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One of the first fifty people to open an account with the register.
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Latest launches, workshop updates, milestones and conversations from across the fleet.
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Founder Member
One of the first fifty people to open an account with the register.
Gunwale
The cedar-strip dinghy begins to come to life in a crowded workshop, its rich wood grain glowing beneath the warm light. With the interior taking shape and a row of clamps holding the gunwale in place, the photo…
The start
Work began on a still-unnamed cedar-strip dinghy, but a few months into the build, my daughter arrived and the project went into dry dock for a while. Eventually, I found my way back to it, adding one cedar strip at a…
Gunwale supports
Worked on forward gunwale supports. Working outside until heavy storms rolled in.
Fairing rub rail
Working on rub rails today, hull structure completed except rails and glassing. No work done on interior yet except glassing and tons of sanding. Start of project before even ordering plywood was 4/1/2026 No comments…
AWOOGA launches
Three years of garage work reached the ramp. After a launch ceremony, AWOOGA rolled off the trailer, floated on her lines, pushed away from the dock, and made a proper little tugboat wake under her own power. Mike, the…
Bottom glassed and chine logs fitted
The rebuilt bottom was sealed and glassed successfully. I fitted and epoxied the chine logs, set the bulkhead bases, flipped the assembly to expose the water side, and finished it with two layers of fiberglass cloth and…
Building the keel frame
Work moved to the keel and side keels. I built the keel frame, dry-fitted its plywood skins, and glassed the inside faces. The enclosed space would later be filled with foam for flotation before the skins were sealed…
Cutting the motor well
This was the scariest cut of the build: opening the finished stern and bottom for the motor well. I laid it out, cut the hull, glassed the well components, and installed the assembly. Final trimming would wait until the…
Glassing the outside of the hull
The exterior received a sealing coat followed by two layers of fiberglass cloth. The port side behaved better than the starboard side, but both were wetted out, wrapped, and ready for the long cycle of fairing, sanding…
Hull sides and deck structure
With the bottom on the trailer, the stem went in and the port and starboard hull sides were bonded to the chine logs and held by side and stern jigs. Deck shelves, stringers, the forward deck, and the beginnings of the…
Keel sealed and bottom protected
The keel cavity received flotation foam, then the keel and side keels were closed, sealed, faired, and glassed. Sanding the cured cloth was not a favorite job. I also coated the underside with three coats of truck bed…
October 2024 - Cockpit seating and motor cover
The build gallery records this work from October through December 2024; the individual workdays were not retained. I built the aft cockpit seating over the gas-tank space and shaped a cover around the motor well. The…
April 2025 - The launch list gets shorter
The build gallery records this final push to April 2025; the individual workdays were not retained. Window and door frames went in, the vinyl cabin floor was laid, the name decals and registration plate were installed…
September 2024 - Motor, controls, and folding mast
The build gallery records this stage to September 2024; the individual workdays were not retained. The 20 HP Tohatsu was hung, the motor well trimmed for steering clearance, and the throttle, steering cable, controls…
September 2025 - Full cartoon
The build gallery records these additions to September 2025; the individual workdays were not retained. AWOOGA gained perforated cartoon eye decals, logo stadium seats on folding supports, a mascot, and a working bubble…
The bottom panels take shape
Four sections of Meranti marine plywood became AWOOGA's bottom. I laid out the curves with a fairing strip, cut the panels, and routed shallow channels at the joints so the fiberglass tape could sit cleanly in the…
The cabin rises
After months spent making the cabin bulkheads, hatch, and other pieces, I joined the cabin sides in jigs and raised the house on the hull. Roof beams, visor, roof skin, and helm station followed. AWOOGA had acquired the…
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