My Restoration Thread

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thanx nitrofreak!! i wasnt sure you just placed the base under the carpet like that....

is the base only 1/16?? i was thinking more like 3/8 or so....

[Nitrofreak]

thanx nitrofreak!! i wasnt sure you just placed the base under the carpet like that....

is the base only 1/16?? i was thinking more like 3/8 or so....

It very well could be thicker it depends on the supplier, most I have had or installed are not over 1/4 inches thick, if you have to go deeper you may want to think about a steel or plywood backing plate under the floor surface, I am not sure how thick your deck surface is, but you should be ok.

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actually i was thinking about using 2 metal plates to sandwich the fiberglass deck...

on the front deck, i am raising it 2 inches, so i think i am going to install the base on the plywood floor of the new deck, and another metal plate on the bottom part of the fiberglass of the current deck, with 2" bracing underneath, and tightne it all with 2 1/2" bolts....

and on the rear deck, use a metal plate below the deck as well... i think i am fabricating these so i might as well do them onger than 7" to maximize the contact area....

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now, how do i remove about 3/16 of fiberglass material?? i can do it with the wood no problem, but with the fiberglass i have no idea....

[Nitrofreak]

It's the same process, only thing different is you need to take your time and not remove too much material at one time.

Most all plates come with a sleeve welded into place, the receiver for the chair post, you will need a hole saw for the proper size, try to stay within a 1/16 of an inch of that, you want as tight a fit as possible, but not so tight that you have to drive the plate down, take your time cutting the hole, do not overheat the hole saw, drill and lift, drill and lift.

Lay your plate on the surface, use a sharpie to mark the location by tracing around the plate, use the plunge router to remove the material from inside the mark, I usually take out the line too, it gives the plate a little room around the sides, do not remove all of the depth at once, take about a 1/16th inch layer at a time, make sure you are in an open area and have protective clothing on with a good dust mask or a good resperator, I have a shop vac that I turn on and keep the hose close to the working area, that helps a lot with the dust.

Once the material has been removed and the test fit has been completed, I will mark the holes for the bolt pattern, then slowly drill the holes.

If for some reason you go too fast and end up cracking the fiberglass, don't panic, drill a small hole at the end of the crack, this will keep the crack from extending any farther, then epoxy over the crack and the hole with some fiberglass resin.

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thanx nitrofreak!! i think i get the idea... however, i dont know what a plunge router is... do you have a pic? remember, english is my second language, so i dont know some technical words....

one question... most of the chair posts are 1 1/2", right?? because the ones i had were about 3", really big and ugly....

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here is yesterday´s progress.... i made a cardboard template of the front deck... since i am raising it 2", the trolling motor pedal gets flush with the new deck without having to cut the original deck... only a part of the pedal´s mechanism is higher than the deck, but the pedal itself is flush....

and here it is mounted on the boat...

is is too high?? there is only like 2" from the new deck to the top of the boat... would this be a problem??

[Nitrofreak]

Not too high, but now I am a little confused as to how you want to mount your seat.

Is the new deck going to be plywood?

If so I have a different idea that may work a little better, you wont need a router.

All you will need to do is cut a hole for the chair's pole to fit through in the new deck and mount the plate on the existing fiberglass deck.

Not sure if this is what you have in mind but, it is a lot less work and having the pole fit down through the deck will also provide a fair amount of stability to the seat.

[Shawn Dompierre]

­Not too high. What materials are you using to build the deck?

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thanx!!

i had tought about putting a mount in the original deck, and another one on the new deck, to add stability... but maybe that is overwill and you are right, i just have to cut a hole on the new deck, which will provide a tight fit on the seat pole, and mount the standard plate on the original deck.... the poles are 1 1/2" right??

and yes, i plan on using wooden 2 x 1 1/2s for the bracing, and 1/2" plywood (marine, if i can find it) for the deck... i thought about using 3/4 plywood but since its a really small deck, and it will be braced on all the outisde edge, the perimeter of the cut for the trolling motor´s controller, and the perimeter of the current storage spaced, i think 1/2" would be fine.... what do you think??

[Nitrofreak]

thanx!!

i had tought about putting a mount in the original deck, and another one on the new deck, to add stability... but maybe that is overwill and you are right, i just have to cut a hole on the new deck, which will provide a tight fit on the seat pole, and mount the standard plate on the original deck.... the poles are 1 1/2" right??

and yes, i plan on using wooden 2 x 1 1/2s for the bracing, and 1/2" plywood (marine, if i can find it) for the deck... i thought about using 3/4 plywood but since its a really small deck, and it will be braced on all the outisde edge, the perimeter of the cut for the trolling motor´s controller, and the perimeter of the current storage spaced, i think 1/2" would be fine.... what do you think??

Yes, all of the one's I have ever worked with have been, just make sure you have the pole in hand before you cut the hole just incase the pole is larger or smaller than planned, not all manufactures are the same.

