The Journey Begins

[goatram]

I am healing and moving more each day. Two more weeks of the antibiotics.

Still need to go to Tapatalk. I load the pictures from my phone to BD with tapatalk then download to my computer then reload to AAB. SUXS

[welder]

I can load to aab from my phone, no problem.

[goatram]

My PNW Verizon phone is unlike your great state of Texas phone

[pjay9]

You are really building a battle wagon. Nice touches! When you going to run that baby across a scale? Did the issues with your truck get sorted?

[welder]

I can load to aab from my phone, no problem.

Just double checking that I can still do it. Now this is a picture that I took with my phone and I set the size to 640by480 on my phone.
By the way, that's 1000 9mm rounds getting loaded up on my Dillon RL550B, I LOVE that press.

[JETTYWOLF]

Goat,

BTW,,,,,,what did you use for ACID wash???

Kevin's world famous Zep-a-lume is unavailable unless I went thru a Dangerous chemical class or some other BULL SHIP because as always the US Government is looking out for my welfare.

So I used Sharkhide and ran out and now have nice streaks running down my boat sides.

(need 3-4 days to re-do it)

[goatram]

NAPA Auto Parts has Aluma Brite for around $11 a Gallon. Saw it at that this week. My last bottle came from the local truck stop.

[Napa Mike]

Hey John:
You must have some winter projects for your boat. what is the latest? (more rod holders?)

Cheers,
Mike

[goatram]

A few repairs as well as a few mods. The Boat needs to fish Next weekend for the Resurrection Derby in Friday Harbor, San Juan Island, WA. 5th and 6th Dec.

After That the Mods and repairs start. Motors have to come off for the Swim Step to be repaired. The top sheet is .080" and it oil cans. The front wind shield stays wet when running. The front will have some spray rails that follow the side chines to a point in the front, the front cuddy window will be removed and the opening welded shut. There will be some relocation of some wiring and fixing my radio a Lowrance Link 8. Mine is a early modal that for some reason does not communicate with the FF 100% of the time. It is connected by NMEA 2000 cable. This is a reported problem on the Hull Truth for this radio.

No More Rod Holders for me.

Stand by for the continuation.

[Boatpoor]

Good luck in the derby John I will not be fishing in it but may be out and about on one of the banks in my new ride trying to get her bloody. See you on the brine, Boatpoor aka Wild Bill.

[wetwhopper]

Wow John, you've been busy. That's one stout looking tuna wagon. Glad to see you going for it!

[goatram]

Preliminary photos of the aft starboard corner downrigger mount. I drilled two 3.5" holes thru the funnel to run the battery cables thru.

Closed off the OB side of the mounts on both sides of the boat. .190" thick plate.

This will be the Inboard hatch cover. I have made 4 covers to close of the DR mounts. The other 3 mounts will be tackle storage compartments for the plastic storage boxes from Plano inc. Got them welded up and the hatch covers mounted and hinges sealed with 5200.

I did a little work today. The front spray rail/continuation of the reverse chine was welded up and crossed off of the list. The rails consisted of 4 pieces of .250" 5052al. The bottom Horizontal pieces had to be cut and fitted to the boat as in Cut for the Curve of the boat so that it would stay on the horizontal plain. The vertical are just flat plate welded in place.I am hoping this will keep my windows and aft fish deck dryer. Before the water would run up to the Anchor Pulpit and then blow back. A wet ride on the back deck Fo Sure.

The Fron Cuddy Hatch was removed and replaced to cure a Water Problem; in heavy seas the hatch would leak and get the cuddy wet.
I still need to install insulation and then make a new ceiling panel from FRP bead board.

The front area of the fishing deck was kinda unsafe due to the low gunnels. The seas can get a rolling and had a few near misses. The fix was to add a few railings to both sides. The Port side has a a rod holder that will still be able to be used. Plus another couple of seat areas with back rests are a side Bennift.

[goatram]

Well had a minor set back that is now corrected. In the process of moving/relocating my battery switch panel, I was removing extra battery cable. I found the copper wires of my cables black with corrosion not bright copper. Back in time around Thanksgiving my Port engine would not start. After verifying 12 volts at the starter on my Honda I was stumped and took the boat to the local marine mechanic. He found a break in the engine fuse panel power line in my control conduit tube. He sliced in a new wire from battery to fuse panel. Cost $980 with tax my motor ran and I went fishing. Monday I pulled the cable out and found that during the engine install the cable was CUT across all three cables. Green poo ozzing out. I have since made new replacement called. The new replacements from Honda are $462 a piece. Called up the shop that I got the engines from and they did the install offered me a DISCOUNTED PRICE @ $282 plus tax. Not a happy camper. Cost for the cable and supplies was just under $200. They are done and ready for the engines to be reinstalled.

