Introduction

Introduce yourself here
Bill 310
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Joined: Sat Aug 03, 2019 9:43 am
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Introduction

#1

Post by Bill 310 »

I live in British Columbia and found this forum when I was researching welded aluminum boats .

I found the site while googling various brands of welded aluminum boats. We are currently having a 25 foot JaxonCraft boat built and I thought people might like to follow along with our build thread.

I don't know if thee is a minimum number of posts required before I can post photos of our build (it began in May 2021)
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gandrfab
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Re: Introduction

#2

Post by gandrfab »

Would like that very much.
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welder
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Re: Introduction

#3

Post by welder »

Post away, we LIKE pictures.
:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :titanic: :titanic: :smitty: :smitty: :smitty: :beer: :beer:
Lester,
PacificV2325, Honda BF225
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Bill 310
Posts: 13
Joined: Sat Aug 03, 2019 9:43 am
4

Our JaxonCraft Build

#4

Post by Bill 310 »

So here we go April 27/21

I am going to cut and paste the thread I wrote in another forum. So dates will not be shown. As I write this it is November 8, 2021

We were lucky to get a build spot that opened up for late May / early June. of this year. It will be interesting to see how things go with building a boat a year and a bit after the pandemic affected supply chains. We are being as defensive as possible and buying things when we see them for the build.

We have already purchased the aluminum, the motors (and controls) and the electronics. It is the little things that are going to be a challenge. For example we want to have the Yeti cooler tie down parts for the rear deck. They are sold out (and have been) almost everywhere in North America for some time. I managed to find a set last week. It will be these little things that may be the challenge as the build goes on.

My decision to do the thread was more about helping the builder than anything else.

Anchor and Winch. A lot of our build is based on trust and Robert (the Builder) told me which Anchor/ winch system he will install. There is only one. Many of his customers use this system.

We had to order it from the US . It is made in Australia . The US Distributor is the developer's brother

https://hammermarine.com/

Website for the Winch Anchor System

https://www.lonestarmarine.com.au/

Motors

We bought a pair of 2021 Suzuki 150s (Fly by Wire)

We bought the motors from Breakers Marine in Port Alberni. They were a delight to deal with and I received the most professional written and phone communication during the buying process from Jeremy Waugh. We may have got some of the last 150's in stock and these were engines physcially in the dealership. Of course later in the build we change engines. (amusing side story to follow)


We selected our electronics and will put a deposit on them to insure availability

Furuno TZTl2-F MFD

Furuno DRS4-NXT radar

MapMedia BC coast chart

Airmar SS60 / 20 transducer

Navico GS25 gps / heading sensor

Sitex MDA5+ AIS transceiver

Icom M506 vhf radio

Shakspeare 5400/XT vhf antenna

Actisense AS-8 port NMEA2000 harness

We ordered everything from SeaCom Marine Electronics Ltd. in Campbell River B.C. V9W 2E4 They will be doing the install as well.

JaxonCraft is what I think of as a semi-Custom builder

As I understand it they build 2-4 boats a year. Customization and personalization of the build is of great value to some people.

For me due to my height, higher gunnels, a cabin interior where i don't bang my head, and a cabin bulkhead moved so that i can sleep stretched out in the v-berth are worth a lot to me .

An extensive build option list for some people might include "fish phasors", a "cone of silence, " "a dance floor disco light system", and the option of using of unubtanium instead of aluminum for the build. We just kept our changes simple and ergonomic.

So now we have the background out of the way
Bill 310
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Joined: Sat Aug 03, 2019 9:43 am
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JaxonCraft Build 2021

#5

Post by Bill 310 »

May 9th

Just heard from Robert. Our build will start this Thursday.

Robert will be sending me a lot of photos during the build which I will post up.

The draught is 21" with engines up and 38" with the engines down (25" shafts)

The Beam is 9'4" and the height is 13'6"

LOA with motors up to the tip of the anchor will be 32-33 feet

Weight of the boat with motors, fuel (125 gallons) and 4 people will be in the range of 7500 pounds.
Bill 310
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Joined: Sat Aug 03, 2019 9:43 am
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JaxonCraft Build

#6

Post by Bill 310 »

Why we are building a boat?

I have turned 65 and we looked at buying recreational property but I was down that road when I was in my 30' and 40's before my first wife became ill and died. We had a small condo in Whistler every weekend but 7 in 11 years. The drive was not a problem when I was younger but now to buy something on the water is stupid money and the long drives would get very tiring as we aged.

I have lived in Vancouver since 1983 and have only been to Saturna Island once, Bowen twice, the Queen Charlottes (once) and a few dozen times to Vancouver Island. If we are lucky enough that we get to use the boat till I am 80 and then sell it we will have got our money and pleasure out it many times over.

We are going to be able to sleep on the boat and go on longish trips. I grew up canoe tripping and we have travelled all over Europe and North America by motorcycle for weeks at a time so travelling simply is not a hardship.(We still have a bike stuck in Frankfurt).

