"It’s like moving the Terminator." That’s was Daniel said when he and Jeff started to tug on the heap of metal lying in a trailer parked out on our good friend John’s back 40. The three of us then heaved it into the back of my Ford. Nothing beats a free motor, even if the electrical is fried. John was very generous in giving us this motor. Don’t let the pictures deceive you. It really is in good shape.

I started doing some research on boat stands and how to build one. I didn’t find any good instructions. Everybody kept complaining about how out of level their garage floors were. Homebuilders don’t design a garage for boat building. They design them to drain out toward the door in the event a hot-water tank leaks or worse; a car looses all its fuel.

To overcome this people must make a boat stand that is level and then work upon this surface. Everyone was simply making a stationary stand. This is not to user friendly in a two-car garage. One person suggested hanging the stand from the ceiling. That’s just what I need, a boat hanging from the ceiling for the next 5 years. At the rate I’m going it will probably be more like 10.











So I started doing some brainstorming on how to make a stand that can be micro-adjusted in 6 different locations. I also want it to be able to cradle the boat like a trailer. This will aid in working on the interior and the deck. It also needs to hold four sheets of plywood perfectly level to allow the hull to be made upside down over the bulkheads and stringers. And don’t for get the wheels. It needs to roll so I can push it and the boat into a busy intersection when I dump the whole project out of frustration.

















The second level of the boat stand, the part that holds the boat similar to a trailer or flat on a level surface has not been constructed yet. You should be able to tell from the pictures where I’m headed with the leveling concept. The threaded shaft will receive a galvanized rod that will rest on the washer. Simply rotate the nut up and down to micro adjust the level of the stand.

At this stage we had to disassemble it to move to Texas. The good-looking fellow in the picture is my dad, Glenn. He is the greatest father one could ask for (and the world’s best architect).










Notice the poling platform in the garage? My father is also leaning on it. That was one sweet buy. That particular make runs around $1,050 delivered. I picked that unit up for $99 on eBay and only paid $56 in shipping via Greyhound. What a deal!

It has been several months since I last updated my blog. The readers were up in arms! Here is a quick rundown of the minor changes in my life since the fist post in May of 2007.

Having fly-fished for exotic species in the waters of the Yucatan Peninsula, Belize, The Bahamas, and the Texas coast upon boats designed to draft in very shallow water, I have become fond of the "Flats Boat" design.

I saw a flats boat sold on eBay for a very nice price and then became interested in purchasing a boat. After looking at various makes and models, and quickly learning just how expensive this type of craft can get, I got the idea to build my very own.

I purchased a set of plans on the Internet and started researching the idea bit more. Some people may have an interest in building a boat but find that the tools required to construct such an item are simply too expensive. Well, fortunately for me, my very generous father gave me a top of the line table saw. This, coupled with a few nice tools I have purchased myself, removed the largest barrier in building a boat. For many men the largest barrier would usually be the wife, but my totally awesome wife was cool with the idea and lets me purchase nice tools for the shop quite frequently.

Since this is a blog about the construction of the boat I will also be uploading pics of new tools I purchase specifically for this project. And if I catch any good fish or go on any great fishing adventures they will require posts as well. I figure since it's fishing related it can be put on a boat blog.

I also plan to put some humor in the writing, but right now it is 11:30 PM and I'm just to tired to elevate my mental capacity beyond that of a typing zombie. I should of started this blog months ago when I first purchased the plans, maybe these first few posts would of had a little more spice!

P.S. Because of a lack of bagels, I just popped some toast in the toaster. And because of the lack of bagels, the toast will be spread with cream cheese. If you are ever in a pinch like this, try it, toast and cream cheese is not half bad.

Please enjoy reading this blog about the building of my first boat and other interesting stories.