96 Bayliner 2050 - The Dirty Rotten Baystard

[Broaters]

This may be a better question for the mercruiser forum, but I'll ask anyways. Does anyone see a reason not to use clear vinyl tubing from the mechanical pump to the dump tube on the carb? This is the tube for if the pump diaphragm ruptures and floods out the carb... it should never have gas in it unless the pump fails and it would kill the motor.

I had the same idea but ended up ordering some clear fuel line from Summit.
anyway the engine bay is a place to watch often for this type of leaks, line deterioration... so I guess if it goes wrong over time We would notice it during inspection

 

[AShipShow]

Ni Hao everyone... I'm back from my several week work stint in China. Was my first time over and I was a little worried how I'd deal with the cuisine based on stories I'd heard. Turns out, I actually really liked most of the food I ate, even the pigeon and pig intestines lol.
Now that I'm back and settled in (got my internal clock back on Eastern standard time) I'm ready to get chugging along on the boat.
While I was gone, my new exhaust flappers and tygon tubing arrived so I can finally button up the mercruiser and set it aside until the boat is ready for her heartbeat.

I think next on the list is going to be undressing the old girl and getting back on the fiberglass wagon... I still need to install the bases for the seats and sand down some areas. I also have a few spots I want to reinforce where the tow hook is as well as the sun deck hinge, etc...

Hoping to get at it hard this weekend, but with kids sports, a new house, and other stuff, time is becoming a harder and harder commodity to find.

Good to be back!

 

[kcassells]

After going to China on numerous occasions eating Chinese food here is like going to McDonalds.

 

[AShipShow]

Has anyone else thats replaced the tygon tube from the mechanical fuel pump to the carb noticed that the 1/4" hose fits perfectly on the fuel pump barb, but seems quite a bit too big for the carb fitting? Seems odd but I assume its normal?

I know its not a super critical connection, but you would think Mercruiser would have at least made the fittings consistent lol.

 

[Chris51280]

yup. I wondered that too. I just put a small hose clamp on it to make sure it stays put. The old one shrunk and was a good seal.

 

[AShipShow]

Well, the boys baseball season is finally over so I think I can finally get working on this thing... I got the cover off her the other night, then got called in for something and next thing I know it was dark out...

I was getting sick of daylight and weather in general being my limiting factor so the admiral agreed to a temporary new home... she's a tight squeeze, but it fits.

 

[Timr71]

Well, the boys baseball season is finally over so I think I can finally get working on this thing...

Good Deal! Did he have a good season. I know this feeling well. No lake/boat activity for me yet. My son's baseball is still going strong. We drove 1300 miles roundtrip this past weekend to play 3.5 baseball games in Palm Beach Florida. We are off this weekend but then, it's non-stop through the 3rd week of July.

Can't wait to see your boat progress. Can't wait to make some more progress on my own boat. I actually did fix my mirror bracket last week.

 

[AShipShow]

Yea... hes only seven so this was his first year of kids pitching... he did pretty well. The area we are in had two 7U teams go to the all stars tournament and he made the B team but they didnt have too much luck... he still had a blast tho which at this point is all I care about... I couldnt believe how serious some of the parents were, practically getting in fist fights over 7 year olds, but I guess I have many years of that to look forward to.

 

[AShipShow]

Also, I just ordered 2 gallons of gelcoat from us composites... I made a dumb mistake and ordered it like a year and a half ago but I was afraid it was past its shelf life and didnt want to risk it... I'm hoping 2 gallons will cover it, and I think it will.

I'm also hoping pigment doesnt go bad cuz I've had that for over a year as well but still plan on using it to try and color match the old stuff.

 

[AShipShow]

Question for the experts, like Woodonglass ... I plan to make my own polyester fairing compound to fair the deck/hull in certain areas before applying the gelcoat/nonskid.

I have lots of glass bubbles and a little bit of cabosil if needed. I should also have enough surfacing wax.
My question is, I've seen a couple posts around the web saying that people have had trouble getting the proper cure when making their own. WOG, ive seen your recommended recipe and I plan to follow it.

The main question I have is, should I use surfacing wax, or would PVA be a better option? I've seen Ondarvr say that if the fairing compound is too thick, you may have an issue with the wax migrating to the surface and giving an insufficient cure. I'm wondering if PVA would be a better option.

Any thoughts?

 

[Woodonglass]

It depends on how thick you're planning on applying the compound If it's not more than 1/8" then surfacing wax should be fine. In a lot of cases when I do spot fairing, say, a 1 ft square I use masking tape and plastic. It kicks just fine. For large areas 3 sq ft and larger I'd use the wax. Just make sure to use no more than 2% of the wax per volume of resin. Mix a small batch using 1% wax and ALWAYS mix the wax with the resin first before adding the bubbles and catalyst. Make it as Thin as you can and still allow it to fill and not sag. That's why I use taped on plastic a lot cuz it helps hold the filler in place and you can even use a plastic spreader over the plastic to keep the filler smooth and in place.

