MEMBERS PROJECTS
Kurranda Queen
Built by John Todd
Kurranda Queen is a 4.5m plywood displacement hull designed by Sydney designer David Payne. It's an older style "Put Put" boat designed to have a small petrol inboard motor but as these motors are no longer available I use my trusty Seagull for propulsion.
Most of the building took place during Covid lockdown and took approximately 12 months.
It has been used on Tinaroo Dam and we are looking forward to many more boating days.
Mekong
Built by Chris O'Keefe
Restoration Project
Mekong was originally designed, lofted and built late 1968 as the final test job for my Shipwright’s Apprenticeship. She was originally clad in marine ply which had become extremely fragile over her lifespan, so I decided to strip her down to her frame and re-skin with strip-planked Queensland Maple - reason for doing so is that she can finish her life as a pretty boat instead of just a plywood tender. The frame will be painted white, but the planking will be epoxy glass sheathed and clear-coated.
Mekong’s restoration/rebuild has continued sporadically over the past year dependent upon health, time available, family needs and the ever-present need to progress many ‘projects’ – both mine and others’.
Nevertheless, she has now had her coved & beaded layer of Queensland Maple strip planking (30mm X 4mm) completed, and glued in with Purbond polyurethane glue – a type of glue I will never use again, for several reasons.
Further, she has now had 80% of her second layer of Queensland Maple glued on (42mm X 4mm) in double-diagonal (D/D) format. This time I reverted back to 2-pack epoxy glue in a gel format – a glue I have used many times over the years with great success, and this time was no exception. Easy cleanup, no slumping or running, easy to mix, and very good working time, as opposed to the other stuff.
As you’ll see from the pics, the bottom has been trimmed and sanded, with the starboard side trimmed with sanding to come. The port side has a strip being marked after temporary clamping to re-align the layup in prep for the final D/D layer. Should be done this week.
Then it’ll be time for the single layer of glass cloth & epoxy (oh, joy upon joy) which will coat both sides and the bottom only, and will then be painted with white Poly U-400. The bow and transom will be clear-coated. Interior will be white Poly U-400 as well, with polished timber trim and white Beech thwarts from the original interior.
Then, the fitout can be done.
