1976 Tom Boy Boat, 1976 40 HP Johnson Outboard and who knows what Trailer

[gm280]

Tanks are looking great. Around here, scrap yards will sell anything to anyone. Prices are usually about 1/2 to 2/3 of new since that's still more than they would get otherwise.

Your post gave me some hope for the local scrap yard to find some usable metal. HOWEVER, I drove there a couple times only to find they were always closed for one reason or another. But I did manage to get there one time and drive in. Before I ever got to the office there was a sign stating "We do not sell or swap anything". So that's it for that option. The next nearest scrap yard place is about 20 or so miles away.

I was practicing with stainless steel, regular steel and aluminum. The steels were working better then I thought, but the aluminum was worlds different. Even switching to AC with a 30% duty cycle at 120hz to allow the cleaning action per cycle, I still blow through the aluminum. It wasn't going great and then it started welding nice and then blow through. So more practice before doing the transom weld-up cap. Of course the weather has gone back to rain and/or cold. Hard to plan things ahead with the weather changing so quickly.

But once I get it all figured out and doing some fair aluminum welds, I will post the transom cap results. I have plenty of scrap to practice on... and I also can fair the results very well. So even if I blob the aluminum all over the place. Flapper disks will be the savior. And buffer/polisher will save the day as well. The old phrase; "A grinder and paint makes me the welder I ain't". Ha, I'll admit it now.

I have the gas tank ready for the graphics, just now need the weather to cooperate to air-brush them on. At least 60-65 degrees will work. But then I have to clear coat it a few times as well. So I really need the weather to be both dry and warm. One day.......

Later...

 

[Woodonglass]

Hey GM, when you get ready to do some STITCHIN' let me know if I can help with antything. Your work, as usual is Outstanding.

 

[gm280]

Hey GM, when you get ready to do some STITCHIN' let me know if I can help with antything. Your work, as usual is Outstanding.

You bet WOG. In fact you were the very person I had in mind when I was laying out the cushion...again. I actually bought the best foam I could buy from Foam Factory. It is their longest lasting quality foam they offered. I will certainly get with you on that project. Yeah, I know we drove down this road before. But so many other things cropped up and side-tracked it...as usual. I am just about ready to do that cushion soon.

I think I have a new home situation that came up yesterday. Seem our AC/heat pump was running and running and running non-stop. So I turned it off and called the AC guys. The guy came out and looked at it and stated that there was no power to the outside unit. So I looked in the breaker box, and WALA, the breakers for the AC heat pump were tripped. So I reset it and it looked like a light bulb blowing out. A pretty nice flash and tripped again. So we (AC guy and myself) thought the 40 amp dual breaker was my problem.

I bought a new 220 volt 40 amp breaker and installed it. Tripped instantly when I turned it on. So out comes the multi-meter and I went to troubleshooting. Seems the fan on the outside unit runs nicely when the compressor is disconnected out of the circuit. And the dual starting capacitors were all okay as well. And so was the starter relay. SOOooo looks like it is the compressor shorted out. Haven't had that confirmed, but ~.9 ish ohms across the compressor lines sure seems very iffy, and the 220 volt breaker tripping as soon as you try to reset it when the compressor is connected up.

So I guess a thousand or two will be needed to get this running again. Yea me....:violin::frusty:

But I guess It could be worst... I don't see how, but I'm sure it could... :facepalm:

 

[kcassells]

But I guess It could be worst... I don't see how, but I'm sure it could... ​

:facepalm: gm280

Yea it could be worse. It could be my heat pump!!

 

[gm280]

But I guess It could be worst... I don't see how, but I'm sure it could... ​

:facepalm: gm280

Yea it could be worse. It could be my heat pump!!

Yeah, you have a point there. But as it turns out, the compressor is covered under warranty. Seems the unit (Carrier Brand) has a ten year warranty on their scroll compressors and it is only 7 plus years since it was installed. So luck is helping. Of course we need to cover the labor, but that takes an easy thousand dollars or more off the bill.

Funny how such things take the worst times to decide to fail. We are presently having a monsoon rain fall with 42 as our high today with freezing temps over night. And we don't have the heat pump working. But we are not uncomfortable since I am using a small space heater to stay relatively warm. And if things get real bad, we will fire up the fireplace and stay toasty. Just seems Murphy's Law strikes again and how true it is.. But certainly not complaining however this sounds. I try to always look for something positive out of situations... And the positive side is the warranty coverage and this could have happened in a heat wave in the summer. Can't use a space heater then....

Once things get settled down again, I am back at the practicing aluminum welding techniques again 'til I can weld aluminum without blowing holes through it. Then I do the transom cap. So neat things to do and finish.

The next question, that probably will stir the pot, is...I need to buy two batteries for the boat. One for cranking and the other for the trolling motor. What says you for your picks? And remember this is a mere 14' tri-hull boat with stick steering and probably a 40--45 pound trolling motor, haven't bought it yet either. It needs to crank a 1976, totally rebuilt, 40 HP Johnson OB!

Let the games, I mean ideas, begin... Thanks in advance for your time and thoughts.

 

[mickyryan]

I just use a normal battery for starting and a deep cycle for the rest

 

[gm280]

I just use a normal battery for starting and a deep cycle for the rest

Yeah, I guess the battery issues have been pretty much hashed over a multitude of time on these forums. I was only interested in what most seem to think were the longest lasting type batteries. I am thinking a good cranking for the engine and general electrical issues on the boat, and then a good deep cycle trolling motor battery for the TM. Since the TM will not be doing anything but powering the TM and nothing else, I think most any brand name deep cycle will suffice.Like seemingly everyone else I want teh best battery for the cheapest price. And most of the time, those two desires don't come together for one pick. So some common sense compromise is going to pick the battery.

