Just acquired a 170 Horizon. Assembly required.

[chevymaher]

No boat today Santa has been assembling toys and testing things for my boy and my buddies grandbaby. Can't have broken non-functional toys under the trees.

Hope everyone has a wonderful holidays.

 

[oldrem]

Merry Christmas. Today was stay out of the Admirals way day as she preps for tonight's gathering and feast, so I cleaned up my workshop so I could start finding things again

 

[chevymaher]

Morning fellow boaters. Since my brother and I got boats last night the topic was you guessed it pretty much just boats.

2 of my uncles have boats. One is a fish skii which is basically just a skii boat with a windshield.

The other one is a 83 supra skii boat my uncle bought new. He had rot and when it was 8 years old the factory put in new stringers for the cost of the materials. He was personal friends with the guy he bought it from that worked for them. So he got lucky there it was out of warantee. It is a mid engine inboard boat. It is still alive and kicking with a 350 V-8.

We had a sleet ice snow storm last night. The car port held up fine. Tarps got those bungee cords holding it and it is a little saggy this morning from all the ice that wont come off. But it will be fine. Gives me that warm fuzzy feeling knowing that stuff isn't actually on the boat. I just knocked the excess snow off when I got home last night. The ice will just have to melt off in the sun.

 

[Baylinerchuck]

Merry Christmas!!

 

[kcassells]

Merry Christmas Chevs!

 

[Woodonglass]

to you and yours!!!

 

[chevymaher]

Thank guys. I hope you all had a good one to. I am home and it is over now. Just got home form mom's and the face stuffing competition there. Got the boy all tuned up and using his new toys. He does pretty good with the drone in the kitchen. Not crashing into stuff.

Back to normal programming. Maybe tomorrow get the last of the double piping done. Got to do bills. Then I got to go get some more vynal. But back to work at least.

I got another one on the hook I think. My niece her dad who past last year. He was a avid boater. Had more boats than I can shake a stick at. He was a car sales man and took them in on trades. Fixed them up used them a while then when the time was right sold it for a profit. He was good at what he did.

Anywho his daughter talked to me and wanted me to talk to her husband. She wants them to get a boat. Something like what i got. 3 liter same size just a nice family boat. Easy on gas.

Me and him were talking. I told him straight she put me up to it. But he is interested. I told him about the rot and what i went through last summer. But he is really impressed with what is coming from the work. He is willing to do it. And of course being family I will be right in there with him.

He wants to see mine when done and the way it is looking. We will be hunting them a boat. You guys are right. It is addictive. I thought I would never want to do this again. And here I am jumping right into another hornets nest and liking it. And I haven't even finished the last one.

 

[chevymaher]

Well may not be exciting to anyone else but to me this is a landmark thing. I finished the dreaded double piping on the boat. No more. I still got alot left to do but this is over with. Got the seat back together now where the double piping is. I laid the flip up top and the back together to make sure i can get the piping lined up on the final pieces. I think it be just fine.

Next get the wood cut and assembled. I got to go get more vynal to finish this up.

 

[oldrem]

Doesn't need to be exciting for us. I think those of us following are just pleased to see your steady progress and enthusiasm. Now get back to work and quit fiddling with the puter lol

 

[Big Gee]

So,,,the hand stitching is all done? :thumb:

 

[chevymaher]

So,,,the hand stitching is all done? :thumb:

Yes and I am so glad. That sewing using a needle nose pliers and the death grip on the material to hold it straight is a thing of the past now.

This morning i played musical chairs at the banks. Withdraw here and pay there. House payment time. Dad calls it the torture chamber. But at least i am lucky enough to be stable and have to do it. That gives the boat a secure place to be.

While I was out doing the running around i went to Joann's and copped 4 more yards of white. That will hold me over on the interior. I wont need more till after the hull is done now when i make a new bow cover.

But the good news is the woman who works there recognized me as a frequent flyer there. Her clue was when i walked in carrying my own tube from there to put the material on LOL. Gave me a coupon for half off. Merry Christmas to me huh?

I got all the ridiculously long pieces for both remaining seat parts cut. 9 foot X 1 1/4 inch was one of them. Wow really for the piping. Single piping yippee love it.

Few pics of the day. Last one is new parts and old parts with the wood backing all out. Making sure it all is fitting correctly before I start sewing it together. Got to make sure the start point is right in the middle. So both ends are correct when done. Not a big gap left.

Ready for a fresh start in the morning. Time to switch hats and do my real work for the rest of the day. Hate when reality interferes in my little fantasy world.

 

[chevymaher]

Flip up storage for the convertible top part of the back seat done now.

 

[chevymaher]

Well it is the winter solstice here I guess. I miss the summer months. Tons of post catching up with peoples projects as I had my coffee. Before I went out to deal with mine.

Myself i am actually getting fired up it is the winter dead point and from here on it will start to go back up in temps slowly for us here.

