Just saying hello.

[sogood]

Well, I got one more picture uploaded, from Photobucket this time, and now I seem to be back at square one, regarding file sizes too large/exceeding quota etc.

So, I'm stuck again. Give me some wood, glue and a saw any day!! lol

Any more thoughts?

Thanks.

 

[sogood]

Maybe I've finally cracked it! Attached picture is of the toilet cabinet to house the actual loo. It sits inside a captive lip within the cabinet to prevent it moving about and has a separate small storage compartment at one side. This cabinet replaces the original sink thingy which I removed.
The opening at the front is to allow access to the handle that operates the toilet bowl flap.

 

[rafiki_]

You've cracked it, well done.

 

[sogood]

This pic shows the toilet cabinet lid closed and the whole thing has been varnished since and is also finished in the routed plank effect. Another bit of wood that I introduced was a panel to cover the bare panel that housed the steering wheel and ignition. I haven't made any cut outs in this yet as I'm awaiting delivery of some bits and pieces, including a switch panel, which I want to mount here also.

Included is a pic of the original panel underneath, showing cut outs. I also amused myself by cutting out and making up a porthole for the cabin door. This just consists of two rings, screwed together through the door, with a perspex window sandwiched in between. All of this wood has been copiously varnished, several times and is looking pretty good.

 

[rafiki_]

Nice work, well done. She is going to look great when you get her in the water.

 

[sogood]

After removing the windows and cleaning off all the hardened. flaking putty that was used to bed them in (yes, putty) I made up interior trim pieces for the cabin. I intend lining the cabin with a light carpet, cutting out the window sections, refitting the windows and then fitting the window trims to dress the whole thing off. I will pop rivet the windows back in, as per the original, except for the corners of each frame, which will be bolted straight through the trim, with small machine screws, possibly extending far enough to fix curtain wire to. Either way, I will have wooden window surrounds for such fixings and they will help to keep the carpet in place, although I will be using heavy duty impact adhesive.

The original, folding seat and original floor, which has changed a lot. I got a pair of solid plastic type bar stools, on telescopic chrome legs, which I modified by removing the large bell shaped bases. Then I made up new supports/bases using metal tube welded onto a metal plate and these were bolted onto 3/4" plywood bases, recessed into the floor joists.

After that the floor boards/ decking could be laid and things are looking better already.

 

[sogood]

Well, after the interruption of Christmas, New Year, visitors, family members staying overnight, and then some,
and a rotten head/chest cold, I finally got back to the boat.

I've been varnishing bits and pieces, ready for installation, got the deck floor completely finished and gave the cabin a bit of a wash
and started polishing it up.

It's easier to do this now, before all the bits and pieces are refitted. But I did fit my roof grab handles.
I drilled pilot holes up into the underside of the handles and fitted them to the roof by screwing up through it from inside.
For this I used some heavy duty non tapered, heavy threaded screws, which I salvaged from a washing machine some time ago. (I'm a magpie) These screws were used to hold the transit straps that kept the drum from bouncing about during transit.

First I did a dry fit and marked around the handles where they sat on the boat. Then I laid down a bead of sealant and refitted the handles, tightening them down gradually. This was made easier by the fact that the windows are still out of the boat.

As the handles tightened down, the sealant began to appear, at which point I stopped and sprayed a light mist of water onto the
handles and the area around the handles. Then I tightened them down fully and the excess sealant squeezed out. But, importantly, it doesn't stick to the boat or the handles and is very easily removed. It will peel off without any bother.

The pics should explain it, if need be and as a nod to the past, I've also included a pic of on of the old, original grab handles.

The days ahead should see some progress as I will be tackling the interior cabin lining, replacing the windows,
installing the various internal fittings etc. and generally, putting things back together

 

[hardlife]

Hi...I'm a newbie as well. My first boat was a 501...FANTASTIC fun. We took it over to Dublin for 2 years when we moved there many years ago and would launch her from Arklow. Mine came with a 40hp Mercury, but it blew and I bought a 65hp Suzuki and a 4hp backup. One great for water-skiing, the other for pottering down rivers and canals. In terms of projects my best 'improvement' was putting a teak 4 can beer holder above the steering wheel. Others were fully carpeting the walls, ceiling, and floor in the cabin, putting up curtains, and installing a searchlight.
Good Luck and Have FUN!!
Hardlife

 

[RogerRat]

Just to add a welcome to the forum here too.

From a quick post to just say hello, this thread has developed into one of the most interesting 'first' threads I can remember. You have made some excellent improvements to your 501 and also shown, that you don't have to spend fortunes.

