Buoy 8 Boat Manufacturing
Follow the excitement as Pat and Wally build their first center console! After years of talking to and listening to prospective boat buyers about what they were looking for in a center console, Pat and Wally decided to put all the ideas together and build it! That's right, Buoy 8 has branched out into the boat manufacturing business! You can track the progress from start to finish right here on Yacht World. And, it all started with the construction of the plug! When you're building a center console that's 17 feet long and 7 feet wide with 26 inch gunnels this is what the plug looks like. You've gotta' love boats to think this plug is pretty and the key is to stay focused on the end result!
Shown here is a shot of the transom of the finished mold. The transom has been cut out just enough for the motor to allow for maximum dryness once in the water. Note the reinforcement used to strengthen the transom so that the mold can be used over and over again!
Here's another shot showing the reinforcement on the starboard side of the mold. This also gives you a good idea of the height of the gunnels. After the floor goes in, the gunnels will be 26 inches high and everyone will feel safe and dry!
This is Pat and her favorite fiberglass person, Rick, whom she affectionately calls "Ace", "rubbing in" the first coat of wax inside the mold. It will take four more coats of wax (and lots of elbow grease) before the fiberglassing can begin. But...... all that waxing will allow the finished hull to "pop" right out and she'll be as smooth as silk!
The "skin" is in! The first shooting of gelcoat is complete and it looks great. The inside of the mold was "sprayed and sprayed" until all the red was covered up real good - a fantastic team effort!
Here's Pat "counting" all the layers of glass that have been laid for the first hull. She's very happy with the way its been done and only has to wait a few more weeks for the first boat to pop out of the mold! So keep checking for the grand "popping" of our first 2007 boat!
This is an interior shot of the transom which is made from 3/4 inch Coosa Bluewater 26. Bluewater 26 is Coosa's strongest and stiffest composite panel and the ultimte high strength-to-weight composite panel (no water rot, insect infestation, mold or fungus). The woven fiberglass matting is hand laid and chopped, hand laid and chopped and hand laid and chopped for a total of three times. The transom will be thick and strong and able to accomodate a heavy outboard motor.
August 2006 and Hull #1 is out of the mold! We're very pleased with the appearance of the boat especially her sharp bow! We're waiting on the fuel tank to arrive and once that's installed, we'll finish up the composite floor. The greyish white color of the hull will be accented with black and gray striping, black lettering, black or grey bimini and should a customer desire, black bottom paint!
This shot shows the lapstreaking and also the ample depth of the gunnels - a safety feature that we were adamant about including in the initial plans. A four inch washboard will be added to allow for easy boarding.
The starboard stern is pictured here to give you an idea of the depth of the gunnels. One the washboard is added, the overall appearance will be very streamlined. This will be done after we put the hull in the water. Once we determine how she sits, we'll take water line measurements and head back to the shop to add the wash board, center console and other finishing touches!
September 6, 2006 and she's in the water! Yes, that's right, we put her in Urbanna Creek with two 55 gallon drums - one full in the stern to simulate 500 pounds and the other three-quarters full to simulate 300 pounds for a total of 800 pounds! This gave us an approximate draft of 5 1/2 inches. We also took measurements for the water line before we took her back to the shop.
This is a great shot of the bow and the reflection of the bow in the water. Check out Wally standing by on the dock holding on to his "No. 1 Hull" as she floats in Urbanna Creek. We thought it would be most appropriate for the initial launch of Hull #1 to be in the Creek where we launch so many boats for sea trials! This boat will be ideal for boaters looking for a shallow draft boat with a modified vee hull. Further, this 175 model will offer more comfort and safety than a flat bottom boat and still allow you to fish the shallow grasses for speckled trout!
One final shot to show off the lap streaking on the soon to be named 175! We are just so pleased at the way she sits in the water with 800 pounds on board and we think you will be too! At the end of the "launch" Wally and his friend Marhsall both got on board and added another 470 pounds collectively and.....she didn't budge much!
It's "Trick or Treat" time again and this year it's a "Treat" for Buoy 8 as the plug for the ring deck has been completed just before October 31st! Once it gets about two more coats of wax, the mold will be built. This shot shows the bow of the ring deck (as well as the sides) which have been covered with awlgrip for a non-slip surface on the bow and top deck of the boat.
Another shot of the ring deck plug taken from the starboard side. This angle shows how the ring deck is fitted to the top edge of the boat. Again, the awlgrip which goes all the way around the top of the ring deck and bow of the boat is shown here. This is yet another safety feature that will be included on all hulls.
The ring deck is complete! It's the first of March and she'll be ready to go for testing within the next 10 days. All the hardware, rub rail, etc., has been ordered and we're looking forward to outfitting her. We're getting real close!
The first day of Spring and her first day outside! She's out of the shop, on the trailer and ready to go to Solomons, MD for testing on April 12th. Once back, she'll be outfitted with her windshield, grab bar, rails, etc.
There's plenty of room to walk around the console as shown here in this shot of the port deck.
Starboard view of hull! She's going to be a proud lady as she heads up Rt. 301 to get tested!
The center console with steering wheel and fuel guage. The other gauges will be added after she returns from Solomons. Also shown here is the cooler seat and anchor/line storage in the bow.
She's been approved! That's right "the proud lady" made the trip to Solomons, MD and was tested from bow to stern (and parts in between). She came through with flying colors and is ready to go into production with the Coast Guard's blessing!!
She's been officially named the "Buoy 8 Fisherman 180" and she can be seen at our offices in Middlesex County. The next step will be to order her motor and other accessories.
This picture shows the boat at the start of the test. She was lifted off her trailer, weighed, measured and then dropped into the tank. She weighs 1458 pounds and she is 17'11 and 3/4" long.
After the boat was weighed and measured, she was dropped into the tank. In order to determine how many people and what size motor she will be rated for, weights had to be set inside the boat.
At this point, the weights were placed in the hull. When they reached 5000 pounds, the testers were on alert! In the past when they added 5000 pounds of weights some boats broke, sank, creaked, cracked, etc. But our boat just sat there, in all her glory, and didn't make a sound!
They were impressed to say the least. Then they added another 1000+ pounds and she still held her own. So, she is rated for up to 4 passengers and up to a 90 hp motor and Wally is beaming like a pround Papa!
This is a bow shot taken during the flotation testing.
Here's a stern shot taken during the flotation test.
And here's the Buoy 8 Fisherman 180 back at Buoy 8.
We put a 75 hp Evinrude E-TEC motor on the back of the Fisherman 180 and she cruises at 40 mph!!
Buoy 8 Ship's Store
|
2635 General Puller Highway Saluda, VA 23149, USA |
Toll-free 888-206-4373 Tel (804) 758-8009 Fax (804) 758-9705 Email Us |