I expect i will complete this other part of the seat back in the next 2 days. Sewing will be done today. I still got to cut shape and paint the backing part to put it on. I been holding off on that because the wood for it was such a nice cutting table. I didnt have to come upstairs and spread the material out on the kitchen floor. And it also was a good spot for assembling parts.

After that I got to peel the vynal and carpet off the engine cover see what needs done. And just do it. Then the interior/upholstery is complete. Hence me feeling fired up Something else on this rotted barge is completed. Once the engine cover is ready I gonna miss it as the tool table next to the computer. Then it is just in the way and i don't have anywhere else to put it.

Then take the motor apart and see what is needed in there. Probably just a cam and gasket set from checking the motor when I got it way back in march. But it is out now is the time. And there wont be anything else to do yet.

By the time i am done fooling with wiring in the alternator and getting rid of this generator and doing checks and new gaskets it should be getting warm enough to get more resin and get this show back on the road.

Come on spring Daddy is waiting for you.

Other related side projects are. I got to build a retaining wall in the back yard and get a couple loads of rock. So the boats permanent home can move and move the carport with it. Where it is your not getting it out the driveway with out major drama and a floor jack. The new proposed spot is in line with the driveway. Then I can get it in and out of the yard easily.

 

[chevymaher]

Last seat cover is complete.

I cut shaped and sanded the last seat part. Glued screwed and clamped it. Screws are more for keeping it from sliding around when it is clamped actually. Their holding strength is close to nothing compared to the glue once it sets.

Tomorrow paint the wood. Then clean off the engine cover and the tool bench. So I got room to take the engine cover apart.

See what mysteries that piece has for me to marvel at.

 

[chevymaher]

Having a boat is alot like having another kid. It rains you check to see if it got wet inside. Always worrying about it.

Well I got to make a run to get the admiral in a hour. It snowed so I went out and made sure the truck would start. I never drive it except to tow or if I need the 4WD in snow. Hill to the driveway is to slick to take the van in the heated garage. My drive angles to the house so if it slides guess what it is hitting.

Shoveled the drive. And the newest addition to the family I got the snow off the roof of her carport. I can see now making sure the boats carport is snow free is part of the winter routine now. Truck was muttering under its breath. I don't got a carport like the boat.

 

[chevymaher]

Seating is done finally.

I couldn't believe I was outside in 18 degrees and snow painting this wood.

Then I put tools up forever. Fooled with my brothers brakes.

Then once the smell died down brought the part in and glued the foam down.

Then the fun started trying to get the piping on the 3 pieces to line up at least as well as it was factory.

First pic getting a game plan down for the stretching.
Second and third the finished results.

I am good with it.

More brakes tomorrow and then start looking over this engine cover and see what is going on. I suspect it is going to be a think about it more than doing anything day. Just relax slow the pace down. I am sure i can get this done in 3-4 months when it is warm enough to finish the hull.

 

[chevymaher]

started peeling the engine cover apart a while this morning.

Then did brakes for my brother.

Lid is the first thing on this boat made of wood that is actually perfect. New vynal little resin in the screw holes to give the screws traction recover it done.

Wood on the main bracing was good. 2X6's and 2X4's it was made from. Also good. But the bottom wood under the carpet was pretty much wasted in the aft section.

As you can see in the pictures falling apart. Boat had water lines in the side panels so it sat with water in the bilge high enough to hit the engine cover for a long time looks like.

So more dissection tomorrow. Top portions were glassed in heavily that i am sure saved them.

I will glass the seat boxes and the carpeted section of the engine cover when i do the glassing in the spring. Things covered in carpet on the floor seem to need the glass. Go a little above and beyond factory on these things. Or it could have been it sat years with 3 foot of water in the bilge when the bilge hole got plugged with leaves. Like it was when I got it as a matter of fact.

LOL moving on now don't let that happen again.

 

[oldrem]

Nice progress

 

[chevymaher]

Nice progress

Thank you.

Today I was still carefully dissecting things. Then I started cutting the pieces and memorizing the order of assembly.

And then I had to stop to take the tree down and inside decorations. Out side can wait it is 5 degrees. We are supposed to get a heat wave next week of almost freezing. That be the time for that.

After dropping the admiral at work today stop at the hardware pick up some more PL glue to assemble the main tower/brace. Last tube is just about gone.

 

[chevymaher]

Well today I disassembled the rest of the tower/brace. It seems all those years of using the engine cover as a place to crawl to the swim deck took it's toll on the 2 outer pieces of wood. They did not rot they were just literally ripped in half just about.

I chiseled them off the glass inside like doing the transom. Made new ones and put them in with new wood. It sure is cold in the basement the resin wouldn't kick till i put the heater on it. I added CSM on the outside so that doesn't happen again.

I got the 2 legs shall we call them assembled glued and screwed.

Then I saw the new seat with a big grimy finger print on it. That sucked. I washed my hands and cleaned it off and then wrapped all the new stuff in plastic like I should of when i finished them.