Doghouse from scratch

[erikgreen]

I've decided to build my own replacement doghouse from scratch. It's for my Sea Ray SRV-210 I/O that I put a chevy 350 in last summer.

I'm posting a progress thread here so you guys can point and laugh... I apologize in advance for the slow connection for the pics.

The basic construction will be 3/8" plywood with epoxy and fiberglass. The glass is going to supply most of the strength. I have a lot of 8 oz. cloth, so I'm planning on about 3 layers plus some tabbing.

Here's some pics from the first day's work.


Here's the old doghouse. It's serviceable, but I want something cleaner looking and a bit bigger. I also want to test these construction techniques, hence this project

Here's the cut out plywood for the new one. To save cutting I'm going with a 24 inch high box, with the front and sides slightly canted in so I can clip some items to them and not have them stick out in the way (swim fins). The 4 inch strip at the back is because the top is about 28 inches deep, too much for my 2 foot handi-panels.

I'm using sections of scrap lumber to screw it together temporarily so I can tab the outside with glass. I cut the edge of the lumber (a 2x10 here) to match as closely as possible to the angle of the side it's screwed to.

Then I screwed the whole thing together, for the most part taking care to keep the screws back from the edges so I can install tabbing strongly enough to remove the scrap lumber pieces and glass the whole thing. Here's the inside view:

And here's the outside view after cleaning it up with a router and pad sander. Note that I rounded the edges some, but there are gaps and places I'm going to smooth out with some filler before I cover it with glass.

Also note that screwing down the center of the top made a slight saddle curve, which I was going to eliminate until I realized it helped drainage and also made a natural seat for someone.

Next step is to fill the edges with putty and coat the whole thing with a layer of epoxy on the outside. Following that I'll be tabbing the outside with glass, then removing the screws and scrap "jig" and putting on a full glass layer for strength before I turn the whole thing over and do the inside the same way.

Then it's one more all-over glass layer and on to sanding and painting...

Erik

 

[DJ]

Re: Doghouse from scratch

Erik,

Only fools would laugh at you.

My only question would be about weight.

Is the new construction similar to the old one?

Keep up the good work!

 

[erikgreen]

Re: Doghouse from scratch

The new one should be quite a bit lighter actually... the old one is made of half inch ply, reinforcing wood strips, and metal bracing with some kind of foam coating on the inside and veneer on the outside. 1983 state of the art I suppose.

I'm not going to lose a lot of weight this way, but I am going to change out my manifolds in the spring, so maybe that'll help. I'm also going to put the scuba tank rack in the bow

 

[LeftFeild]

Re: Doghouse from scratch

Been there done that, as you can see i resized the doghouse to a size that worked. from there it deconstruction

And Recon, more coming. But it is fun.......

 

[oops!]

Re: Doghouse from scratch

btdt
69 srv190.

your doing a good job, the foam on the stock one was for sound proofing.
you might want to think about adding some.

i built mine 3 years ago.
im doing a total resto on the boat so im loosing the dog house and fabbing a full glass engine cover/seat.
the 2 jump seats were just waisted space in my boat. no one wanted to sit there, so im loosing them.

your doing a great job, keep it up!

oops

 

[erikgreen]

Re: Doghouse from scratch

I'll probably get some of the fancy under-hood version of dyna-mat for the inside... I also will have to rework the rest of the stern space around the engine for best effect, but that's ok.


Here are some updates. I used cardboard wrapped in plastic to plug the large cracks at the top front, taped in place on the inside of the doghouse.

Once that was done I mixed up a thick paste of epoxy and microbubbles, and went to town on the edges and gaps. Here's a pic:

I got it smoothed out using a spare gift card from target from Christmas... any piece of rigid plastic will do. You just bend it at a 90 degree angle while you're about to smooth the paste, then use the curved trailing edge of the card to make the putty edge. It's the gift that just keeps on giving.

Some of the paste in the thick spots sagged before hardening, so I'll have to touch those up later. But, I did the sanding of the edges using a pad sander and some 90 grit paper:

And it came out nicely. I'm going to have to mix more paste to fill the screw holes once I remove the scrap lumber jig from the underside, so I'll clean up the corners a bit then where it sagged. In the meantime, I mixed up some more epoxy:

I used US Composites epoxy this time because it was cheap... anyone know if iboats has an item at a similar price? I'd like to get some here.

I mixed up 8 ounces at a time by weight using the 6 dollar scale pictured.

Using my newly set up roll of glass on the wall, I cut some pieces to tab together the sides with.

I used a 1 inch small foam roller in a paint tray with a disposable liner to roll out a coating on the wood, then I placed the glass by hand and rolled it into the epoxy. I added a little epoxy here and there where needed to wet out the glass.

