HMD 19 - Yoda's legacy continues

[Cowbro]

Monday night update:

I ordered a bunch of epoxy, quick fair and primer from BBC last night, and got a confirmation call this morning that all of it was going out. Great customer service.

There was a ~8" inspection hole over the main bilge area that holds the 20 gallon water tank. I wasn't super happy with what i could see inside. I can't find anything in any of the old threads that detail what happened under the sole in this boat. It looks like there are "stringers" between the frames to allow for foam on either side and the center section was left open. The "stringers are not filleted or glassed in at all, and some foam creeped past. I cut a decent sized access panel out of the sole tonight to investigate further (I took a picture but it was dark and not worth posting). It looks like I'll probably be filleting all of this and tabbing it in, if anything just to keep the bilge a little more water tight and cleanable. Also, there does not appear to be any epoxy between the cleats on the frames and the underside of the sole. While i am cutting access holes and getting down into the bilge I plan to fillet and tab this in as best i can and hope for the best. Removing and redoing the sole is not in the build plan right now, so hopefully that will be good enough.

(Disclaimer: I plan to document the work on the boat as best i can. I know that Yoda was racing the clock trying to get this thing on the water as quickly as possible, and in no way do I mean any disrespect to him or Dan by pointing out minor deficiencies that I find, if it wasn't for them the boat wouldn't exist and I wouldn't be working on it. I am still thrilled by the boat and overall very happy that it has survived as well as it has.)

On a positive note, I vacuumed out the inside of the cabin and confirmed that my 6'2" self can lay down inside. It will probably take a few weeks of work before I can get it to a point that I can get my wife to test it out to see how we both fit.

On a light hearted note, I don't want to share how long it took me to figure out that the faucet is a manual one, and that you pump the handle to get water out. lol. I was searching all over for the pump and couldn't figure out where Yoda would have put it. I was almost certain that the plan was to pressurize the tank via the vent and push the water up and out.

[fallguy1000]

Good luck. Hard to work when it is in the weather. Get a tarp if nothing else.

[Netpackrat]

(Disclaimer: I plan to document the work on the boat as best i can. I know that Yoda was racing the clock trying to get this thing on the water as quickly as possible, and in no way do I mean any disrespect to him or Dan by pointing out minor deficiencies that I find, if it wasn't for them the boat wouldn't exist and I wouldn't be working on it. I am still thrilled by the boat and overall very happy that it has survived as well as it has.)

The boat's condition is what it is, and if something isn't right and needs to be redone either because it was rushed in the first place or has deteriorated since, there's no amount of sugar coating that is going to change facts. You honor Yoda by finishing his work to the best of your ability.

Somewhat related, my main long term project at this time is restoration of my dad's '59 MGA roadster. He owned it from 1963 until he passed it along to me in the late 90s. During that time he had to make a lot of repairs to it, some of which were OK, and many of which were crude, field expedient measures intended to keep his only mode of transportation operable, often assisted by my grandfather. One of the most difficult things for me, has been encountering these repairs as I work on the car, and realizing that while they may have been adequate in their day and are often still functional, that I am the better craftsman and I can make it right. And i can afford to spend the time, and I have the opportunity to do so while it is completely apart. I have proceeded under the assumption that Dad would want me to make his car as right as I can.

[Cowbro]

Good luck. Hard to work when it is in the weather. Get a tarp if nothing else.

Yeah, for reasons very different from what you are dealing with up north. It has been over 100*F all week with scattered fire and wind, it is supposed to be slightly below 100 this weekend though, so that is nice. We are still about 3 months away from what would be our "rainy season". Which means a few more months of fire season. Luckily where i am is not really at risk of wildfire (in the middle of well irrigated farm land).

[Cowbro]

I decided to get going with the demo today. I knew that i had to modify the seat boxes, and there wasn't that much holding them in, so out came the sawzall and OMT and boom. "Seat Delete Kit"




New seat supports will be very minimal, just enough to support the seat and not take up too much room.

Here is a before shot of the inside of the bilge. My plan is to get this looking a lot tidier by the time I am done. I like to keep my stuff clean and i feel like I would never be able to get this really clean. Does anyone run dual bilge pumps? is it overkill? I'm thinking about adding a back up.


Phil

[fallguy1000]

Make sure to get an oscillating tool with carbide bits for the finer work.

[fallguy1000]

Dual bilge pumps are only good if you have separate batteries. You can keep an extra pump around if the other one fails. It is nice to not need to change the bases. They last about 20 years, ime.

[joe2700]

I think running duel bilge pumps is prudent. They can clog or fail for reasons other than battery issues. I'd mount one higher than the other so it only ever comes on in the event you have significant water. Instead of both floats activating every time there's water.

[grundasaurus]

Great start!! I’m really excited to see your design choices and steal some ideas for my P19! I would truly suggest cutting the center aisle of the cabin down to give some headroom, I’m 6’ 4” and can almost fully stand up in the cabin which is so much nicer than having to stoop.

[Cowbro]

Great start!! I’m really excited to see your design choices and steal some ideas for my P19! I would truly suggest cutting the center aisle of the cabin down to give some headroom, I’m 6’ 4” and can almost fully stand up in the cabin which is so much nicer than having to stoop.

Grundasaurus,

I love the look of the forward swept windshield. I hadn't seen your boat before, I just searched through your thread and your boat turned out real nice. I was actually thinking about cutting the top off and redoing it very similar to yours since i have to re-glass the roof anyways. But in the interest of getting the boat on the water ASAP i am just going to sand and recoat what I have. If i really enjoy the boat then next winter i may cut the top off and rebuild with a forward swept windshield.

Same thing goes for the dropped sole under the cabin. The existing stringers are not plumb or straight so i would have to redo those too in order to make it look decent. Perhaps next year if I get really motivated. I also like the idea of keeping the entire deck self bailing and wide open.

As for the bilge pumps, i think i am going to lean toward keeping 1 for now and carrying a spare.