Boat overhaul with major electrical mod's

[Johnnybear]

I went from leaving her like this.........

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Sculpin%20Projects/IMG_1167.jpg

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Sculpin%20Projects/IMG_1169.jpg

To this.........

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Sculpin%20Projects/IMG_1200.jpg

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Sculpin%20Projects/IMG_1244.jpg

Long story short she needed redoing........

http://www.aluminumalloyboats.com/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=3483

The link will give you the long version.

I wanted to wait till it was done totally but I couldn't........

The new LED's under the rails and battery box.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Sculpin%20Projects/IMG_1253.jpg

Latest start ever to the seaon but I am doing her up right.

I still have the last week of this month, all of August (Marc and his bro's are coming out with me), and part of September to fish.

Long overdue but coming along nicely. I had the fish god's on my side last year so it doesn't hurt that bad (who am I kidding).

It is totally on fire out there this year and is the best year in recent history!!!!.

[Steeleco]

Love the boat, love the shop better. If I had access to a shop like yours!!

[yzchamp]

That looks awesome!

[tomahawk]

Nice job, now get out there and spill some blood!!

[Johnnybear]

Thanks for the kind replies folks:-D.

I'm hoping to splash her later this week for some sea trials to make sure everthing is working properly before hauling over to the West Coast on the weekend.

[Leaseman]

Been following your work on the other site.......

Very nice work for sure, something to be proud of.....:mrgreen:

Mike

[Johnnybear]

Whipped up the removable fish cleaning table this afternoon.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Sculpin%20Projects/IMG_1266.jpg

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Sculpin%20Projects/IMG_1262.jpg

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Sculpin%20Projects/IMG_1257.jpg

I will mount some cutting board material on the sloped front portion for filleting etc. drill and tap the board and mount from underneath with counter sunk bolts.

I mounted two bait cooler holders as well. Starting to look "busy" back there but oh well. Anchovies and Herring for both sides of the boat http://www.aluminumalloyboats.com/images/smilies/thumbsup.gif .

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Sculpin%20Projects/IMG_1264.jpg

[Smiz]

Nice job on the refit, Only the ugly guy standing at the back ruined the shot of the boat, Chris isn't very camera friendly, LOL Must be his Youbou days that are coming out LOL

[Johnnybear]

Nice job on the refit, Only the ugly guy standing at the back ruined the shot of the boat, Chris isn't very camera friendly, LOL Must be his Youbou days that are coming out LOL

Ha, ha. I see you followed the link. Big, tough, mean looking guy when he wants to be :-D. Best damn employee I have though. Can't say enough good things about him.

Thanks for posting Smiz8).

[Ride Red]

Johnnybear,

Very nice job. You should be proud of it. Thanks for posting.

[Johnnybear]

Johnnybear,

Very nice job. You should be proud of it. Thanks for posting.

Thanks Ride Red. I was pretty disgusted with myself at the beginning for leaving her that way over the winter and waiting so long to get it done. I am feeling pretty good about her and myself now and will take better care of her from now on. I'm going to build a shelter to keep her nice and dry this winter and hopefully get out more often too.

[Marc]

you didn't have to go through all that trouble to impress me and my brother.:mrgreen:

Looks awesome John, can't wait to get out on the water with you later next month. I'm sure my brother is looking forward to it as well as it will be his first time in BC and salmon fishing on the West Coast!

[Johnnybear]

you didn't have to go through all that trouble to impress me and my brother.:mrgreen:

Looks awesome John, can't wait to get out on the water with you later next month. I'm sure my brother is looking forward to it as well as it will be his first time in BC and salmon fishing on the West Coast!

It wasn't just for you and your bro Marc:-D. It was for the boat, my first mate (Jake), and anyone else who comes out with us. Everyone really. Had to be done to have a safe and functional boat to enjoy what this great ocean provides us8-).

Totally looking forward to our trip this summer. It should be a gooder:wink:.

[Salty]

Nice work Johnny!

What is that white material that you mounted the battery switches etc. to, looks like a plastic cutting board or such?? I'm just getting to mounting batteries and switches similarly to yours on my WA skiff and have been wondering what to use; and wanting something that would eliminate the chance for any stray current. Looks like you've got it covered with your method there... info pls..

[Johnnybear]

Nice work Johnny!

What is that white material that you mounted the battery switches etc. to, looks like a plastic cutting board or such?? I'm just getting to mounting batteries and switches similarly to yours on my WA skiff and have been wondering what to use; and wanting something that would eliminate the chance for any stray current. Looks like you've got it covered with your method there... info pls..

I bought about a 1/2" thick cutting board and cut it into pieces that would suit. I welded 1/2" aluminum blocks to the hull that were drilled and tapped to attach the cutting board to. With 1/2" thick material you can drill and tap it and mount your switches, bus bars, etc. with out any risk of stray current. If you follow the link I posted to the ABB site you can see more photos etc.

I got alot of my ideas from looking on that site and The Hull Truth site.

Good luck with your wiring Salty!

