Instrument Panel

04.24 in and, Boat Plans, deck, instrument, onward, panel, the, to

I have been in the process of transferring gauges and switches from the previous hull to the new boat.  I have also added some new instrumentation- an electric horn, and a fuel gauge.  I ordered an in-panel fuel gauge of the same style and manufacturer as the two existing gauges.  While waiting for the new gauge to arrive, I went ahead and cut out holes in the instrument panel for all three gauges.  You know what they say about assuming; when the gauge arrived, it was a smaller diameter than the other two gauges. Thus, I was left with the task of making a larger hole, 3 1/2" dia., into a smaller 2 1/4" diameter hole.  I had to create a 1" thick wooden doughnut to reduce the hole size.  Done, but time consuming.

At this point I am re-thinking the windshield design, something lower and less upright; also see if I can make it simpler to lower the cost.  In the near future, the 50hp engine will be removed from the previous hull; then that hull will be removed from the trailer so that the new boat can be placed on the trailer and the new 75hp engine installed.  Some logistics involved here. I also had to build an engine stand for the 250 pound 50 hp ETEC engine to be stored on after it is off the transom.  Fortunately, I had enough spare lumber in the shop to complete a sturdy stand.
 

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To the deck and onward

23.51 in and, Boat Plans, deck, hull, onward, sheathing, the, to

With the interior almost complete, the deck has been my focus recently.  First came an initial sheathing with 6mm okoume ply.  Then a second layer of okoume ply was shaped to the deck edge (about 9" wide) and bonded in place.  This was then stained with a deep brown water-based stain, called "Expresso".  Then the major part of the fore and aft decks were covered with 6mm thick African mahogany planks.  Next a 1/2 by 1/2 channel was refined with a router at the deck-topside junction (sheer) and an appropriate piece of African mahogany was bonded into this sheer joint and sanded to provide a smooth rounded lip to the deck edge.  At this point the stained section of the deck needs another coat of Expresso stain and then it will be ready to be sealed with fiberglass and epoxy.  The recessed portion of the stern, incl. splash well and engine mount, will also need to be glassed.  But we can now also start thinking about the windshield design.  Today I cobbled together a quick mock-up, using cheap ply and duct tape, of a proposed windshield design.  Looks okay for a first attempt, but undoubtedly will be modified in the final version.  We are thinking of having the windshield frame fabricated in metal.  That would require finding a metal fabrication shop willing, equipped, and reasonably-priced to do the job.  That may be a task in itself.

My biggest problem holding things up is that I need to sell my current boat to make room in the garage.  The new boat is bigger, heavier, and would benefit from a more powerful engine.  The existing engine, controls, hydraulic steering, and trailer could be transferred to the new boat, but would make the existing boat even less marketable.  When I built sailboats they were so much cheaper to equip that I could sell them much more cheaply.  I never count my labor as a cost; it is just something I enjoy doing.  It replaces golf and a gym membership.            

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