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This Simple Do It Yourself Craft Can Handle All Kinds Of Fishing Assignments

The Clark Fork Drifter Is A Stable, lightweight boat that can be outfitted for white water or casual fishing. It can be compartmentalized for moderate white water or left open for recreation and fishing. Scaled down to a manageable size for amateur builders, the boat has a 14 foot hull and a beam of 62 inches, which provides wide stance stability for rough water and standing while casting. With a weight of under 130 pounds for lightweight versions, it can also be loaded and transported atop a vehicle to avoid the hassle and expense of a trailer. The wide bottom hull becomes even more stable when loaded, enhanced by its “rockered” shape.

The entire boat is built of standard 8 foot panels, and components are sealed with an epoxy coating that prevents water soak, increases abrasion resistance and simplifies long-term maintenance. The plywood hull is held together with concave beads of thickened epoxy and strips of fiberglass tape applied to the exterior seams.

The hull is constructed by lacing together the panels with plastic ties, which are gradually tightened to hold components in position as the epoxy is applied to hull seams. Compartment bulkheads are installed at the same time to secure hull panels at the correct angle. Bottom and topside panels are joined with epoxy-glued doubler pads, which reinforce the hull and provide a simple method to join the plywood. Fiberglass tape seals and reinforces the exterior chine seam and the bow and transom. Graphite is combined with epoxy to cover the bottom with a tough, slick, abrasion resistant coating. The epoxy-graphite mixture is applied around and above the chine seam to form a waterline.

Watertight compartments at each end provide structural support in the hull, dry storage, seating for passengers and a safety margin of emergency flotation should the hull accidentally fill with water. In calm conditions, the compartment decks can be used for seating or for support when you’re standing to cast. They also provide a handy work surface.

The midship seat slides fore and aft to accommodate passengers in proper trim. The sliding seat is supported by handy tackle shelves on each side, which are attached to small partial bulkheads that add support to the lightweight hull.

The transom can be reinforced for a motor mount and a small gas or electric motor can be fitted for covering miles or working upstream against current, and the convenient aft compartment can be customized to isolate and store fuel or a battery inside a watertight compartment.

The gunwale a traditional ladder type, with spacer blocks separating the inwale and outwale strips provides stiffness to the sheer line of the boat to handle the stress of hard rowing, and provide support when you roll the boat over for storage. The inwale and outwale are mahogany to match the plywood; spruce or fir can be used to save weight.

The lightness of the boat allows for a larger payload, but the real advantage comes in getting the boat on and off the water. With its slick graphite bottom, the boat can be dragged over most surfaces, so you don’t have to lift or trailer it.

Compartments can be accessed by traditional hinged hatches, or smaller plastic screw out ports can be installed in minutes on vertical compartment bulkheads or horizontal decks. Non skid surfaces can be applied to selected spots on the deck using a mixture of epoxy, coloring and graded sand.

TOOLS: Jigsaw, circular saw, block plane, hand drill, cabinet scrapers and assortment of clamps

PLYWOOD: 4 panels of 4 mil (3/16-inch softwood) marine-grade hardwood ply for topside and bulk-heads; 2 panels of 6 rail (?-inch softwood) for bottom and compartment decks.

TRIM WOOD: 60 lineal feet of ?-inch x 2-inch mahogany (fir and spruce are lighter) for inwale and outwale.

EPOXY AND GLASS TAPE: 3 gallons of epoxy with catalyst, plus fillers for thickening epoxy; graphite powder; 60 lineal feet of 3-inch-wide glass tape, plus optional 6-ounce fiberglass cloth for bottom.

If you’re thinking about a do-it-yourself project to keep you busy this summer, consider building this handsome Clark Fork drift beat By following the clear, simple plans (see page 114 for ordering info), a motivated amateur craftsman, working weekends and nights, should be able construct this boat in a month. Start your drifter today and you’ll be floating your local river, casting to rising trout, in no time.

STEP 1
Join the front and back sections of the bottom panel of the boat using an epoxy-glued doubler pad laid over factory edges of the ply panels. Mark stations on the bottom panel for later reference, then sheathe the bottom with glass cloth and apply a graphite and epoxy mixture to the exterior bottom. Secure the panel to the workbench by inserting screws across the midship section.

STEP 2
After the bottom panel is firmly attached to the workbench, use vertical supports to brace up each end of the panel. This helps to maintain the correct amount of rocker and ensure that the bottom panel mates properly with the side panels as they are stitched together.

STEP 3
Attach assembled side panels to the bottom panel by inserting and gradually tightening plastic ties stitched through small holes drilled in the bottom panel and corresponding holes drilled along the side panels.

STEP 4
Clamp and brace front and back bulkheads into position and tack them into place with dabs of thickened epoxy.

Remove clamps and apply continuous beads of epoxy.

STEP 5
Fit and epoxy partial seat bulk-heads into place to reinforce the hull and provide support for the gear trays and midship sliding seat.

Fit the port and starboard gear trays parallel to one another to allow the sliding midship seat to be adjusted for trim when rowing,

STEP 6
Glue the hardwood outwale strip along the outside top edge (sheer line) of the side panel, and epoxy-glue the matching inwale strip onto spacer blocks glued at measured intervals along the inside of the hull. The resulting lightweight and resilient structure provides a base for oarlock sockets and reinforces the sheer line of the hull for rowing and hauling stress.

STEP 7
After applying a shaped bead of thickened epoxy to the interior hull (or chine) seams, all exterior seams are rounded slightly and fiberglass tape is applied to reinforce the seam. Use multiple layers of tape for extra abrasion resistance and strength on hard service boats.

