Hartley Flareline 16 project

1. Small bulwarks added.
2. Cabin top hand hold rails refitted but with a new base plate.
3. The bench seat is done.

I put a coat of sealer on the cabin & deck today.
What a difference that makes!
I also spent a couple of hours sanding the sheer & a bit of the hull.

I'm quickly getting to the point where I'm ready for external paint. Hull, cabin & deck.
The trailer swap should also be happening at the end of this week, around the 27'th or 28'th of September.

 

Hey dj
If you want to swap trailers without getting the hull wet at all, you could simply sling a couple of H/D ratcheting straps under the hull and attach the ends to the rafters of the shed. You don't need to raise it much to clear the runners, and you ought to be able to swivel it to clear the winch post.....although it would be a lot more effort than just dropping it in the water and hauling it out again.... lol

 

Good idea but mums is a rental place & the carport has a ceiling (no exposed beams), besides the rub strips are 2 coated now so there's nothing stopping me from dropping it in the drink.

The new plan is this, at the end of this week I'll have the spare wheel, new nuts & an impeller for the Merc'. So....if all goes to plan I can put the boat in the water on the weekend & with a bit of fuel & a bit of luck maybe have a little squirt up & down the river. How goods that.

 

Woohoo!! Can't wait for the vid..!!

 

Today I pulled the gearbox off the outboard & I'm going to pose a question.

Image 2, The water intake hole is on the bottom left of the drive shaft between the bolt & the locating pin. The exit into the copper pipe is directly above it, so with that in mind here's a question, is this impeller running the correct direction?

based on the shape of the bottom casing, the impeller unit runs anti clockwise. Correct me if I'm wrong.
So with that in mind has the impeller been fitted backward or does the water get sucked in & pushed in the inside of the curve on the blade?
Logic say's to me that the blades should be bent the other way. (see image 1)

I only ask because when I first ran the motor it wasn't a case of having low water pressure, there was absolutely no water circulating at all. This impeller blade was reasonably soft with a bit of flex in the blades but it wasn't moving any water. Considering the exhaust cavity has to fill with water too, maybe I didn't run the motor for long enough. Although I thought I had. I ran it for perhaps 25 to 35 seconds each time & I did this about 3 times.

After I took the gearbox off I took the liberty of blowing out the water intake with compressed air, & all clear. Then I jammed the hose onto the copper pipe & fed water in through the motor, all clear too so no blockages.

So why would the water not circulate at all considering the impeller was intact? The rubber was firmly attached to the copper centre & the key was in place so I can only assume it was rotating with the drive shaft. The impellers centre ring was actually stuck on the shaft when I tried to remove it & I promptly destroyed the rubber getting the impeller off. After letting some WD 40 soak in, the centre ring came off easily with a few casual taps on a screwdriver that I slid under it.

I presume the drive shaft only ever rotates one direction & it's the gearbox that allows the prop to reverse. I know impeller blades are straight (90 degree's from the centre) like a star shape when they're new, although they must be bent out of shape to fit in the upper casing. So logic says to me that this impeller has had the blades pushed in to the wrong direction.

 

You need to figure out which way the driveshaft turns to confirm it, but the logic is good..!!

 

The design of the impeller base depicts that the shaft spins anti clockwise.
It makes some sense that the blades on the impeller need to scoop the water in to be efficient.
It just reminds me of someone scraping their fingers down a blackboard though.

1. The anchors new spot.
2. Wedged on the rail.
3. My invention. The anchor shaft retainer.
4. Slide the ends opposite directions (up & down) to unlatch.
5. Simply, a modified bracket normally used for garden tools.
6. I'll tweak the set up so I have easy, quick access to anchor & chain first, then rope.

Would you believe when I drilled the hole for the bolt, the drill & I quickly realized that the rail post was full of water!

Deck cleats fitted. Now with the pic' of the cabin, note the white length of timber under the seat. It's the oars new spot.

With the floor beams cut short, I had 2 slots in the frame bracing with which to use. worked out a treat. Now in turn I can drop items behind the oar handles & said items won't slide out. After this small amount of work, much coffee & sitting down, I still forgot to refit the cabin top handle rail!

I don't want to jinx myself but if all goes to plan I will have the new spare rim, wheel nuts & impeller in the morning. Fit these by days end, get fuel & test the motor.
Then friday put rego' on the boat ('til December) & hunt around for some life jackets. Then hit the boat ramp & river on Saturday. Then Sunday....get the boat license!

 

It's quite common to find water inside posts, even those hermetically sealed, because some air always gets in, and the water in it gradually condenses out and pools at the bottom, whihc is why posts tend to rot at the base first.

I'm having serious "issues" with my next door neighbour over this issue atm, as putting the caps on the posts of our new, expensive, dividing fence was HIS responsibility and I'm still waiting...18 months down..... grrrrrrr

Reminds me to chase his ***...again. Sigh.

Why is it that some people just can't do the RIGHT thing no matter what you do or say? Sigh.

