Building an Outboard Trawler - She Floats! -

July 23rd, 2021 - A Banner Day!

At the last minute, when we were certain the weather would cooperate, we invited Wayne and Lynda to our 'float test'. Despite the fact that we were scheduled to put the boat in at 9AM and they live 3 hours away, they came to share the moment with us. Thanks so much, Wayne and Lynda!

Shortly after 9AM the boys arrived and got to work.

It's only a few hundred feet to the water but I was anxious to see her float and the trip seemed to take forever.

They lifted her from the trailer with the travel lift and, sparkling there in the sunlight, she seemed as proud as I was.

Dave is operating the travel lift and the dog is his. Donna says 'Gibb' stopped and posed for the shot.

She floats a lot higher than I thought she would, especially at the bow where, if you look closely, you can see that the thruster tube is half out of the water.

We made a bucket brigade inside the boat and moved some ballast forward. It helped lower the bow a bit.

In the following two photos, Wayne is standing on the foredeck while I take more shots of the waterline. He's 160 lbs. The repositioned ballast and his weight just sinks the bow thruster tube.

With the boat a bit more level, the transom was almost completely out of the water. This will be a very easily driven hull.

So. . . when we add the bow thruster motor, battery, windlass, anchor and a couple hundred feet of anchor chain, we should be fine.

The fact that she floats high is really good news. We can continue our build without concern for being too heavy.

We didn't do the stability roll test because I didn't think it was necessary. She is initially tender but she stiffens up nicely as she heels a bit. Wayne and I put all our weight on one gunnel and she sat solid. We'll do the roll test when she's all done.

The sun was brutal today and here's another good thing. . . . .with a slight breeze and all the windows open, she remained cool inside.

But here's the best part. . . . just look at her! She's gorgeous.

It's a huge project and we know there's still a lot to do before she's finished, but there's definitely a bright light at the end of this tunnel.

While we were fiddling around the boat, an older couple remarked how they thought she had real nice lines. Later, I learned from Leslie that he's from Newfoundland where he used to sail schooners. She said he has forgotten more about boats and sailing than most people will ever know and "If he likes your boat, that's high praise."

Cool.

At about 1PM, the boys came and got her and brought her back to the shelter. She's all tucked in again.

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Thanks for reading our blog. We'll be taking a little break and getting back to the project in a few days. . .please check back.

Written by: Gord

Edited by: Donna

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