Note: I tried using some 3m super 77 adhesive to stop the glass from fraying out. It worked well, but it also made the glass harder to wet out and less flexible, so I don't recommend it for anything but larger pieces.

Here's the end result of the first tabbing run:

I had some spare scraps of glass and some extra epoxy, so I did a bit of creative reinforcing.

Next steps: Tabs on the inside, removal of the jig pieces, and full glassing of the joints.

Erik

 

[JustJason]

Re: Doghouse from scratch

how are you going to finish it... paint, vinyl, carpet?

 

[oops!]

Re: Doghouse from scratch

i noticed your going with a 90 degree front.....(straight up and down)...

was the orig the same???? mine wasn't...

i needed clearance for the pullys......

are you going to open the top after to get access?...or just pull it away when you want to check the oil?.....i check everything before i fire the motor as well as giving the engine compartment extra "air" before i fire the motor....

(i know that gas fumes ride on the ground... bit any extra air circ.. before firing is better than none!)

how are you gonna get in there?

looks good tho

oops

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Doghouse from scratch

Erik, I built a new doghouse for my '88 SeaRay Sorrento 4.3LX V6. It appears you have a good design and good engineering. I used 1/2 pressure treated plywood, with fiberglass cloth reinforced seams(inside and out). I did not cover the box with cloth, to save weight, but did paint the plywood with poly resin, to seal it. Two coats on the edges. Strength was not an issue, with the 1/2 plywood. I put a 2X2 across the top rear opening, to reinforce the edge of the plywood. I covered the top of the doghouse with a synthetic woven welcome mat that I got at the Home Despot. It looked good, and was resistant to UV. The sides were covered with vinyl that matched the seats. I had to sew the vinyl to make the cover, but was able to staple the vinyl to the inside of the doghouse, so the staples were not visible. Second choice was to glue the vinyl onto the plywood. I reused the foam soundproofing, and did not reuse the original hinges. The doghouse never moved out of place, so I thought the hinges unnecessary.

 

[erikgreen]

Re: Doghouse from scratch

i noticed your going with a 90 degree front.....(straight up and down)...

was the orig the same???? mine wasn't...

i needed clearance for the pullys......

are you going to open the top after to get access?...or just pull it away when you want to check the oil?.....i check everything before i fire the motor as well as giving the engine compartment extra "air" before i fire the motor....

(i know that gas fumes ride on the ground... bit any extra air circ.. before firing is better than none!)

how are you gonna get in there?

looks good tho

oops

It's acutually not straight up and down, it's just the angle I took the pics at. The top is the same width and depth as the original, but the bottom edges are further out 3 inches to each side, and the front slopes at the same angle as the original. The top is about 4 inches higher than the old one though (I wanted it as a platform for something). It's pretty close to the same size, actually, if you factor in the cushion that was on the original doghouse.

For a finish (to answer captjason) I'm thinking of just white paint - I have some primekote and brightsides available, but I'm thinking that might be too bright and reflective. I am going to redo the floor with nautolex before spring, so I might just make the top nautolex too, and maybe the sides carpet (that's also going in before spring).

The new boat interior is going to have white painted glass/wood though, so the white would match. I guess I'll see how it looks after I apply the primekote to seal and protect all that epoxy.

I did some tabbing today and removed some of the wood jigs - more pics of the work once I get a chance to finish that. I am actually unhappy with the way today's glass went... messier than I'd like. I'm probably just being a perfectionist though.

Erik

 

[erikgreen]

Re: Doghouse from scratch

are you going to open the top after to get access?...or just pull it away when you want to check the oil?.....i check everything before i fire the motor as well as giving the engine compartment extra "air" before i fire the motor....

(i know that gas fumes ride on the ground... bit any extra air circ.. before firing is better than none!)

how are you gonna get in there?

looks good tho

oops

Forgot to answer this. The whole enclosure will flip up 90 degrees on hinges at the back, possibly held up with a brace or with gas cylinders if I get creative. Since it's all one integral piece that should work.
Edit: Thinking about it, I could have the front edge hinged and have it tumble forward if that doesn't work.

I'll be reinforcing the back edges and top with stiffening elements - maybe 2x2s, maybe just glass structures - before I do that part, though.

Hold-down for the front edge will be a pair of rubber handles from a truck hood... the kind that you stretch out a bit and latch into a pair of hooks to secure. I'll have some pics of those later.

Erik

 

[oops!]

