latest update on the journey,
Got a really cheap deal on a repairable fiberglass hull made for a Mini. It's 11"6" X 5' at the chines, 6' on top. I can actually move it by myself, so that's already an improvement over my narrow (45") 16' double hull jon boat! I don't have a TIG setup yet, and I can work fiberglass, so it's forward progress. I'll be looking for a deal on a redrive and prop in the future, as finances permit, and now I want to build a hull from the ground up, seems to be a common progression of the disease. I'm reworking 2 dings on the sides from lawnmowers , 1 rotten gusset, plugging rigging holes in the transom, replacing the stringers, & paint/ gelcoat. Yes, at this time in my life I have more time than money, so I'm walking the labor intensive route, and, actually having fun with it.
Anybody ever heard of The Yard in Wichita KS? Years ago, I used to buy aircraft salvage aluminum there, they sell everything by the pound. Built trailers and all kinds of stuff when I lived there, didn't know how lucky I was at the time! Sometimes you would find 20' sheets in 4 and 5' widths They're still in business, and still pretty cheap, you need to just walk the lot and see what's in stock, It's about a full city block of mostly aluminum, bar, sheet, extrusion, honeycomb, and all kinds of weird stuff from the aircraft industry. Riveters, rivets, nibblers, Cleco stuff etc. A tinkerers paradise!
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