Tfitz, now all my remarks were in the best sense of appreciation for overbuilding but there may not be many/any images of this build - not sure yet?
The reason is; the design is new, the bottom has not been done in welded metal anywhere- that I could find(?) and the
interwebs are a great place to have your designs "appropriated" so to speak. My email is "
k.morin@kmmail.net" (don't see yours in my email list?) so drop a contact and I'll send the images directly.
Skipper is a Slope Supervisor with his own shop and equipment in Kenai, whom I've known since the 60's, adventurous guy, and skilled welded metal builder in his own right. We talked a couple years ago, and he looked at sketches then resolved to use the design idea in the next few months; then. Life and Times have delayed his start up- as it does once an idea is settled and planned- so we just got started this last month.
Anyway drop a contact and I'll forward some images and text to help justify what I've done/doing/plan to do.
Had the idea a long time but its nice to see that white paper gets some lines then happen on the shop floor. I like that cycle quite a bit.
Hatch looks tighter not just a plate cover- and the false floor gives bilge access- good to have when you're decked as tightly as you are.
Just did a locally built custom job repair few weeks past. The bilge was sort of sealed by a welded in deck that was not air tested, water got under the deck and since there was no maintenance- at all!! this boat's bilge turned "galvanic" and pitting the forefoot on both sides of the keel AND one pit was through! 1/4" plate 13 yr old boat- 32' Hatco Marine (no longer building as I understand).
So old "lard stern" the Michelangelo Welder had to TIG the hole -wallowed out to about 1/2" bore- OVERhead, laying on the shop floor on creeper. Sheesh, I'm way too old to be doing this kind of thing. But while they had the boat apart they took foam out the bilges, bad wiring, wrong allot plumbing fittings out- a cell phone!!!! out of the bilge- who knows what was going through these guys' minds when they built the hull. She's a little homely at the sheer to, but then I'm kind of picky there.
Looking forward to your email.
Cheers,
Kevin