 

I hear ya'. Drive's you mad eh'. I guess your neighbor convinced himself a long time ago that post caps aren't essential, especially 'cause they're paying.

Good news on my front. I got an impeller service kit today (includes the middle plate, 'o' rings, impeller & gaskets) & it only cost me $40. That guy is a champion. (Burnie Marine Services, round hill, Bass highway). Took me a couple of hours but I have the Merc' all back together now.

Tomorrow I'll get some fuel for it plus the spare wheel for the trailer. I'll run it for as long as I need to, to warm it up & check the motor over. So far so good though.

That just leaves rego', flares, life jackets & boat license to get. In the short term future when I'm confident with the engine I'll buy a deep cycle battery, marine radio & an EPIRB so I can go off the coast a bit. In the long term I'll hunt around for a 2'nd engine.

I'll shoot some video of the motor test tomorrow so watch out for that one.

I got the motor running.

Unfortunately I have to postpone the river adventure due to poor weather here in Tas' today.

It's just the fact that I not only have to get the boat in the river & tootle around but upon retrieval I have to get the boat on the new trailer & adjust the rollers on site etc...

Plus there's a bit of prep work to do at home first. Get the tarp off the camper 'cause it's towing the new trailer to the ramp, fit the rollers & getting the boat out of the carport & hooked up. All of this requires nice weather.

I have also noticed today there's a small patch of gear oil under the motor.
So I'll need to fit a new rear seal to the gearbox before I drop the motor in the water. I'll still drop the boat in the water to swap trailers soon, just not the engine. It'll have to stay tilted up & dry!

This doesn't surprise me as the motor has been sitting for so long & the seal has obviously not fared well. I'm glad I found out now before I went boating.

The good news is that I sat my boat license test today (Sunday 29/9) & passed with 100% success.

 

Mate that has got to be the bargain boat of the decade. Even the motor works!

Mind you, if you'd had to PAY someone to do the work you've done, it would have been an "uneconomic proposition".

Can't wait for the first fishing trip report! lol

Stil think it should have some additional positive floatation added.

What about scrounging around the local greengrocer and fishmarket for pre-loved styrofoam boxes? Cut them up with a hand saw and bob's your uncle, instant free floatation foam.....well, it's a thought....

 

Bargain...quite possibly. So far the 3 of us (ma'. step dad & I) have coughed up roughly $1,100. Trailer & steel, impeller, timber, glue. fabric & paint etc.

I've been working on it everyday since the 17'th of July. The only items that stand between us & a fishing trip are the prop shaft seal, boat rego, flares & PFD's.

The seal I will get Monday & should be fitted by the end of the day, I would have that job done by now (friday 5'th OCT) but most of the central coast was without power on Wednesday after a severe storm so the marine shop shut their doors early. Also with the Burnie show now on, the marine shop has been shut since the blackout.
I already have the prop off & ready to pull the old seal

I managed to get my boat license last Sunday but I couldn't pay for it 'til Wednesday, with that now done I will get my "interim" license this coming Sunday when the coast guard depot is open again.

So with a license & mended outboard in hand I might just have to sneak onto the river for a while....BUT YOU DIDN'T HERE IT FROM ME!!!

As for the foam, I can still add some. Sheer plate inside the cockpit will allow for a few bits between frames, the transom will have a bit of space free & then I can fit some in the nose/cabin area. Under the cabin top, sheer, bow & such.

It will be an epic point in my life when I get that Hartley going for the first time.
Both the fact I now own a boat & the fact I rebuilt it so damn fast.
Stay tuned, that video will be here soon enough.

Thanks for your ongoing comments Buzzman, stick around your good company

A bit more welding today.
1. Some flat bar being welded together to make a 22mm thick lifting block for under the rear of the leaf springs. After the boat went on the trailer I was left with less than a 1.5" gap between tyre & guard.

2. Block welded in place. Now I have a good 2.5" gap between tyre & guard.

3. This is a handle that the previous owner fitted to the winch post. I shortened it & welded in the big bolt. This will hold the spare wheel. I just need to weld on a bar or something to support the weight from underneath...maybe.

The other thing I spotted today is a slight bend in the draw bar. I expected this as the weight of the boat & the trailer itself will slowly take its toll.
I plan to weld on some flat bar underneath (vertically) to stop it bending any further.

 

Before you weld on your strengthening 'rib' under the drawbar, jack it up at the trailer chassis end and load a heap of weight on the towball end so that is 'slightly' arches the wrong way.....

The weld fillet will fill any minor gaps at the ends of the rib but it will better resist the tension as the load comes back on it, and any curvature ought to be taken out by the slight upward arch.....

It's just basic 'pre-tensioning' the same as they do on the steel in bridges and such like, to cope with the live loads.

If you still had the trailer on its side, you could anchor the chassis and tension the opposite ends of the drawbar in opposite directions using ratcheting straps or similar.

In fact, if you simply detached the trailer from the car and raised it so the motor skeg was on the ground, then supported the rearward end of the drawbar with a timber post or prop, then ratchet strapped the towball end down onto an anchor point (towbar?) this would 'arch' the drawbar enough.

