Ski boat project questions

Hi
Hows life ?
i keep looking just in casetheres a update post !
Im sitting waiting for time to pass so i can get behind the wheel of my own boat again in less that a couple of months .

HAVE A GOOD XMAS AND MAY NEW YEAR 2013 BE ONE TO REMEMBERED !!

 

Hello again

I'm still here and still thinking about the skiboat, but most of my available time is being taken up with the trimaran because I want to get it comfortable and sailing well before summer really gets going.

The auxiliary outboard is currently being serviced - in the local high-wind and tide conditions it is not smart to be without a reliable donk. I have also just about finished making a cockpit cover for use on the mooring, with cut-down sail battens to provide much more useable space than a simple boom tent . Next job will be clear PVC side curtains - snap on and easily removeable. I need a new stern anchor to use as a kedge, also other bits of gear and so it goes on. The skiboat will have to wait for a couple more months.

Appreciate you continued interest- All the best for the season

Alan

 

Alway interested !!
Me i am filling forms and gathering information for 3 visas for 3 lady friends that are coming to nz for a 2 week holiday collecting information so they retunr to china ia the hardest part !!.
I will be away out of china on the 7th of January 2013 , first to hongkong to change planes and then onto New Zealand so i can get my car sorted and get my boat out of a barn where it has been sitting for the last 12 months , am dying to get back on the water again and feel the wind and smell the sea again !!.
You have a good xmas and a better new year and will be waiting with any help anyway we can when you come back !!. Good luck !!

 

Its that time again !!

Here we are well into 2013 and time to find out what your up to !!
I found the pictures of your boat today so went searching for your postings and found it again !!
Managed to get back to nz but all my efforts fell apart , i did get to use my own boat and get the blood racing again if only for a few hours out on the water .
So what you plans and what you been up to ??
Happy new year by the way !!

 

Hi Tunnels

Sorry to hear your boating was so restricted - not much better here due to high winds and heavy rain - I nearly got washed off the Abercrombie river (in a Range Rover !) after towing my daughter's car over. Also, my darling dog died and that laid me low for 2 weeks.

Things are looking up again now - managed to sort out the trailer rollers and bunks for the speedboat and have winched the hull into a vertical position where I can finish fairing and painting the underside within the next few days. Then it will be wrapped to protect the new paint and lowered onto the trailer. The transom stiffening and deck beams will start soon. Haven't touched the motor.

Cheers

Alan

 

Hello and good to hear you been busy !!hope you had a good time sailing !!

I have my hands tied as the company i worked has shut it doors , It was a foregone conclussion just a matter of when ,had exspected it long time ago , but as one door shuts another 2 opened in my case so not all is bad !!.

Carefull where rollers are placed on the trailer so they not in the middle of a unsupported panels or keel area ,specially down near the back where the motor and a high percentage of the weight will be ! Trailers are natorious for changing the shape of the bottoms of boats and introducing hook into keels !! See it all the time and people wonder why there boats dont do what they used to do !!.
Long Bunks, a good idea ,laminated timber supported a short distance from each end and covered with a poly propolene type carpet and a soft underlay to cushion better everything needs to be totally water resistant material so the damp covering dries and the moisture wont damage the bottom painted surface when it sits for long periods of time !!. even paint will blister over time !!

Keep in touch !!

 

Just crusing by to say gidday !
So what been happening ?? still plugging away doing bits here and there ?

Off back to nz next month ! have some small but very important things to get out of the way that cant trust anyone else to do for me !! Plus might get a couple of day fishing weather permiting !!
Take care !

 

hello there !!

Having a sleepless night and cruising the back waters of the net !!
How's life ??

 

G'day Tunnels

Good to hear from you. Hope things are going well for you back in China.

Many reasons here for lack of progress. My darling German Shepherd died in a freak accident, then I had a heap of dental problems, plus other complications but I'm back into it now.

The trailer mods have been completed (quite a big job). The transom has been thickened to 50 mm and is ready to glass with 440gsm cloth. The hull has been faired, the bottom painted in 2 pack white. I have mixed 1 litre of "botany blue" 500 ml of "port wine" and 250 ml black for the topsides - the results is a lovely indigo colour.

Inside the hull, side trim panel are in with a channel along the sheer for the engine control rigging. The sides of the sole (floor) sections where the seats will be bolted have been installed. The dark colour is where the ply has been epoxy coated. The foreward section (not yet coated) has yet to have the battery compartment installed under it. An aluminium centre panel between the seats will allow access to the fuel tank. The cutout in the vertical panel is a "step-through" between the centre and aft seating areas

I have the material (Paulownia) for the deck beams and will start on these any time soon. I changed my mind about using NG rosewood for the decks and selected African mahoghany instead This is plantation grown here in Oz and is a much richer colour and will look better.

The engine story is not as positive. One dealer says that he can't get the parts but you know what these guys are like - they will always say that in the hope of selling a new engine so I'm still working on this.

Keep in touch

Alan

 

yeah way to go !!

I am impressed and so glad your a person with a can do will do and get up and go attitude most people just roll over and pull the blankets over there heads !!

Have to look for some antique motor shop some where !! Might have to import or find a sympathetic engine reconditioner with a boating streak and a little salt water in his veins !!
Keep at it am dyeing to see some pictures of it on the water and hear how it goes !!

Still plugging away with a couple of promising jobs That are about to move into gear soon !! its been a long cold winter but is getting warmer as summer approach's , I have a very nice Chinese lady that keeps me thinking positive each day and gets me out when I don't feel like moving at times as well all do !!

Take care and things can only get better !!
When you reached the bottom there only one way and that's up !!

 

150 Hp Merc rebuild

Persistence works! After a couple of phone calls, I was referred to a highly experienced "can do" guy who has spent 30 years rebuilding outboard engines, especially after unleaded fuel replaced the old leaded variety. This guy really knows the straight blueline 6 Mercs and believes they were one of best engines ever built. He also sells new Tohatsu engines so there is no bias toward the older power units.

Contrary to the advice of one dealer, parts ARE available. After a rebore, the old high compression pistons are simply replaced with the newer standard pistons and the appropriate adjustments made. Even with blasting and repainting, the entire rebuild job should not exceed $3k - an affordable option.

Once again, this reinforces my faith in guys who will explain what CAN be done, as opposed to the majority who are keen to say what cannot be done.

We are back on track!

Alan

 

good news then
Plenty of inline enthusiasts in the US, those guys would make you a new engine

 

Keep at it and never give up !!

Good on you Allen !!
Nothing is impossible that's for sure, just got to find the right buttons to push to get things done . With you persistence and will to succeed you are going to have a nice boat I reckon !!

 

Thanks guys

Finally got the hull back onto the (modified trimaran) trailer last night - bugger of a job working alone using a couple of chain hoists and lots of grunt. Now I can continue with the fitout without worrying if the added weight would pull the roof down!

The saga continues

Alan

 

Food for thought !

ok you getting moving and will soon be time to consider if you stepping the motor back with a bracket and how far ?? Don't know if you considered you under floor fuel tank location or not !!The further you push the motor out the more the back will sink down at rest ! so its important to do a lot of considering and getting weight forward ! .