1971 170 Aquasport Rebuild

[wegcagle]

That looks great. You do really clean work The seat is a great idea for complete access inside your console. You should put in a remote controlled door opener for it

(I wonder where I got that idea.....Peter do you know? )


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQSxlGZ7 ... e=youtu.be

[Rickk]

Thanks guys.
Weg - that hatch in the video looked cool. Hope they had an escape plan in case the opener failed

I'm not opposed to using no hinges and setting the seat on and using the locking type latches to secure it in 4 or 6 places and then when I need to get into the console just removing the seat and setting it aside. I would think that I will probably not go into the console very often after the initial install - maybe to check batteries periodically.

I need ideas on the hinging part or other alternatives (except the garage door opener one )

[slvrlng]

Looks really nice Rick!!!

Here is another idea for the latches, I used on of these on my anchor locker when I re-cored it. It lays really flat so its not in the way as much and has yet to pop open on its own.

http://www.mcmaster.com/#standard-draw-latches/=orfurx

[Rickk]

Sorry guys, been a little lax keeping everything up to date - got a little done. I know you like boat porn so here we go:

Cleaned up the seat, trimmed it down to 1.5" lip around most of the seat and ground it to a nice finish. The seat was built out of poly and I figured I needed to add something for the backer to "bite" onto so I added a layer of 3/4 oz.


After that kicked I ground it lightly and mixed up a putty of epoxy and troweled it on


and set the backer into the putty


Then I filled in the honeycomb




And then put some blocks on it for the night.


Sunday I repeated the process on the backrest (note to self - put some plastic under the block so they don't stick to the backer )




While that was doing it's thing I brought out the windshield and tried it on the new console to make sure I didn't build it up too much. Fits fine




I pried the blocks off the backer tonight (all 3 were glued to it tight) and picked it up and I tell you, the seat picked up at least 10+ lbs and is rock solid. It had a little flex in the panels before the backers, now, no flex at all. I could probably stand on the seat.
Next thing to do is lay a layer of cloth over the backer and up the lip and that will make it rock solid.
I test fit it (just in case) and it fits perfect. :cheers:

[Rickk]

Added the last layer to the seat - I would say the seat now weighs in at probably around 20lbs+ and rock solid. Trimmed it up a bit yesterday.


This is the seat installed and a pic taken from below the console - nice fit.


Took the plunge, so to speak, and cut the access panel out of the floor.










Trimmed both sides of the cut back a little so I could get a tight fit after glassing. Cut some Jasper board (foam board) to line the edges and give something to apply glass to.


Routed the edge of the panels and receivers




Then cut the Jasper board, drilled some pilot holes, epoxied the edges and temporarily nailed the board to the ledge.






Then started working the board down a bit

[Rickk]

Started to lay cloth and CSM in to make it a nice fit - still have some of that to do today.






Looks like it is a good fit now but it really isn't - getting there though


Had this guy show up and tell me it was beer thirty, so I took the hint




I added more CSM to the edges of the receivers where needed and then made a jig to apply some thickened resin along all the edges to get the right radius. Took 2 applications and the edges and gaps seem to be what I need now :cheers:

My buddy Ed and I hoisted the console onto the sole and lined up where the faint lines showed the outline and I realized that the lines were the outside of the toekick instead of what I said earlier which makes it even better :thumleft:


I needed to make sure that my calcs were right and I can get the 3 batteries in under the seat


I will add another layer of Plascore to beef it up under the batteries - good vertical clearance for this. :thumleft:

This is the intent of the seat for access - take it off and set it somewhere for the time needed.


You can see how the batteries fit in the tapered console and also how the console sits on the hatch.


I asked my buddy Ed to lift the seat and he figured it weighs at least 30 lbs. I stood on it and it was like standing on the driveway. :cheers:


I traced the in and outline of the console and it looks like I will be able to glass the console to the hatch on the inside with no problems. The hatch will be bolted down to the stringers.


