I have been thinking of building a nice wood swim step since I saw Brad's at the 2016 reunion and I finally pulled the trigger! I am almost done!!!!
Just need to touch up with the orbital sander, route the edges and do another coat of oil!! Here are some build pics - what do y'all think???
Shout out to Brad (Throttlebody) for helping me with the dimensions!!!!
Boat: 24V
Material: Ironwoods Ipe
Glue: Tight Bond III
Screws: 1 inch stainless countersunk 1/2 inch; 1-1/2 inch stainless lag screws to platform brackets; 1 inch stainless kreg jig screws for pocket holes on frame
other tools: door board, circular saw, jig saw, belt sander, orbital sander
Oil/Sealer: regular end grain sealer on end grain and Penofin Marine Oil and penetrating sealer on top
Total build time: about 2 weekends once I actually got the nerve to make my first cuts
1) I started by making a perfectly sized template from particle board with all of my measurements.
1.jpg
2) Then I constructed the under frame using a door board for cuts, speed square for the angles, a kreg jig, and many clamps. I am still undecided on whether or not I am going to install the under-mount ladder. Sealed the entire under-frame with end-grain sealer for durability.
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3) from there I laid out my top pieces and used the old fiberglass platform to draw out and jigsaw the transom curve. Screwed these from the bottom up. total thickness is about 1-1/2 inches so I used inch long stainless screws and countersunk them 1/2 inch to ensure they bite into the top boards without going all the way through. Pre-drilling the holes with the proper size bit is a must otherwise the wood splits easily! I also used tight bond III on all joints as over kill. You need at least 3 36 inch clamps and a handful of small clamps.
5.jpg
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4) cut out the final shape with a door board I made out of mdf.
5) did a light sand and oil. Still need to do another sand and coat of oil.
Just need to touch up with the orbital sander, route the edges and do another coat of oil!! Here are some build pics - what do y'all think???Shout out to Brad (Throttlebody) for helping me with the dimensions!!!!
Boat: 24V
Material: Ironwoods Ipe
Glue: Tight Bond III
Screws: 1 inch stainless countersunk 1/2 inch; 1-1/2 inch stainless lag screws to platform brackets; 1 inch stainless kreg jig screws for pocket holes on frame
other tools: door board, circular saw, jig saw, belt sander, orbital sander
Oil/Sealer: regular end grain sealer on end grain and Penofin Marine Oil and penetrating sealer on top
Total build time: about 2 weekends once I actually got the nerve to make my first cuts
1) I started by making a perfectly sized template from particle board with all of my measurements.
1.jpg
2) Then I constructed the under frame using a door board for cuts, speed square for the angles, a kreg jig, and many clamps. I am still undecided on whether or not I am going to install the under-mount ladder. Sealed the entire under-frame with end-grain sealer for durability.
2.jpg
3.jpg
4.jpg
3) from there I laid out my top pieces and used the old fiberglass platform to draw out and jigsaw the transom curve. Screwed these from the bottom up. total thickness is about 1-1/2 inches so I used inch long stainless screws and countersunk them 1/2 inch to ensure they bite into the top boards without going all the way through. Pre-drilling the holes with the proper size bit is a must otherwise the wood splits easily! I also used tight bond III on all joints as over kill. You need at least 3 36 inch clamps and a handful of small clamps.
5.jpg
6.jpg
4) cut out the final shape with a door board I made out of mdf.
5) did a light sand and oil. Still need to do another sand and coat of oil.
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