The finishing board outer band is black walnut. The deck, on the other hand, was not stained. After reading and consulting with the Technical Advisors at Gougeon Brothers, Inc., we decided to use an oil-based stain, dry it well and scuff sand prior to applying fiberglass. When we built the freshly sawn and sanded hull, it looked too light colored compared to the classic look we wanted. My hope is to fill in the gaps for others. We’ve learned a lot caring for WOW over the years, and there are a few things we would have done differently regarding WOW’s construction, maintenance, and improvements if we’d known better at the time.
The deck at the front edge of the rear cockpit of my home-built runabout has scratched varnish and the small blisters in the fiberglass. There are tremendous advantages in not having to trailer the boat for each use-we have easier access to water, and we get to skip the boat launch lines, or worse, the “Boat Launch Full” sign that typically goes up in our area by 10:30 AM most summer weekends. But since this location isn’t a good place for a boat lift, WOW is in the water the entire summer. The boat requires maintenance due to use and “abuse.” We’re fortunate in that we can leave the boat in the water from early May through late October, at a friend’s house. This works particularly well when you have dozens of pieces to assemble, such as a Craftsman-style bed. It lends well to the Craftsman style furniture I build, and my “finish first, assemble second” strategy. I have continued using WEST SYSTEM Epoxy products for WOW’s upkeep, as well as for a variety of unrelated furniture building projects and repairs. I chose WEST SYSTEM Epoxy due to the ready availability of information on its use, the testing data available at, and the single best reference book I could find on boatbuilding: The Gougeon Brothers on Boat Construction. The project continued with ongoing additions for the first several years, including upholstering the seats, installing a snap-on cover, a swim platform, cup holders, a wakeboard pylon, and a sound system. We started the build at the end of August 1999 and launched at the end of June 2000.
Primary construction was over one winter (see WOW by Mike Barnard in Epoxyworks 43). The hull is constructed of white ash frames, okoume plywood inner laminations, and a Honduras mahogany outer layer. WOW is a 20′ Glen-L Riviera with an inboard 350 cubic inch V8 engine. The majority of WOW’s use has been in Lake Nagawicka in Southeast Wisconsin. We’ve spent hundreds of happy hours out on the water, and taken it on vacations to northern Wisconsin, Kentucky, and New York. WOW, the home-built runabout I completed in 2000, has been a focal point of summer activities for our family and friends over the years.