Finally the project is done after a year and a half…. Some of you have been PMing me about the progress so I figured it’s time to post the results. After building the first hull out my mold, we decided to go all the way and build a new mold. Joel at Genesis Boats in Hemet CA took on the project and has been working on it ever since. We built a plug out of the existing mold and capped the boat to fix the mating area between the deck and the bottom. Then his crew spent the next several weeks block sanding the sides and adding glass to fill in the sides of the boat and make it nice and flat. It’s amazing the beating that molds take over the years and how they flex and distort. Once Joel had the boat as perfect as possible, he re-gelled the boat white and then wet sanded and buffed it back to original showroom shine.
The bottom of the boat was very good to begin with thanks to the work that Greg Shoemaker and Dave Batista had put into it several years back. I debated it for a while, and then decided that if I had come this far, I might as well go all the way. I contacted Jeff Bennett who flipped the boat and spent 4 days blueprinting the bottom. When he was done, I knew it would be as perfect as it would ever get. Jeff did a great job and I would highly recommend him for any bottom work, he is truly a top notch guy.
Joel built a new mold off the boat and spent 4 weeks laminating and caging the mold. There is more steel in this thing than the Titanic but it wont distort or flex which is what I wanted. We built a custom trailer that holds the mold with removable legs so that I can transport them home and keep them stored inside and out of the sun when not in use. After 16 months and a lot of effort, it was finished and ready for the first boat.
While Joel was working on the mold, I was doing everything I could do to come up with a trailer that fit the low pro look of the boat. I quickly found that most of the old school trailer builders were no longer in business or could no longer build the trailer I was looking for. I guess most of the industry went to 30+ foot boats and forgot how to build them the way Ellis used to back in the day. I ended up deciding to go with Enduro Trailers in Havasu and took the boat to Havasu to spend a week with them and fab up the first trailer. We used shortened leaf springs to suck the wheels and tires together and a set of custom 59” x 10” stainless fenders by Wolfe Ind on a panel mount. With custom reverse mount (super deep) 14x7 rims with a 3” offset and 22560R14 BFG’s, I got the look I wanted and a trailer that fit perfectly with tig welded beams and precision welds. You might notice that the rear beam is removed for easy hardware changes. Can’t wait to see the finished product as I had to leave before it was painted. Gary and JR at Enduro are really good to work with and I’m very happy with the finished product.
The first boat is being rigged as a river boat with wood in the transom and a false floor. Joel did a great job on the gel and the lamination is top notch. This hull came in at 600 pounds and is strong enough for my lard ass to walk across the middle of the deck with no problem. The hull cap fit perfect due to the mold being built from a capped hull and the boat is a very straight piece. The customer picked the colors and graphics and I think it came out very well. I was a little skeptical at first, but I think it came out sweet. Give me an honest opinion, you won’t hurt my feelings….. LOL
My brother Tim and I went to see the first boat today and he was impressed. That spoke volumes to me because he can be pretty damn picky so I was glad he gave it his approval. The next boat goes in the mold this week, Can’t wait to see a few of these on the water!!!!! Thanks for lookin……….. RiverDad
