Console, T-top, deck and more...

[joe7670]

Nice work. Like the console modification.

[Curapa]

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.

[RidgeRunner]

Ditto CB.

[RWilson2526]

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.

[Curapa]

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.

[Shrek]

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

[Curapa]

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.

[awthacker]

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.

[Curapa]

Originally Posted by awthacker

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.