[835]

Man thats nice. Thats why Aluminum is so nice when you are a welder! Which now im sure you are. Just need a bit of nylon on your gutting table and yer good to go!

But are you trying to be like a rapper in a low rider with thoes lights?
Just kidding, i like that too! I had to try and get something in there somewhere

[Salty]

I bought about a 1/2" thick cutting board and cut it into pieces that would suit. I welded 1/2" aluminum blocks to the hull that were drilled and tapped to attach the cutting board to. With 1/2" thick material you can drill and tap it and mount your switches, bus bars, etc. with out any risk of stray current. If you follow the link I posted to the ABB site you can see more photos etc.

I got alot of my ideas from looking on that site and The Hull Truth site.

Good luck with your wiring Salty!

Cool buddy. I've got 2" angle verticles about 2 ft each way of centre line as part of the transom frame. I think I'll look into that 1/2" stuff to span that.. think I've seen something like that at industrial plastics by the sheet. Might have to beef it up on the back will see. Unfortunately i do not weld. :icon_frow workin on that though lol

[Johnnybear]

Well the tank went back in really nice and I think I got a great seal on her now.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Sculpin%20Projects/IMG_1267.jpg

I sanded off all the existing (what was left) non skid paint and did one wash with Xylene and a second wash with warm water. I hand dried it with cloths and air. The air works great in the cracks and cranny's that you can't get to with a towel.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Sculpin%20Projects/IMG_1300.jpg

All masked up and ready for epoxy primer.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Sculpin%20Projects/IMG_1304.jpg

I would have put the primer on tonight but the buggers gave me the wrong catalyst or "part b":?. Primer goes on tomorrow morning and the non skid goes on tomorrow night hell or high water!

[Johnnybear]

I put the epoxy primer on last night and let if cure 24 hrs. peeled the tape and gave it a light sand and re-taped.

We put the non-skid on tonight and I think it will be good for my purposes. It is some serious stuff and quite aggressive. We don't go bare foot up here very often in Canuck land and I have never had anyone in bare feet on my boat yet. Rubber boots all the way. I wouldn't want to do a face plant on the deck that is for sure. Put it this way......nobody is going to slip.

I should have bought two 1 gallon kits because we came out short. We did everything except the tank. My buddy figured leave the tank so no tie in marks show anywhere. Good idea me thinks. I will do the tank tomorrow morning.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Sculpin%20Projects/IMG_1323.jpg

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Sculpin%20Projects/IMG_1324.jpg

This is my rear steering station platform that a swivel seat attaches to. You can see the profile of the non skid quite good in this shot.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Sculpin%20Projects/IMG_1321.jpg

This is the stuff I used. American Safety. It is the original formula that was used on US aircraft carriers. From my understanding they used a different formula now but same company. I figure a battleship of a boat needs a battle ship deck coat.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Sculpin%20Projects/IMG_1322.jpg

[spreerider]

looks great you are going to have one hell of a nice boat

[Johnnybear]

looks great you are going to have one hell of a nice boat

Thanks man:-D. She's getting there................

[Johnnybear]

Ok here is the low down on the sending unit design on the top of my fuel tank..............it sucks big time. I have done this once before on it because the gauge didn't work when I bought the boat. It worked fine after I did it the first time. I had to scrape it all out when I removed the tank to see what was in the chamber.

Here it is wired back in.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Sculpin%20Projects/IMG_1374.jpg

I use this dielectric silicone compound to seal the entire assembly (I don't know what else to do and it worked great the first time).

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Sculpin%20Projects/IMG_1376.jpg

All gooped up(I put another tube in there and topped it right up to the cap).

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Sculpin%20Projects/IMG_1379.jpg

Steering platform back in. Just have to hook up the tank hoses and fill the tank (dreading that...ha ha).

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Sculpin%20Projects/IMG_1380.jpg

Still have to deal with inside the cabin next and get everything tidy and put back together in there.

[srupp]

amazing detailed PROFESSIONAL job done with care and attention and PRIDE///well done...well done ideed.

steven

[Salty]

What srupp said nice work indeed. Funny, I was dealing with how to treat the sender on my tank before I hermedically sealed it out of site with decking yesterday. I used a little butane lighter like the crackheads like, LOL and carefully soldered the ground on - soldered the connections to both wires' ends- heat shrink, then was staring at it wondering how to treat it so it wouldn't corode. If I had some of that dielectric glop I would have done what you did there Jb. I just went with high quality stiff marine grade grease over each connection and up the wire over the heat shrink. Then a LIBERAL coating of G 96 gun treatment over the whole works :mrgreen:

I've got this week off... lil more surfing then out to the shop for some more boat project yoga :?

[Johnnybear]

Just about done. I got the inside all back together again. One of the air ride seats had a cracked base which explains all the violent motions folks used to have while sleeping on the way in ha ha ( I really should have filmed some of them.......priceless).

Just have to fill up that damn tank and give her a good wash. Heading out front here in Nanaimo and will take some shots of the finished (for now) goods. At least I will be on the water!!!

