| by Ben Phillips - Greer, South
Carolina - USA |
April 12, 2006
I am building a RR. I have made some modifications
to the hull. I sent some photos to Jim Hauer. He recommended
I send you the material.
Information about my River
Runner:
1. Hull depth increased by 1”
2. 3/8” sides, 19/32” bottom, HC exterior
fir plywood
3. Bottom is built as illustrated in “River
to Run” by Larry Dablemont.
4. Interior bottom width is 32”, bow to stern.
5. Exterior bottom width is 34.5” including
outside chines.
Maintaining the same width for the hull bottom from
bow to stern eliminated the “peanut hull shape”
problem. I read about the “peanut hull shape”
in your April, 05 letters
section.
6. Gravel Bar/Sand Bar slope—At 87.5”
on the layout panel, 4 -7/8” up from the bottom
per River Runner plans (?).
Straight edge from bottom of layout panel at 57”
through point 87.5”, 4-7/8” to end of
panel.
7. Built the River Runner transom angle on both ends.
Ben Phillips
July 4, 2006:
Chuck: It has been slow go on my River
Runner. A number of things have eaten
away at my “boat time.” I am a member
of The Greenville Woodworkers Guild. I am building
my River Runner in our shop and it is located across
town.
The Enoree and Tyger rivers that friends and I float
are located in the Enoree Division of the Sumter National
Forest. They are too shallow for an outboard motor.
Narrow passageways created by down trees, sandbars,
etc. make using oars impractical. We do not fish or
hunt. We just drift, slip up on all types of wildlife,
and enjoy a picnic on a sandbar. We really need to
control River Runner with paddles as we float down
the river with the current.
Enclosed are pictures of additional changes I have
made to River Runner.
A cockpit and deck were constructed. Cockpit is 26
inches wide and 14 ¼ inches deep. I wanted
to sit in the middle of the boat for safety reasons.
My partner and I will not have to reach out and over
the side of the boat to keep it drifting correctly.
The seat frames are 9 inches high per River Runner
plans. The seat is 1 inch thick with Swivl-Eze base
plates mounted in the center. The seats are off set
forward of the front seat frame and to the rear of
the rear seat frame. A long straight edge was laid
on the seats and a 10 inch hull depth was scribed.
The hull was cut out between bulkhead 3 and bulkhead
12.5 to a depth of 10 inches.
The bottom and 6 inches of the insides were given
two coats of Rust-Oleum Road Warrior. Road Warrior
is a rubberized epoxy, anti-slip pickup truck bed
liner. The inside was then painted with Parker Duck
Boat paint. I used the hunter green color.
Installed stainless steel oblong
eye plates (above left) ordered from
Duckworks. These have been installed in case I have
to pull the boat up a riverbank using ropes and a
vehicle. I have done this before with my canoe.
Seats are Tempress Hi-Back NaviStyle Mossy Oak Camo
seats from Bass Pro. Nothing would destroy a great
day floating the river for me more than sitting 10
inches above the floor on a hard seat without a back.
I do not want to sit on the back deck. I want to keep
the weight in the center so we can maneuver River
Runner in quick turns. Friends and I can whisper as
we float. We have slipped up on wood ducks, deer,
turkeys, hawks, owls, muskrat, river otter, turtles,
vultures eating a dead deer, etc. I call these events
“trophy moments.”
I’ll send some photos when we launch. Ben Phillips
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