P offshore scratch cat build thread

[Jesse J]

Made some progress on the hatch:
I sanded until happy with shape, 80, then 220 grit.
Painted on thin layer of west systems, let dry then block sanded again with 220 to remove irregularities
Laid on thick coat of west systems and the a 4" strip of heavy fiber glass along the scoop to the back, thick carbon fiber cloth for the wind screen, then light fg cloth along the sides.

I still have some smoothing to do, but this is where I am this morning.
The decking is 1/64" birch "ply" more like thick paper, I attached to the sealed balsa/basswood deck with contact cement and had to let cure for 72 long and painful hours. I will be staining that today...

[kfxguy]

Either that’s a big ass boat or a little bitty dog lol!

[kfxguy]

Looks awesome btw! I can’t lie, I’m jealous. Knowing how good that mini you made me runs, this thing is gonna do phenomenal. One day I’ll talk you into building me a hull!

[rayzerdesigns]

Looking great man

[Jesse J]

Thanks guys, that is our Great Dane ... trapped in a chihuahua body.
Someday I'll build you one Travis. Let's make sure this one floats first!
I had an idea on some cf ride pads. The top is almost done, now for the bottom.

[Jesse J]

Got her painted, and ready for graphics.

[fweasel]

Looks great!

[785boats]

The whole project has looked great, right from the start.
I love watching scratch builds.

[Jesse J]

Thanks Paul! ''Tis been a journey of "design as you go" philosophy.

Well she is clear coated.. which means 99% done. Still a few tiny bits to finish up.
Here is the current status as of this evening.
All paints are Duplicolor and wood stain and sealer are Minwax.
The pinstriping is recycled from the diy lettering website which was the 3m reflective white.
I can give anymore details upon request.

[Jesse J]

A big shout out to Travis (kfxguy) who gave me brutally honest feedback and talked me out of an ugly canopy paint job.
I talked with my dad weekly and discussed triumphs and tribulations all the way through. He suggested the black pointy highlights on the foredeck. My wife had input all the way through and approved highly of the sparkly coat on the black, calling it "fancy"!

The rear flap, which will get some sparkles too, will be liftable to access the transom and hopefully some super hidden hatch latches... still working with the design crew, mostly between 1-4am when we can get some work done.

[Jesse J]

maiden voyage

here is a short clip from my sunglasses.
I couldn't have hoped for a more successful first run.

The set up was good from the start - I made no adjustments.
I have since trimmed off the lip I had made in the outside ride pad.. that did try to trip her up.
movie

[Luck as a Constant]

That looks Ace man!

[Brushless55]

Great job Jesse!

[kfxguy]

Man that thing I’ve awesome and impressive. I’ve told you before but I’ll tell you again, your the man!

[kfxguy]

You should have posted the original paint design and got some feedback on it. The new design looks nothing short of awesome and I’m glad you received my humble criticism very well. You ended up with something that looks world class badass!