Just a thought.....

 

Your thought are welcomed, thanks Buzz, that's a good tip for the pre tensioning. I've already done it though .
The bar wasn't that bowed yet, maybe by 3 or 4mm at the hitch.
I simply placed a couple of big besser bricks on the bar to straighten it before I welded on the brace (whilst clamped on) & had another besser under the 'A' frame. (Great minds think alike eh")
I used some steel cut from the old draw bar ironically, 55mm deep & 5mm thick.
Should be enough to stop the prob'.

I also welded on some support tabs for the spare rim, the non painted plate secures it at the hub with a couple of nuts. (1 for the rim, the other is me I think LOL).

I also removed the offending gearbox oil seals today. A reasonably easy job, 3 broken drill bits & a lil' bit of cursing got it done!

I happened to get lucky with some life jackets too. The lady next door who gave me the boat still had 3 in her shed.
I offered to buy them & she said NO....you can have them !!!

The outboard is now back together. I was lucky enough to find some after market prop shaft seals, total cost of a whopping $7 !!!

I found the inner one at a bearing shop for $7 but the outer one turned out to be a very specific size & hard to find.

So I happened to drop in at a hydraulic workshop & the old fellow there had a hunt through his "glory box" as he called it. He found one that matched my needs perfectly although the rubber portion of the seal was a bit larger than my original, this just meant that it was a really tight fit.
He parted with it for free!!!

So I topped up the gear oil & ran the motor for a while today (11/10/13) & so far no oil leaks. I'll check it again tomorrow & if all is well I'm going to put some rego' on the boat next week & then hit the water. YIPPEEE!!!
.

Finally I had the chance to take the Hartley out on the river today. Had all 4 family members onboard initially but my 12 yr old son wasn't to keen on going fast. So after about 30 minutes my mum took him home & stepdad & I did a few laps on plane then slowed to drop a couple of lures over the side.

Then it happened......the steering cable snapped!!!
In the middle of the river 200 metres from the ramp & pontoon. We got it back to the ramp without too much hassle (Me -the tiller-facing backwards with both hands on the engine cowling & stepdad on the throttle, flanked by a rescue boat that motored past at just the right time) & back home to change the cable.
I will be looking into fitting a bar to the cowling to serve as a tiller should this happen again.

I discovered too at one point whilst motoring full throttle "into" the current with 4 of us onboard that the boat slowly leveled out & started to plane, the problem there though is that I was headed to an area which has some boats moored so I had to back off, Plus it caught me by surprise a bit & my son wasn't keen on the idea.
So with some precise positioning of my passengers (4 occupants With an estimated 350kg combined people weight + 27 litres of fuel) it planes on only 40hp, what an engine!

 

Hey Dirk
Good job, mate! Good to see another old Hartley back on the water!

I note your ref to getting thicker cable for the steering and I urge you NOT to go too far from the ramp with the 'temporary' stuff in place.

A "tug of war" does *not* equate to an adequate strength test and I know for a fact clothes line is *not* an adequate replacement for wire-cored steering cable. Ask me how I know......

Having said that.....it could happen to anyone......just another of life's little adventures.

Also, given that plastic coated wire is renowned for rusting out in marine environments like yours will be operating in, you might like to consider using Dyneema yacht rope instead.

3mm Dyneema has the equivalent strength of plastic coated wire, and in the event of a break, you can knot it together to get you home.

It does wear a bit more than plastic coated wire on the pulleys, so it's a good idea to leave about 300mm extra on each end of the rope so that you can shift the wear spots along a bit if and when they appear, by shortening the rope.

3mm Dyneema (or if you aren't 100% confident, 5mm) is used to replace the 7x19 wire S/S wire rope shrouds on small yachts which require breaking strains in the multiple hundreds of kilos.

OK, so it ain't cheap, but there is a mob selling it on gumtree or online - IRB Distribution - who sell it pretty cheap. Just get a 25m drum and keep the left overs for other little 'emergencies'....or just buy what you need by the metre.

Again, congrats on a great job, and looking forward to seeing it with it's full paint job. Happy fishing!

 

Thanks Buzzman. I was going to put the word out to get info' on an appropriate replacement steering cord. I didn't want to use steel cable again & I know nylon isn't to be trusted.

Although we did go out on the river the next day without incident I want to replace the cord soon with a stronger thicker material. Your suggestion is most appreciated.
The cost for such an item isn't an issue, or shouldn't be griped about should I say. What price do you put on reliability...especially when lives are at stake!

I'm now looking at a handheld marine radio & a flare kit to go offshore. Also looking at 50+ pound thrust electric motors for an auxiliary.
Slowly but surely I will gain the confidence & equipment I need to have some REAL fun...& go after the BIG fish!!!

I will post some boating vid links in the near future, I'm just waiting 'til I get a holder for my camera phone so I can mount it on the cab' behind the windscreen. There's nothing worse than wobbly shaky boat vids!