So, I bought an US Army 27’ Bridge and Barge Push Boat

Do you work on Bareki ?

 

That’s a 20 ton hydraulic ram (power-pac). The push knee mount on the port side was damaged, and cocked inboard when I bought the boat.

I was using the power-pac to re-align the the mount so that I could replace the busted rivets with hardened bolts, and to straighten it out before welding the cracked brace on top.

 

No Bareki

I work on tugs/tow boats for a company in South Chicago... we do river fleeting of barges, and long line towing on the Great Lakes.

We move commodities, and specialized project cargo.


Windmill tower sections from Northern Wisconsin arriving to Port of Indiana...


Arriving to a Southern Wisconsin power plant to load gypsum...

 

Well, this is just about the coolest thing I've seen in years! I'm so glad to have you join our forum TowerTopper. I'm building a Hickman Sea Sled to do a lot of the same kind of work you're doing, although I'm a carpenter so I went with wood. Impressed as hell whth the roller rig. Toyota Camry parts indeed!

 

When you've got a minute, come see my project at
Sea Sled madness. It’s in my brain. https://www.boatdesign.net/threads/sea-sled-madness-it%E2%80%99s-in-my-brain.63079/page-60

 

Oops, that link is to the last page. No matter. I'm sure you can work a web page

 

One of my favourite reality series is great lakes warriors. I love all the old tugs that are still working. Being Australian its hard to imagine all that shipping on inland lakes.

 

Small world... actually where I work at is one of the main featured companies on that short lived series.

I did see that Great Lake Warriors is available for download on AppleTV (iTunes)

 

Well today I went out and took some measurements so that I could get an idea on what pieces of aluminum to order for my wheelhouse. I'm going to tack weld square aluminum tube stock together, remove the cockpit side panels and extend them back with new ones, and then seal and rivet all the rest of the new panels on to framing.

Riveting will be the simplest way to put it together, and the boat is a rivet built boat already... a no brainer.


Measuring with some furring strips on a layout stick..



I had a couple of ideas that I discovered I would have to change to make it work, including one major change that will actually, maybe work, out for for the better.

I called the Indiana Tollroad people about some questions on bridge clearances with the tollroad. I won't have any issues there, but she told me that if I go over 14' on my trailer and boat height, that the tollroad has sensors in the toll booths that I would trigger at 14' and they would charge me Class-7 oversize load charges just like the "Oversized Load Big Rigs"... I'm sure that"s not cheap... so I'm going the keep it at 13"-6" like a normal semi"s height is.

So I decided instead of just making the mast lighting fold down for road traveling as planned, I'm now going to make the complete wheelhouse tip forward and lay down. I'm going to use a supper heavy-duty trailer door piano hinge right below the front windscreens. Plus it will probably be better when I shrink-wrap it when I ship it on the RORO overseas.

Another issue was the clearance between the front of the wheelhouse, and the engine covers... no space. I wanted to cant the windscreen forward to cut down glare, and the more modern cool factor. Plus I felt that canting the windows forward would make the cockpit feel more roomy without your nose right up in the windows.




I thought about sort of stepping the bottom of the windows more backwards where I going the hinge it, but I don't want to cover the area over the console in any way... I plan on buying a RayMarine Axiom Pro multifunction display, so the windscreen will have to be flat up and down, so I can also mount the RayMarine display on the front of the console where my shutdown cables are... I just hope it don't look too boxy.


Another problem today was that when in full ahead, my throttles are over the front of the cab...





I'm going to relocate my throttles to the right, and more rearwards. I'm going to add on to my console to move, and mount the throttles on the right of console, and I'm going to do the same on the left side of the console too. On the left side it will give me somewhere to mount my GPS, and my Class-A AIS on top, and it will give me places to put the switches for my 14 navigation & mast lights, engine alarm panel, and fire alarm panel. I'll have to change some piping on my engine compartment CO2 fire bottle also, but that is a matter of changing some fittings around.

I mocked up some cardboard to figure out what to add to the sides. I was going to do both sides the same, but after looking at it, I'm going to do the left side so it fills all the way to the side of the cockpit bulkhead liked I mocked up, and the right side I'll make just wide enough to mount the throttle handles. It looked like it was going to make the cockpit smaller if I added the same on the right.


Crudely mocked up cardboard console...




A positive thing did happen today... while outside working on the boat, Fedex also showed up with my windows...




I bought 7 surplus tinted windows made for a Glaval Shuttle Bus. They are about 21"w x 33"h each. I ordered 3 fixed glass windows for the front, and 4 matching tinted windows with "Double T" siding top vents for the sides, two on each side.

I thought that I got a super deal on them... $25 for each fixed window, and $55 for the vented units. Good people on the phone. took two days to receive them!

Windows came from "Tri-State Surplus, LLC" in Hudson Michigan. They specialize in RV surplus. Lots of RV parts... maybe a good place to pick-up stuff for a cabin cruiser, or live on trawler build.

I think that I might be at a material stand still until I order some metal to move the throttles...

Thanks for looking!

 

That's a Bald Eagle reflected in that last shot!

Good plan Chief !
I like it.

 

Hell, TT! I want to be you when I grow up. I love the process. I'm doing a lot of my own build the same way. But off bits, glue and screw others on, until it's right.

I'm an ex combat engineer. I remember rumbling around in our bridging boat. It had a pair of chev 454s with jets. I definitely like the gm 3 cylinder diesels better.

 

I checked out that Sea Sled thread of yours... that’s a classic design that seemed to have disappeared for while.

I see that hull design making a reemergence on larger vessels lately, especially on military vessels... like it went full circle from the early 1900’s...

Great build!

 

Or is it a cormorant?

 

Really? I've never seen one. Can you point me at a military one from recent days?

 

A boatman modding and fitting out his personal retirement work boat has to be close to being Valhalla on earth. I can so understand that and the joy of your well-served career serving you until the end.

Good on ya
Ya done right
Congrats