I have been a lurker for about a year now. My good friend Art turned me onto this boat build to perk me up..... I can see that he is stirring the pot here as well
. I have read every word of all 68 pages. Good stuff.
This is an amazing, and ambitious project. Most guys would never have gotten started with anything this huge. The rest of them that got started would have lost steam long before this point. Props to you for all your efforts. The vast majority of boat guys can't tackle changing out there own engine. You are in an elite crowd. Keep going.
When you realized the hull was a bit wonky and would need to be redone, I could feel your pain and frustration half way around the world. I was sure that would be the end of AXE. Good on you for getting back to work at that point.
I have to admit that I got off the idea of a wood composite mix back in the 70's. I only work in plastics today. Materials were not nearly as good in the 70's as they are today for your chosen medium. The humid salt environment of the Hawaiian Islands made wood composite boats short lived, and they required tons of maintenance. I am not making any inference here, only justifying the warped reasoning for my life choice of boat building materials. I find that as the years drag on I have become morally apposed to wood in any form. I do love the way it looks however.
I find your approach to problem solving great, and a bit refreshing. I am 2 years into a major retrofit on a 26 foot diesel inboard sport fishing boat. There are days were the doom and gloom of the Pacific North West, and the size of my build get me down. It is nice to have a sneak peek into the life of another tortured soul, toiling away on his dream. It helps get me back out there on the boat to make some headway.... any headway..
The Tollycraft owners club was nice enough to make room for my boat build on their website. Being that I am not working on a Tollycraft this was darn sporting of them to do. If you are looking for some boat insanity that is completely different from what you are doing, you are welcome to have a look at what I am up to. It may pick you up at low points in your build.
Ill keep lurking with a new voice and resource here on the troller forum.
2660 Trophy with the 90 HP Nissan Diesel restoration
Keep up the good work.