Renovating an old wooden sports boat, am I mad?

[maser_spyder]

I'd spotted a similar thing on screwfix, but the problem is the hole needs to be perfectly in line with the shaft log and P bracket (that's to say, the inside prop shaft support as well as the outside prop shaft support). A couple of mm on the wrong angle and it won't fit properly and will cause all sorts of issues fitting the brackets.

The only way to get it perfect is to use an actual shaft, through the actual P bracket, with some sort of hole cutter on the end. Technically, doing it this way, it can't go wrong.

When I get to this stage, I guess I'll have to find a length of rod the same diameter as the shaft, have a thread put on the end, and fit a hole cutter directly to the end of it. Drill one end, hole cutter the other, line up and go.

The problem with using two or three lengths of extensions is you'll get a lot of wobble down the length and it'll inevitably go off-centre, buggering up the hole angle.

Basically, it's a right old pisser of a job just to put a simple hole through the hull.

Anyway, there's no hull yet so haven't got to worry about it!

[maser_spyder]

illmonkey said:

Forgive my ignorance, why can't you drill it bigger? I understand it's a boat, in water, but a hole is a hole right (snigger)? Even if it's got the tinest gap, water will get in.

You do! Took me a while to work it out, but the shaft hole is larger than the shaft. You line it with glass fibre to make it strong and waterproof. When in the water, the water will go up the shaft hole. On the top of the shaft hole, inside the boat, is the shaft log, which is the bit that stops the water coming in. Reason for this is with the shaft log on the inside, you can grease and maintain it (and see it!) at all times.

Shaft log is just a block of metal with an angled shaft and seal for the prop shaft to go through.

Nice diagram here;



Plan is to use the YouTube method above, or at least a strong variation of it. Bit of steel tube (to match the P bracket, with or without extra blocks) with a cutting bit on the end, scrap wooden block top and bottom, fingers crossed and shoot.

[maser_spyder]

Huntsman said:

I thought we covered this before, I'd be tempted to drill through a block of timber, then cut the angle on it and screw it in place, if its not right you can alter the bevel on the block with a plane until the angle is correct.

I also think the P bracket doesn;t have sufficient length to stop the shaft tool lash up from wiggling about.

Might incorporate this too, to add a bit of extra strength to the P bracket.

One of the links kindly mentioned above talks about doing pretty much what you said, but with a steel shaft to guide the cutting bit through. So, P bracket, steel shaft in a wooden block, and only then go through the hull itself. With a nice strong and straight drill extension, there's no reason it would go off centre.

Mixture of all methods would hopefully see it near perfect....

[maser_spyder]

Not ruddy likely.

I feel like Elton John right now (I'm still sanding).

Hope to start cold moulding next month!

[maser_spyder]

Transom ready to start laying on ply.

Difficult bow section almost faired, just needs a last check over. Middle sections not done but mostly flat so fairly easy and won't take long.

Just ordered more solid gold screws and coach bolts to finish off the bottom, crikey, they're expensive.

But progress at last!

[maser_spyder]

Well, if you want to give me a hand turning it over once the bottom is on, then you're welcome to try!

Transom nearly ready;





And the bow section almost ready, just a bit more fettling to make it as good as I can and try my best to match up both sides;





Plan is now for a big push to get the bottom on, or at least the ply, so I can turn it over and be able to move it around.

Amazing really that it hardly looks any different but the time involved in getting it right is so long. I always knew the fairing would be laborious but I didn't realise quite how long it was going to take. Hopefully the cold moulding is quicker...

[maser_spyder]

Simpo Two said:

Fairing is hard enough on a model; it must be hell on a full size hull. Can you get an orbital sander 4 feet long?!

I've been using an electric planer for the bulk and a belt sander with 60 or 80 (very coarse) grit paper to fine tune. Seems to be working ok but I've taken it all pretty slow on the basis that it's easy to take off but bloody hard to put back on again.

I've got a second pair of eyes coming to take a look next week to make sure I haven't missed anything, that done, I'll start cutting ply strips....

[maser_spyder]

No news. Has been a strange year, I've been really busy so far which is quite unusual.

However, bigger news is that I might potentially be building my own barn and living very nearby, so that would jolly things along nicely...

Not given up, just taking a rest!

[maser_spyder]

Yet another project, but hopefully a faster one. No curves on this to fair anyway, which should speed things up a heck of a lot.

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

For the boat, I'm stuck on the fairing. Can't lay up ply until it's perfect, and I can't get my head around what perfect is. I'm almost there in my head on how it should work, just need to transmit that to the frames and it'll be all systems go again.

[maser_spyder]

Ah dammit, I knew somebody would bring this up again....

I'm living abroad now. Boat is still back in the UK, waiting for fairing to be finished and me to be brave enough to start putting the bottom on.

Still keen to get it finished, won't be flogging it as an unfinished project or cutting it up for firewood or anything, but life has gotten in the way somewhat.

[maser_spyder]

13m said:

maser_spyder said:

Ah dammit, I knew somebody would bring this up again....

I'm living abroad now. Boat is still back in the UK, waiting for fairing to be finished and me to be brave enough to start putting the bottom on.

Still keen to get it finished, won't be flogging it as an unfinished project or cutting it up for firewood or anything, but life has gotten in the way somewhat.

Where are you living?

Abroad.

[maser_spyder]

Simpo Two said:

Floating in a pointy GRP house that belongs to somebody else I bet!

Close! Living on a pointy GRP thing that belongs to me.

South of France. Been here since March. Love it. Might not be coming back, since Brexit, my UK appetite has waned significantly.

Eyeing up a house with a huge barn/workshop, which would get my projects back on track nicely.

Until then, sunshine, sailing, jet skiing, good wine, better weather and a bit of work to keep the balance right.

[maser_spyder]

13m said:

9/10 on the hateometer.

Cost of living is a lot cheaper here. Looked at a place with four bedrooms, barn, outbuildings, and 86 acres of land, 200k euros. 14 bed chateaux on the market for 450k. Bonkers. You'd struggle to buy a Barratt home in the UK for that sort of money.

Britain looking increasingly unappealing I'm afraid to say.

My life goal is a small-ish house with a big barn that I can fill with cars, boats and silliness. That's very, very easy here.