Subject: boat photos, letter
Date: Sat, 23 Feb 2002 18:08:41 -0500
This boat was built from a TNT frame kit in order to replace my older TNT. I finished the project just prior to the 2000 boating season. The boat has white oak frame with red oak splash rails and dash. I fiberglassed the hull and deck, making the boat very solid, much more so than the old boat that was not made with these materials. I also repainted my 1988 Mercury 25, which is such a great engine I had to make the boat black to match it! The low center of gravity engine and a fin on the bottom of the boat provide good tracking and turning, so I couldn’t be happier with the all-around performance. I learned of this Glen-L kit when my brother Ethan and my father first built a TNT, and we just love the safe, fast design!
Luke Stryker,
Penn Yan, NY
11 July 2008
In 2002 I had a letter and photos posted after building my
TNT. Now, after years of good use it was time for me to put
some work into it again. The interior epoxy was worn down in
spots, causing some stains. The deck plywood was cracking and
peeling badly, even though I had a couple fiberglass layers
on top of it. A note to anyone about to build a Glen-L
designed boat- use the highest quality marine plywood or
hardwood planks intended for boat building. I used exterior
grade plywood meant for home construction, and mistakenly
thought the fiberglass and epoxy would work to keep it from
coming apart.
This spring and summer I took off all the hardware on the
boat and sanded it down. I applied a couple coats of epoxy
over the interior and exterior, and used some fiberglass to
patch the deck. With a foam roller I put several coats of
epoxy paint, immediately following up with the tip of a foam
brush to smooth out the bubbles that were formed. I found
using the top of the line paint with the least expensive foam
applicators to work best. The engine was sanded and spray
painted with the manufacturer's touch-up paint. I used
automotive pin-striping over the worn stripes of the original
decals, which were still in good shape aside from that.
Thank you everyone at Glen-L and to all the boat builders
who posted your projects and inspired me to go ahead with my
projects. I now look forward to getting much more use out of
the boat in the beautiful Finger Lakes of New York State!