[proguide66]

Sweet work!! ahhh...feels good doesnt it? I rebuilt my boat from bottom up a few yrs ago. Must SUCK ASS to be doin it this time of year though!!!
That shop is sweeter!!! yours?
I'm thinking of tearing my boat in half this winter and re-doing transom ct du tolog impact last summer..just 'feels' like a weak link now.
Good work , make suyou show pic of 'first fish' !!

[Johnnybear]

Must SUCK ASS to be doin it this time of year though
!!

Sure does. We had a great year last year so it doesn't hurt that bad. Went to launch her today and............fricken trailer lights are on the fritz!!!!! One more thing to do.

[knockturnal]

if you ever wanted to put some sort of aluminium design/letters/pictures/alterations on her anywhere, i could cnc plasma cut you something. Just a thought. Heres a picture of my gate i just built to give you an idea of what could be done. And by no means am i trying to hijack your thread. Your boat is awesome!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v149/knockturnal/22f5820c.jpg

[waistdeep]

you men have some real skill,,,,

good job

[Johnnybear]

That's a nice gate Knockturnal. Those CNC plasma's sure are cool. I haven't played around with one much but I have a couple of aquaintances near by that have them but thanks for the offer. Keep up the good work!


Trailer light fixing tonight along with finishing the washdown pump. Hopefully launch time tomorrow night. Getting nervous Marc?:twisted:

[Johnnybear]

Got the trailer lights working. Took her out for a spin tonight. Everything electrically works perfectly now. The downriggers work great. The rear sounder is working great. The VHF is working great. The kicker is usually quite stuborn when cold and took a bit to get going but once warmed up worked just great.

The main engine different story. The charging alarm is still coming on (I had this problem last year) but it is charging. Also there is something with the vapor lock sensor and some surging when accelerating. I started with an empty tank and just filled it up tonight. There is a brand new Racor filter and all the filters on the engine where checked and changed etc.

Going to tinker with it tomorrow and take her back out after work. Got to get this thing running like a clock by Thursday afternoon for our big trip.

[Johnnybear]

Well I love it when I'm stupid and the fixes are easy:-D! Was the overheating alarm going off. Replaced the t stats and the impeller. Washed it out good with saltaway. Ran some seafoam in a small about of gas through her and sounds really good now with smooth throttling and zero hick ups or hesitation.

The charging alarm was going off as it should because the 150 amp fuse was blown. Changed it out and everything is working as it should.

Taking her for another run after work and then heading out to the WCVI tomorrow morning for a bit of a long "overdue" weekend.

[REMINGTON JIM]

Love to see QUALITY WORKMANSHIP like that- Great job! :-D

[Johnnybear]

Ran like a top tonight. Back in the game. LET'S GO FISHING!

On the water shot of the cabinet.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Sculpin%20Projects/IMG_1390.jpg

A happy and relieved captain.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/Coal_miner/Sculpin%20Projects/IMG_1389.jpg

Thanks for following my thread. It was embarrassing at first, then fun, a bit nerve racking at times, but ulimately rewarding in the end.

I will be posting up fishing reports from now on.

Cheers
John

[Marc]

Do I get to spill first blood?

See you in the morning who hoo!!!

[Johnnybear]

Do I get to spill first blood?

See you in the morning who hoo!!!

You betcha buddy! I'm sure she's going to get real bloody this weekend:mrgreen:.

[pnbrock]

if your in ukee ill look for you.

[Salty]

Go slay'm boys!

[Marc's Bro]

Hey Johnny,

I know this is an old thread now, but I hadn't realized how much work you'd actually done on your boat until I saw all your "before" pictures. Holy cow man, what an improvement! I think you've definitely made much better use of the stern by installing that cabinet and cleaning station and the new location for the downriggers is ideal. Great job! (I'm just a little disappointed I didn't get to see the LED lighting in action :cry: )

Dan

[SUAFOYT]

No one has mentioned it but the shot of the battery area is real nice. Neat wiring job- too many nice looking rigs have lousy wire runs and when something goes south they're a bitch to fix. Nice and neat makes the troubleshooting so much easier.

[Johnnybear]

No one has mentioned it but the shot of the battery area is real nice. Neat wiring job- too many nice looking rigs have lousy wire runs and when something goes south they're a bitch to fix. Nice and neat makes the troubleshooting so much easier.

I can thank a buddy at the Harbour Chandler for that nice wiring job. I did the labelling after ripping off all his temporary masking tape. Under the dash is a job for this winter. Going to unstack alot of stuff under there and have everything on it's own post with extra bus bar's etc. I will label everything as well like the back end. Like you said it makes life alot easier to find the problem quickly especially if BOTH ends are labelled lol.

The nice thing about the Sculpin is the utilitarian finish on her. There is nothing running threw "chases" etc. Everything is accessible "right now". She may not be the fanciest boat out there but she sure is functional. Ed's (the builder) motto is "chrome don't get you home". I like that8-).