Photos of the work
Those of you who saw the last several years of my 22′ C-dory boat saw my $40 dollars worth of materials and 1 afternoon build of what I called the bubba hut out of wood and tarp that covered the whole back of my boat. In fact – here is a picture of the bubba hut 1 – I loved that hut and amazingly got several great seasons of use out of it without the wind blowing it off while towing it down the highway.
So, as I was boating up the inside passage, my mind kept wandering off to Bubba Hut 2 and how nice it would be if the aft portion of this boat was covered with a nice roof. Heck, maybe it if was strong enough I could throw dingies and shrimp pots up top…, and maybe even tents or a good diving board – Yeehaw – I really need someone to hold me back sometimes.
I considered tackling this in wood but one day at West Marine I stumbled onto a business card of a welder, Mr. Jason Neyman and contracted him to build the roof. He came down with his family and we pulled measurements. Several weeks later Bubba Hut 2 was done beginning this last Saturday’s adventure. Here’s Jason’s email if you need a great welder – jsneyman@hotmail.com
Well, as usual with me, the project grew some and by the time I added hand rails and extended the roof to extend over the swim step. So let’s just say this was not something to be lifted by a couple people! You can see by the pictures I had a lot of help from some great friends to get this roof into position. A hearty thank all those who helped! It means a lot to us and I truly could not have done it with out you.
So after the brawn part was done, we had the roof sitting on 2/4’s and the process of welding the vertical supports and tying in the roof to the top of the cabin began. It was a very long day, working with the tide moving the boat and truck so that we have enough power to run the welder and tools. We were blessed with good weather and just after the boat was back in it’s birth, we were hit with a nasty small craft advisory. The weather and the snow came in sideways!
We still have some cross bracing to do to stiffen up the roof but I am very excited about the project. It changed the boat’s lines and, in some ways, detracts from the Grand Banks Classic lines. However, with 5 boys and lots of rain and northern weather, I am forced to lean more on utility and comfort than a classic line. To tie the design into the boat better I am going to paint the outer trim piece the almond white to match the boat and we intend to canvas in the entire back-end. The finishing touch will be adding a small ceramic wood stove for a warm dry space to dry clothes and have a wonderful place to hang out, fish and enjoy family and friends.
I finished out this trip with a nice ‘fix-it’ ticket from a state trooper on the way home – but, well, that’s another story. 🙂
Again, thanks to all those who helped – I look forward to sharing time on the water together with you.
Cheers from the Sundog Crew
We Are Social