I hope and expect that you'll get much satisfaction from your efforts and later use of the boat.

Well done, keep them coming.

RR

 

[sogood]

Just to add a welcome to the forum here too.

From a quick post to just say hello, this thread has developed into one of the most interesting 'first' threads I can remember. You have made some excellent improvements to your 501 and also shown, that you don't have to spend fortunes.

I hope and expect that you'll get much satisfaction from your efforts and later use of the boat.

Well done, keep them coming.

RR

Many thanks, as even a small word of encouragement can mean a lot. That's not to say that I'm not open to the wealth of advice and opinions of those on here who have been around boats since birth (no pun intended). I'm happy with how it's shaping up although things have stalled for the moment as my chest cold has returned with a vengeance! Hopefully I'll get back to it in the next day or two.

Thanks again.

 

[jfm]

Hi Sogood. Can I add my welcome to this forum too. I've just caught up with this thread and what a great project you are doing there. Geekily, a lot of us here love these picture sotries of boat refusrbishments/builds/refits/etc! Please keep posting the pictures and feel free to ask for ideas/suggestions

My one tech comment at this stage, with a 28hp microplus501, is watch the weight. Each individual item adds no appreciable weight of course, but when you add up all of the wood you're fitting it builds up. You don't really want to put more than say 100kg into the boat, if possible, imho. I'm not talking about it being unsafe even with 200kg, but it will for sure affect performance. As I say no one item has any impact, but I suggest you follow a policy whereby each kg must justify itself. The 12mm ply dashboard is an example. Good going on ripping a bit of thickness from the floor boards though!

No worries, I'm just throwing in my $0.02, and very best of luck with the project. Nice workshop too!

 

[sogood]

Hi Sogood. Can I add my welcome to this forum too. I've just caught up with this thread and what a great project you are doing there. Geekily, a lot of us here love these picture sotries of boat refusrbishments/builds/refits/etc! Please keep posting the pictures and feel free to ask for ideas/suggestions

My one tech comment at this stage, with a 28hp microplus501, is watch the weight. Each individual item adds no appreciable weight of course, but when you add up all of the wood you're fitting it builds up. You don't really want to put more than say 100kg into the boat, if possible, imho. I'm not talking about it being unsafe even with 200kg, but it will for sure affect performance. As I say no one item has any impact, but I suggest you follow a policy whereby each kg must justify itself. The 12mm ply dashboard is an example. Good going on ripping a bit of thickness from the floor boards though!

No worries, I'm just throwing in my $0.02, and very best of luck with the project. Nice workshop too!

Many thanks for the input and suggestions. I have considered the extra weight, but don't think I'll be adding too much overall when finished. Also, the 28hp Yamaha may be upgraded in the future, depending upon performance etc.

Another thing worth considering is the fact that, for the most part, the boat will only carry myself and my good woman (sometimes) and I've heard owners speak of carrying up to 6 people on one of these little boats!! They must have all been using 1 foot fishing rods!

Anyway, thanks again and more pics to follow. PS I love my workshop too and can't imagine how people do this sort of thing in the great outdoors.

 

[sogood]

Just a short update folks. I have gotten a few more little things done to the boat but it has been hit and miss as this chest cold lingers, having gone bronchial, with a trip to the doctors, antibiotics, nasty side effects and numerous other interruptions.

One of these interruptions came in the form of a VHF radio course, which I passed and am now awaiting delivery of my radio operators license in the post. I don't know what the procedure is elsewhere, but here in Ireland, I will now have to apply for a ships license, as my radio will be fitted/fixed as opposed to a hand held radio and this costs €100. It's money I could well spend elsewhere, but, hey ho.

Anyway, an update and some more pics are on the way.

 

[sogood]

So, I'm back again with all the latest news. My first big update was the arrival last week,of a nice man in a white van, bearing gifts. He brought me my running lights, a cabin light, a bilge pump, 6 fenders, two life jackets, a 6 gang fused switch panel, a VHF radio and antenna with mounting bracket, paint and a few little extras. So, I thought I ought to put some things to use.

I had also done a few other things, such as starting the lining on the cabin, or parts thereof. I lined and trimmed the cabin door, along with the roof hatch, which still has to be trimmed and I also lined the ceiling panels.

I also fitted the bilge pump by making a small aluminium plate to fix the pump base to. This was shown in the instructions as being screwed down onto the floor, but as I try to avoid putting screws through my fibreglass hull, I made up the plate to do the same job. This plate sits at floor level in the bottom of the bilge channel and is screwed to a floor joist.

