We haven't used it too much, it
got cold here in NY not long after it was completed. Also,
because I wanted to use a motor on the boat, I
had to register the hull with NY state, and
that process took a really long time.
I named the boat "Summer Associate." The reason is that I am a law
student (third year!), and this past summer I worked in a firm
and they called people like me "summer
associates." I used some of the money I
earned last summer to buy the stuff for the boat, so I thought the name
would be a good one - sort of a double meaning too. I built the
boat out of luan and fiberglass. The rails
are not made out of the material suggested b/c
they didn't have it at my puny local lumberyard. Because
the rail material I used was thicker, I had to soak and bend
them, which really wasn't that big of a deal.
I really liked the luan, b/c it is thin,
flexible, and really cheap. The entire bottom and all seams are
glassed using Bondo from the auto parts store. It worked well,
but took a little getting used to. It is
really strong stuff. The kit and plans were
fantastic, but I added one little piece of 2x2 to the ends of the
middle seat supports to make them easier to attach. I laminated
the seats with the luan and stained and
varnished them. The hull is red, the sides
are navy, the rails are yellow, and the floor is gray. The colors blend
well I think. I got my registration numbers too late in the year
to permanently paint them on the boat, so the
boat's name and registration will be the first
thing added in the spring (I'll send more pictures
then). I am hand painting them on in the same yellow as the
rails. The boat rows very easily and works
much better than I thought it would with a
motor on it. We even took it on lake Cayuga (second largest
Finger Lake) and it handled the waves very
well. I plan on a lot of fishing and trips to
the Adirondacks this summer!
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