Our TNT Speed Boat
Work In Progress
Click Here to Return to Picture Home
Click Here to Go to Next TNT Page
I can still remember the sound that our first boat made. I would climb into the anchor well and hum with the motor. At 17 feet long, the 90 HP motor would push it a top speed of 30 MPH. I remember when dad installed the speedometer. I also remember when the we bought a new boat and we brought home the new SportsYak dinghy. Dad purchase a 3.5 horse outboard motor as a kicker for the 17, and saved it for the new dinghy. It was fun playing in the dinghy - even when it was in the garage. And it was fun running around with the motor. Once I ran the little boat completely around Blake Island!
Cameron and Logon ran around with me in our dinghy and soon they wanted to drive it too. The first time Cameron steered the boat, he said he wanted a steering wheel! After the positive reaction from the kids, decided that I would look around for a little boat that we could install a steering wheel. One visit to the www.GlenL.com website and we found a boat. The TNT is 11 feet long and is designed for a 15 HP motor. Other builders say it will go about 30 MPH. I ordered the kit and it was delivered September 11, 2000. I took two years to get wood purchased and cut. Big thanks to Grandpa and Uncle John for hauling and cutting the wood. With a lot of help from the two of the them, the wood work is nearly complete. A few more months of fiberglass and painting and we are sure to make the 2003 boating season.
Our TNT is built from Red Philippine Mahogany (ribs, stringers, battens, dash, motor well, coaming, carlings) and 1/4 inch fir plywood (bottom, sides, decking). The inside is coated with epoxy resin prior to painting gray. The outside will get epoxy and 10oz fiberglass cloth before being painted red with yellow stripes.
The boat was built upside down. The kit came with the back (transom) and the ribs.
The bottom is on and the sides are next. You can see the 3 ribs in the picture.
Sides are on and will require a lot of trimming.
I wait until the boat is flipped before trimming the top of the sides.
Sides are on and will require a lot of trimming.
I wait until the boat is flipped before trimming the top of the sides.
The boat has been removed from the building form.
You can see the building form, it held the ribs in alignment during construction.
I set the boat on top of the building form to begin constructing the topside.
Another view before trimming the sides and constructing the topside.
The sides are being trimmed to match the deck lines.
Grandpa checks the work.
Cameron is checking out where the steering wheel will go.
Notice that the sides are now trimmed.
The top sides are installed, and the dash is being fitted.
Cameron checks for the steering wheel placement
The dark wood is the coaming, the inside of the cockpit coaming and dash will be natural finished wood.
Cameron is checking the cockpit for size. Will my fishing rod fit in here?
(The object behind Cameron is the 11gallon fuel tank,
it will be installed in front of Cameron, in front of the dash.)
Skipper Cameron is busy navigating around some logs!
Skipper Cameron is Checking the dash!
At this point the boat would be ready for paint. However, I am a beginning boat builder and thus all of the screws and nails will require putty. Notice the joint at the bow (sides meet the bottom).
I wonder if Cameron and Logan will have fun in their boat?
The nails, screws and the bad joints are all covered with epoxy filler.
Notice the fuel tank is installed. Also, the epoxy will require a lot of sanding. You may notice the 4 months that elapsed. (Holidays too)
Sanding is complete. Now comes the fiberglass and epoxy bottom. In this picture glass cloth is checked for size against the hull.
The entire bottom is covered with cloth and saturated with epoxy resin.
The bottom is sanded and a second coat of resin is applied. Cloth is added to the transom. The transom will be trimmed as the bottom was.
Note that you can barely see the cloth on the bottom. The lines on the boat are doubled with glass cloth tape.
What is left? Well the boat will be turned over and the top will be covered just like the bottom. Then, when the resin is smoothed by sanding and filling, it will be painted. Next, the boat will be turned over and the bottom will get 2 more coats of resin, filled, sanded, and painted. Then we need a motor and a trailer.