Console, T-top, deck and more...
 

I have been pretty busy lately. I built a t-top for my boat a couple of years ago and it broke a little bit back. Completely my fault as I tried to tow my buddies 15' Bass Tracker with a rope tied off to the top. It was one of those "F" it moments where a bit of alcohol is involved and you can imagine how the rest of the story goes.

I was not very happy with the original design anyways, it lacked some curves and the top was a bit too big for my taste. I decided to mount the new top to the console instead of the deck to save valuable foot room in my 18 footer. Since I was removing the console I decided to tackle a few more projects like modifying my console to flush mount my electronics, adding a splash-well and fixing a soft spot in the deck.

Pics of original top and new design. The new top will be painted white like the original.

Modifications to the console.

I still have another coat of paint to apply to the console. I am also making an electronics box for my new radio and the VHF.

I still have a lot to do so there will be more pics to come.

Wow Curapa... nice glass work there!!...and yer right about the curves in the top...definately adds to the overall look...keep the pics coming...GREAT WORK!!...wanna see the finished console!!...:clap::clap::clap:

Very nice. I love the flushmount idea.. And the work is great.. How did you bend that top like that?

Looking good there. :clap:

Reminds me a bit of the lines on my T-Top.

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Nice work. Like the console modification.

Thanks guys.

Ridge, I bent the tubing in a very shade tree fashion. I had a top to a trellis that was left over from a job (cut the wrong size). I clamped the tubing to one end and bent it around the curve. I carefully marked each tube at the bending points and they came out identical.

I should get the last coat of paint on the console today and maybe some sanding done on the electronics box.

Pic of the trellis I built a while back as an example.

Ditto CB.

Nice man...hardcore repairs and modifications you got going there. I want to build my own radar arch in the worst way...you are giving me inspiration.

Got the last coat on the console today and the holes cut / switches installed. I went with round switches with a small blue led when on.

I dig the heck out of that console. Nice work!

The console is done.

I got working on the deck today. I pulled the fuel tank cover to find some pretty wet foam. Believe it or not that is what I was hoping for. The boat sits kind of far in the water and I was hoping to find some unwanted weight in the foam. I will have to further inspect the foam to see just how bad it is.

I was undecided on whether to take the whole deck up or just the part I knew was bad. I decided to pull up only the bad. Looks like I will have to take a little more out down the side. I was surprised to see only 1/2" coring, for some reason I was expecting 3/4". I am glad I did not already buy a sheet of 3/4" as I came close to doing. The top separated from the core pretty easily.

Awesome work you are definitely taking that console to the next level. Great looking T-top as well by the way she's got nice curves.

Silly Question but after you cut the floor out like that do you just re-glass in the piece and then paint the floor or do you have some other technique?

VW, I set the saw depth to cut the top skin and plywood core leaving the bottom fiberglass skin in tact. When the core is removed I will epoxy the new core and top skin back. The top skin will get ground around the edges of the cut and fiberglass cloth will cover the joint. I have non-skid molded into my deck so the whole think will get epoxy faring to fill in the non-skid pattern. I then will paint the whole topside and roll on new non-skid.

Very nice work. Do you need special tools to bend the aluminum tubing, or just clamp it along the wood template? I'd like to try that, as opposed to the $2,000 purchase route.

It's actually EMT galvanized tubing. You can bend up to 1 1/4" by hand pretty easily, any bigger and it gets tough. I have made several things out of the EMT, the only thing is it has to be painted but only because the welds will rust. If I had a TIG welder I would have gone the aluminum route. I had about $70 in the first t-top and only about $10 in the new one because I reused most of it.

Hey Man...I's just eyeballin' yer handywork on the new top...when I spotted another Wellcraft logo peekin' around back of your work trailer...whatcha hidin back there???...

It's the same boat. She got a paint job a while back and is now "fighting lady yellow".

Not much to show but an update none the less. I got the new ply and top skin epoxied in yesterday and this morning I glassed the top side.

