centre console conversion

[garth]

Hi guys + girls,

I am thinking of turning a 149 nautiglass into a centre console.

Motivation is that i like the idea behind centre consoles and mainly because it would be a fun and rewarding project to work on.

Does anyone know what type of support i would need to give the boat up the front after i chop out most of the top sheet up in the bow?
Some say it will weaken the hull and told me it is prob not doable but i know people have pulled it off successfully.

The boats about 15ft long and fibreglass.

Does anyone have any advice for the support issue?

Cheers,

Garth

[Dog Catcher]

Of coarse it's do able what nit wit told other wise ?? :rolling laughter:

There's a couple of options that I know off & depending how handy you are will determine which method to use.

Basically what you need to do is spar up where you cut & easiest way of doing this is to foam sandwich the raw edge back around into itself so when you finish it's all solid.

Use desity foam as the mould glass around it so it's all boxed in foam weights bugger all.

[nimrod]

Garth. I could provide a few links to a successful CC conversion but on a much larger boat.
I will need to get permission from the admin and the guy who done the conversion but if you are interested, it makes top reading and viewing.
Let me know and I can start the ball rolling.
Frank

[garth]

Hi nimrod,

Is that successful conversion the haines 17c from seamedia.com.au?That's pretty impressive.

Anyone seen this conversion on small boats?

[nimrod]

Garth. No mate it's Dougies conversion on Fishnet. But I see you already know about it:ohhh yeah: .
Frank

[garth]

Hi dogcatcher,

Can you please explain that foam sandwich technique again?

Is this what you were getting at...

If i cut the bow top sheet of glass just behind the anchor well, do i then put a vertical face on that edge (eg 200 mm).. run it vertically downwards and then at the end of this get more glass to verge at this point and then run back to the hull horizontally?

Are you suggesting to do that but with foam then glass?

I've got a little glassing experience (built a surfboard) but do you think i should work in ply then glass or foam then glass to save weight?

Any help from anyone would be much appreciated...

not long to go now, should be aquiring boat within 2 weeks... stoked

[Dog Catcher]

Can you please explain that foam sandwich technique again?


`Ummm yeah I'll try there's not to much I'm not capable of doing but suck when it comes to teaching peeps.

Lets see prob the best example of a form sandwich I can give you is

A Surfboard !

Have you ever seen how a surfboard is made ??????????

They start off with a blank sheet of density foam Not Styrene

Chemical reaction with the resin will eat away styrene

What a board maker does is shape the blank very easily done when using foam.

This is what you need to do after you've cut away the part of the boat you dont want.

You'll be left with a raw edge & this is what you need to spar up [ beef up , stiffen or whatever term you want to use] cause this is where you'll achieve the new strength.

Now you can buy the form in sheet form a little dear but I'll save you a sh*tload of work & you leve it glassed in hence my statement in last reply.

foam weights bugger all.

I'd get 50 mm thick sheet then with a knife & straight edge cut strips off the sheet to whatever depth you require.

The foam is very flexible in strips which will allow you to curve it to the shape of boats nose very easily.

Use contact cement to adhere it to the underside of what is now your RAW EDGE gunnel.

Once you've got all the pieces glued in grab a sanding block 80 grit paper more than enough & shape the foam to your reqired finished shape & make sure you sand off a good radius so as to allow the fibreglass matt a bit of leerway when time comes to glass.

Sharp corners make it too hard to work with.

OK you've got your shape now & time to glass go down to Woollies & get yourself a box of those disposable gloves you'll need them.

If you haven't glassed B4 dont be a HERO & try doing it all in one hit take your time & do a small section @ a time you wont lose any strength by doing small sections @ a time + it will give you more time to work out the air bubbles out etc.

I did what you intend doing on my brothers boat years ago he had a sportscab I think that long ago I cant remember it the other way.

Anyway he turned into one of these Bass Fishing Fruitloops & wanted to convert his boat I'll take some pics of it next I see it.

I'm not a fan of glass boats think very few of them really cater for fishermen & are more of a LardyDah Boats including a 23ft Carrabean I owned many moon ago.

Originally it had a sren drive in it & I purchased the HULL only & had to do quite a fair bit of glass work to it.

