Leaning Post/ Livewell

[strick]

My project has been coming along slowley. The weather has been bad and work has me busey this time of year. I'm not as fired up as I was when I first started the project so I've been moving at turtle speed. The reality of endless fiberglass grinding has set in and sometimes I have to force myself to put on the coveralls and pull out the grinder.
At any rate I have been doing a few things like getting my fuel tank ready and re-vamping my consel. I'm posting a link to a leaning post/livewell that I recently built. It's not finished yet but it is out of the mold and ready for fairing-painting-hardware-cushions etc... It's made of 4 layers of fiberglass, 2 cloth and 2 1708 biaxel. The corners are reinforced with 1708 biaxial tape. There is 1/4 inch corecell sandwiched between the layers of glass. Not sure how much it weighs but it is very light weight as I can lift it into the boat by myself.
I'll post some pics of the center consel when it's getting close to completion.
http://www.casdvm.com/photos/Leaning%20Post%20Livewell/

Strick

[Briguy]

Strick, Don't get down. I too had a major setback this weekend. While simply wiring a new bait aerator in the stern, I needed to run the wires up to the console. I could not get them to run in the area all the other wires go so I tried to run them up between the deck and the fuel tank. Ran into a problem there, removed my leaning post, lifted out the deck that covers the tank of my 23cc and low and behold, my deck was completely soaked. (no wonder it flexed while driving) After 2 hours of cutting, sawing, chilising and grinding the old wood out I was ready for the new core. Yes, the soon to be wife came out and informed me we had plans which cut short my love afair with my 16 grit/air grinder combo. Sunday found me at Home Depot buying 1/2 inch marine ply. By noon the project was complete! [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img] As I finished up some additional wiring I turned on my new ICOM VHF and smiled. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] I heard "chatter" from many more miles away than my old crappey standard horizon unit could muster. Now.......about those 7 year old bilge pumps....... [img]/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img] It's all worth it bro.

[FELLOW-SHIP]

Ha Strick
I know what your problem is, it kind a sneaks up on you and before you know it, your are is the slumps of boat re building. Most of the guys on this board have had various degrees of the symptoms and we all talked about it several months ago. You probably mist this conversation and I don’t remember which topic it was on but, I can help you. Your problem is that you have made a major mistake in all you calculations, you for got to add a major factor in your project. That factor is called the BEER FACTOR you must add a portion of your time and energy in this very important part of boat building (its like vitamins) if you are going to stay on track with your boat. For example, if you don’t consider the Beer Factor in a transom replacement you will have problems. If I can remember correctly, it’s something like this. Transom job = 10 Days work X Cost of job X Nastiness of job = “THE BEER FACTOR”. 10X $500 X 4 ON THE NASTY LIST = 6 TO 10 SIX PACKS OF BEER.
If you have not factored this formula than boat building blues will definitely set in. Not to worry, you can get help and rejuvenate your self by simply taking the day off go the grocery get the proper brand and sit by you boat and look at all the work you have done and sip,sip,sip, think of all the fun you will have after the project is finished and sip, sip, sip, through away your anticipated date of completion and sip, sip, sip. After a few hrs or rejuvenation you will start feeling fine again. “TRUST ME ON THIS ONE”
FellowShip [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[strick]

Ya know I think you are on to something there fellowship. I knew the comsumption of beer was important however I never knew about this mathmetical formula. Does it have a name? If not can we call it Fellowships Law? I think it can be up there with Ohms Law etc. From the looks of it I have been taking in way to little beer therefore I will take your advice and make a trip to the grocery store.

Briguy sorry to hear about your hatch. Wasent that a pain in the A$$ taking out all that old wood. Mine was made of tiny squares of plywood that had to come out one at a time.
Congrats to you on finding a lady that you plan to marry. Any lady that can put up with guys like us that grind fiberglass for fun and recreation is definatly a top notch women. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Strick

[abl1111]

Strick. Your manufacturing work is very impressive. Everytime I check out what you are doing, I am left w/ my jaw dropped.

