Little skiff

[Alan]

I'll bet there's someone else in Heathcote looking for a trailer builder, watch out for a knock on the door.

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have just picked up some new ply for deck of Invader, may have to find some time to spend on that now.

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To day I have rolled the boat back over and it is sitting on the trailer
Now I can start fitting it out and set up the stearing and make the bow hoop for the trailer and the prop gaurd
Ross

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Have now fitted the skeg and the transom brace. A 8mm ally plate has been made to fit on the keel and it is checked out around the ribs that are cut but sit on the keel by 13mm, the shaft log sits on top of the plate holding down the end of the ribs. Its all sealed and screwed down.
Today Im setting up a dummy engine and making the mounts and will be finished later today. standard marine mounts dont work here so fabricating them is the only way I can do it.
Ross

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Now having the dummy engine fitted, I have started on the rudder and "A" bracket.
The engine hatch is looking like a hole for clearance will be needed for the pcv valve only with the standard rocker cover but a sports one my not be a problem, so I will wait and see what I end up with on the motor.
Will have to find some tube for the cross bar to mount the steering wheel.
I have had some s/steel cut to make a turn fin with. Not sure when the motor will be ready so I can work on other parts of the fit out and the motor can be last
Have been doing some painting on the lower panels of "scewit" to seal the timber as they had crazed a little on the rolled ply and to fix a few scratches from beaching it on rocks at Pykes creek last year.
Ross

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Have now got some extractors off a holden and cut them at the colectors and welded some bends to return the pipes back the oposite way to run towards the transom and they look good.
They will conect to some 65mm s/s pipe I have got.
Waiting on chrome parts to come back to complete the steering, this should be tues or wed.
Have material to make the seat now and have made the parts to complete the trailer- prop gard and bow hoop, they just need to be fitted.- 4 hr job!!
I hope to have it on the water early next year, Im working the next few days and then I hope to get into it again.
Motor will be last thing I need if not ready I will buy a cheep one to try it out.
Merry christmas every one.
Ross

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back at it, have now got all the guide poles and the front hoop and prop guard on the trailer.
Have now made the bushes and fittings and spring and the quadrent to make the dogclutch handle work that I had picked up at a swap meet.
Rudder and steering is hooked up but need to put in an turn buckle.
Water pick ups will be next and need to make the seat base and back.

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Seat base and back are made,Dog clutch handle is mounted in front of seat on false floor 200mm wide and spaning the bearers.
Steering is all conected, headers finished except for 16mm tube to be welded into the 2 colectors to exit the water from the head.
Need to work out where and how the battery will sit, witch will prob. sit on the bearer next to the engine
still need pickups and wire loom and gauges fitted . throttle will sit on small section of ply floor on top of rh bearer enough to support the foot.
Room inside is tight to get in and out so a full floor is out.
Just need to make a coupling guard to protect the feet,
Trailer only needs the mudguards fitted and touctch up the welds with cold gal paint
Final deck finish will be last thing.

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Mud guards are ready with brackets bolted on ready for me to weld on the trailer today, I have to tow it to the other shed for welding.
A jocky wheel will also be fitted at the same time.
This will prompt a shed clean out at the same time so I can move the boat.
House veranda decks have been slowing me down with recoats and white ant damage to some timbers under it.

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Trailer is all but finished now, need to decide about the lights or light board and will look for rubber strip for the bearers again but the boat will need to come off to do this.
Tomorrow I need to set up the saw and cut small wedges to insert between the overlaping plank and the ribs to suport the plank and stop it from splitting, these will be glued it place and the wedges that are in nere the keel are ony held by one rove nere the thin end so they will get pinned.
Battery mount and a small floor under the go peddle for the heal to rest on must be made as well. The finishing coats on the deck need to be done soon or else the air will start getting moisture in it at night and I will have mist that window of nice painting weather.
After that I will make a wirer loom ready for the electrics.
Hoping for rain tomorrow as we have had no rain since xmas , every thing is dying and the lake is going down fast.
Ross