BBW River Ranger 14 build

tbone56
Posts: 82
Joined: Mon Jul 11, 2011 10:42 am
Location: Midlothian

Re: BBW River Ranger 14 build

Post by tbone56 »

March 2020:
Installed the rails for the seat. I made them so that I could fit 2 Plano 3650 tackle boxes underneath.
Drilled some holes for seat adjustment. The seat bottom is a piece of plywood with some aluminum 1" angle iron attached. The seat is a stadium bleacher style seat that I bought in 2015!
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tbone56
Posts: 82
Joined: Mon Jul 11, 2011 10:42 am
Location: Midlothian

Re: BBW River Ranger 14 build

Post by tbone56 »

April 2020:
I needed to add more epoxy to the whole boat, so sanding was in order. Made myself a sanding board which really helped.
Also had to attached the two decks.
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tbone56
Posts: 82
Joined: Mon Jul 11, 2011 10:42 am
Location: Midlothian

Re: BBW River Ranger 14 build

Post by tbone56 »

May 2020:
Added another coat of epoxy.
Added mountings for adjustable foot pegs.
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tbone56
Posts: 82
Joined: Mon Jul 11, 2011 10:42 am
Location: Midlothian

Re: BBW River Ranger 14 build

Post by tbone56 »

May 2020:
Ran out of epoxy that I had purchased in 2011. Had to buy more.
I decided to use MAS epoxy for non-blushing and ease of re-coating.
But, as my learning curve goes, it only works well if you do it correctly.
When I put on the decks, I laid fiberglass tape along the seams inside and out. However, I did not wait long enough for the first coat to reach the correct state before I applied a fill coat. This resulted in a lot of bubbles.
I ended up waiting for the epoxy to cure, then drilled holes in the bubble areas and injected epoxy with a syringe. (You can get syringes at the drug store for about $.30 ea.)
While it didn't make the bubbles disappear, it did help some.
At this point, I really was focused on getting the boat usable, and then finished. Looks were going to have to take a back seat.
I do like the MAS epoxy. It worked really well for me the rest of the way.
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tbone56
Posts: 82
Joined: Mon Jul 11, 2011 10:42 am
Location: Midlothian

Re: BBW River Ranger 14 build

Post by tbone56 »

May 2020:
Had to add another fill coat to the deck hatches.
Oh... but wait....
While flipping the boat, one of the hatches fell on the floor. I did not pick it up immediately and guess what?
I stepped on it and broke it. Another repair. :shock: :roll:
Then sand for a final coat of epoxy.
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tbone56
Posts: 82
Joined: Mon Jul 11, 2011 10:42 am
Location: Midlothian

Re: BBW River Ranger 14 build

Post by tbone56 »

May 2020:
I added another 2 coats of graphite epoxy mixture to the bottom.
Before, I had the graphite coating about 3 inches up the sides and around the bow and stern. I sanded that off and painted that area green. I intend to add a small red stripe above the green next to the natural wood at some point.
I constructed rod holders from cedar by making a cylinder using birds-mouth method. Here are some pics. It ended up being 24" long which I cut into 3 - 8 inch holders. I made a flat spot on the cylinder for mounting.
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tbone56
Posts: 82
Joined: Mon Jul 11, 2011 10:42 am
Location: Midlothian

Re: BBW River Ranger 14 build

Post by tbone56 »

June 1, 2020:
Time to VARNISH!!!!! :D
I bought two coats of Interlux Schooner varnish. I have never varnished anything in my life!
There were other less expensive products out there, but I was hoping for something that would cover up my inexperience. (Wishful thinking).
I do have a box store HVLP sprayer that I used to apply the varnish.
I planned to do one coat in the morning and one coat in the evening until I had 4 coats. I didn't have time for more coats because I was planning to take the boat out the weekend of June 6th.
First coat applied.
Runs!! :oops:
More sanding to remove the runs. :cry:
Second coat applied. So far so good! :wink:
Third and fourth coats. Check and check.
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tbone56
Posts: 82
Joined: Mon Jul 11, 2011 10:42 am
Location: Midlothian

Re: BBW River Ranger 14 build

Post by tbone56 »

June 5, 2020 - Rigging.
I decided that I wanted invisible hatch closures. I found a way to do that at the CLC website.
(https://www.clcboats.com/shoptips/fitti ... ggles.html)
Mounted the rod holders.
Drilled holes for grab handles.
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tbone56
Posts: 82
Joined: Mon Jul 11, 2011 10:42 am
Location: Midlothian

Re: BBW River Ranger 14 build

Post by tbone56 »

More pics:
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tbone56
Posts: 82
Joined: Mon Jul 11, 2011 10:42 am
Location: Midlothian

Re: BBW River Ranger 14 build

Post by tbone56 »

Maiden Voyage: June 6, 2020
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tbone56
Posts: 82
Joined: Mon Jul 11, 2011 10:42 am
Location: Midlothian

Re: BBW River Ranger 14 build

Post by tbone56 »

Still needing:
Paint the red stripe.
Finish rigging deck bungees.
Add some storage.
Make rod / paddle leashes.
Finish gunwale. I have a piece of red oak that I am going to put on the gunwale with screws. I will attach any accessories to this and will be able to remove or replace it later.
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Many, many thanks to Gerald Kennedy of Brazos Boat Works, who provided the plans for this boat and helped me get started.
Thanks also to the many posters on this forum for sharing their experiences which I found so helpful.
Hopefully, my next boat won't take so long.
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