Popular Mechanics 1962 PM38 Build [SPLASHED 2017]

[gm280]

Something completely different for a moment. Had to work last night from about 10pm until about 4am this morning. Had to update some firmware in several servers at work. Today I got to sleep in a bit and I was going to enjoy a day of relaxation and boat work. Well, that didn't happen. Found out we had a water leak somewhere in the house and eventually found that the pressure release valve on the water heater didn't close properly. I wasn't able to get it to work so had to replace it. Did check the water pressure to make sure it wasn't too high. Then the wife pointed out the faucet in the kitchen was dripping so had to figure out the cartridge I needed and replace it. Not exactly how I had planned on spending the day off. I had actually planned to start working on getting that white stuff off the side of the boat. Guess it will have to wait until the weekend, which thankfully isn't too far off. Just one of those days...

Yes pekstrom, we all have regular life effect how the boat projects get done all the time. That is why when a newbie joins and is enthusiastic about about how long it will take, it never happens the way they/we speculate...ever. But remember, the boat will still be there when you get a round to it again. JMHO

 

[Reechard]

Hi Reechard and welcome aboard. Thank you for the kind words. It's been a fun and very educational experience so far. And everyone here on this forum has been very helpful. I have learned a lot. So you are also going to build a PM38? That's great! I have been contacted by a few others who are also going to build one. It really seems like a great little boat. Of course it remains to be seen how she behaves on the water, but I'm hopeful.

Yes I have just begun my pm 38 build. Transom is taking form. Keep looking at yours for inspiration and motivation after long days at work.

Cant wait to see more of your progress, keep it up!

 

[jbcurt00]

Yes I have just begun my pm 38 build. Transom is taking form. Keep looking at yours for inspiration and motivation after long days at work.

Cant wait to see more of your progress, keep it up!

Start a topic and there, post some pix of your PM38

 

[archbuilder]

What JB said
:bounce:
I love these wood builds!

 

[SGoergen]

pekstrom, the build looks great! I must have read through the entire thread about 4 different times now, there is a ton of good information here.

My whole journey was started by my wife, we do alot of camping at the lakes here in Missouri and she keeps saying it would be nice to have a small boat to take with us. We looked at a few used boats, but most of them need a bunch of work and new boats get pretty pricey (I don't want another payment). I have built a lot of things in my life but I have never even thought about building a boat. A little looking on the web and I found the magazine article on the PM-38. Next thing I knew I joined iboats and started reading. A few pm's later and you had me convinced! I spent most of August & September collecting materials, finding a motor and digging up as much information as I could. This past weekend I finally got to start my build.

Keep up the good work and thanks for the inspiration!

 

[jbcurt00]

SGoergen

Start a topic and there, post some pix of your PM38

 

[archbuilder]

pekstorm, you are a trend setter!

 

[pekstrom]

Reechard and SGoergen, like JB said, please start a build thread for your PM38 so we can follow along. You are welcome to share the link to your thread here once you have created it. I am looking forward to seeing your progress!

 

[pekstrom]

pekstorm, you are a trend setter!

Yeah, who knew! I never viewed myself as one before... :lol:

 

[pekstrom]

No Title

So I was sitting here at work one day during lunch and fiddled around. I wanted to get a feel for the color scheme and see them on the boat. So I came up with this picture. The shades aren't 100% accurate but they are close enough to give a feel for what she will look like painted. I played around with a few other colors as well but kinda like the dark navy blue for the sides and seat. The dashboard will be that same color. Don't think I had shared this before so here it is.

 

[archbuilder]

Pek,

I like the paint scheme on the side. Is the blue on the bow deck part of the dash board?

 

[pekstrom]

Pek,

I like the paint scheme on the side. Is the blue on the bow deck part of the dash board?

Thanks! I'm hoping it will look good once she's painted. What you see on top is a bit of the seat back. I'm thinking of having the bench seat the same blue color as the sides. The dash isn't visible in the picture but the plan is to have it blue as well.

 

[Reechard]

Love the blue, just slightly annoyed as that was the colour I was going for haha.

Well a darker blue.

Really coming along now, bet you can't wait to launch!!

Oh and I will do a build thread as soon as I return from holiday in a week or so.

Keep up the great work pekstrom

 

[SGoergen]

Pekstrom,

I like your color scheme, the boat will really stand out!

Quick question for you, on the chine logs, how well does the forward bottom plywood fit? Looking at the angle that is cut on the chines, it looks a whole lot shallower then what is needed for the plywood to have full contact. Did you bevel the chine logs or add an epoxy filler when installing the 1/4" ply?

I'll probably start a build thread soon, trying to get the needed post count so I can put up some pictures. Build threads are much better with pics!

Scott

 

[pekstrom]

Pekstrom,

I like your color scheme, the boat will really stand out!

Quick question for you, on the chine logs, how well does the forward bottom plywood fit? Looking at the angle that is cut on the chines, it looks a whole lot shallower then what is needed for the plywood to have full contact. Did you bevel the chine logs or add an epoxy filler when installing the 1/4" ply?

I'll probably start a build thread soon, trying to get the needed post count so I can put up some pictures. Build threads are much better with pics!

Scott

The fit on the chines in the bow is a little bit tight and I did bevel them as much as I could with a planer. It left me with enough flat surface contacting both plywood sections. I also filled in the gap on the inside with glue/sawdust mix to add a bit more support. Looking forward to your build thread!

 

[pekstrom]

That fairing compound is really thick. I can see how it has excellent anti-sagging properties. It seems to harden fairly quick too so I'll have to stick to smaller batches. My second batch I made a bit larger than the first and it got a bit tough to work it out towards the end. It does seem to cover very well though. Should have one side of the boat ready for sanding this weekend I think. Should be interesting.

 

[gm280]

That fairing compound is really thick. I can see how it has excellent anti-sagging properties. It seems to harden fairly quick too so I'll have to stick to smaller batches. My second batch I made a bit larger than the first and it got a bit tough to work it out towards the end. It does seem to cover very well though. Should have one side of the boat ready for sanding this weekend I think. Should be interesting.

Oh yea sanding. Sanding seems to be the order of the day. If anybody doesn't like sanding, I suggest then never build or rebuild a boat ever. Because sanding seem to consume the majority of the build time.

 

[Scott Danforth]

heck, Im restoring some furniture for the admiral......and yes, im sanding like crazy.

 

[gm280]

heck, Im restoring some furniture for the admiral......and yes, im sanding like crazy.

Scott I also know what your doing with sanding. I build furniture as well and sanding wood is as bad, but doesn't last as long. :watermelon:

 

[pekstrom]

Oh yea sanding. Sanding seems to be the order of the day. If anybody doesn't like sanding, I suggest then never build or rebuild a boat ever. Because sanding seem to consume the majority of the build time.

Heh, yeah, sanding does take time. But in my limited woodworking experience it has to, or it won't look good. And it also tends to be an itterative process where you sand, backfill some, sand some more, perhaps fill in a few more areas then sand some more, until you have a nice and smooth surface. I have never worked with the type of filler I am using now so that part will be interesting.