What do u do when you reach 1000 run hours and 20 times head removal and u finally strip the head bolt threads? I kind of think 50 hours is really excessive oils are far cleaner these days than old days they need to be for polution reasons some oils have cleaners in them to help decarbon combustion chambers
I thought this was pretty cool for getting to the recessed ones.
https://youtu.be/-8N0y0jVAng
Decided to plumb the 62L Can-SB fuel tanks in given the general dodgyness of hopping into the boat to fill them. Found a 1.5" BSP filler tail to replace the existing cap and the tank has provision for a 5/8" - 3/4" breather so all good there, but I have a couple of questions at the other (filler) end.
Firstly - if I use a 316 stainless filler cap and separate vent, do one / both of them have to be grounded somehow for spark suppression? Or best to NOT be grounded? Seems like grounding it would guarantee a spark should there be a charge differential on initial insertion, but grounding also allows any charge that develops during filling to dissipate ... so, I dunno.
Secondly - any advice on whether the fuel filler and vent locations shown below would be okay? That vent position would allow an upwards loop of the vent hose under the gunwale which should help keep water out and minimise burping.
WsjYzg8.jpg
So it's been a while. Lots of stuff ordered and more stuff pulled off. Dropped it off at WA Automotive and Marine Motor Trimmers earlier this week for the one bit of work that's well beyond my capabilities - the canopy.
Have gone with a bimini + rocket launcher + duckbill rear extension in aluminium to keep weight down. Was keen on stainless but it's just too much weight up high for a small boat. Even this is probably pushing the limits - went with 3mm wall thickness for the two main arches and 1.6mm for the bows and braces, so I'm guessing total weight will be around 12kg with canvas and clears. Pretty chuffed with today's progress photos.
Should have it back by the end of the week with black canvas top + clears. Then I get to pull it all off so I can touch up and compound the gelcoat before starting the fitout.
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Didn't feel like working this morning so mocked up the seats instead.
Will have some 12.7mm StarBoard spacers cut to pack the hoops up to clear the icebox (where the timber packers are in the photos). Could use the adjustable hoop positions to achieve the required clearance but it'll look cleaner on spacers. Also will probably replace the nylon webbing straps with rubber to make sliding the icebox back and forth a bit easier than adjusting strap length.
Seat height is 865mm vs 770mm for the old fold-out seats (though they had heaps of squish so probably more like 730mm), so will likely need to adjust dash layout and lift the helm a bit. Will mock it up in the boat once I get it back from having the canopy fitted.
ETA: Actually looking at those photos, I might even be able to fit the iceboxes with the 60 split at the rear and the 40 at the front, gaining access when in both forward and back positions. Will depend on where the seats fit relative to the bunks when I mock it up, as they will limit forwards travel of the iceboxes.
Seated driving - icebox as footrest.jpg Standing driving.jpg Fishing or rear-facing passenger.jpg Icebox access.jpg
geez thats a nice set-up, mate..!..seat looks much more comfy than mine too...
The split lid esky is perfect for that situation...
Will the strap go around the whole esky and is your floor glass or carpet..?..?
The floor is glass. I'll be replacing it in the next couple of years to fit buoyancy foam so will fit doublers and stainless backing plates with welded nuts beneath the new floor. Will use toggle bolts until then and hope the floor holds; no great issue if it doesn't.
Straps are yet to be fully worked out. My general thought is to have bungee straps of the same length permanently fixed to both hoops of each seat frame on the gunwale side, with the strap length being correct for the slid-out position each side and adjusted to the slid-in position by simply winding it once around the walkway side legs to shorten it up - see the dodgy paint pic below. Hooks on the free ends for easy securing most likely. But I really just need to experiment and see how it works; winding the bungee once around the legs won't take up the full amount of slid-in slack so it's all going to come down to how stretchy the bungees are and how much sliding resistance they offer when in the slid-in, not-fully-stretched position.
When I do fit the new floor, I think I'll have it sprayed with Rhino Liner or similar over the gelcoat which would offer a fair bit of grip anyway.
Straps.jpg
Pretty chuffed with the bimini - think it really suits the boat's lines.
A little bit of work yet to be done - all the press studs have been put in the windscreen frame to locate them; I now need to drill them out, install the new screens, mark the holes, overdrill them larger than the rivet size, fit them and go back for the studs to be refitted. The last windscreen cracked and the acrylics place recommended overdrilling all fixings through the acrylic to allow for expansion, so it was my choice to do it this way.
Highly recommend WA Automotive & Marine Motor Trimmers in Perth. They're probably not the cheapest but I could not be happier with Guill's work and willingness to go outside his comfort zone to achieve the outcome I wanted (normally he doubles the rocket launcher off the rear bimini bow; having it as a separate 4-bend arch was my request).
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I've developed a fair tolerance for my own excesses over the years, but even I have to admit this is a little silly
Have decided to cut off the arms (saves 40-50mm each side of each seat; at least 160mm total over the width of the cockpit) and remove the slider (drops seat height 50mm). Also found the hoop just clears the icebox when on a hard floor (it didn't on the carpet) so that saves me the packer height.
Should end up with seat height just about level with the gunwales, which is only 1" higher than the original seats. The seat back is always going to look excessively bulky in a 16' boat but eh, it's comfortable in both back + forward directions and centres the body nicely without relying on the armrests, so I can accept that as function over form.
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Moph that looks ok to me, you don't have the winscreen on which will bring it all together and make the seats height look ok
I dont think anyone will say it looks out of preportion rather what alucky captain
Thanks Gazza, had another think about it and I really can't drop seat height much because then the icebox will be too high to act as a comfortable footrest. Might leave seat height as is and just remove the arms - they're not particularly useful as armrests and without them I'll have better access between the seats and it'll also provide clearance for the sidemount controls.
Question re cutting the 4mm thick aluminium channel that forms the arm support - can I tackle that safely with an aluminium cutoff wheel in a 5" grinder? I haven't used aluminium cutoff wheels before - normally I use my cold cut saw for heavy sections and a circular saw with TCT blade for sheet aluminium, but neither will work here.
I use discs on the grinder for mainly steel RHS and pipe but also aluminium regularly for fabrication...Originally Posted by Mopheus
The thinner they are the quicker and cleaner the cut.
Just with the really thin cutoff discs dont try and straighten or change the angle midway through a cut...in that situation they can and do break or disintegrate...
Yeah, I'm an old hand with the grinder on steel but wary of the clogging ability of aluminium. Will give the aluminium cut off wheels a go. Just a straight cut across each section so no worries about changing alignment.
Thanks
I cut my trailer light mounts from 4mm plate aluminium i just gave them a whizz across along the top to make a line than i went back and cut along the cut if u free hand try and cut thru the 4mm sheet as u go making way across it may be wobbly so first cut a .5mm line than go back and cut thru the sheet following the .5mm cut
I just use a regular 1.2mm and 1.6mm cutting disc from bunnings on the angle grinder that kind of thin disc doesnt clog
Instead of bungies use those straps with clips, they are easy enough to stich onto the frame by hand with a heavy needle and a pair of small needle point pliers to pull the linen thread through. You'll need one at the front and one the the rear on each side, clip in, pull the tang end, secured. The eskies will probably need to have the strap go all the way around the esky and have the clips stitched into it, your trimmer should be able to make that part for you and it won't matter if there is a little bit of slip as when you tighten them up it won't matter .
Something like this:
esky strap.jpg
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