Build journal · 2026

Raider
on the
River.

I live in Clarksville on the Cumberland, and this is where I keep the whole story of buying a Raider Coastal 230 named Doreen.

Read the story →Build sheet

Who I am and why I'm doing this →

Boat: Raider Coastal 230
Name: Doreen
Power: Honda BF350
Home water: Cumberland River

The boat

Welded in Colville, bought for the Cumberland

A 2026 Raider Coastal 230 named Doreen, ordered through Selkirk Marine and built for the way the Cumberland actually gets run. This is where I write down how we picked her and what went on her, plus all the shop photos Raider sent along the way.

Who is on the boat →

Close view of aluminum frames and stringers clamped and tack welded inside the hull

Frames and stringers clamped and tacked · Jul 20, 2026

Start here

The log so far

Plus: the decisions →

Aluminum hull sitting in a steel build jig on the shop floor

Log 01

The Story

How a Weldcraft build request turned into a Coastal 230 order with Selkirk, messy parts and all.

Open →

Cabin bulkhead plates with window cutouts above the deck framing

Log 02

The Shortlist

The Duckworth, the used Raiders and all the other boats I kept looking at before I picked one.

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Helm dash with throttle, switch panel and a cutout for the display

Log 03

The Build

Everything on the sheet, down to the BF350AUDA, the 1243xsv, the Kraken 90″ and the Seakeeper Ride.

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Shop photos

July to October 2026

Full gallery →

Bare welded aluminum hull on a shop cart with rub rails and cabin bulkhead plates tacked in — Hull sides, rub rails and the cabin bulkhead going upJul 30, 2026

Welded aluminum fish box and sink wells in a deck plate — Welded fish box and sink wellsJul 30, 2026

Side view of the hull on a shop cart with the welded aluminum cabin in place — Cabin welded on, hull on the shop cartAug 10, 2026

Raider logo pressed into the hull sideAug 25, 2026

Cockpit deck plate laid in with a hatch cutout and the cabin bulkhead behind — Cockpit deck plate going downAug 27, 2026

Hull side with the Raider badge under the hardtop and rod holder rack — Raider badge, hardtop and rod holdersSep 14, 2026

Welded transom station with two basins above the cockpit deck hatches — Transom work station with welded wellsSep 14, 2026

White cabin interior showing the helm, passenger console and windshield frames — Helm and passenger sideSep 14, 2026

Hull and hardtop, side profileSep 21, 2026

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