Had to beef up transom & glass up stern drive hole but where all the work really took time was the stupid way the dash section came right back aft of the boat not to mention the ridiculous gunnel hight I ended up cutting it all off & foam sandwiched to a decent hight.

Crappy as the pic is I still have a pic of that boat have a look @ inset pic you'll notice where the blue canopy used to run along the sides I cut out & the red line will show all the section I cut out & re-glassed back in

http://img237.imageshack.us/img237/1811/ffdu7.jpg

[garth]

Dogcatcher,

Thanks for the info mate. Really appreciate it.

Re: your preference for ally boats
I was gonna get a stessl truck and kit it out but there ain't many 2nd hand. Plus i am picking up this boat of a friends dad for only $1000 and the trailer and hull are in great condition. 60hp jono is ok for its age but hydrulics for tilt are screwed plus its quite old (think it needs super fuel). But for the price i will be able to work on a project and put a potent almost new 4 stroke on it for the fraction of the price if i was to get a truck and do it up.

Just hope my 1.8L mazda 323 will pull it haha.

Can you remember where ya got the foam from?

I'll be right for resin but do you know a good place to get those foam sheets from? I got my blanks from brookvale so maybe there is someone in that area?

Did your structural modifications work?

Cheers

[Dog Catcher]

garth !

Dont Kid Yourself if You think you'll be saving $$$$

Take it from someone who knows better !

No boat I've ever owned gets used the way I purchased it

I remodify all of them to suit my needs & wants I do all the work myself including mechanicals & new motor fit ups, but even doing all that the $$$$'s keep disappearing @ a rapid pace.

[Dog Catcher]

I'll be right for resin but do you know a good place to get those foam sheets from? I got my blanks from brookvale so maybe there is someone in that area?

Did your structural modifications work?

Whoops 4got to answer Q's must've been doing :hump:

I get my resins etc from mortdale any fibreglass place will have the foam think DGI are @ brookvale

& of bloody course the structural mods worked mate I have a bit of engineering background

[garth]

Thanks for info,

I disagree and believe i will save money

Initial scenario:

Stessl Truck was about $6000 new
Would have spent $600 on second hand trailer
and 3000-4000 grand on decent engine

Then burn more cash on all the extra stuff (eg. sounder etc)

my scenario:

Spending $1000 on trailer and hull (needs no work appart from my mods)

if i spend $4000 on engine

I'll have $5600 to chop bow and make/fit console.

Hopefully i'm right and i will benfit with the costs. If not than it will be fun anyway.

I do see your point though and can understand how it may blow out easily.

[Dog Catcher]

You're missing my whole point garth & to boot you are not making a fair comparisment ???

You've gone from citing new prices etc back to a boat that is how old ?????????

Now if for some reason you were to sell that new truck even with the 2nd hand gear you wont be losing a great deal of $$$$'s cause alloy boats hold their value.

Now you're taking an old glass boat spending xxxxx amount of dollars not to mention all your man hrs & there'll be a sh*tload of them & I bet my short & curleys you'll be taking sickies to work on your boat.

All those man hrs if you opted to work for a wage = expenses

In the end if you had to sell that boat you wont get any more $$$'s for it if anything prob less than you paid for it.


If you had stuck with your initial statement where you wanted to do it as a hobby project ??

Well that's different but you are now telling me you're doing it to save $$$$'s & that's why I'm pointing out you wont save a single $.

My trade background would more than allow me to build my very own Alloy boat from scratch but I dont & opt to buy a bare hull then fit it out which ever way I so desire.

Like I said I know better !

Rebuilt enough boats in my time to know example that glass boat in pic I paid $ 8 k for it but it owed me over $ 60 k b4 it hit the water & that was 20 years back.

My little tinny I paid $3 1/2 k for hull & traler then spent another $12 odd k B4 it hit the water that was 3 years back & I only just recently spent another $ 4 k on it & that didn't include the lecky souder etc.

I wont even tell you about my bigger plate boat cause you wouldn't believe me.

What I'm trying to tell you is doing something as a hobby is one thing but to transform a boat into something completely different cause you think it will save you $$$'s

Well do it & you'll find out