I have a few questions:

Do you always use epoxy ?

The center console: when you used the foam to make the curved edge - how did you shape the foam and how did you make the inside smooth enough for glassing.

Once you make a mold, do you use cabosil or micro balloons for the corners ? Prior to glassing, do you apply a light coat of smoothing resin, let it harden and then put release wax on before you glass? Or do you do it another way.

Lastly, why didn't you gelcoat the console 1st, then glass ?

Sorry for all the questions, but your work is well beyond my scope of ability and I "ain't afraid to admit it or ask how "...

-Alan

[strick]

Alan-

Thanks for making my head bigger [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

I use epoxy only. It's expensive but I cant stand the fumes of polyester. Also I live in a residential area I dont want to make the neighbors mad because of the smell. It would be cheaper and work just as well if you used polyester or vinylester. I used the "Ringleader technique" for making the foam curve around the corners. PVC pipe wedged into the corner and seal the edges and pour in the void. It needs to be sanded afterward and then a layer of cabosil/microballoons over it. Scroll through the pics and you will see that part. For finishing the corners into bevels I used cabosil/microballoons mixture. Careful not to put too much microballoons or it will sag. For small voids etc bondo works well as a filler. After you have the mold the proper shape then coat the entire thing with epoxy. Dont use a roller that will leave small fibers stuck to the epoxy or you will have to sand it off. Yes I put 5 coats of wax buffing each coat so it is slick as a babys bottom. The terry cloth should slide easily over the mold surface. To answer your question as to why I did not Gel coat 1st it is because the molds I make are not perfect by any means so I anticipate some fairing and sanding afterward. A good sanding primer like Duratec is what i usually use. The leaning post has a few minor blemishes that I will fix and then it will look factory built when It's all done. I need to go to the grocery store now and get some beer. [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

Strick

[warthog5]

HeHe I love the "Fellow Ships Law" I to use it, but I didn't know the math formula.
The wife sometims would come out to the shop and see me sitting staring at it. She'd say "Are you alright" Sip Sip Sip What ah yea. I'm studying. Sip Sip Sip. HeHe
As usual Strick has shown the way to perfection. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

He is a piece of an email he sent me the other day and I hope he dosen't mind me posting it.

I have an invite to go sturgeon fishing tomorrow but am not going so I can work on my boat. Am I sick or what?

My responce;

HeHe That's a illness we have. Only true boat restores get it, but every day we don't work on our boats is one less day we get to use it. I've done the same thing.

[strick]

During the fall when I was working on my boat in the early mornings I would hear the shot guns going off in the distance.... it was my buddies in the marsh hunting ducks. I was invited many times to go but my disease prevented me from doing so. The only cure is to get it finished so I can use it. I'm hoping the beer will speed up things. Thanks guys.

Strick

[abl1111]

"A Disease " - that's so true. Some people are tinkerer's and other's aren't.

Since I discovered tools as a kid and good directions on how to do things, I cannot remember the last time that I did not have some huge project going on; from tearing my 10 speed apart to re-paint, re-doing a P.O.S. '69 Mustang, building dunebuggies out of VW's, rebuilding motors, then the boats came: gutting and minting an old '65, 17' Boston Whaler, gutting and minting a 19' Sailboat, and now this - the 23' SeaCraft...

And during each project, I promise myself that this is the last one. That's the beauty of fading memory, over time, you forget the bruised hands and body, the fiberglass itch, the frustration, all the agony - and all you remember is, " Hey, look what I did "

So, if my track record means anything - I'll be doing this stuff till I'm an old fart...

[strick]

I'm still waiting for the cushions to be made but here is where I'm at right now. It's all primed with Duratec sanding primer. There will be a big cushion covering the area where the live well sits and for your back to rest on. The front will have a set of cushions as well for leaning against and then to sit on with a back rest. It's going in the backyard for now till it's time to paint everything. I've got a ton of other things to work on [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Strick