my future builds.

Post by **jem** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 2:07 pm

She looks great!

If you can. provide a paddling report when she gets wet.

Oldsparkey · Post by **Oldsparkey** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 2:30 pm

My computer is acting up , it is showing me things I know can't be true so if you can I need verification on something I just read.............

Did he (tw541 ) say .......... Paint it ??????? Please tell me I'm wrong since it is such a great looking boat with the warmth and beauty of all that wood.

I know it is his boat and he built it so he has the pleasure of having it the way he wants it but I'm thinking some sun stroke has warped his thinking , better get him inside and cool him down. Especially before he grabs a paint brush.

Chuck.
PS. Just throwing a thought in the ring to leave it as it is and have the wood shine.

tw541 · Post by **tw541** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 4:03 pm

Yep. He said paint, and it's not just the Arizona sun. The plywood is really uglier in person that in the pictures. Cheap 5.2mm from Lowe's. There was no way to make a good natural finish with this wood. Besides, sometimes I don't want to be seen! Most of my pirogues over the years have been camouflaged. I will probably camouflage the two electric boats I am getting ready to start. I am kicking around ideas about how to get something like the new military digital camouflage pattern.

hairymick · Post by **hairymick** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 5:32 pm

Jeeez Tw i am liking your build mate.

If you work out how to do that new dij. camo please share here!

Kayak Jack · Post by **Kayak Jack** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 6:59 pm

Nice work, Terry. Looks good. Wood sure is pretty.

tw541 · Post by **tw541** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 11:36 pm

Thanks to all for your kind remarks. I weighed the boat today and it weighs 41 lbs. It has a lot of fiberglass that may not be necessary. It has 6 ounce tape on all outside seams, and 6 ounce cloth on all surfaces inside and out. I also made the end pours larger than needed. It should last a long time though.

tw541 · Post by **tw541** » Mon May 05, 2008 2:33 pm

I finally got a chance to put the Swamp Girl in the water today. I am really impressed with the way the boat paddles. It tracks straight and will really move with just a little effort. Stability is pretty good for a boat this size. It should be a great boat for shallow water fishing. Here are a few pictures. The area is Topock Marsh, off of the Colorado River. There are miles of this kind of water. It's supposed to be good fishing, I will try it soon. This is on the Arizona side, only a few miles from Needles CA. (Pay no attention to the fat guy in my boat)