Re: Doghouse from scratch

erik, that lock HAS to hold.....with a redundant system!

i dont think a gas cylinder will work.

you dont want to be in waves with that thing coming down on yer hat holder!

mine weighed about 60 or 70 lbs when done. top slid open, and whole thing slid compleatly out for repairs.. i didnt like the setup however cause the jump seats allways seemed to be in the way when i wanted to get at somthing like the starter.....what about a foward flip????/with removable hinges???
that way it wont come down on your head...and all servicing could be done from the side....in line 6 right?

i can take some picts of my old one if you want...
but you are doin great.

oops

 

[oops!]

Re: Doghouse from scratch

sorry just read up and saw you went to a 350 so forget about the inline 6.

but you still dont want it comin down when your bent over it in seas, and the stress on the back of it will be huge.

how do you like the 350, did the increase in gas hurt? im extending my hull out to a 24 footer from a 19 so i can add a bbc or 350/383. dont know what one yet....waiting for e-bay.
the reason for the xtension is cause i wanna loose the jump seats and do a full cover with bench seat attached.

cheers
oops

 

[erikgreen]

Re: Doghouse from scratch

I actually like the 350 for its torque, and frankly I haven't noticed the difference on gas yet. I'm going to mount a 40 or so horse kicker before next summer for running the side scan, so that will help some too.

I'm already looking forward to something like a 32 footer... I'd prefer aluminum hull for towability though.. with twin inboards. I like the outdrive for cost, but inboards for simplicity and space savings at the stern.

Post some pics of your hull extension.. that should be quite a major project, and interesting to watch

Good ideas on the access to the engine.. I'm thinking it'll be tumble forward/removeable at this point... although I gotta say I still love the flip-up idea, maybe with a brace. I'll see what the weight is when I'm done though, you're probably right.

Erik

 

[Lou C]

Re: Doghouse from scratch

You probably could use the gas cylinders, don't forget most SUVS use 2 of them to lift that heavy tailgate, they come in different levels of lifting strength. When I got my old 88 FW with the big sunpad across the back, the lift cylinders were long gone, and the previous owner used a prop rod, which worked but I got sick of lifting up that heavy sun pad, so I replaced the cylinders, and fabbed up a latch to keep it closed (did start to pop open once at speed!) and it works much better now. The main thing to keep in mind is that if there were no hinges before, you have to back up the glass with wood wherever you put hinges, same thing for the lift cylinders, unless they go right into the deck.

 

[erikgreen]

Re: Doghouse from scratch

Quick update for today:

I got the interior edges filleted with wood flour and epoxy after removing the jig pieces. Wood flour is basically sawdust, ground fine and kept dry. Mixed with epoxy it makes a nice peanut butter type material for filleting and similar tasks.

It does harden rock hard, though, so you have to get it as smooth as possible when wet, because sanding is a cast iron b****.

I used maybe a half pound of flour and 20 oz. of mixed epoxy to do this.

I also attached a 2x2 to the rear edge of the housing with more peanut butter. It's made of oak, should hold screws very well. I'll also attach some reinforcement for the top to it.

After I got the fillets done, I flipped over the housing and did most of the outer glass coating. This is mostly for strength, so I didn't expect it to come out perfectly smooth, and I was right

I'll have a few bubbles to remove, some glass to trim, and a few spots to grind and fill, but I have a minimum of one layer of glass on each side of the outside now, with two on the top and three on the front.

I'm going to need some more epoxy soon, too.

After all this hardens I'll do the interior and bottom and back edges (only one layer of glass on those) then it's final clean-up and smoothing, followed by a thin top layer of epoxy, then primer.

Erik

 

[erikgreen]

Re: Doghouse from scratch

No pics today, but here's what I did:


1) Trimmed excess cloth and bits from the outside.

2) Flipped the doghouse over and applied 3-4 layers of cloth inside. I also made sure that all wood surfaces were coated with epoxy, including the oak reinforcement and the edges.

Putting in the wood flour fillets on the bottom has really stiffened the doghouse... it won't flex from side to side (oilcan) at all now. I trust it enough to sit on and hold my 300 lbs.

The glass is basically done at this point... which is good because I need to order more epoxy.

Next I'm thinking I may reinforce the top for extra strength with a couple 1x2s, which will take more epoxy from somewhere, or if I get creative I may just form some fiberglass reinforcement.

After that I'll do my test fit in the boat and start working on the hinge and clamp down system while I do fairing and paint.

Erik

 

[oops!]

Re: Doghouse from scratch

was thinking bout your flip up...

if you can make a good outta the way prop rod that would hold it up. but those hinges will have to be reinforced on the transom deck side. also when you flip it up you will have to remember to remove your rear mast light

cheers oops

 

[shioner2001]

Re: Doghouse from scratch

Any update on this project? I'm debating tackling this myself or having someone else do it...

 

[erikgreen]

Re: Doghouse from scratch

It's been sitting on the shelf while I redid the stringers and deck. I'll be getting back to it soon I think....

Erik