A Summer's Project - Rebirth of A Wood Sled
After
When the river calls, a guy has to answer! I needed a boat
and I found this wood boat for $500. With a little work
she'd be ready in no time. Well that was the plan anyway.
She was a 16 foot home made flatbottom sled. Marine
grade 1/2 inch ply bottom and 1/4 inch sides with cedar 2x4
structure and mohogany trim. For the most part she was still
solid except for a couple areas of dry rot. I fished her right
away and discovered there were leaks. And thus the work began....
First the paint had to be stripped. This boat was paint on
wood, no epoxy. There was several coats and the only
way to remove the paint was to grind it off. A long and
dirtytask. Once the paint was gone it was time to fix
leaks. The previous owner had used the boat primarily
for duck hunting and said he had encountered some ice.
The dry rot was cut out. The area was tapered and patch
was ground to fit.
Patch in place. I used West Systems Epoxy
with a filler to create a strong easy to work "glue".
This side is done. For the trim I had to grind down
a piece on an old strake that came off the bottom.
It matched up fairly well.
Did the same for the other side.
Patch work complete. Now for the epoxy finish.
What a beauty!
Before
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