Building Plate Alloy 6.5 Mtr Powercat

[Greg Omond]

Hi all

If anyone is interested I have started to build a 6.5 plate alloy cat from a kit.
I have setup a website that I will be updating regularly with photos & running costs.

I will also be really interested with any tips or creative criticism that anyone may have, rather than making a total stuffup at the end.

It is not as difficult as I first thought after doing the course at Cheltenham.

The website is: http://www.platealloyboats.com (http://www.platealloyboats.com/Welcome.html)

8-)

[sid_fishes]

it will be good to follow the progress of the build. i wish you well in your venture.ps. the website wont load
cheers ian

[Chimo]

Ian

Drop off the "/welcome.html" and it does.

Cheers
Chimo

[Greg Omond]

Thanks Guys.

I just chopped off the welcome.html

New to this website stuff, just cut and pasted it in sorry...


Thanks again

Greg

[sid_fishes]

i wish i had a workshop like that, so many toys to play with.
welcome to man land
cheers ian

[peterbo3]

Hi Greg,
Looks like a great project. Hope it works out well for you.8-)8-)8-)

I belong to a US site that is totally alloy. Some of the best alloy boat builders in the US are members. Perhaps you could check it out. I am sure that everybody would be interested in your project, both from the build side & also the design side.


aluminum alloy boats..................you will need to run the words together & add .com as the site here has a software issue with links

[Dean1]

Will be a nice boat great size mate. What sorta donks will she recieve??

[Greg Omond]

Im thinking a couple of 140 4 stroke Suzy's.

[Grunter71]

Looking good Greg.

Thanks for sharing and taking the time to update the website. It is a project that I would like to take on, it is a shame that there are no similar boat building, or even welding courses available up here.

[Beeracudda]

Great Idea and will be watching your site with interest, But with one little bit of advise from a web designer change your font on the website very hard to read! Only a suggestion :)

[backlash08]

thanks Greg, i look forward to following the progress
Craig

[PROBIE]

Greg
Great pics.
I like your shelving in the back of your shed. Did you make it yourself or buy it from someone (if so, who).
Thanks
Ted

[Greg Omond]

Hi Ted
The Mezzinine with the guard rail is homemade, just 120mm purlins and pre punched pool fencing from Surdex.
All my other shelves are Dexion.

Cheers Greg.

[Greg Omond]

Hi Beeracudda.
I am using Apple iWeb dunno much about fonts. which do you suggest.
As it looks reel good on the mac......
just looks like plain type.

Thanks..Greg

[Greg Omond]

Hi Grunter

John pontifex from platealloy was talking about running one up there when he went up for sanctuary cove.
Dont know how it panned out.
You should give him a call.
I reckon though, that with the right machine, welding alloy is easier than steel.
And the kits are that well cut that they are a piece of piss to put together.
Everything is etched with marks and numbers.

[Grunter71]

Thanks Greg, I will get in touch with them.

[Beeracudda]

Hi Beeracudda.
I am using Apple iWeb dunno much about fonts. which do you suggest.
As it looks reel good on the mac......
just looks like plain type.

Thanks..Greg

Hi Greg,

I've attached a screenshot of what a PC user would most likely see, when designing a website it is hard to design a look that will look ok to ALL users, most times we use a Arial or Verdana type of font which is generally the stardard.

[mangomick]

Good Luck with the project mate. Was the course just Aluminium welding or boat building. What sort of time frame was the course over and what sort of back ground do you come from .
I'm not a sticky beak but just wondering how you'll go on such a big project first up.

[Greg Omond]

Good Luck with the project mate. Was the course just Aluminium welding or boat building. What sort of time frame was the course over and what sort of back ground do you come from .
I'm not a sticky beak but just wondering how you'll go on such a big project first up.

The course was boat building but they did cover aluminium welding a small bit.

With the right welder ally is a piece of cake. The money you save building the boat you throw a bit back int your welder and you will be an expert in no time.
An you will make heaps on the side doing ally repairs, as most people are scared of giving it a go or wont spend the money on the right welder.
I am a farmer and my trade is a fitter and turner + electronic engineering in my 30's.
I have done a few houseboat pontoons over the years and a lot of repair work.
My sons have never welded before and are learning aluminium quicker than I learned steel.
It is all about just giving it a go and wanting a better boat than you can buy.

Hope this helps.


Cheers Greg.

[mangomick]

Cheers for that greg
Farming background with fitting trade gives you pretty wide range of practical skills that would come in handy. Should turn out pretty shmick by the time you've finished.
I'll be keen to see your budget when its finished and as it goes along

[lee8sec]

Greg thanks for the site and sharing the info & costs. Leigh

[Donny Boy]

Nice........will be very, very nice.....good luck

[sid_fishes]

bump
time to bring it back to the top

[Griffo2]

Great stuff Greg you look to have everything under control.
Thanks for shearing the experience with us look forward to an update on the web

Griffo

[Greg Omond]

Sorry for the delay some more pics.....on the site.