Included also is a picture of one of the old original transom "reinforcing" panel, which sat either side of the transom, sandwiched in place by the engine. Not exactly fit for purpose, so new replacements were called for. And I began fitting the new trim to all of the bare edges, as the old trim was showing its' age.
And finally, a question. Would it be ok to run the hose from the bilge pump out into the rear well as there's a drain/outlet in it? This would save me cutting any more holes into the transom. Any thoughts?

 

[sogood]

Another little job I did was to fit the shelf and doors onto the cabinet inside the cabin. I just cut finger holes into the doors and fitted a small raised edge on the front of the shelf and used self closing hinges to remove the need for any sort of catches.

 

[sogood]

So, after what seemed like a multitude of distractions, I got back to the shed and began tackling with the huge number of "little" jobs. The biggest single job left to do is some sanding and then painting of the hull, but I waiting for some milder, drier weather for that.

So, in the meantime. I got myself a piece of mahogany and made up a mast, as I want somewhere to mount my running light, and I thought it might look nice too! Mahogany was cut and shaped with a small cross member fitted near the top. My main concern with the mast was to make it retractable in some way, as the boat just fits into the shed with the perspex screen fitted.

So I made up a channel from some aluminium "U" section, into which the base of the mast sits. This channel is bolted down through the cabin roof. The mast will then tilt forward by just removing the rear bolt in the aluminium channel.

Picture shows the mast, dry fitted, but it will get several coats of varnish. With the left overs from the mast, I made up a pair of grab handles, fitted on either side of the boat, convenient to the seats. These are dry fitted also just for show!

As for the screen, I fitted it using roofing washers, as these help to create a seal and also act as a cushion between the steel bolt and the perspex. The bolt washers come with snap on caps, so everything is kept dry. They look a bit chunky, but they do the job! picture shows the washer and cap in question.

I got the floor all screwed down, having finished the bilge pump and routed the outlet hose and am beginning to lay in the wiring for the various electrical bits.

I also fitted the "steering wheel panel" and mounted the switch panel to it, giving me access at the rear, inside the cabin. This will be the nerve centre where all the wiring will gather and will be covered with a removable panel.

I hope to get the lining onto the inside of the cabin sometime this week, so, it's all coming together.

 

[sogood]

Not too much to report, except some minor improvements and a little extra done. The extras consist of fitting my port and starboard navigation lights and replacing the steering wheel. I specifically wanted to fit the wheel so that the controls were in place inside the "control panel" before any wiring went in. This way I can work around the steering controls and it was easier to fit with the space relatively clear.

On the subject of navigation lights, I began thinking about the power supply to the top of the mast and so.........

I decided to rip a thin section off the back of the mast, then rout out a channel to take the wire, then glue and pin the slip back on. I just didn't want to clip any wires up along the mast!

Maybe a bit fussy, but I'm happy with the end product. As mentioned previously, the mast will tilt down to allow access to my shed, so an extra loop of wire at the base to give a little bit of slack will take care of that.

I also decided to split the panel that will cover the inside of the steering wheel controls/wiring/switch gear, so that it will open like a door, rather than have to be removed in total for access. I also lined the panel and fitted my "music" in the form of an old car radio that I had in my stash. It's basic, but plays cassettes and I don't really need a ton of music. It sits inside a cage and is removable without messing with any wiring.

Having this panel in place also gives me somewhere to fit a small shelf/storage unit, but that's for another day.

 

[sarabande]

good to see solid and steady progress, and the application of practical skill and a lot of determination !

I may have missed it in the piece about the bilge pump, but did you manage to get a 'swan neck' above the water line before the exit overboard ?

 

[sogood]

good to see solid and steady progress, and the application of practical skill and a lot of determination !

I may have missed it in the piece about the bilge pump, but did you manage to get a 'swan neck' above the water line before the exit overboard ?

Thanks for the encouragement. As for the "swan neck" I "think so". I routed the hose away from the pump, then a gentle curve upwards before exiting just above the transom, where it will be clipped in place, pointing back down. A pic would probably explain better! Do you think that I need the swan neck just after the pump, before the hose travels upward and if so, what would the point be? I understand the concept of a "trap" in domestic waste water outlets, but why would it be needed here?

Thanks again for the input.

 

[sarabande]

it's the opposite way round to a domestic sink trap (i.e. the loop is at the top). The purpose is to break any syphon effect above the waterline to prevent any backfilling down to the pump and (possibly) past the vanes/diaphragms back into the bilges.