Reply With Quotelooking real nice, the black is looking real nice, the windows tie it all together, what a sweet little craft. wehn i was looking around for 3000 grit, the only place i could get it was from QLD
Looks great mate. I had an old Cruisecraft Rustler 14 where I needed to replace the side windows. I use smokey/dark grey polycarbonate but instead of putting it into a frame I cut it larger and screwed it direct to the cabin with a taped sealer and it looked awesome with so much cleaner lines. Bit late for you unless you have the pennies nd the time but it would have so fitted with your black theme. I will have to see if I can find some photos and post them if I can. I did have an engineer check on structural issues before I went ahead.
looking real nice, the black is looking real nice, the windows tie it all together, what a sweet little craft. wehn i was looking around for 3000 grit, the only place i could get it was from QLD
I chose to keep the alloy frames with the sliding perspex windows.Originally Posted by Dignity
Have a look at my Mustang 24 build, where I did exactly as you have suggested. I think it looks great on that boat, but probably a bit too much on the little Ventura.
Thanks for the thought though.
My envy of your skills is continuing to grow. Boat is looking good. I'm not a fan of the black. White gunnel looks good with it though as you said...
How do you find the time to do this stuff? 🤔
Hi all.
I've managed to get a bit done of late.
I decided to have a go at the screen, despite being assured by windscreen manufacturers that I was wasting my time.
Unfortunately, I didn't take many progress shots, as I didn't really expect it to be good enough to put on the boat.
The frames took an age to strip down, as due to having stainless screws into alloy frame, the screws had all seized, The blow torch came to the rescue and heating the female part of the frame allowed all the screws to be removed.
This shot shows the frames with perspex removed but taped to its corresponding frame.
IMG_3866.jpg
This is of the front screen frame sitting on a really grubby temporary work bench during the refurbishment process:
IMG_3884.jpg
Next stop was to get new perspex (marine blue is the tint) for $150, cut to size and rebates cut in. I figured that if the frames didn't come up to scratch, I could always sell the reproduction perspex to another Ventura owner. And I wasn't set up to do the rebates, so I thought the $150 was very reasonable.
But as luck would have it and despite there being about 20 x 1/8" holes from canopy stud mountings and several larger holes for hinge mounts (the screen was hinged to fold back) and a ton of old silicone, a bit of elbow grease, epoxy bog, etch prime and epoxy paint saw the frame fully restored and looking pretty darn good:
IMG_3892.jpg IMG_3894.jpg
This thing was an absolute mess and they wanted $800 for a new one. It came up so well, I am still down on myself for not even trying to restore the Mustang's screen, which was in much better condition than this one. Could have saved $1,100... Bugger.
While I was waiting for the perspex to be done, my mechanic mate Cyril came over and we fired the V6 for the 1st time. Must admit, that was quite a thrill and it sounded very healthy. It inspired me to get the finger out and go harder.
I fitted the Seafarer and Ventura stickers, which I am very happy with. Excellent quality.
The chine tape was next. I always thought that chine tape at the very bow of Ventura's looked odd, so I tried flattening the arc of the tape out at the stem. I'm still undecided if the experiment worked. But it is certainly better (to my eye at least), than the factory "ski jump".
I got hold of some el-cheapo orange 6mm pin stripe to finish the paint edge between the black and the white, and I'm happy with the concept. Just needs much better tape, which won't be too hard to find.
IMG_3896.jpg
Also put on the cabin top grab handles, LED nav lights, stern cleats, ski hooks, rod holders, engine hand control and foredeck hinges and clasps. The bow roller, cross bollard and gunnel rubber end caps are with Ravi for chrome plating and should be ready in a couple of weeks.
Next, I had a look at the fuel tank situation. The alloy centre tank came in at 110 litres but I still wanted to also use the 70 litre plastic tank under the well, but the space had been prepared for the 50 litre alloy tank and the plastic tank wasn't going to fit easily.
No option but to cut out the existing work and have a rethink.
The tank is held in place by battens glassed to the new floor, and it just touches the underside of the well, so it can't pop out and there is room for the centre tank plumbing to come up, so all is good. It just took an age to bite the bullet and undo perfectly good work and do it differently. All that trouble to pick up 20 litres.
This is what I have ended up with:
IMG_3911.jpg (Why won't the site allow portrait orientation? How do I fix this?)
I moved the centre tank forward to the cabin bulkhead to help offset the weight of the rear tank. There is still a usable underfloor storage area behind it.
The plastic tank is biased a bit to port to give better access to the fuel filter/water separator and battery, which will go under the stb'd side.
So all the fiberglassing was finished, and no excuse not to don the dry suit and grind it all out and prepare for flowcoat:
IMG_3912.jpg
After the flowcoating is done, I'll concentrate on fitting up the motor controls, fuel, wiring and steering.
Hopefully, more soon...
Kill your camera app, reopen it and take a portrait shot, it seems to depend on what type of pic is the first one taken and all other pics in the session will be the same orientation (I think).
To get back to landscape kill & reopen the camera app again.
Maybe there's a setting in the camera app to alternate between them but simply rotating the camera doesn't do it.
You could also rotate the shot with software.
The photo is portrait and properly oriented in my computer.
It imports as landscape...
Hi all.
Had a play with the Ventura today and got the cockpit under-floor, under engine well and sides flowcoated and speckled. Kept with the black. white and grey theme. (Not yet speckled in 1st pic).
IMG_3919.jpg IMG_3920.jpg
I'll fit up the alloy angles to carry the hatches next and see about coming up with something to dress the cut out and think about what to do with the cockpit floor.
Then we can get stuck into the fit-out.
Does anyone know of a good value marine upholsterer in Brisbane that you'd happy to recommend?
I think I need to buy a sewing machine... How hard can it be?
Giddyup,
Great thread, been following from the start, I particularly ( but not only) like the posts on re doing your front screen, I did exactly the same, but
I hated the faded old silver anodising on mine, so I spoke to a mate about the possibilities of powdercoating it. Most said it wouldn't adhere, but he reckoned he could do it. Came up a treat, time will tell how it weathers, but looks better than the original and like you saved a fair amount of coin in re doing
the existing one....... Your project is coming along well, will look the part once done.......
Col
Hey Col.
Let us know how that powdercoating goes.
I was advised not to do it as the powdercoat would not take to the anodising.
But that was told to me by a screen manufacturer, so I'm not 100% sure of his sincerity.
I hope the painted frame holds up, but I would have much preferred powdercoating...
Will do, mind you, it's probably 12 months or so before I finish and get her on the water.
I was told that too about powder coating over anodising, but the guy that did it is near my factory, and I had a chat with him about it, He got really aggressive with the old anodising before powder coating, it's definitely stuck, but the weathering will tell the true story. It's very similar to your shape.
Col
Coming along very nice. If this is for your young fella he will love it
Sent from my iPad using Ausfish forums
Giddy love that blue tint to the windscreen i have only ever done one windscreen before i bought a sheet of clear perspex and used the old windscreen as a template i remember i cut it a bit to fast and put a small 4cm crack on the main windscreen i paid $180 back than if u do it your self u need to cut slow and drill the holes soft and slowly as not to crack it
I went from a really sandy windscreen to crystal clear the difference was awesome could see everything at night
Next time, try a perspex specific jigsaw blade, and back the perspex with a piece of timber when drilling holes which stops the drill bit from catching the perspex at the very last instant. Also, a brand new or sharpened bit is more likely to catch and crack.
Can you re-anodise a previously anodised frame I wonder?
Posting Permissions