I built the prototype crawdad and really like the stability and portability of the design. It is my favorite boat out of several I have built. Matt does an excellent job of design and has opened a bunch of new concepts for many of us. Of course, I decided to make some changes to my second crawdad build. The craw dad has lots of freeboard which probably adds to the high maximum load, “secure feeling “and comfort of fishing out of it. We decided to try to cut the wind signature by reducing the height of the sides. Hopefully this will help better match the boat to our fishing conditions. I realize the changes may nullify the safety specifications of Matts design. I hope that’s enough disclaimer.
This build was done by my 17-year-old Grandson, with my guidance and help. He will be heading to the Marines after High School graduation this spring, so a Marine flag waves proudly from the rod holder.
I didn’t document this build as much as previous builds because I think I’ve already shared most of my techniques. Mostly just pictures here. I wasn’t able to make them appear inbuild order. As always suggestions are welcome.
Andy
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