I am thinking about sanding my non-skid off instead of filling it with fairing compound. Seems like it would be easier in the long run.

Just in case anyone has wondered, it is a royal pain grinding and filling spider cracks. I never noticed I had so many until I started on them today.

I got my Kiwigrip in today from Boat Builder Central. Nothing but good things to say about them and the product. It says on their site that it comes with a 3" roller, I opened up the box and saw two. The shipping was super fast. About 1 1/2 days to my door.

I am impatient so I decided to put some Kiwi on the console foot rest. It took longer to mask everything than it did to roll it. I spread it with a notched trowel and rolled it with the special roller cover. It rolled out nicely and left perfect lines when the tape was pulled. Pics aren't that great as it looks much better in person.

That looks GREAT!!...gonna be a nice package when done...:clap:

Do you pull the tape after the Kiwigrip is DRY...or just after application while still wet?

You pull it when it is wet. That stuff is as tough as nails too.

Looking Good! :beer:

Bradford, how is your project coming along? I would be interested in seeing some of your progress pics.

Progress has been made but not a lot to show for it. There is not much satisfaction in sanding, filling, sanding, filling and sanding some more...

I did get the splash-well glued and filleted in. I am gonna have to grind back some more gel coat before I lay any glass but it's just about ready. I will see how I like it when I splash the boat but I may be making it a bit higher.

I did get the hatches painted and non-skid applied.

Those hatches look terrific!

Thanks!

You want to know the best part? I did not even sand the molded diamond non-skid off. The Kiwi Grip covered it easily! Saved me hours and hours of work.

Project coming along slowly but surely. Fiberglass man had to lay off ALL his workers due to the dismal economy and is finishing up mine and one other boat before having to move out of his facility. He is old school and OCD when it comes to sanding, fairing, and finishing and has told me three different times that the paint process would begin by the end of the week. I feel bad for his situation, but feel that I will benefit greatly from him doing most of the work instead of others that don't have to put their name on it.

That sucks Bradford, aren't you using Adams here in Richmond Hill? At least it's in competent hands.

Little progress has been made. I am swamped with work and working during the weekends to get caught up. I had a couple of hours to spare today so I worked on the pop-up cleat area.

The boat originally had a 6" cleat that connected to the bow eye via a threaded rod. The cleat was a toe stumper for sure and caught the cast net up a lot.

I cut the top cap around the cleat and removed a little bit of rotten wood. I put a nut on the threaded rod and screwed it below the deck. I then took two washers and cut a slot in each of them to make a c shape. I put them above the nut below deck and installed another nut above deck. Tightened the nut below deck to secure everything as one. I bed the top nut in epoxy glue making it part of the deck.

I did some glassing a fairing of the area today.

Bradford...keep the patience up...easy for me to say, but sounds like you got the right guy on it and it'll payoff in the work you get back...

Curapa, thanks for the tip on tape pulling...sounds like a small item, but imagine not knowing, waiting til dry and then effin' up a paint job...you do good work...like the cleat install...:clap:

I got the white Kiwi in today so I did the hatches for the top side. Around the top cap will be white, then cream on the deck.

Man...yer good...:clap:...I like to texture of the Kiwi Grip...enough to be effective, bit not too aggressive to be uncomfortable...looks like bare feet in the summer will be OK...

Thanks Reel, the product just makes me look good. Definitely bare foot friendly.

I am close to painting the topside now, just some fairing in the splashwell area left. I can't wait! I wanted to be done with this by the end of Sept. to use it for this prime fishing time. Oh well, looks like early Nov. instead.

Curapa I have a few questions. What O.D. emt did you use? did you get the pre bent 90 degree elbows? is that a plumbing fitting you used for the mounts on the console? appreciate the info!

I got the first coat of paint on today. I did not spray where the non-skid will go on the topside because I felt it was a waste. I will be spraying the deck white but I did not have enough daylight for that today.

Here are some pics of what I have been up to.

Got the glass going on the top tonight.