Carpet!

Completed the 2 biggest pieces of carpet over the weekend. Used contact cement for the surface and the wrapped the excess around the edges, securing it with staples.

The bottom deck is ready to be screwed in. I can't attach the top deck yet because I still need to line the storage compartments. That is next on the list.

Short update.

No pictures this time since there is not much to show.

I applied wood sealer to most of the wood on Saturday. The wood still looks like wood, thus no need for pictures. I also bought carpet - $60 in indoor/outdoor carpet from the Homer Depot. Unfortunately I really need warm weather for the adhesive. It calls for 72 hours of at least 65 degrees so I'm not sure when I'll be able to work on that.

I still have some work to do on the back deck so I can probably work on that until it warms up.

I spent this weekend finishing out much of the required woodwork and running some pipe.

I need electricity in the front for the lights and trolling motor (someday, when I an afford it). I want to keep the wiring concealed and I want some simplicity when pulling the wires, so I decided to run some conduit.

The boat actually has a small built in aluminum casting deck at the very front. I drilled a hole as far forward on the deck as I felt comfortable. If I had gone too far forward I would have actually been drilling through the bottom of the boat. I had to come back for enough to be sure that I was actually drilling into the deck and not the boat.

Here is a picture of the conduit entering the front deck:


And here is where it comes out of the original front deck (which is below my new extended deck) and comes toward the battery compartment:


Another view

And another


As a side note, the place where the conduit goes down into the front deck is quite exposed. This area will eventually be covered with a mounting deck for the trolling motor, so it will not actually be seen.


Next on the list was to cut a hole through the back seat to provide a passage for the livewell pipes and conduit to get to the back. Electricity is needed in the back for the livewell pump, bilge pump, and rear lights.

I cut a hole in the seat big enough for the 3 pipes to fit. In the seat was flotation material - 2 different types of styrofoam. Logan and I used a couple hacksaw blades and managed to cut it out. By the time we were done it was a mess.

Here is a picture of the new hole and the 3 pipes going through it



The final chore of the weekend was to finish covering the seats and walls with plywood. It was kind of like a puzzle. In the end, all of the wood you see will be covered in marine carpet.

You'll notice that the joints don't look very tight, and you're right. I don't have anything fastened down at the moment because I have yet to give it a coat of water sealer. I need at least 48 hours of temperatures over 40 degrees before I can start treating the wood. I'll be treating both sides so I need to be able to pull everything out of the boat, coat it with sealer, and then put it back in. So, that's why nothing is fastened down and the joints look loose. Everything is just kind of sitting in there. Also, since I'm covering it all with carpet, the joints don't have to be perfect.










Here is a shot of the conduit and livewell plumbing


Gas can compartment and a convenient place to hide the pipe work

I had too much going on last weekend (homework) to spend any time on the boat, but I was able to find some time this weekend.

I'm still waiting on a couple parts for the livewell that I could not get from Home Depot - a good plug for the drain and some rubber hose to connect the PVC at the back of the boat to the pump and drain outlet. Home Depot doesn't have any type of rubber stopper that I can use to plug the drain (3/4 inch female threaded PVC) nor do they have rubber hosing that isn't sold in anything less than a 15 foot length - I only need a couple feet. Fortunately, good church plumber friends have access to real plumbing supply stores. I'm just waiting on the delivery of the parts.

I could probably make a hard connection from the PVC to the pump but I want to be able to easily remove and replace the pump when/if it goes out.

I also decided to add a bilge pump to the boat, just in case I take on water. Of course I'm not planning on taking on water, but I think it won't hurt to be ready just in case. (Ladies, the bilge pump pumps water from the bottom of the boat back into the lake.)


This weekend I did more work on the front casting deck. I needed more bracing underneath and needed to cut out the dry storage compartments.

Using aluminum angle iron I went to work on the framing. My goal is to give support for weight (it is a casting deck, afterall) while leaving room for dry storage compartments. Oh, and I don't want to add too much weight. Oh, I also need to leave room fror the livewell hole that I had already cut. I spent a lot of time sitting, staring, scratching my head, measuring, and blowing my nose (I have a slight head cold).

The longest pieces ran front to back with vertical support tied into the ribs on the bottom of the boat. I connected all the pieces with rivets and prayer. This took me a couple hours.