 

[AShipShow]

Thanks for the feedback WOG. I called up US composites before they shipped my order yesterday and had them add a gallon of PVA to my order just in case, its not that expensive anyways. Maybe I'll try a small area with wax and another with PVA and see which one I like more.

Either way, I feel like one of them will get me what I'm after.

 

[Chris51280]

Let me know too. I got the PVA too but never used it. Last coat will have wax and that should solve the problem

 

[AShipShow]

Hopefully I'll know soon.. headed out to sand the deck now to prep for fairing

 

[AShipShow]

Another question for the experts...

I spent a couple hours sanding tonight and the sander tends to hit the high spots and skip over the low ones (obviously)... my question is, does every square inch of glass need sanded before topped with fairing compound, or just sand most of it and wipe with acetone?

If every square inch needs sanded then I got hours and hours to go...

Plus I think I need to switch to flap disks cuz the orbital sander pads are gumming up and going really slow.

 

[Chris51280]

I used a dull old flap disc to sand over. My orbital was gumming up as well. Not everything needs sanding. Wipe down with acetone.
If you want everything smooth, you will have to fair and sand more than once and use a belt sander. I called it quit after one fairing. The rough anti slip surface masks a little the waviness I have. I'm ok with it. I finished my bilge tonight with gelcoat and wax. Will see tomorrow how it turns out. Plain gelcoat is way too white. I just added a glob of halyard in it.

 

[steve_h7]

I used a dull old flap disc to sand over. My orbital was gumming up as well. Not everything needs sanding. Wipe down with acetone.
If you want everything smooth, you will have to fair and sand more than once and use a belt sander. I called it quit after one fairing. The rough anti slip surface masks a little the waviness I have. I'm ok with it. I finished my bilge tonight with gelcoat and wax. Will see tomorrow how it turns out. Plain gelcoat is way too white. I just added a glob of halyard in it.

What's halyard?

 

[Chris51280]

its color for white gelcoat. you get white as a base and add pigmented colors as needed. Plain Gel is bright bright white.

 

[AShipShow]

What's halyard?

A rope to raise a sail on the mast.... and apparently gel coat pigment :lol:

 

[Timr71]

Yea... hes only seven so this was his first year of kids pitching... he did pretty well. The area we are in had two 7U teams go to the all stars tournament and he made the B team but they didnt have too much luck... he still had a blast tho which at this point is all I care about... I couldnt believe how serious some of the parents were, practically getting in fist fights over 7 year olds, but I guess I have many years of that to look forward to.

yeah, I don't have a hard time believe that at ALL. I've been around this for 13 years now. You didn't ask for this, but I'm going to give you some fatherly advise:

* your job as a Dad is to help your son on his baseball journey. It can be a hell of a great ride, and will be a source of some really fun times between the two of you.
* Ask your son more questions about his baseball experience than you offer advise. Encourage him to take ownership of everything that he does...including managing his equipment and understanding his place and role on the team.
* Encourage your son to understand that baseball isn't fair, so expecting it to be fair is therefore unfair. The best kids don't always get to play. The best thing he can do is contribute to his team no matter what. Many kids (especially younger ones) hate to sit in the dugout (meaning they're not playing). Coaches will take note of kids who can handle not being in the game and yet are still engaged in the game with their teammates.
*avoid the parent drama. Find a nice quiet place down the foul line to set up your seat and enjoy watching the game and your son.
*don't coach through the fence.
* never speak negatively about the coach to your son/player...even if he's a giant idiot. Your son will take his ques from you and respecting the coach has to be a foundational concept.
* baseball is a great life teacher because it will teach these two things: 1. how to deal with failure (it's a game of failure) and turn it into positive motivation and 2. How manage delayed gratification. The baseball journey is a marathon not a sprint race and in the end it rewards those how learn how to "Work while you wait" and enjoy the grind.

Unfortunately, Baseball is a game for summer, and that cuts into our lake opportunities. Maybe baseball will be your son's passion, maybe it won't. I just booked a hotel room back in Palm Beach for the USA Baseball Eastern 16U Championship. The finish line is nearly in site for me now, and I know that I'll be sitting around thinking back fondly on the crazy summer days of having to plan back to back to back out of town tournaments.

Best of luck to both of you! BTW, things start to really get interesting first at 9U - the start of kid pitching, and then the next year or two after when you have to decide if/when to get on a tournament/travel team, then again at 13u when they move to the 60/90 baseball field.