Looking great and seeing some progress which is awesome.
Top idea getting rid of the molded-in no skid. We did ours in sand too. So good underfoot.
http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q...ps6fea09ab.jpg
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Looking great and seeing some progress which is awesome.
Top idea getting rid of the molded-in no skid. We did ours in sand too. So good underfoot.
http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q...ps6fea09ab.jpg
Hi all.
When I put up the last post on 6.7.16, I had just started getting the hull and topsides ready for paint.
Here I've put the 1st epoxy highbuild on the Stb'd side and now onto port side:
This photo is part way through highbuilding the topside. The prep was to wet 120 sand the blue and make all signs of gloss disappear.
Attachment 113788
After it was all in highbuild, the whole lot was wet rubbed with 120 grit.
This shot shows the horrid condition of the bottom.
The creamy light white is the original boat, and the blue/gray white is what is left of the highbuild after sanding. Spot repaired all the lows.
Attachment 113789
Next was 3 coats of highbuild and repair of the stress fractures. Oddly enough, they were in the exact same spot on Port side, so must have been a trailer issue.
I also spent a lot of time repairing the chines (chipped and dented) and the running strakes - 40 years of hitting things....The hull did take a lot to get right.
Last shot is of the topsides after 120 grit sanding. Now we're getting closer...
Attachment 113790 Attachment 113792 Attachment 113793
Final coats of highbuild prior to hand sanding with 400 wet:
Attachment 113795
Hull and topsides painted. Finally!
Attachment 113798 Attachment 113800
Pretty happy with the paint job. Bit disappointed that we couldn't find a formula for the particular oyster white that I like, so I decided to paint the boat in it's original colour, which i think looks quite good.
Spent the last few days preparing the decks and cabin for paint.
The bog work had been completed and faired and the 1st highbuild had been applied.
It took me 2 days (!!!) to 120 grit wet sand the highbuild, spot repair and re-highbuild.
Attachment 113803
But it should be right now for a 400 wet rub and paint.
Hopefully later in the week.
Then onto the cockpit to prep for paint.
May take a bit longer, as I have to make some modifications to the dash layout to fit everything, and I haven't fitted any side pockets yet or thought about widening the rear combing
to fit a live bait tank and to better situate the batteries and oil bottles.
But, it will happen. Eventually...
Awesome mate!
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Looking good.
A lot of work in that rebuild.
Well done.
A you've been a busy boy! Fantastic...
Way more patience than me. Massive effort. Great job.
Hello again all.
I've been busy the last couple of weeks, taking advantage of the good weather.
When I left off, the hull and topsides had just been painted.
Only way to finish the job is to suck it up and just go hard, so this is what I had to make pretty:
Attachment 113978
This shows the hull and topsides painted and the cabin and decks in highbuild.
The prep method was 240 wet sand, spot repair, re highbuild, 400 wet sand, spot repair and spot highbuild, 400 wet sand.
Sounds easy enough, but the cabin and decks took 10- hours each time to sand. But I guess if it was easy, everyone would do it.
I decided to do all the modifications I needed in the cockpit while I was at it, and started with this:
Attachment 113977
You can see I've already fabricated a little projection for the engine controllers. Biggish boat, so little room...
Progress:
Attachment 113979 Attachment 113980 Attachment 113985
Original paint removed, glasswork done and faired with grinder
Liberal application of epoxy bog and boarded off, ready for highbuild treatment.
Decided that I needed to widen the rear deck (?) to fit the batteries and a live bait tank, so a bit of surgery was needed:
Attachment 113981 Attachment 113990 Attachment 113984
Got all involved with racing to beat the weather, so no progress shots, but after a LOT of sanding and spot filling and getting it
right, it's now painted!
Attachment 113986 Attachment 113987 Attachment 113988 Attachment 113989
A bit over sanding and painting at the moment, so I'm going to have a bit of a play with the trailer. From earlier photos, you can see it sits very high and will be a total pain at the launching ramp. And I need to get the brakes working again and the trailer registered.
So next for the boat?
The interior is in 2nd highbuild, so it will get painted next. Then onto the non-skid, which will finish all the painting, and I can start fitting things.
It's just that everything is like 40 years old and knackered.
But, 1 foot in front of the other....
Hi all.
Time for a quick update... Trailer woes!
Decided to get the trailer happening, and given that the one that came with the boat had major issues, I looked for a while to buy a repairable known brand to refurbish.
I found a suitable Tinka trailer in Phillip Island, but it was going to cost a bomb to get it up to Brisbane, so I opted to modify what I had.
Mistake.
Tinka and the like have had decades of experience building boat trailers and have learned what makes a good product. I don't.
