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  1. tpenfield

    My Winter Hobby

    Dusting off my thread from last year regarding snowblowers . . . I sold off 2 snowblowers from my 'fleet' of 5. I sold an Ariens ST824LE and a Husqvarna ST224, both for pretty decent $$$. So, now I'm down to 3 machines, which feels rather scant as compared to last year. My Toro PowerShift 824...
  2. tpenfield

    Custom Fiberglass Extended Swim Platform

    I ordered the rubber mat (vinyl :noidea: ) material last night. In figuring out how much I would need, I took the pattern into consideration. The pyramid pattern is laid out at a 45 degree angle to the material, as shown in the sample. My boat's OEM non-skid pattern is laid out square to the...
  3. tpenfield

    Custom Fiberglass Extended Swim Platform

    Quick Update . . . I got the fairing compound, so maybe I'll have a chance to apply it to the plug this weekend. . . I think this is going to work out and be about the same as the OEM pattern, or close enough to it while staying within a budget. I think the rubber material is going to run...
  4. tpenfield

    Custom Fiberglass Extended Swim Platform

    Yes, cup holders are important :D I have finished up the 3D model, based on the latest changes and verifying dimensions (+/- an inch or two :) ) Here is a pic of the design . . . . . Here is a quick video showing a 'walk-around' of the 3D model. . I'm trying to figure out how much fairing...
  5. tpenfield

    Custom Fiberglass Extended Swim Platform

    A few updates. I did some measuring today. The 3D model is pretty accurate. I'm chasing about 3" of difference in one dimension, but it looks like 15-1/4" above the water line is accurate as the existing platform height. The boat draws about 25", so the total height of the platform up from...
  6. tpenfield

    Happy Thanksgiving!

    Happy Thanksgiving to all of the USA members,and best wishes to all.
  7. tpenfield

    Custom Fiberglass Extended Swim Platform

    Just watching football . . . Bears vs. Lions :) In terms of the height of the platform above the waterline, the existing swim platform is about 15" above the water line, so I figured dropping down the extension about 6" would provide enough height above the waterline. Here is the model...
  8. tpenfield

    Custom Fiberglass Extended Swim Platform

    Yes, I appreciate the advice as I design a bit 'on-the-fly', and surely hope it works when done. :thumb: I added the trim tabs to the transom in the model and made a few other enhancements. I wanted to be sure to take the trim tab locations into consideration in the final design. Tomorrow, I...
  9. tpenfield

    Custom Fiberglass Extended Swim Platform

    I could not find a swim ladder in the 3D library, so I made my own. Here are a couple of images with the swim ladders deployed. No problem with the ladders clearing the outdrives :) . . One thing left to do will be to take some additional measurements of the boat. Fortunately, I left the...
  10. tpenfield

    Custom Fiberglass Extended Swim Platform

    I have done some re-configuring for the struts and structure on the underside of the swim platform. Moving the outside struts to the far edge of the platform seems to do the trick for one direction of turning of the outdrive . . . . . In order to provide enough tilt clearance, it looks like I...
  11. tpenfield

    Custom Fiberglass Extended Swim Platform

    Back to the drawing board . . . Based on Scott Danforth 's comments about the outdrive/strut interference, I did some checking on the Bravo drive spec's and applied them to the 3D model. The Bravo's can tilt up to a maximum of 51 degrees with no spacers, and about 40-45 degrees with spacers...
  12. tpenfield

    Custom Fiberglass Extended Swim Platform

    More design work and images . . . I took a stab at the underneath structure and the strut supports, using my 3D software. Here are a few pictures. I was able to download a CAD file of the Bravo III outdrives for reference. It gives me a pretty good visual on how this thing is going to look...
  13. tpenfield

    Custom Fiberglass Extended Swim Platform

    Update: Since I have been changing the design of the swim platform 'on-the-fly', I went back to 'the drawing board' (in a virtual sense) and updated my design drawing. One concern I have is the number and positioning of grab rails associated with the ladders. Obviously, there is the one grab...
  14. tpenfield

    Custom Fiberglass Extended Swim Platform

    Sunday Update (11/18/2018) . . . I got the fiberglass on the swim platform plug today. It took a while to glass all the corners and angles, but it is done. Here are a few pics of the glassed plug . . . I colored the epoxy gray and added a filler to the epoxy to give it some body. . . . ...
  15. tpenfield

    Custom Fiberglass Extended Swim Platform

    Update: I made the inset sections for the swim ladders today, and will do some epoxy & glassing tomorrow . . . hopefully. Here are the inset sections cut into the stern portion of the platform . . . The ladder bracket portions will protrude out of the hatches slightly, so there will be...
  16. tpenfield

    Private Messaging Not Working?

    I tried sending a PM a few days ago, but it did not seem to go through. There was a message that the PM was sent, but it did not show up in my sent items. I tried several times throughout the day to re-send, etc. I thought it might have been that my mailbox was full or something like that...
  17. tpenfield

    980 hours on engines - compression test

    Good discussion on cams and valve timing . . . I am thinking to stay with OEM on the cam. I do have a question about the upper end of connecting rods . . . I see that some engine have a bushing/bearing for the wrist pin, while others do not. Here is the diagram for my engines . . . it looks...
  18. tpenfield

    980 hours on engines - compression test

    FWIW - I did some checking of Formula and Sea Ray boats for sale in the 1995 - 1998 model year range as to what the engine hours were. A few boats did not list the engine hours, so I assume they were on the high side. Most listings did indicate the hours and some had photos of the hour...
  19. tpenfield

    Tips for making a custom fiberglass swim platform?

    Interesting endeavor, which I can relate to. :) I would not use wood, because it will absorb moisture and tend to crack the fiberglass. You will be re-doing it after about 5 years. I'd also give the stern edge a bit of a curve, keeping it 24" from the current stern edge. It will look better...
  20. tpenfield

    980 hours on engines - compression test

    Here is a high performance street cam . . . it has about 75 Degrees of overlap. . . I'm not sure if there is a 'magic number' for valve overlap on a marine engine. :noidea: The High Performance Marine cam (above) has 49 degrees of overlap, whereas it looks like the stock Mercruiser cam has...
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