'74 Tsunami Pilothouse and Rehab

[strick]

Thanks for that. How will you be accessing the bow? is there a flush mount hatch that is not visible in the pictures? Page 2 had something that looked like one. Did you replace the headliner in the cabin your self? Tips on that would be nice as I still have to do that in my 25. How was the inside of the enclosure finished? sanded ? or something else?

Thanks for the documentation...really appreciate it but size your pics to 640x480 and they will be easier to see.

strick

[Handful in NC]

You get to the bow by walking around the cabin rather than through the front window. To make this easier, there are grab rails on the top, the cabin sides are canted inward slightly, and all deck hardware is flush mounted so there's nothing to stumble upon. All of this will be apparent in future photos.

I replaced the headliner myself. Go to www.sailrite.com and search for "headliner". I followed (mostly) their video installation instructions posted on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHLq6FxQiI0

I would suggest using new scissors - not ones ruined by cutting fiberglass - and having lots of fresh box cutter blades. The tip of the blade dulls quickly trimming against fiberglass and then the headliner pulls and tears instead of cutting cleanly. The scissors are better if you have access and clearance. I had better luck placing the headliner, marking the edges to be cut with a marker, pulling it away while the adhesive was still wet, and then trimming away the marked line with the scissors. (You may have to spray a coat of adhesive on the headliner backside if it doesn't want to stay in place after trimming.) The carpet type headliner material is actually pretty easy to work with and stretches a lot to compensate for mistakes and/or deal with irregularities. Start on vertical surfaces, or smaller areas, before you tackle a big piece like the overhead, to refine your technique and become familiar with the process. Seams are hard to perfect, so try to place them in areas where they are less visible.

It took me a couple of hours to do the forward cabin in the Tsunami, and half that was spent tryng to figure things out, and because I foolishly started out with the overhead. It was like working under a tent and very awkward, but one continuous piece did the entire overhead.

The interior cabin enclosure was finished with rolled gel coat and has a lightly textured surface, which looks clean and nicely finished. You can see the texture in the following image (as well as the small gap that is being caulked and covered with 1/2" teak quarter round molding).

[Handful in NC]

Oops. Trim tab issues. Lenco edge mount 12X12 tabs won't work without cutting holes in the bracket (though Capt Chuck did this on his 23' with good results). A 9" wide tab would allow the cylinder to fit outside of the bracket, but it still is quite high.





Solution: QL tabs. I'd never heard of these. Volvo Penta has a history of pushing the design envelope and these certainly are different. They basically have a blade that drops straight down and creates a hydraulic wedge. Installation is a challenge as they must mount to a perfectly flat surface so the housing isn't distorted, which jams the blade. (Yes, been there, done that.) One nice thing, the thin profile makes them impossible to smash at the dock. They are a perfect fit and work really well.

[Handful in NC]

The boat was launched 10 days ago. A close friend was along to keep me from doing anything particularly stupid on the inaugural launch. All went well and, thankfully, concerns about the cabin weight in the front were not justified. It sits in the water nicely. The cockpit does drain aft. I briefly opened up the new motor and saw 48 mph. Cruise numbers are approximately 30 mph at 3000 rpm and 3 mpg. (Amazingly, my old 21' Parker with a 175 Johnson 2 stroke at the same speed/rpm got half that mpg!) More detailed performance numbers will follow, but that 250 Etec is pretty sweet thus far.

My schedule and the weather have not cooperated for getting good photos to post, so I've been working on the aft cabin bulkhead/doors, using 1/2" starboard with acrylic windows to keep the weight down. (Don't want to push my luck on the forward weight issue.) We had our first cold snap this past weekend, so that enclosed cabin with a little duck blind heater is going to be really nice for winter boating.

[DonV]

Damn Bill!!!! Beyond sweet!! Congrats.

[Blue_Heron]

Very nice. Thanks for posting the links on the headliner. I'm in the same boat as strick so to speak. What is the exterior finish on the boat/pilothouse? What color? Looks very good with the teak.
Dave

[Blackfin26]

Super nice....should be mass produced. Thanks for sharing.