I made a "ledge" for the bilge access with 3 layers of 1708 - 6", 4" and 3" with epoxy and after a week (at least 3 days ) it hardened up enough to stick down around to the bilge access cutout.
My wife helped flip the sole (even lighter now ) and then I troweled thickened epoxy edge to edge, corner to corner and placed the "ledge" and then put some blocks on the "ledge" to stick it down.


The next morning - it has full coverage of epoxy between the "ledge" and the bottom of the sole so I'm thinking even if I put on a few pounds and stood right on the hatch it still wouldn't budge. What I'm getting at is I think adding more lams to it to try to secure it to the sole is worthless.


As mentioned earlier I started cutting holes in the console - making it lighter one cut at a time
This is how thick the glass is on the face of the console (left 1/4" circle) and on the top where the helm mounts. Also the outside of the new addition is the same as the top


I cut the holes, dry fit them and then coated the exposed wood with epoxy resin.


I decided 2 of the 4 -6" speakers would be on the front of the console - If you look at the left hole you can see that I was burning through the cut - didn't realize the glass was 1/4" thick and it toasted the "wood" blade - I mean no teeth left on the blade I switched to a sterling blade and slowly cut the next hole.


I'm still moving forward and one of the needed things is that I need to foam the stringers so I spent a while drilling 3" holes into the stringer tops - almost burnt up a 1/2 drill and definitely a 3" holesaw in the process. Even snapped off a drill bit in the process.


I hope tomorrow to finish the rigging tube connections, glassing all of them in plus new supports across the "span" in the aft bilge and the front where the sole ends. We'll see how it goes - with epoxy I have no control using the "slow" hardener.

[Rickk]

Getting close now - getting the rigging tube in. Drilled a drain hole in the tubes


Lined every thing up and then glued them together - this was a BIG step for me - no going back now and tweeking things.


I glued both side in with no problems (if you've ever glued PVC and blinked at the wrong time....)


You see the hammer in the previous pic and that was to drive the coupler into the hole in the tank area. I used a drum sander to hone out the holes until they were about perfect and tight. After I connected the pipes I used 5min epoxy to seal off the hole (think foam) and secure the pipes.


I glued in the front rigging tube. I will add some neoprene under the contact point


Then it was time to start sealing holes for the foam and securing the pipes so they don't rattle.








As I said - I'm ready - if the epoxy is dry enough to foam tomorrow morning I'm on it.

Oh, got the vacuum system today.

[gonandkarl]

Hallo,
I am following your rebuild and I have great admiration how you perform with glass and epoxy. I can learn a lot from it.
I have one question, what is this vaccum system you got and what will you use it for and how does it work ?
Greetings from Karl (Austria )

[Rickk]

Hi Karl,
Cloth has a hard time making the transition over a curve, like the edges of my hatches so I will use the vacuum pump to "press" the cloth smoothly over the edges until it kicks. I have never used a vacuum system so I'll be learning all the way through this too.

[Rickk]

Friends stopped by yesterday and while they were here we flipped the sole over so I got to look at the ledge I glued in. Got a little ooze out in a few places so the fit is little off. I'll grind that off soon.




The foaming is done. A friend called and gave me some tips on taping some tape covered wood blocks down over the holes as I went. Some worked and some didn't.
I learned after the first pour of 2 qts in the port stringer that I probably cut too many holes. I poured in the back one and it started coming out of the 2nd hole. So I quickly covered that and learned from that. The 2nd pour on, the starboard stringer, I taped the 2nd hole shut and poured and it came out great.


The 3rd pour I had it all planned out, tape the 4th hole and mix the same amount, well this time it came up and out of the 5th hole So I learned from that one too - stringers were less wide I guess.
Overall I didn't make too much of a mess. Didn't use a saw when I was removing the excess and had a little tear out - note to self for the future. This is a pic after cleaning up some of the eruptions.


Cut some 4"x4" cloth and pre-wet/rolled them with epoxy and laid them over the holes and rolled it out. Another check mark on the list.