Classic wooden speedboat build , sink, search for, recovery and rebuild.

Last coat of varnish at last I'll leave this set for a week or two before I fine sand and polish.



When the buffing is done you should be able to see the tin a lot clearer.







I wasn't too keen on the red and white steering wheel so I treated the boat to a mahogany half wrap aluminium one that I think will suit her, I didn't budget for this so I had to sell my seagull outboard to pay for it

Oooo look what the post man gave me today :D:D





Along the top of the dash and the sides I'm going to make a crash pad using 1" copper pipe insulation cut in half and coated in vinyl to match the seats. This is what I ordered to make the bench seat with it's a bit bright :eek: I know but should match the bottom of the boat I might also sew on some white piping to match with the water line "not sure yet"

davlacey wrote: »

dont tell me you can sew aswell . is the bench seat plywood covered in material?

Well who else was going to make the clothes for my action man

Yep plywood base with 4" foam then soft padding and the vinyl over it.



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These marine shops should have what you need, I would go with 1 1/2 - 2 times the length of the boat for the bow and stern it also might depend on the locks you will be using and if you will be in tidal water.

http://www.marineparts.ie/

http://www.unionchandlery.ie/Location/Location/Navigation.html




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For the seats I used 1/4 ply and a layer 1/4 mahogany the back has 2" foam and the seat has 4"



I cut the foam a bit bigger than the board and then stapled it to the edge to give it a rounded shape.



The fabric was cut 3" bigger than the board and stapled on.



The seat foam was too thick to staple a curve in so I cut it away bit by bit till I got it close enough.





The sides and prop shaft still have to be covered also the back of the seat will be a little bit higher when fixed in place. If all goes well I might take her down to Lough Ree on the 20th for a test run, mark out the waterline and fill the leaks :eek:

davlacey wrote: »

nice job. what seal is that on the prop with the hose coming out the top? and what leaks? would there be little pin holes in the fabric letting some in.

Sorry I must have hit edit.
Thanks. The seal is a wax coiled wick around the shaft and the hose coming out is for pumping grease in to help seal it this is one of the places that could leak along with the rudder shaft,exhaust pipes, prop strut, guide fin and any other holes that I had to drill in the hull also pipes on the engine when under load

What to do with a few bits of high density foam and a pack of girls tights



I shaped the foam and cut some slits 3/4 of the way through to allow it to bend then I poked a hole down through the first section and passed a bit of rope down it and tide a large knot.



Then poked a hole in the toe of the tight passed the rope through and pull the tight down over the foam cut off the excess and sewed it up.
3 new fenders that will confirm to the shape of the boat

You can buy stuff called starbrite hull cleaner or boatbuddy also do a range, I would stay away from bleach some people use it and wash it off straight away with no problem but I don't like to take risks that can leave things looking worse than when I started :eek: you could also try water and vinegar mixed it might take a few goes but should work again give it a good rinse when your done. Rubbing compound should also work but you will need to buff it to get the shine back, if it's very bad use 2000 grit wet sandpaper first then the compound.
Good luck.



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airsoftone wrote: »

cheers fergal . have you had the boat in the water yet . would like to see her with the fenders you made up . any photo,s ?

I hope to give her a dip on friday at Lough Ree to mark out the waterline and plug any leaks



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Let's get ready to rumble.