1/2 inch plywood is fine, you can treat the surface of the wood with sealant or even coat it with primer paint to help protect it if you can not find marine plywood.

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thanx nitrofreak... this weekend ill see if i can find the marine plywood, or a proper coating for regular plywood... and i will also begin sanding everything for painting, as well as change a bad fuel hose.... it should be a fun weekend.....

[Nitrofreak]

thanx nitrofreak... this weekend ill see if i can find the marine plywood, or a proper coating for regular plywood... and i will also begin sanding everything for painting, as well as change a bad fuel hose.... it should be a fun weekend.....

Have a great weekend and a safe and happy holiday, by the way, with all of the things I have to get done before next week, I would gladly trade places with you LOL !!!

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hahahaha, thanx Freak!! have a great holiday too!!

my target date for finishing the boat 100% is June 23, thats when the fishing season opens here where i live... i dont know if i will make it though...

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here´s a picture of a boat they are selling in my city.... the wraps were put on the same place i want to have mine done.... what do you think?? they dont wrap the keel area, so i would have to paint that area and then have the declas match the color.... for $300 i think they are great, 10 times cheapr than what i have seen in the US.... maybe not such a great job, but i dont complain, what do you think??

[00 mod]

Looks good! I like the wraps. Keep up the good work!

BTW....ski trip pictures...........slacker!!!

Jeff

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thanx 00 mod...

yesterday i got a pretty good deal on the wraps... a friend of mine has a decal shop... most of his customers are public transport busses, so he has big printers... my friend owns a jeep, and once we went wheeling last year, he lost his winch controller... i told him i could install an in-cab controller on his jeep, he only had to buy the materials, which are really cheap, just some cable and a couple switches... but we never did, he knows nothing about mechanics or electric equipment.... so yesterday i asked him for a quote on the wraps for my boat, and he said that if i made him a winch controller, he would do the wraps.... im even tempted to buy an original controller for $150, but i will check first if i can get the parts on an electric store locally.... i have seen some crane controller carcasses that could work... so, i will only have to get some materials and a couple hours of labor and i will have my boat wrapped for free...

and just because 00 mod asked for it, here´s a pic from one of the ski trips to the local lake, with the girl i posted on first page....

[00 mod]

Tecate.....mmmmmm! What lake are ya'll skiing and fishing on?

Jeff

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yes, Tecate was the choice for that day..

the lake is a really small lake near my home, in Chihuahua, Mexico.... its 15 minutes from home, and it is so small, you dont even need the big motor, sometimes we only use the trolling motor.... since its so small, most people dont realize there are bass in there... maybe not really big ones, but since its close i can go after work, and i have gotten fish a little more than 2 pounds in there.... and whats best, only once i have ever seen another bass boat in the lake... during weekends, by noon there may be several ski boats, but early in the morning or during weekdays, i have the lake for myself....

[00 mod]

I am actually gonna be in Chihuahua for a short time in October.........on my way to Baccarac! you are right on the border huh?

Jeff

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i dont know what Baccarac is, but if you are in Chihuahua let me know!! we can go fishing there, at least for an afternoon or something...

but, im not in the border.. the border Mexico/US is Juarez on this side, El Paso TX on the other side... im 3 hours south of Juarez, in Chihuahua city....

[00 mod]

I am taking a private plane from El Paso to Lake Baccarac. We must touch down for customs in Chihuahua. At least that is what the head man said!

Jeff

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oh, i had never heard about that lake... i have only been fishing since last year, so i only know local lakes... we are thinking about a fishing trip to Sinaloa by the end of this year, but still have not decided on the location yet.... i will take a look at that lake, maybe thats what we are looking for....

good luck!!! make sure to post your fishing report!!

[Nitrofreak]

here´s a picture of a boat they are selling in my city.... the wraps were put on the same place i want to have mine done.... what do you think?? they dont wrap the keel area, so i would have to paint that area and then have the declas match the color.... for $300 i think they are great, 10 times cheapr than what i have seen in the US.... maybe not such a great job, but i dont complain, what do you think??

I'm not much on wraps, although the advertisement on that one looks pretty inviting to say the least !!

The reason I don't care for wraps, they are full of little pin holes, that can make it difficult to clean the scum lines if you put in on dirty or stained waters, unless you clean it right away, if you were to know me, I am not at all lazy, but at the same time, I don't do any more than I have to do either lol.

Sounds like it would be close to an even trade though, a little labor on a winch verses a wrap for your boat.

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i didnt know that about the wraps Nitrofreak, thanx!!

we were thinking about applying a transparent coating to the wrap, to protect it even more.... do you think this would cover the pin holes?? or would we have the problem even with the coating?? because i am like you, im not lazy but dont care for doing any extra work if its not needed....

and yes, a little time on the winch will get me a boat wrap almost for free.... i already have the diagrams in my head, i just have to check if they actually work as i think they should....