Welcome to the Black & Tan blog!
Thanks for checking out our site! We have just begun construction on a Mckenzie River Style drift boat that we have affectionately named the Black & Tan, which will be her ultimate color scheme. It is no coincidence that she shares her name with one of the greatest adult beverages of all time. We have chosen this proven design because we are confident it will serve us quite well in the waters we fish most, which include the The Housatonic and Farmington Rivers of Northern CT, The inshore waters Long Island Sound, and most recently the Great Lakes Tribs and the wonderful St. Lawrence River waterway, a place that Mack calls home. We obtained the boat plans online, similar plans are available through Rivers Touch. She will be 14 feet long with a relatively wide beam and bow rocker for safely navigating the rapids but she will also have a high and wide, slightly rockered, transom which can accomodate a up to a 10hp motor should we decide to venture out into the brackish bays and estuaries of Long Island Sound. Unlike most traditional drift boats, this boat can be used both as a flat bottom motor skiff and a rowing dory. Our project has just begun, and we are full of enthusiasm. The design and finish concepts change every day, who knows what the final product will look like, but thats half the fun! We hope you enjoy our site, we will try to update it weekly if possible. Thanks for stopping by!

For more info on the Rapid Robert Mckenzie River Skiff we are building, Click Here or better yet, Here

Saturday, May 25, 2013

nuthin but net

A fine handcrafted net made by TMack Hodges, 2nd edition, first with trout inlay! this logo will eventually round out our dory.  This was Mack's wedding gift to me, a handcrafted trout net fashioned from a single maple branch, cant wait to put some truchas in it! 





More Brain cells lost.....

Who's counting anyway?  Fairing, wasn't so fair to us.  Anyhow, as you can see, Mack has installed the gunnels and secured them with epoxy and some nice brass hardware!  The boat was shipped to the shop where Mack works, couldn't have asked for a better place to work on our boat, especially in this terrible but much needed rainstorm. Thanks to the guys at ESI once again, for lending us the space and the truck.  Today we did some light touches to the interior, the we faired the exterior hull using west system and 407/410 filler.  The hull was wetted out with epoxy, then faired with the compound.  Tomorrow we will sand it level and add a final coat of epoxy before painting, which is when things should really get interesting!  here are some pics and vids from today......








Fun Read

The Dories....


Sunday, May 5, 2013

slowly but surely

Today we worked on the trailer and gunnels a bit, nice to have her out in the sun again.  Mack has also been doing some fine artwork on what will be our future inlay/brand/christmas tree ornaments/t-shirts lunchbox mugs etc.......