Presently I don't have a fish finder/locator (well I do have I think 5 fish finders, but not wanting to install any of them on this boat for various reasons) or even a TM to worry about for the first splash. But I want to get everything ready for those two needs.

As far as the transom cap, I still need a lot of ractice to keep from blowing the aluminum up as I try. But I am getting better. Once I can weld the aluminum to something resembling decency, then the transom cap will be finished. And I really need to push myself to start the live well cushion.

I was reading some of tpendfield's cushion recoverings, and like what he is doing. So more reading yet before I cut up the seat material(s).

When I have something to show, I will post those pictures... My problem is I have expert ideas and wants, with noob skills...:facepalm:

 

[thdrduck]

Hi folks, just picked up an old Cheiftain for a project. It has a bunch of holes in the topside from rod holders and what not mounted over the decades and I am trying to figure out the best way to fill them. I have seen pics of cracks getting brazed with the aluminum brazing rods but I have not seen any holes being filled. Was wondering how it works and if there are any tricks. Thanks.

 

[gm280]

Hi folks, just picked up an old Cheiftain for a project. It has a bunch of holes in the topside from rod holders and what not mounted over the decades and I am trying to figure out the best way to fill them. I have seen pics of cracks getting brazed with the aluminum brazing rods but I have not seen any holes being filled. Was wondering how it works and if there are any tricks. Thanks.

I used Alumiweld rods myself. If you have a way to really clean the aluminum well to bare shiny new looking surface, then a mere blow torch and those rods and you should be able to seal them up. I would get some aluminum about the same thickness as the material you are wanting to seal and cut inserts to fill in the opening and then use the blow torch and the Alumiweld rods and go to it. You have to heat up the material until it melts the rods and not the torch. Then it flows pretty well. Just make sure there is nothing close that can catch fire while heating the material up. Other then that, you should be good to go...

 

[thdrduck]

Thanks, the filler is a good idea. I'll give it a try.

 

[gm280]

Okay, I have to say that if the rain continues, and they are saying it will, I maybe splashing my boat before I figured. I don't know how much more rain we can get, but we surely have had tons of rain in the last month or so. I think we are approaching 10" over for the year presently with constant rain sill coming down... Makes doing so many things come to a stop, Well at least outside things!

You'll have a great day...even if it is soggy...

 

[gm280]

A little update;

Well I have practiced using the new TIG welder. And for the most part I really really like it. I can easily weld steels even stainless steels pretty well now. But aluminum is still a ways off. Some days I can weld aluminum pretty good, then there are the times I melt more aluminum then welding it up. It seems to be a fine line of just the right settings and cleaning to get aluminum to weld nicely. I haven't located that fine repeatable setting yet. But I continue trying.

I can weld aluminum good until I get to the end of the weld and then I melt the end pieces rather then weld them closed. I am practicing on the exact same aluminum I plan to use for the transom cap so once I accomplish that without blowing holes in the metal, I can finish the transom cap and install. At this stage, there is no hurry to get the boat finished since we are now shelter in place at home people now...

As for the tank and cushion, I haven't worked on them much either. I guess someone needs to kick me in the butt to get moving on those projects. If I could get the nerve up to start sewing, I am pretty sure I could make it work. Just haven't pushed myself to that point yet.

If I get something worthy of pictures, I'll post them. But until then..........

I sincerely wish everyone stays safe and Corona Virus free... This too will pass!

 

[archbuilder]

Hey GM good to hear from you! Keep practicing, seems like we all have a lot of time on our hands! Keep after it, you'll get there one of these days!

 

[sphelps]

Here ya go !
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qztuEucrNBc

 

[gm280]

It is with great sorrow that I post this;

I loss by father this past week, Wednesday evening. It wasn't from Corona Virus, but because of it.

He has been going three times a week to Dialysis because his kidneys were about completely shut down. He was doing pretty good over the last year while doing those dialysis treatments. But when they announced to stay home to help stop the spread of Corona Virus, he decided to do just that...literally!

My sister and I, the only living relatives living close enough to care for him, tried continuously to explain to him that the stay at home wasn't intended to stop his dialysis appointments. But he refused to go however we pleaded. He continued to get weaker and weaker as the days went by. Yes, we knew what was coming if he didn't start back on the dialysis, but he was so bull-headed he still refused.

Well three weeks went by and my sister went to see him, he refused to live any place but by himself (bullheaded again), and she told him that she thought he was dying because he couldn't even get out of bed by then. She is a RN and when he was feeling serious ill, he agreed to go to the hospital Wednesdays afternoon. Neither of us could go with him or into the hospital either. Well that evening the hospital called my sister and told her he passed...

So I think it was a mixture of being very tired of going to dialysis times a week, and the Corona Virus scare in the beginning of his refusal to go to the treatments, and it went down hill from there. He was 92 years old...

The funeral is another issue. Only the very close family members, basically my sister one of her daughters, my wife and I are about the only people being allowed at the funeral, and no grave sight service whatsoever... Times are so different now!

 

[oldrem]

So sorry to hear gm. Prayers to you and your family.

 

[Willyclay]

Tough situation for anybody! My thoughts and prayers to you and your family, Bill.

 

[Sea18Horse]

So sorry to hear it. My thoughts are with you.
Todd

 

[AShipShow]

Very sorry to hear the news... my family's thoughts and prayers are with yours

 

[sphelps]

So sorry for your loss ... Those circumstances don’t seem fair in a way .. He was the same age as my mother is now ..
Prayers to you and your family ..