Hartley Flareline 16 project

Amazing what a coat of paint does!
I spent most of the day sanding & painting. Still a couple of plates to weld on, I ran out of rust converter. Soon as I get some I can spray the hell out of the holes in the frame rails then weld the plates on.

 

Today I moved the tarp off the bow & used some planks of wood to secure it to the fascia board under the roof guttering. Sort of a temporary wall.
I had the grand idea of simply sanding the bow deck & cabin then resealing the cabin to deck joint. The join was glassed but with all the moisture that's been allowed into the timber it has lifted away.

I found some dry rot where the 2 sheets of ply meet in the centre. So a few hours & much grunting later I got a section out.

 

From the sounds it must have been a pig of a job...???

 

It's always the small jobs that take the longest. The decking was glued & screwed so yes, was a bit of a task to remove.
I wasted half a day today shaping a piece of ply to fit but as the new bit was thicker than the existing deck & after planing the edges down I realized it would have looked a bit odd...to say the least.

So I wound up recycling the small doors that were on the front of the original outboard well boxes. They're the same thickness & are 5 ply. Used 3 separate bit's with some tabbing underneath then glued & screwed the hell out of them.
Some sanding done on the deck & cabin top too.


Tabbing on the underside of the bow.

 

Making good progress, mate. Looks good so far.

 

How good's this! My ma' lashed out today & took me to a fabric shop. We came out with this waterproof vinyl. 2 rolls, 23 metres. $4 per metre! It's sort of a paved brick pattern.
New foam ready to go. Ma' is relishing the opportunity to get in on the action.


Got the second & last coat of paint on today too. Would you believe out of 10 litres of paint I've got about 1.5 litres left! (used on trailer & boat interior).
I also fitted the small section of cabin floor complete with carpet.

Tomorrow I will get the 2 small hatches cut out of the cockpit centre floor section. Then clean the marine carpet with some high pressure H2o.
I have to get the arches back on the trailer too. Top one first (trailer is still upended) then the other when it's back on 2 wheels..

 

1. Seat panels in.
2. Floor beams in.
3. Making the floor hatches.
4. Tweaking the centre panel.
5 & 6. The "tweaks' being the addition of some batons to support the weak section of floor edge as indicated by fingers. The hatch corners have been cut to eliminate my initial drill holes (for the jigsaw), to allow water to drain off quickly (should it occur) & to allow fingers in to lift the panel up.
I also used the plane to shave the panels to allow extra clearance with painting in mind. A bevel shaved on the rear 'lifting' edges also.

 

My mum (god bless her) has started to reupholster the seat cushions. Mum, if you read this please forgive me, they look a bit rough! There, I said it.

However....
I have considered the difficulty in sewing this material & the fact ma' volunteered the funds to buy said vinyl. (legend)
I did say to not use the panels as an exact template so as not to create difficulty in sewing awkward corners...but this suggestion got lost somewhere along the way!
Ma' did use some absolutely delightful 'flower' buttons to secure the flap with which the foam can be removed from the cover, so what a lil' ripper!

We must also consider that the original cushions were saturated & mouldy with the vinyl covers ripped beyond repair. So this is a vastly improved look. Plus there's enough material to cover ALL the seats when the project is completed so at least this will create a uniform look.

If it were up to me I would have probably just folded & glued the vinyl on to some foam, so mum, whatever you do will look a million bucks. "hug's n' kisses sweety". We still good for dinner tomorrow?

 

LOL......the advantaqges...and disadvantages....of accepting 'volunteer' assistance....

...especially from 'family'..!!

They're 'good enough' and 'fit for purpose', so as it's not the Queen Mary.....good job.

There is NO WAY that I would accept my Mum's help if she was even silly enough to offer it....once bitten, thrice shy....

Gotta luv yer mum.....

 

Bench seat with legs............The under side, support frames..........The top now with lids...........Lids off, no bottom yet......Bottom fitted, first coat of paint.

So, what started as a simple bench seat idea has now evolved into this!

The whole thing is removable to give access to the fuel tank area & starboard compartment.

I fitted the loop portion of a slide bolt lock mechanism to the well panel & fitted a bolt through the seat base (both on the port side) so the bolt sits in the loop to stop the seat sliding forward off it's base mount.

The starboard side of the seat is rebated around a frame so it too won't slide forward off the rear base mount.
Then after putting the 100mm deep frames underneath I realized I could easily put on a bottom & turn them into storage........"Tadaaa"

 

The other thing I did today was to fit some extra blocks of wood between the sheer & the inside gunnel rail.

The existing deck is 5 ply but the plywood sheet I bought to replace the rest of the aft deck is only 3 ply. Same thickness just not as strong. So to offer a little more support when the gunnel top & deck goes on I fitted the blocks

I will also fit some crossmember frames under the aft decking (port & starboard of the outboard well). These will also be glassed on top for strength & water resistance.

 

Next is a backrest for the bench seat to ensure passengers don't roll backward of the boat!
Then some backrests for the cabin seats. I still have to cut the carpet to accommodate the hatch's & secure the captains chairs to the floor.

 

Straps fitted for the bench seat cushion.
I got the captains chairs screwed down today too, & I only broke 2 drill bits!
Also got the carpet cut around the floor hatches & started work on the aft decking. Only a short day today....it's a Sunday after all.

Fire extinguisher mount.
I carry one in the boot of my car so when I go out on the boat I will just transfer it to the boat for the day. (Dry powder chemical- for fuel & electrical fires).

 

Aft deck glued & screwed. I had a late start today. I managed to get the aft deck on & the gunnel decking cut to size but not screwed down yet.

I also ran some glue around the cabin to seal up some gaps, so it just needs a final sand & fresh paint. Wednesday I'll be getting 1 more rim & wheel nuts for the new trailer. Then off to the boat ramp to swap the boat over.

 

1. Panoramic cabin photo.
2. With the seat base removed we can lean on the backrest in order to fish.
3. New cleats for the aft decks. Hand made by my stepdad from Huon pine.