Blazer Marine Slingshot Build!

[Mario Johnston]

First off HUGE THANKS to Bob & Brian Blazer for this Blazer Marine Slingshot kit. I've wanted one of these for the past few years so I'm thrilled to get started on this for my first boat build. Here we go!


Start date, Jan 19th, kit comes home. Time to get to work


Simplest steps first, bulkheads

 

[Mario Johnston]

Acquired some tools and a build buddy.
starting sides of the tub

 

[Mario Johnston]

First expoxied pieces off the jig!

 

[Mario Johnston]

Starting sponsons while waiting for epoxy to set on tub walls

 

[Mario Johnston]

Mock-up and test fits once the walls are complete

That's starting to resemble a boat!
Almost time to glue bulkheads to walls

 

[Mario Johnston]

Working out water fittings and on/off switch before bulkheads are set in place permanently

 

[Mario Johnston]

Two weeks into the build, getting left sponson underway

Don't forget to build LEFT AND RIGHT!

 

[Mario Johnston]

That looks about right. Time to set in place

 

[Mario Johnston]

WHEN IT ALL GOES WRONG
Don't forget your wax paper when gluing things, boys and girls.


I'm lucky to be part of a club with talented and seasoned builders.
Massive Thanks again for helping me get past this part, Bob.

 

[Mario Johnston]

One month in, tub is taking shape, as are sponsons

 

[Mario Johnston]

Hardware time.
I learned how to use a mill lathe just so I could get this part right: reworking the edges of the strut and rudder brackets for tight clearance.

Time to drill some holes
Shout out to Harry at Speedmaster for this hardware. Much Thanks!

 

[Mario Johnston]

 

[Mario Johnston]

Transom completed, next step is the tub floor

But first, we'll cut some foam


Shaping nose foam before epoxying floor in place is a must

Huge thanks to my good friend and member Mark Scott for the help on these steps.

 

[charles siler]

Nice build

 

[David Bryant]

very cool! thanks for sharing your effort. Do you not have to bolt angle bracket support jig to the wood build surface?

Dave

 

[Mario Johnston]

very cool! thanks for sharing your effort. Do you not have to bolt angle bracket support jig to the wood build surface?

Dave

Definitely! That's the next step
This part took a bit of work to get everything aligned properly. Enlisted the help of my wife and my son, all hands on deck!

 

[Mario Johnston]

Removing clamps after curing is like opening Christmas gifts!

That couldn't have turned out better!

 

[rhomodel]

That is a build story with some nice tips and tricks

 

[Mario Johnston]

About to scuff these little guys up with the quickness

 

[Mario Johnston]

Here we are at 6 weeks in. Tub is coming together nicely, about time to finesse these foams in their homes




These took a while at first, around 30 minutes a piece to sand and squeeze into place. But by the time I got to the left sponson (and used a way rougher sanding block) I was banging them out in a minute or two each. The whole left side took 10 minutes

Couldn't resist wanting to see the tub with its top skin on! Long way to go before this step though