8-4-03
My son and I finished the Squirt last week! We ordered the blue prints from Glen-L on August 4, 2002. We built everything from scratch. We figured it took about 200 hours to complete. In Michigan, we took the winter and the spring off due to temperatures below 70, which was too cold to fiberglass.
We bought the fiberglass kit from Glen-L. It was the first time we ever applied fiberglass. We used some old plastic paneling molding painted black for the edging. It was highly flexible and easy to install.
We purchased the steering system from an old marina in Mobile, Alabama for $25. It has a long cable but it fits easily under the bow area and steers great. The tiller arm was removed and we made a bracket with a pivot hole for attaching the steering arm. The controls were bought used from Ebay and made to fit the outboard with standard hardware. We installed a kill switch just in case there was a problem.
The hull was painted with an industrial enamel and the top was spray painted with a gloss enamel and then stripped with 1/8" white vinyl. We made the seat from thick dense foam and vinyl covering. We modified the seat back to add a slight angle for comfort and to add more space to the cockpit.
We bought a 4 person aluminum lift so it can be left in the lake and used at a moments notice. The Squirt fits perfectly. We plan to add a battery and radio next.
See attached pictures for the finished look.
- Steve & Phil Slesinski
