Drift Boats as Fine Furniture and Decorative Pieces

Drift Boats as Fine Furniture and Decorative Pieces

I have long been interested in crafting drift boats as furniture. To-date, I have done coffee and display tables. The boat tables are crafted in two sizes to the lines of the original McKenzie double-ender with a transom. Dimensions are OAL 48 and OAL 60-inches respectively. To the extent possible they are built using the same material as went into the original boat. Fasteners, however, are contemporary: stainless steel, silcone bronze and brass. The table models are commissioned and a buyer must allow 3 to 4 months for completion. Oh. And they float. Imagine that! Any person who is interested in a piece should contact me directly for details.

The 4-foot Version

The 5-foot Version

Commissioned prices:

4' table completed, $2300
5' table completed, $2600

Direct inquiries or comments to me by email or phone (503 559 0204

		Display, Coffee or End Table Description

	McKenzie double-ender with transom	Inlay glass can serve as an end or coffee table	Clear glass option	One friend's suggestion
		The Crafting Process

I built a jig to scale in order to retrieve the side panel dimensions. Here, I'm comparing frames placements.	Chine log, bottom panel and chine caps installed, and now setting the rails. Used 3/32nd-inch Miranti for this boat. Am using SB and brass fasteners.	As with the full size boat, the devil is in the details -- even more so at this scale. I am striving for both quality and replication. Except for the Okoume panels and table top glass, the wood used is the same as went into the originals	My original intent was to create a scaled mold form for the oarlocks and make them out of brass or bronze. But wood is good and I choose to hand carve the oarlocks.	Slightly bronzed glass nicely accents the interior details. On this particular stand, the boat stands 16-inches at the sheer amidships. Interior is oiled. Exterior paint was my wife, Sue's choice.

		Pleased customers


I choose 4 mm Okoume for the panels. I had to beef up the frames just a dight.	As many of you have discovered, rub rails are a pain in the tail to install correctly unless applied before the bottom panel is laid out. The aesthetics are pleasant, but their function is limited.	Oarlocks are hand carved, epoxied and painted metallic gold paint to replicate the real thing. Oars are also hand crafted and wrapped. The attention to detail is very time-consuming. She's a beauty.	My good friend, Dynamite Payson, exclaimed one time that I didn't have both oars in the water when considering this project. He was a practical, down-to-earth guy. Me? I'm a bit of a romantic. Can't help myself.	Dr. Bill Girsch, and his studio coffee table, the 4-foot version. This boat carries a satin finish inside and out.