STEP 8
Roll and brush multiple coatings of a mixture of graphite powder and epoxy resin on the bottom to provide a tough, slick surface that allows the boat to be dragged over parking lots, launch ramps and gravel beaches.

The bottom becomes slicker with wear; after each season it can be renewed by scraping the surface and rolling on another coating of the graphite/epoxy resin.

STEP 9
Compartment decks added atop the main bulkheads complete a waterproof storage and emergency flotation space on each end of the hull. They also reinforce the hull sides and provide a work surface or seating for passengers.

Decks may be installed at slight angles for drainage, or fitted flat for seating, and each deck requires individual fitting to compensate for the shape of the bent ply panels.

STEP 10
The middle rowing seat slides fore and aft, supported on each side by the partial bulkheads and gear trays, and is adjustable to trim the boat depending on passengers and loading.

STEP 11
An aggressive non-skid deck surface is required when you’re fishing or rowing in rough water. Colored areas of non-skid can be applied to the plywood by mixing epoxy resin with powder paint, which is rolled or brushed onto appropriate sections of the deck.

Mask appropriate areas and apply colored resin. Remove the masking tape and sprinkle graded masonry sand onto the uncured resin as required. Leave the resin to cure, then vacuum excess sand. After each season the non-skid can be renewed by applying a fresh coating of epoxy resin and shaking on more sand.

STEP 12
For easy access to the waterproof compartments, simple round plastic screw-out ports can be installed in minutes on horizontal or vertical surfaces. Multiple ports can be installed for easier access. The flush fitting ports are made watertight by applying a bead of silicone seal around the perimeter and fastening to the plywood with stainless steel machine screws.

Summer checklist time: Grill? Check. Cooler? Check. Suntan lotion? Flip flops? Beach chairs? Check, check, check. What about a Sea-Doo or a Jet Ski? If you’re like many Americans, these zippy little aquatic runabouts aren’t at the top of your list anymore. But that may be about to change.

Personal watercraft Sea-Doos, WaveRunners, Jet Skis, and the like have been around since the late 1960s, when Arizona motocross enthusiast Clayton Jacobsen II invented the first stand up model. Both Japan’s Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KWHIY) and Canada’s Bombardier Recreation Products were manufacturing them by the 1970s.

The market crested in 1997 at $1.3 billion, according to the Chicago based National Marine Manufacturers Assn. At that time, there were six major manufacturers and the average personal watercraft product cost $6,454. But scrutiny over the vehicles’ environmental impact and oversaturation of the market led to a dropoff in sales, while prices continued to rise.

The Big Four

Now sales of personal watercraft are once again increasing. In 2005 [the last year for which data exist], retail sales in the sector for the four remaining manufacturers Bombardier, Yamaha (YAMHF), Kawasaki, and Honda (HMC) accounted for $761.5 million, a 3.8% increase from the previous year. And while Wet Jet, Tigershark, and Polaris Industries have all left the game, new arrival Honda is having success with its line of Aquatrax vehicles, launched in 2002.

Vehicle innovations such as the lower emission four stroke engines that now come standard on most models are enticing the environmentally conscious. Environmental Protection Agency standards set in 1996 aiming for a 75% reduction in marine engine hydrocarbon emissions by 2025 already have been met or exceeded by all personal watercraft manufacturers. The higher than ever average unit cost of $9,495 indicates that more consumers are willing to pay a premium for these cleaner, more robust vehicles. “These are not your father’s personal watercraft,” says Maureen Healy, executive director of the Personal Watercraft Industry Assn. “Today’s models are family boats. Three people can ride on these very comfortably, and you can take them on an overnight trip,” she says.

With 43.1% of the U.S. market, Bombardier continues to dominate the personal watercraft industry by offering eight Sea-Doo models ranging in price from the $7,699 GTI to the $13,449 GTX Limited. [The term "Sea-Doo" is derived from Bombardier's line of snowmobiles, known as "Ski-Doos."] “We’re looking for new buyers and new entrants in the market,” says Sea-Doo Product Manager Stephen Kalhok. The company’s midrange GTI SE, one of the most affordable four stroke models on the market, is now available with either a 130 hp engine [$8,499] or 155 hp engine [$9,199]. Environmentally conscious riders will appreciate the GTI SE’s cleaner 4-TEC motor, which received a three star rating from the California Air Resources Board in 2006, the highest possible rating reserved by the state agency for the “cleanest recreational marine engines.”

Going to Extremes

Despite having launched Jet Ski in 1973, Kawasaki has lagged behind Bombardier and Yamaha’s WaveRunner for more than a decade, with an 11.53% share of the U.S. market in 2005. One of the reasons is that unlike its competitors, Jet Ski had concentrated mainly on stand up models, which are lighter and faster than most sit down models but also are trickier to use. With the introduction of the new Ultra 250X, a sit down model with a supercharged engine that offers an unprecedented 250 hp, it hopes to be able to recapture much of its lost market share. The Ultra 250X can carry up to three passengers and reach speeds of up to 68 mph; it retails for $11,499.

Still others are taking the category to even more innovative extremes. Co-founder of New Zealand’s Sky Network Television, Alan Gibbs turned his entrepreneurial acumen to water vehicles in 1995 when he founded Gibbs Technologies. Still in preproduction, the company’s amphibian Quadbike and Aquada an all terrain vehicle and sports car, respectively, that transform into water vehicles at the flick of a switch are scheduled to be released by mid 2009.