Mini OB Boat conversion to Mini Jet Boat

Got the steering wheel mounted tonight! It's not all bolted in yet because I need longer bolts. Here is what I got done.

First I cut a square piece of wood as you can see on the floor.


Then I cut a hole in the board using a 2 3/4 hole saw. I determined that was the perfect size for the hub to fit very snug in the dash.


Then I applied tape to dash and to the wood template to prevent scratching.


Aligned it with the existing hole and clamped it in place. You can see the difference in size.


You can see that it aligned the hole saw perfectly and cut perfectly straight through the dash.


I placed the hub...perfect fit! Next I made sure the boat was level on the ground and then leveled the notched area of the hub and taped it in place. Then I drilled the holes for the bolts.


Steering wheel mounted!






This is about what full turn would look like.


Remember in my last update post when I mentioned the steering wheel modifications that needed to be made?

You can see in this pic that the hub is angle cut to compensate for the angled dash of the WetJet. Well my dash wasn't the same angle so I flipped the hub as you can see in this pic.


But the problem was the steering wheel had a little nub on it that fit into a grove on the hub that limits the steering. Since I wanted to rotate the hub 180 degrees to angle the steering wheel upward I had to grind off and file down the nub on the steering wheel.


Here you can see the notch that the nub fits into. It's approx 11 o'clock to 1 o'clock in this photo. This is mounted how I need it (rotated 180 degrees) so the notch is at the top. On the WetJet it would be mounted with the notch on the bottom.


So now I have to add a nub to the opposite side of the steering wheel (the top) so that it fits in that grove and locks the wheels so it doesn't just spin and wind (aka: twirl...not the movement of air) up the steering cable.


That's all for tonight folks!

 

What do you all recommend for coating the bilge? I would like something very durable and BRIGHT RED in color.

 

Still wondering about coating the bilge. Any input...please let me know.

Tonight's progress...

Last time you saw this area we were rushing to get the final changes finished before paint. We were notching the rear for the sun pad to extend off that back, and glassing in the wood support. It looked like this.


Well, tonight we added 3-4 layers on the backside to really give this area some good strength. Afterall, this is where the sun pad will hinge from.







Also went on my lunch break early today to pick up some new hardware to mount the steering wheel. because of the thicker dash on this boat I need some longer bolts. I also decided to get some stainless fender washers because they are large and help hold the bolts from pulling through the wood. I cut one side of each washer to fit up snug with the steering wheel hub.

The steering wheel in these photos is only being held on by two of the new bolts at this time since it was just a mock up.








I am getting a little contact/rubbing between the steering arm (where the steering cable will connect to) and the backside of the dash. Because of the thickness of the dash I may have to grind a bit of the wood down to create clearance for the arm. No biggy, it won't compromise strength at all.

Tomorrow I am picking up 2-part flotation foam from my local composite store, Express Composites. Such great prices! Got enough to make 8 cu ft for $77 which is cheaper than online prices, without the shipping costs too! Nate and I will be doing the foam tomorrow then we are DONE with our part. I will be turning it over to Nick Cairns to help me install the engine and then to Rob Schatzle at RSI to help me rig and plumb everything else up! The beast is almost alive!

 

imageshack

lilwake I dont know what went wrong here or why this happened

since you have converted to imageshack I cant see any of the pictures

there is no link to image shack

please explain what is going on or why did you change

I really enjoyed your thread but now its lost in cyberspace

why dont you just post pics like everybody else?

 

I've used Interlux BilgeKote on two different engine compartments and it worked well. It goes on easily and holds up. It only comes in white or gray. I don't know if the white could be tinted. Your fiberglassing is so good. Is there a reason you don't gelcoat or flowcoat it red?

 

I don't post like everyone else because I would imagine clicking to open 15 thumbnails every time I made a post would be a PITA. I also do it because I share this build on 3 forums so after I have it all typed up I can just copy the code and post it on the others. On all the forums this issue hasn't been brought up yet...I have been using ImageShack the entire time.

Is anyone else having the same issues as Manie B?

 

Pics looks fine for me. Nice project, how many days/weeks before it's playtime on the water?

 

Please post your link to image shack

 

Manie, you can try this link.
http://img196.imageshack.us/slideshow/webplayer.php?id=2012082718354565.jpg

 

MoeJoe, I'm hoping 1.5 weeks!

 

Looking good
I've had no problems with images 0.0

 

Ya, this planet needs more people like you who build stuff not buy it!

Nice work LilWake (and Nate!). I just tripped over this thread tonight and have read almost through the whole thing. I still have a bit to go but wanted to commend you on a fine job. I used to build bathtub boats some years ago and every picture of grinding and glassing makes me itchy again. I'm impressed that you are doing it in a parkade as well. Good to see you don't let a little thing like nowhere to actually build a boat get in your way. I shall stay tuned as you get close to getting it wet.

 

I did visit your slide show but it is only the last 20 odd pics, definately not everything from the beginning.
I have followed this thread from day one and never had problems with the pics, that is why I was so surprised when out of the blue I could not see them anymore, even the ones from the beginning that I had no problems with originally.

What I see now in the place of a pic is an "ice cube" with a frog in it.
Below it reads:

Domain Unregistered
To view, register at:
bit.ly/imageshack-domain

the link is also dead

when I go to imageshack directly and search for "mini jet boat" I get thousands of all sorts and not your pics

It just seems so odd - all of a sudden out of the blue on this thread :?:

 

Pics are opening fine for me.

 

I bet your security settings on your browser is blocking the host (image shack). Maybe sort through your preferences or security settings and make sure the site isn't being blocked for some off reason. Otherwise maybe it would help to clear your cache and cookies. If you let me know what browser your using and the version I might be able to help you figure it out.