I wanted to ride solo around the world (many of our friends have done this) but the world political climate has changed and Covid may be with us for a very long time. Hopefully, we can go two up to Ushuaia one winter but riding across Russia and getting into China is just not going to happen. My wife has a gift for languages and can pick up a strong tourist vocabulary in a matter of weeks .

I like to say that she can say to people "Please come and help, my Husband has dropped our motorcycle and is lying under it and I can't lift it up" In English, French, Spanish, Italian, Swahili, and Khmer,"

We did talk about buying a used trawler (Grand Banks type) and travelling on it but I observed my brother's cost of running and maintaining wooden boats in Ontario and I understand the maintenance issues for varnish, teak, and chrome in fresh water and shudder to think of it in the salt.

We looked at other aluminum manufacturers and I simply found it far too challenging to try to buy a boat from them for a number of reasons the main one being I was too tall for their boats and they were unreceptive to making adjustments. I can understand that. They have a proven formula that works for 95% of their potential customers and they are full on busy. We are very lucky in BC that we have these lower volume semi custom builders with years of experience.

Robert at Jaxon Craft listened and had reasonable thoughtful solutions.
Bill 310
Posts: 13
Joined: Sat Aug 03, 2019 9:43 am
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JaxonCraft Build

#7

Post by Bill 310 »

Sorry for all the text, pictures start soon

We have a BBQ for the boat and when we go out for a few days I originally thought that we would take along one of my myriad of camping stoves. The only thing that we will really need a stove for is the ability to heat and boil water for coffee/tea and to be able to have hot water to properly wash dishes after a meal and to wash up with warm fresh water. For day trips we plan to take a couple of big thermos filled at home with boiling water, and Starbucks VIA to make coffee. Starbucks VIA is excellent and for people who have suffered with US Hotel Buffet Coffee they offer a form of Caffeine salvation

I have a jetboil but I would consider it too tippy to have on a boat and my current Coleman and Optimus stoves all use liquid fuel. I am not keen on having to be pouring white gas into a stove nor needing another fuel sources on board.

I expect that we will buy one of the 2 burner coleman stoves that run on the same propane cannisters as the Dickinson BBQ. That way we only have one cooking fuel source to manage. Coleman also makes a folding oven for theses stoves and I used one for years to bake cakes and brownies over fires. So we can still have an oven if we decided we needed one (extremely unlikely)

This thread and these questions help me out during the build . I will now ask Robert to put a lip or rail around the flip up table so if we decide to bring along a stove we will be prepared with a safety lip and the Stove will be less likely to side off the table while we are moored and cooking.

Here is the stove we would probably buy https://tinyurl.com/Jaxon-Table-Lip

I hope the custom URL amuses you all this fine morning. It is helpful if you are keeping links on a project to name them using tinyurl.

Speaking of food, we have a decent sized Yeti Cooler and one of the things I don't want is coolers flying around the cockpit.

Yeti makes a very slick low profile tie down kit and I am buying a few so I can have multiple places to strap down coolers if we go on a long trip and want to carry more ice, food, and or expect some fish to join us for the trip home.

Why am I mentioning the tie down kits? Firstly, the clips are low profile and I want Robert to tap the screws into the floor so that I won't mess things up when I use my homeowner picture hook placement technique on the deck. A man has to know his limitations.

And secondly, like many other items since Covid they are in very short supply and have been out of stock most places for months. If you are planning to buy a new Yeti this summer and want to secure it to the deck buy the clips when you see them.

I know there are aftermarket clips that are less expensive but I am a bit CDO (that is OCD with the letters in the right sequence ) and need things to be orderly. That is why our dock and spring lines are a different colour.
Bill 310
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Joined: Sat Aug 03, 2019 9:43 am
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JaxonCraft Build

#8

Post by Bill 310 »

May 20/21

We have the first build shots of the boat -Chines and Transom

and I can't post build photos.

Mods, can you help me out here please ?
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welder
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Re: Introduction

#9

Post by welder »

upload the pictures to your computer [remember where you put them] then come back here to write a post, Click on the Full Editor & Review button right next to the submit button right under the Box you type your text in.
When you click that button scroll up a little and you will see two tabs just below the save draft , preview, Submit buttons.

Click on the , Attachments Tab

Then click the Add Files button ,

from there you should have it knocked out.
Lester,
PacificV2325, Honda BF225
2386
Bill 310
Posts: 13
Joined: Sat Aug 03, 2019 9:43 am
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Re: Introduction

#10

Post by Bill 310 »

2022030616481125-5108596532079235711-IMG_3211-2.JPG
2022030616481125-5108596532079235711-IMG_3211-2.JPG (67.43 KiB) Viewed 3752 times
 Well the boat was wetted in the spring and it has been terrific from the get go

The complete thread

https://sportfishingbc.com/threads/2021 ... ead.86659/
 
 
 
Attachments
IMG_0657.JPG
IMG_0657.JPG (68.41 KiB) Viewed 3752 times
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