SPOKANE MINIMOST NEARS COMPLETION
Fact or Fiction, The Mini Most
Let me state how this all came to be. The AOF National Meeting and adult beverages should not be used together, just as dangerous as drinking and driving. All of the business that I had planned to present was over. All I had to do was sit back and enjoy the remainder of the meeting…..Wrong! My friend “Jack Daniels” called to me, and as some of you know, I had to answer! After a few soothing and sense squelching “Jacks”, somebody at the meeting brought up the subject of the little Minnie Most boats. It was then I inserted foot in mouth and said I would build one of these simple, inexpensive kids boat and do it in three days.
It’s now almost Christmas, and joy is in the air here in Spudville. There is lots of sawdust everywhere and glue where glue should not be. The First Aid kit has been filled and refilled twice. There are five broken coffee cups on my shop floor. All had varying amounts of coffee in them at one time. My material list just keeps getting longer everyday. But I am having fun. The simple part was the most fun. The prints were easy to get off the Internet along with a list of other people building the same little boat. It’s funny that none of them look the same.
I am a welder by trade and never have liked working with wood. Now more than ever I appreciate those who can work with wood and perform their magic with it. Since this inexpensive little boat is supposed to be for youth and intended as a starter boat, cheap plywood should be good enough. No, cheap was not an option for this boat. Okoume marine grade plywood was first on my list of materials. Nothing wrong with the little boat looking good! To work with wood you should have the appropriate wood working tools, yep, on my list. Nails, or should I say Ring Nails, they were ordered from Southern California as there were none to be found locally. I needed the right glue, right? Good luck it too went on my list. I found that I needed a workbench for this simple little boat and plywood for patterns. On my list! I needed by friend Jack to help me get going and something to mix with it. Already I have bought a lot of materials, but still need more! The Boat needs more!
I am pumped and ready to get started. I have the prints, I have bought the material, and some badly needed wood working tools, and my friend “Jack”. First of all, I have worked with prints for most of my life as a welder. These were the worst prints I have ever seen. None of the numbers or angles adds up. So to the telephone I’d go, to ask the simple questions of other builders. “What is the distance between point A and point B.?” the answer would always be the same…….”What ever you want it to be.” “It does not make any difference!” So I would call other boat racers in my local area. My final interpretation of what they were saying was, leave the bottom alone and do what ever you want to the deck and topsides. For me that is the kiss of Death. I like building things that are not the norm. Case in point, I drive a 1967 Chevy big block custom station wagon. Being told to do what I want sent my mind spinning with ideas. Wood chips and sawdust began flying and glue was in the air. Life is happy in Spudville.
Now I have some direction. I knowing where I am going and Jack is on the path with me. The bottom and chines are glued and nailed with the ring nails. The deck has been changed twice. I need more wood! A friend brings me a staple gun and the nails go away. Staples are so much more fun! Broke two more coffee cups as I push wood around on my make shift workbench. No problem, there is no stopping us now. Next I need a kid, preferably 8 to 12 years old, to see if he or she will fit between the cockpit sides I have installed. I have to make a few little changes. I will need more wood! Three different decks have been on this simple little boat. But now the boat looks the way I want it. It is time to seal the deck and get ready to paint. Sealer takes time to cure! Sealer that is not ready for paint should not be painted. I painted the little boat with a fade of three different colors. It looks pretty good for a Spud paint job. Except I found that if the sealer and paint have not cured, when you lift the tape, the sealer and paint will come off with the tape! I am headed back to the store for more sandpaper and varnish. Now the little boat is back down to bare wood and ready to start all over again. Where is “Jack” when you need him? The little boat is varnished again and ready for paint. I am letting it set for a week this time! The cowling design has taken a full sheet of plastic and the layout strained a lot of brain cells but it is almost done. I should be done in a few more weeks. I hope to post pictures of the finished little boat on the internet. I have enjoyed building this little boat. Most if not all of the above tale is true. I plan to build another little boat ……after this one is completed and tested.
Spud
Editors Note: "Spud" aka Dennis Westby is a long time hotrodder and boat racer in the Spokane area. He owns Spokane Propeller and Dock. Dennis took the project on after some spirited discussions at the national meeting in November, which centered on the lack of a simple and inexpensive boat for kids to get started in racing.
AOF
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