Here is a picture of the complete framework:

Here is the vertical support:

I think I need one more left-to-right (port to starboard) support just behind the livewell (the stern side). Because of the livewell the vertical supports for this would fall in between the ribs, which is a problem becasue I can't drill into the bottom of the boat. I need to scratch my head on this one just a bit longer.

After finishing the framework I put the plywood on top and traced out the area for the dry storage. This is where I would cut out the lids. I added 3/8 of an inch to the measurement to allow the lids to sit on top of some of the aluminum support. If I cut it too small then the lid would have no support and would cave the first time weight was put on it.

I have room for 3 compartments - one to the left of livewell, one to the right, and one in the front. I will also have storage behind the livewell, but it will be accessed from the vertical piece that drops to the floor. (Hard to explain, pictures later)

I hope to use the compartment on the right to hold the battery. A switchboard will be nearby.

All three storage compartments - livewell in the middle.


With the livewell in place


The lip to catch the lid


Looking underneath at the left side of the livewell - where the water will enter


The other side - where the water will drain

Before I can continue on with the decking I need to figure out exactly where all compartments are going to go, where I'm going to run plumbing, and where I'm going to run electrical. The biggest part of this is the livewell so I started on that this weekend. (for the ladies: this keeps the fish alive while you are fishing)

Of course for a livewell there are a couple things that must be present - a tank, fresh aerated water, a drain. Believe it or not, a trip to Wal-Mart covered two big pieces to this puzzle. An Igloo 48 Quart Marine Cooler makes a good tank (and it provides some insulation to keep the water from getting too hot too fast in the summer). Wal-Mart also had an Attwood 500 GPH aerator pump. Add some pipe and you have a livewell!

Here is the cooler and pump:


The pump, which will be installed through the transom and connected to the livewell through a series of pipes. This will provide fresh water to the livewell.


I carefully measured (about 15 times) and cut a hole in the front deck for the livewell.


My original goal was for the livewell to be under the front deck, accessible via a carpeted hatch. I have about 12 inches of clearance, which is enough for a livewell, but it is hard to find a cooler that short…and I don’t want to try and build a custom fitted livewell that is water tight. That would be too much effort for something that will likely sit empty a lot.

So, the cooler is a few inches taller than the deck, but I’m OK with it.

Here is a picture of the cooler fitted into the hole. The front seat will be just in front of the cooler, 6-8 inches.


Water will be pumped in from the back of the boat up to the cooler. The same water will drain out of the cooler back to the back of the boat and out into the lake. I’m using 3/4 “ PVC pipe for the intake and drain.

The next 2 paragraphs will make more sense when looking at the next picture…

I had to drill a hole in the left side of the cooler, a couple inches from the bottom, to bring the PVC pipe in…this is for the intake. Once the PVC is inside the cooler it will travel up to the top where I cap it off and drill a hole, allowing for the fresh water to fill the tank.

On the right side of the cooler was the standard cooler drain. I made this a bit larger (it was only about a half inch in diameter) and inserted a 3/4" male-to-female adaptor. This will act as the livewell drain and overflow.


Left side of the cooler…water intake:


Right side of the cooler…water drain:


I was concerned (and still am) with the sealing of the connections to the cooler. To cover this I am using a mixture of nuts, washers, and 3M Marine Sealant.. The sealant is real hard to work with and takes about 7 days to cure, but I hear it is good stuff (I was too cheap to get the fast cure variety).

The ribs on the bottom of the boat are just a bit too wide to allow the cooler to sit securely so I used some scrap plywood to build a platform. This also helps bring it level with the rest of the deck. Here is a picture of the platform just kind of thrown together. I will eventually fasten it to the ribs and seal the wood.


Here is a picture of the some of the pipe work. I’m standing on the right side of the boat looking left. The livewell is on the right side of the picture. As I mentioned before there will be two pipes, one for intake and one for draining. They will run together to the back of the boat, going through the back seat.


The transom area where the water will come in and go out:


The pump in the general area where it will be installed. I still need to drill 2 holes in the back of the boat (I’m scared!) for the drain and intake.


As a bonus, here is a sample of the carpet that will cover all of the plywood.


And finally, here is what a 2 year old will do with a random stuffed animal that he finds in the garage.


Next time:
Finishing the plumbing
Find a location for the battery and switchboard
Run electrical wiring (livewell pump, boat lights, interior lights, accessory plug)
Once all of that is complete I can resume/finish the carpentry work.