I am now back to working my winter mods. This weekend I will be cutting out the cardboard pattern for my swim step deck an the angle floor supports. After cutting the cracked oil canning diamond plate original one off. I find not enough structure underneath. I knew that was an issue but with the deck off I can remedy it. I will also be completing the battery panel relocation.

I will need to cut and install the deck then go back and remake my bow rails. I cut those off to do a bigger Bow Fishing Platform but I have thought better of that. I was trying to come up with a way to add four feet of width to the front of the boat. More I thought of waves hitting the 2' side extensions on the bow the more I knew I needed a Carolina Flair on it to deflect the Wave Energy, the more it would weigh and the more work evolved. So for now I will take a step back on that

[dandmtritt]

John that is one very nice boat. I noticed you used the BEP battery switch setup, and earlier in the thread somewhere you said it sucks. I was hoping you could expand on why it sucks. I was considering installing this switch setup on my boat with twin Suzukis and a 3 battery bank system. Any info would be great. I can always go with the Blue Sea switches and automatic charging relays.
Thanks, Doug

[goatram]

A Common Ground tieing all of the Batteries together was the Cause for the VSR not to operate properly. Almost sunk my New Boat due to that issue. I have since corrected the Problem and I now consider the battery switches and VSRs great. They work.

The switch issue was due to both my electrition not understanding the system and Me not catching the issue.

My boat has a number of items that had to be made to work with each other. I have 7 fuse panels, 5 Bilge Pumps, 2 washdown pumps, 1 bait pump. Battery Charger/Inverter, 3 wiper motors, a complicated two part NMEA 2000 Backbone supporting my Lowrance/Simrad Electronics, air compressor, Multiple Light Switch panels Refrigerator, Microwave, Downriggers, Davit, a bunch of lights. all working off of the three battery banks. I think this year I got a handle on everything. The system works on the trailer now and hopefully it will work when I do my runabout this weekend or next. (Sunday Rain is in the forecast).

This weekend was when I planned to launch her but only if all of the Parts made it to my house today. (I found I was missing parts found last weekend, Monday I ordered them; scheduled to arrive today.)

[dandmtritt]

So basically what you have now is both the engines batteries have their ground directly back to the battery instead of the common use of one grounding buss bar for the ground. What about grounding the hull? I didn't see any pics showing this and from my understanding and research all batteries should have a ground connection to the hull for any stray voltage. Wouldn't this also combine the batteries and give you the problem you had? I'm glad to here its working for you now. I really like that switch set up and I was seriously not considering it because you had problems with it. It definitely costs more than doing a couple switches and some automatic charging relays but if you really look at it its less wiring to have to fool with. Keep it simple stupid is one of my favorite sayings.

[goatram]

No I Have two common Ground bars tied together to each other, tied to the batteries, and one cable to the hull. I also have a Galvanic Isolator from Promariner that is tied into the shore power line.

http://promariner.com/products/galvanic ... fs-series/

The first bar is near my battery switches. then a 2/0 cable is used to tie that bare to the bare by the batteries. I am cleaning the boat today prior to launching it next Saturday. The Projects are done for the winter and I need to catch up this thread.

One final project yet to be completed is the davit. it is made just need to add the motor plate to it. yesterday the plastic pieces arrived I also received two new cuts on my fingers when I was cutting the gussets for it. the Saw had a kick back. Cut aluminum is sharp. We also cut 4 ea. SS spacers then enlarged 8 washers to slide over the spacers for the lift arm. The project also will include a Tool box for the back of my truck made from .250 plate that will store my davit when not on the boat. At least that is the current plan.

The davit is made from schedule 80 pipe. I.5" pipe inside of the 2" pipe. The 1.5 pieces where welded first then the larger 2" pieces where added.

The gussets welded to the plate and pipe.

Plastic piece

Top bar with four holes

The spacers and washers welded in an done.

[goatram]

My electrical panel completed and protected. Still need to take a pictures of the 2 ground bus bars. They are sealed in the tan colored wax to prevent corrosion.

Aft fuse panel set up for Downrigger and a few lights. More to to grow.

Fwd fuse panel

I finished connecting the motors and sealed down the three access panels in the swimstep. Need to cut and install the 3M nonskid tape on the top side of the deck.

Cabin is complete, cleaned, and ready for the cushions for the cuddy to be installed.

The anchor needs to be stowed bottom paint touched up, and the life raft hold down straps marked, sewed, and then reinstalled. Ready for the years fishing