The Back 40 Museum
  • Entry Level
    • Reception
    • The Rotunda Of Light
    • L/E Bursting New
    • L/E Dinosaur Trax
    • The Media Area
    • T*Six Meeting Area >
      • T*Six Orientation / Infrastructure
      • T*Six Waterside Skin Panels
      • T*Six Hull Interior Work
      • T*Six Top Side Completion
      • T*Six Detachable Parts
      • T*Six Accessories I
    • T*5 Meeting Area >
      • T*5 Screen Room
      • T*5 Splash Gear Screen
      • T5 Portage Gear Screen
      • T5i Screen Room 1
      • T5i Screen Room 2
      • T5i Screen Room 3
    • The Family Gallery
    • Reading Room 1: Essays
    • Reading Room 2: Truth InStoryForm
    • Venture Hall
    • The Inspiration Room
    • Milestone Gallery
    • Reading Room 4: Ref.
  • Level Two
    • Lecture Hall
    • Administration >
      • Museum Metadata
    • Snippets Hall
    • Reading Room 3: The Trinity Room
    • Main Archives
  • The Annex
    • Back 40 Mercantile Lower Level >
      • The Back40 Bookstore
      • T*5 Showroom
      • T*5 Order Desk
      • T*Six Showroom
      • T*Six Order Desk
    • The Grounds
    • Acquisition Storage Area
    • Restoration Area
  • Entry Level
    • Reception
    • The Rotunda Of Light
    • L/E Bursting New
    • L/E Dinosaur Trax
    • The Media Area
    • T*Six Meeting Area >
      • T*Six Orientation / Infrastructure
      • T*Six Waterside Skin Panels
      • T*Six Hull Interior Work
      • T*Six Top Side Completion
      • T*Six Detachable Parts
      • T*Six Accessories I
    • T*5 Meeting Area >
      • T*5 Screen Room
      • T*5 Splash Gear Screen
      • T5 Portage Gear Screen
      • T5i Screen Room 1
      • T5i Screen Room 2
      • T5i Screen Room 3
    • The Family Gallery
    • Reading Room 1: Essays
    • Reading Room 2: Truth InStoryForm
    • Venture Hall
    • The Inspiration Room
    • Milestone Gallery
    • Reading Room 4: Ref.
  • Level Two
    • Lecture Hall
    • Administration >
      • Museum Metadata
    • Snippets Hall
    • Reading Room 3: The Trinity Room
    • Main Archives
  • The Annex
    • Back 40 Mercantile Lower Level >
      • The Back40 Bookstore
      • T*5 Showroom
      • T*5 Order Desk
      • T*Six Showroom
      • T*Six Order Desk
    • The Grounds
    • Acquisition Storage Area
    • Restoration Area
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          The T*5 Showroom
    T*Boat: 
​
The Showboat   Slow Boat
                                                 T*5i Notice:
We are presently making some extensive improvements to the T*5 Series of the T*Boat which will ultimately result in the T*5i.   Please excuse the  interruption to the availability of the T*5 Series Plans & Kits.  They will be available again soon. 

If you have questions about the New T5i, you can contact us using the Email Form located at the T*5i Order Desk.     
Jump there now

                You can follow the progress of the
                         T*5i Development here: 
                                
Green = Completed.

Determine the Design Changes
// Re-draw the Drawings to reflect changes and Improve Lay-out  // Develop the new Master Parts Control List  //  Re-write instructions and Improve Format // Source new Building Materials  //  Cut-out and Document Prototype Parts //
  Prepare Parts Production Fixtures and Patterns //  Stress Test New Construction Materials //  Prototype Development Work - Div. 1: Builder Orientation  //  Div. 2A: Primary Infrastructure  //     Div. 2B: Secondary Infrastructure // Joint Strength Testing  //  Div. 3A: Side Skin Panels / Bottom Skin Installation  //  Div. 3B: Hull Interior Completion
//  Top Skins Installation  //  Div. 4: Superstructure Completion  //  Div. 5: Small Loose Components Construction  //  Div. 6A: Landing Gear  Options Devmt. // Div. 6B:  
Outrigger Construction  //  Div. 7A: Early Finish Work //  7B First Assembly  //  7C Water Test  //  Div. 8A: Final Finish Work  //  Div. 8B: Final Assembly //  Market Prep Work ***                         
                                              
