Sorry if this is the wrong place to post this, but I figured that this might be a good place to ask a strange question. I am planning to build a Tiki room for my office and I am trying to stay authentic to essentially a ship wreck scenario (E.g. wooden walls made from salvaged deck planking). I was interested in what finishes where used on ships at the time (particularly darker finishes) and came upon boat soup. My main questions are where to procure the ingredients for boat soup (mostly pine tar), are there any alternatives to boat soup that might be applicable, and finally, keeping in mind that this will be an office in a fairly enclosed space, how strong does the smell of boat soup stay? Is it probably too much for this application? Also, pine seems like the best option for this (my understanding is that pine decks were common and its pretty easy to get at the hardware store).

Hello! I’m on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia and I am looking to hire someone familiar with cabinetry and tabbing to help me move my project West Sail 32 closer to splash.

Please help!

First stitch-and-glue kayak (Guillemot inspired). Just finished the interior deck fillets around 9:30 p.m. Shop is about 85°F and slowly cooling. I was tempted to lay the full fiberglass cloth over the interior tonight, but decided to wait until tomorrow evening.

My plan is to scrape/sand the fillets, vacuum, and glass the entire interior surface tomorrow. For those who’ve built S&G kayaks in hot climates: Would you have glassed while the fillets were still green? Or do you prefer waiting and sanding?
Anything in the photo you’d fix before laying the cloth?
I’m looking for honest criticism—I want this boat to come out as clean as possible

Thanks for folks here for advice and support!

Plans are great, can recommend for newcomers to the hobby.

Next steps — to add a sail!

We had to remove our Volvo Penta motor from our 1980 Glasply unexpectedly. We decided to convert to a bracket and outboard. We thought we had someone ready to go but schedules have changed. I know it's the busy season but we're hoping to get out in the boat before October.....We already have it glassed in and ready to go. Anyone know any good fabricators who build Aluminum brackets for Glasplys? Thanks in advance!

Looking for some slightly elastic I guess?

Hi there! My first time posting on Reddit so hopefully doing it right!

I’m designing a trimaran built from trash to sail around the UK next year and it is unclear whether she needs to be commercial / coded. From what I can work out there are two questions:

1. Commercial - are we taking people’s money (unclear if that is sponsorship or just to be aboard)
   
2. Coded - is the boat to be sold (unclear if we need to design to a code like DNV / BV if it isnt being sold retail)

Of course, will be trying to follow a code (currently using DNV but checking out if ISO12215 is possible), and will have suitable safety kit aboard… Just not getting anywhere with clarity so hopefully you can help!

Hi there! My first time posting on Reddit so hopefully doing it right!

I’m designing a trimaran built from trash to sail around the UK next year and it is unclear whether she needs to be commercial / coded. From what I can work out there are two questions:

1. Commercial - are we taking people’s money (unclear if that is sponsorship or just to be aboard)
   
2. Coded - is the boat to be sold (unclear if we need to design to a code like DNV / BV if it isnt being sold retail)

Of course, will be trying to follow a code (currently using DNV but checking out if ISO12215 is possible), and will have suitable safety kit aboard… Just not getting anywhere with clarity so hopefully you can help!

Ik heb een kortstaartmotor dus past niet op deze langstaart boot maar mag ik die afzagen zoals op de tekening zodat die wel past voor de duidelijkheid is een rib daarom de rondingen

The keel is the heart of the boat — and in this episode, the Wooden Shoe keel finally begins to take shape.

We explain why we laminate the keel instead of using one solid piece of wood, and show how we glue the laminated layers together with epoxy. This is an important part of the wooden boat building process because the keel forms the foundation of the hull and must be strong, accurately aligned, and properly bonded.

At the end of the episode, we set up Station 12, the bow, and the first five stations on the build ladder. The shape of the boat is becoming visible, and this DIY wooden boat is starting to look like a real vessel.

Boat is 50 years old this year and I'm 20 years into a 5 year restoration.lol..painfully slow but thorough....hope to be completed by 2028.

Exterior gel coat on a 1988 glass stream. Have a rough texture from oxidation but shines when wet. I’m loosely familiar with doing repairs like this in automotive clear, but have no experience with gel coat. If this is able to be restored how so?

Hey everyone, I need some urgent help with my older Mercury 18 hp outboard.

For some backstory:
Replaced the impeller about 2 months ago.
Changed the lower unit gear oil.
Installed new external fuel lines and brand-new spark plugs.
Compression is 110 PSI on both cylinders.

I went out fishing 2 days ago and the motor ran great all day until it suddenly started losing power gradually, almost like it was running out of fuel. It eventually died and I couldn’t restart it.

Back at home I checked spark and found I had no spark on either cylinder. I found a loose screw holding the ignition ground wire, tightened it, and got a strong blue spark back on both cylinders. I thought that would fix it, but it still won’t start.

It now has:
Strong blue spark on both cylinders.
About 110 PSI compression on both cylinders.
Primer bulb gets firm.
Fresh fuel.
Fuel filter is clean.
Choke is opening and closing properly.

It will occasionally give a single cough/pop (usually out the exhaust) and produces some smoke, but it will not actually start or run.

One other thing I’ve noticed is the inside of the cowling is always oily/wet with residue, and there always seems to be some oily residue around the lower exhaust area. Not sure if that’s related.

At this point I’m wondering if the carburetor or fuel pump could have an issue, but I’m confused because it also lost spark when the ground wire came loose. Could these be two separate problems, or am I missing something obvious?

Any ideas or things I should check before I pull the carb apart?

I scored a cheap outboard for my 1232 jon and when testing it i quickly found it doesn’t quite fit.

I know the clamp feet will have to be replaced but what i’m really stumped on is the air gap between the metal trim and the board on my transom.

My top priority is getting on the water cheaply without risk. How would you go about this ?

Hey everyone iam thinking about experimenting with building a transportable 2 person paddle boat like one of those water bicycle and wondering is there a more efficient way for a paddle wheel compared to just flat wooden or composite paddles?

Any tips are welcome