: Hi Scott

: None of my family are really into the water. I just build to suit myself. It
: must be fun to do one for a family member, especially a wife or kid.

: Lovely deck as usual, even the pinstripe at the gunwale narrowing as it does
: at the cockpit, probably not intended, but looks just right. If I saw that
: boat on a car or on the water anywhere in the world I would know instantly
: that you had built it. That is some claim to fame. That end detail is
: definitely your trademark.

: Et

Aye, laddie, ye've got an eye, ye have! I added a strip on the outside of the ply hull at the sheer, to make a rub rail--and because I've never cared for the sharp, ply-to-strip line typical of hybrids--then built the deck over-wide and sanded it to fit, getting a softer, more rounded sheer in the process. Even with internal braces (screwed in place!), the hull sprang back and is a bit narrower than spec at the sheer, hence the taper in the deck. I was hoping we'd get that taper, and we did, but its exact dimensions are happenstance.

Thanks for the nice remarks on the boat. I'm flattered! We had some adventures with this build, which ran about four weeks, and I'll get some notes and more pics together once the dust has settled.

The "fountain" end that I've done on these strip boats actually started as a paint detail on a Pygmy Coho I once owned. Pygmy likes to do an accent line with electrical tape on their boats. I tried that, liked it, took it off, and painted sheer lines on three Pygmies before I got into strip building. Doing it in wood was the next step. Some photos att'd. for S&G folks's swipe files.

Cheers!

--Scott