T*5i Launched !!!
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Hi,  I'm Larry Burnett, designer of the T*Boat.  I appreciate the opportunity to introduce you to the T*5i.  Thanks for taking the time to get to know this great little boat a bit better.
​The T*5 Series (5th generation) T*Boat is 11'-9" Long and has a Beam of 2'-0" (Outriggers Retracted) and 6'-6" (Outriggers extended.)  It is a Wood / Plywood / Resin construction; and, it has a maximum useful load capacity of about 350#.  It is designed to be a fun, relaxed travel/ sightseeing lake boat.  It can be comfortable paddled at about 2-4 mph or faster if your looking for some really enjoyable exercise that doesn't destroy your knees.   
        Small Company - Big Process
     We actually like being a small company producing "Custom Build" Boat Plans and Kits for happy boat builders and drivers.  We're not really trying to grow out of that model.  We just enjoy what we do and how we do it.  But, it is true that this M O (limited manpower) makes it a bit more difficult to provide an exact date for the the T5i Release.  
      Nevertheless, because our goal is Proud T*Boat Owners (and not people with Buyers Remorse) we feel that Job One must remain the careful documentation and confirmation of every detail of a boat's design and performance.  
     And, we do understand that we're talking about a T*Boat and  not a moon shot.  
But, even for the T*Boat, this tedious process can certainly be as much an art, as a science.  In other words, it can be a bit unpredictable at times, only to  unexpectedly send you right back to the "drawing board" to  - GET IT RIGHT.
     But, we work every business day to do that very thing.  So, thanks so much for your patience as we do the necessary work. 
​
​    "Productivity without integrity ultimately becomes an empty exercise."  - LB

*On Tools: To build a T*5  you need the common hand and small power tools.  Also, you will need a Small Gauge Air Nailer.  We use an 18 gauge, which, if you don't already have one, can be bought for about $25 these days.  And, a random orbital sander is also a great time saver, although, not an absolute necessity. And, if you plan to Scratch-build the T*5 from the Plans Package, you will also need access to a table saw.
*Space Requirements? 
Oh, about 1/2 a two car garage is very adequate.  His side or her's doesn't really matter (well, except to her, of course).
*Drawings &  Instructions? We call it the D&I Package
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The D&I Package contains very  thorough instructions (60 Pages) with pictures, and assumes that every builder is a beginner. And, the CAD Drawings  are not just bare bones drawings.  They include careful part numbering, 3 View and Section drawings, as well as a number of perspective drawings to help the builder easily visualize parts and see how they fit together. ​​

And the D&I Package also includes the Hardware Pick-up List to make it easy to obtain, locally,  the ordinary hardware used in the T*Boat. ​ And, as a kind of Extension to the D&I Package There is the T*5 Screen Room, a restricted area  for builders only. There are dozens of additional color, click-to-enlarge construction pictures and a number of helpful videos in the Workshop.  
*On Materials:
The Standard T*5 normally uses 0.20" (1/4" nominal) Luan Plywood for its lighter parts and skin in conjunction with 3/4" plywood and solid wood for other structural parts.   The T*5 is planned around this Luan Type Plywood material because it gives adequate service and it's much more economical than marine plywood and generally more readily available.  However, we do offer a Marine Plywood Kit Option.  
​*On Build Time & Skill Levels:
The Average Assembly Time for the T*5 Kit Boat is about 35 working hours +/-.    The time required for the  Sealing and Finish Work varies depending the level of finish desired.  The time for this usually ranges between 16 and 25 hours depending on how refined you want the finish to be.  Suffice to say, duck hunters will probably beat the "Showboat" people to the finish line in this phase.  You should also count on about 8 or 10 hours for additional misc. operations - preliminary assembly, water testing, and final assembly etc.

All T*s are easy to assemble.  They mostly involve a  series of simple, repetitive basic steps:   1. Test-Fit Parts to confirm fit & prepare for bonding.  2. Coat Mating Surfaces on Involved Parts with Resin.  3. Bond the Parts in place and Air Nail to hold while the bonds cure.   Except for Part-specific Instructions, that's the basic M. O. for T*Boat building.  


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