Cheers Greg O.

[finding_time]

looking great Greg !

[Lovey80]

Looks like it is comming along nicely. The weld quality looks pretty good for a part timer especially!!! Looks like a long process, it make you appreciate the long waiting times for quality plate boats like the Fisher's. May I ask, the rear deck area looks quite small in comparison to the over all superstructure. Can they make designs that allow the cab to be further forward for more fishing room in the rear or is it a set template take it or leave it?

Keep up the good work.

Cheers

Chris

[Greg Omond]

Gday Chris

They are extremely flexible with regard to plan changes.
Give John a call.
I am looking at doing a 7.5 walkaround as my next project.
I think that the extra metre is needed to keep the balance right and I like the roominess of the cabin. Melbourne weather can get pretty crappy and I like to stay out.

Cheers
Greg.


Looks like it is comming along nicely. The weld quality looks pretty good for a part timer especially!!! Looks like a long process, it make you appreciate the long waiting times for quality plate boats like the Fisher's. May I ask, the rear deck area looks quite small in comparison to the over all superstructure. Can they make designs that allow the cab to be further forward for more fishing room in the rear or is it a set template take it or leave it?

Keep up the good work.

Cheers

Chris

[Legend82]

hey Greg

hows it all coming along?
i have been following it from the start, looks great just been itching to see some more photos of her

anyway good luck with it

cheers jb

[MyWay]

you doing excellent job so far
looks like all hard pushing bending and clamping is almost over

keep us update please

myway

[skipalong]

would be a great project mate

[Greg Omond]

Hi Guys
I got the rest of the kit at last less the box section for the motor mounts.
I reckon I will just go down to Capral and buy some though, because its driving me nuts going back and forth to pickup stuff.

The cabin and floor sections all ended up being cut from short sheets so I have masses of joining to do.

Its gonna be hard to keep the distortion down on the joins as all these are 3mm.

The fact that the kit comes with no instructions is a bit of a bummer and the few drawings are hard to make sense of.

If you are an experienced boat builder I guess this wouldn't be an issue, but it is difficult to get too far ahead until you have everything here so that you can juggle stuff around to work out where things go.

Anyhow I have the sponsons back in the jig and the bulkheads are tacked in and I am working out the positioning of the wingdeck spars at the moment.
The slots in the bulkheads for the T section aluminium also appear strange (too shallow)but that is most likely just something that I need to figure out.

I will post some more photos in the next week when I can find the camera.

I have fitted a chiller and a watercooled torch to the MIG and it has made an awsome difference to the duty cycle.

What a Bl!@#y hot week its been

Hope your all catching heaps....

Game fishing in a 4m 25 hp tiller steer is a bit of a once a year only thrill....
Ill have to wait till next Easter.


Cheers
Greg. .:D

[adaml1754]

it you havent sorted out the slots in the bulk head it might be an allowance for a ryder bar on top a bit of flat bar or something, most boat building drawings are usless to tell you the truth lol they leave alot to the imagination

[sid_fishes]

greg, mate if you can do the joins in the sheet before they go in to place, tack the said 2 pieces together then clamp on to a flat plate [ the thicker the better] with 2 chill bars, 1 either side of the weld[ again ally] to drag the heat away, might turn out flatter than what you think, if you have some scrap practice first. and its comming along very nice i must say. cheers
ian

[stinky-stabi]

i take my hat off to you greg omond.....well done

[Greg Omond]

it you havent sorted out the slots in the bulk head it might be an allowance for a ryder bar on top a bit of flat bar or something, most boat building drawings are usless to tell you the truth lol they leave alot to the imagination

Thanks Adam

I contacted John and asked about the slots and they are incorrect and have to be opened up to take the T bars for the soft patches.:)

[Greg Omond]

greg, mate if you can do the joins in the sheet before they go in to place, tack the said 2 pieces together then clamp on to a flat plate [ the thicker the better] with 2 chill bars, 1 either side of the weld[ again ally] to drag the heat away, might turn out flatter than what you think, if you have some scrap practice first. and its comming along very nice i must say. cheers
ian

Thanks Ian

I had to join the sides as the sheet is only in 6M lengths and I used your method.
Worked spot on and 0% distortion....

[Greg Omond]

Anyone got any info on transom specs?

I need to start building the 2 transoms and have contacted Honda,Suzuki and Evinrude in an attempt to get some Transom specs/requirements for their motors in the 115-140 Hp range.

Cant believe that they dont get back to you. Withe recession I would have thought they would be jumping out of trees for the business.


Cheers

Greg O.

[Lovey80]

Hey Greg, I thought I would bump this back to the top to get an update as the site doesn't seem to be working for me. How is it going/end up?

[STUIE63]

Lovey I don't think you will get an answer as Greg was last on ausfish in June 09 . I too kept checking for an update but the never seemed to come . it was looking like it would be a great boat
Stuie

[Lovey80]

Disapointing that's for sure. The site seems to be down too.