IslandRunner - Engine is so high/bracket is low because it was installed for a 20" shaft engine. My zuke is 25" shaft so hence the highest hole on the mount/the jackplate. The alternative was to take the bracket off, fill (6) huge holes in my transom, drilling (6) new holes and moving the bracket up. Decided to try the jackplate and moving up before doing this and it worked out nicely. As far as advice, this is the first boat I've restored and I've learned a ton about it in the process, gained a lot of knowledge from my dad (Beach) and from everyone on this board, I'm easily spent twice as much time reading posts on here as I've spent work on the boat. Also like DonV said at the beginning of this post, buy sandpaper in the biggest size you can possibly find, I easily have $500 of sandpaper in this boat because I was buying it from Home Depot for a while.
She's 99.9% done, and she got wet and bloody this week (...yeah that sounds gross).
Anyways, built a starboard box to flush mount my vhf and stereo to inside my ebox. Frame is made out of 1/2" starboard and face/side is 1/4".
Constructing:
Black starboard + zip tool = mess
Installed:
Spent some time and changed my switch panel, original configuration was (2) 12 gauge wires feeding the (8) positives on the panel, I took these out and fed each one individually.
Went and bought the largest cutting board I could find (15" x 20"), this was bolted with nylon spacers to the inside of my console, all my electronics were mounted to this.
NMEA 2000 network backbone installed.
Battery switch and fuse box installed.
Every connection was made with an adhesive heat shrink connector, then adhesive heat shrink was put over that.
Wire management around the console was done with nylon cable tie mounts, these were screwed to the board, but 5 minute epoxied (thickened with some adhesive filler) to the inside of the console. Installed them by smearing some on the back, and then taping in place till dry.
Looks pretty messy in this picture because the throttle/steering/suzuki wire harness is in front, but after everything is in place and tied down.
Got everything installed on the dash
very tall person's view of dash
my view of dash
Spare fuses for every fuse type on board
Rear
Bow (non skid lines)
Looking back, tower folded, also my console seat opens forward now.
Down the line
Front deck light mounted on ebox (led spreader from coastalnightlights.com)
Spreader light (led spreader from coastalnightlights.com)
VHF getting GPS info for DSC from chartplotter
Looking forward
Leaning post/future home of 65qt yeti cooler
Glamor shots
Things still to be done
- Cut 3/4" starboard rod holders for under gunwhale holders
- Plumb/install scuppers through transom (right now they just drain to bilge until I get a 100% accurate waterline)
- Install trim tabs (my pump needs a part that I haven't purchased yet, might need a new pump, so holding off)
- Install rigging tubes from upper dash to tower for running steering/throttle and wire steering/throttle
- Ton's of other little tiny things, its a boat after all, its never "done"
Like I said, took her out on weds to run her some, not one problem with anything. Was a great day on the water, especially to have everything work just right.
Only thing that could have gone better was that we never spotted the man in the brown suit.
