#31
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Doghouse and Leaningpost (livewell)
From this very website, 10 or so years ago, I bought the top half of a console and a console roof from CMP. The roof was very heavy. I think what happened is that they laid up the original roof, but it was too floppy so they added many layers of glass and poly, but it got too heavy, and they sold it to a doofus like me. I cut out all the extra glass (which I used into various spots, such as filling the topcap lip at the transom, etc) and made some plywood supports that I epoxied into place. I like doghouses that lean back a little, so I added that to the 1/2 ply sides, but then had to recut the windows. Made some window frames from mahogany leftover from a whaler interior I made last year.
I had an engine cover from a 1964 seacraft 20 I/O that I converted to a full transom (I sold the unfinished hull last year), which I wanted to make into a seat. In the end the cover was too big, so I cut it up to match a seacraft cushion I bought. Then I figured out I had the cushion backwards, and was also not too thrilled about putting holes in to the doghouse for the cushion buttons, so no cushion on the seat. In the end, I don't really like the shape of the dog house. Because the sides do not taper in, and the roof does not have enough crown, the whole thing looks too boxy to me. Im not going to fix it though. Anyway. |
#32
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Almost forgot the leaning post/livewell...!
The leaning post and livewell was a hoot. In order to make a mold for the live well, I piled some trailer tires, covered them with plastic drop cloth, and then added mat plus 3 layers of 1708. I would advise against this; I ended up doing a lot of grinding. I was planning to use my 55 gallon trash can as a mold, but the can was busy being used as a trash can. I scored and bent 1/4 ply to make the back of the post. This was such a pain in the butt that I popped a mold of the shape so I don't ever have to do it again, even though I never plan to make another leaning post livewell for a seacraft. I have the cushion from an old arigoni post that will go on top.
I used mat and vinylester over 1/2 ply for most of the surfaces. At the time, vinylester was $30/gallon and epoxy was around $70/gallon. BUT, vinylester is now $50/gallon, and I found some good epoxy (SC110 is $730 for 15 gallons), so I would suggest using epoxy and 6 oz, in the future. After all my posts about painting boats over the years, after finally roll-and-tipping awlgrip, Im a big fan. I guess my advice is when you think you are done sanding and faring, just do one more round. Also, safety first. The livewell is foamed in to the back and the base support. The base that it's epoxied to is bolted to the deck with two engine bolts... I don't want a 500 lbs 'water cannon ball' rolling around the deck. The inside of the livewell got painted with the last of my tohatsu lower unit spray paint. Hope the baits feel at home. I am not looking forward to plumbing the livewell. After all this work to redo this old hull, pumping hundreds of gallons of saltwater on board seems a little risky. |
#33
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Will be looking for pointers on paint!
How do you see through that mask!? |
#34
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Paint has been a '10 year' question; after watching my petit easypoxy flake off my work skiff after 10 years, I decided to try awlgrip. The $150/gallon from west marine, but also excellent prices and service on all the rest of the reagents from defender dot com sealed the deal. I was very concerned about the fumes from Awlgrip. For example, the fumes from a few drops of paint on my shoes was enough to give me a headache. I approached the awlgrip like epoxy (e.g. potlife, mixing, cleanup, SAFETY), and even double checked my approach with AkzoNobel after that headache... it turns out the safety phone number in the awlgrip application guide is for chemical spills; I finally got someone to answer questions about which 3M mask and filters I should be using (correct answer is 6001 ORGANIC VAPOR CARTRIDGES / 3M 5N11 OR 3M5P71 PRE-FILTER WITH 501 FILTER HOLDER, which is what I use).
I've been asking around on a few boat forums and it seems that folks can develop some pretty gnarly medical stuff (specifically autoimmune, I would include rare cancers), perhaps from sanding/inhaling curing or uncured paint/epoxy/poly etc. There seems to be a little shame or unwillingness to share stories outright, likely because getting sick from doing this activity we all love seems kind of silly, but anyway the more I hear, the more vigilant I am about always wearing some form of 3M mask (curing vinylester stinks; don't do it in a carport or basement). NOT a political statement in anyway, it's just all the fiberglass dust I see around my work space. I guess as a last comment on safety... I made a whaler13 interior from mahogany last year, and one guy told me about mahogany sawdust being toxic. So I started pubmed'ing (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, search terms: plywood, epoxy toxicity, plywood dust, etc) and it turns out even plywood dust is not great to be inhaling. Who knew! I read every MSDS I get, usually just to find out what chemicals are actually being sold. For example, Im pretty sure the rhino bedliner product is similar chemistry to awlgrip, but do your own literature search. Doing your own 'research' means test tubes and pipettes, so have at it if you want, but googing shit online is not research (THAT is my political statement). Anyway, I 'see through the mask' by being scared shitless that these boat projects might be making me sick... for sure these boats aren't great for my mental health! Im still grumpy about my doghouse roof being too square and not 'curvy' enough, nevermind how awlgrip highlights all the spots where I should have done more faring/sanding... oh well there's always next time. |
#35
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Got the 150 installed, too cold to take it for a spin. Still not done, but getting closer.
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#36
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looks nice and functional. I bet you are happy to be finished. Wednesday is going to be close to 50 degrees . . . what prop do you have on the back?
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#37
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It took me a few tries, but I finally got an enertia 15p. The guys installing the engine couldn't find one, so I ordered 3 in a row from various online retailers last summer. Each one listed the prop as 'in stock', charged my card, then emailed me to say it was backordered. I finally bought one from some guy on ebay for $900, he had a bunch for sale.
Yup, I am glad to have a boat I can fish this summer! Can't wait to fix all the little things I don't even know are wrong yet! The unknown unknowns... |
#38
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how does the landcruiser do towing the 23?
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#39
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Will be curious know what kind of numbers you see with the 150.
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#40
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2 hour break-in done.
Just finished the 2 hour break-in, so numbers aren't official, but so far, I think things look good?
WOT 5800rpm, 30knots. 4000rpm, 20 knots, 4.6 gph, same numbers as everyone seems to be getting. If feels like the prop is breaking loose a little on the way up to WOT, but I have no idea how trim tabs work. With the bracket, maybe the engine can come up a hole or two? On the other hand, I'm not sure all the extra work would improve things all that much. I'm a little confused about hooking the engine up to the simrad... the wiring harness has a NMEA2000 plug (photos), but both mercury and the marina say I have to buy either the $300 gateway or the $700 link...? Any advice would be helpful. Lucyyy the GSP seems ok with the doghouse, otherwise. The land cruiser is very happy. 7-10 mpg, but after 2 years of pulling a whaler 13 around, where the boat/trailer was to small to see in the mirrors, truck finally feels like its doing its thing. Are the squid here yet? How does that all work? I've never had a boat ready early enough in the season to chase them down. Ok, tight lines fellas! |
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