The original was very well built and very heavy, but not galvanized and not really a contemporary boat trailer design.
Looked like an engineering workshop put it together (very well) but with no thought to modern things like self launching ability or aesthetics.
There was also a mixed bag of parts used. The rocker springs were only rated to 2500kg, the wheel spacings were for 16" offroad wheels and tyres, the whole sub-frame was too light, the guards were hideous and too heavy, there was no handbrake fitted and the coupling was only rated to 2050kg.
Here's what I started with: Cut off the rusted bit: Closer picture of hideous sub-frame and guards.
Attachment 114147 Attachment 114148 Attachment 114149
It was obvious that the trailer needed rethinking. The cross pieces could all go as the new sub-frame would hold the main bearers apart.
A new sub-frame needed to be built from scratch to sit the frame lower.
Here's the beginnings. Correct sized (3,500kg) roller rocker spring set, with proper wheel spacings, fully refurbished electric drum brakes and galvanized drop frame
Attachment 114150
Here it is, fitted to frame: Frame repair underway.
Attachment 114151 Attachment 114152
Next, I cut out all the cross braces and set about fitting the rollers.
I temporarily fitted some keel rollers so I could get the boat on the trailer, and found that it was too low!!
Attachment 114153
I got rid of the electric winch and bow stop and have fabricated a new version with a manual 15:1 winch and V block.
Also, first shiny thing has been fitted to boat - new towing/bow eye!
I've fitted a few wobble rollers but I'm having a bit of trouble actually working out how to do the rear sets. That's today's task.
Cant permanently fit guards until the engine/s are on, as I don't conclusively know where the wheels will sit, height wise.
Also, a 300hp Suzi has come up that I'm tempted to get, as it will solve a lot of potential problems - not the least of which will be fuel economy from the 2 old 2.5's.
Will know more about that motor in a few days, so for now I'll keep on with the trailer.
And just for the record, I really regret not spending the extra few dollars and getting the repairable Tinka from Phillip Island... Just couldn't see the forest for the trees... Lesson learned.
Mate looks great. Can I suggest you seal the box completely with welded plates and then put holes on the top of each rail and tap a thread for a bolt with nylon washer... Same at the bottom of end plates and fill with fisholene or similar and let is slosh around. I recommend Xtroll Rust Conqueror UV and then their Easy Gal over the top for the outside. Cheers
PS. See my build up thread here. http://www.ausfish.com.au/vforum/sho...d.php?t=191562
In 3 years of salt use with no Hot dip she remains rust free on the springs, axles, frame, everywhere. Cheers
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Thanks for the tip. Sounds easy enough and can't complain about the result!
Electric drum brakes ? :-? rest looks great
Good for vans... Not so sure about salt water... Cheers
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Not my 1st choice, but they were there.
Quick tickle, and they should now be working, so at least I can get the trailer registered and take my time working out electric/hydraulic discs.
If you are stuck with them, make sure you put some sort of fitting into them so you can connect the hose to it to give them a really good flush or you will be doing it much sooner than later.
Hello again.
Managed to get a little bit more done in the past few weeks.
Trailer is now basically ready for registration. Still have crappy electric drums and hasn't been rust proofed, but I'll hold off on any of that until I've had a chance to launch and retrieve a couple of times to see if it's going to be acceptable. I managed to get the boat to sit nice and low, but had to widen the track by 200mm to clear the guards. Seems to have equal weight on all the rollers, and tows OK, but impossible to tell if it will continue to do so when fitted with motors and all the extra fit-out bits and pieces.
Managed to do a complete re-wire with new LED lights and new electric breakaway system. Also new winch and bearings. Not my idea of fun, but at least it's another job that can be crossed off the list.
Maybe...
So here it is, all shiny and sitting on a tow-able trailer. Got stuck into it with the 2000 wet and dry. Lots of sanding (again) and machine polish. Came up quite well.
Attachment 114540
Agonised over the non skid, and finally bit the bullet and got it done.
I was panicked over my choice of colour, but I figure it should be a nice contrast to black covers and striping. Fingers crossed...
Here is the decks masked up and ready for paint
Attachment 114541 Attachment 114542 Attachment 114543
And here is the end result:
Attachment 114546 Attachment 114544 Attachment 114545 Attachment 114547
Next on the agenda is to 2000 sand and machine polish the cockpit paint work, then do a bit more timber work.
In my rush to get it painted and fix the trailer, I kind of glossed over fitting the port cabin bulkhead, or fitting the side pockets. Can't paint the interior of the cabin until that bulkhead is in and faired, so that's the first job.
Then I guess paint the interior and get serious about getting the motors refurbished and onto the boat.
But it's all good fun.