81 Sea Ray 26 Sedan Bridge I/O to OB Conversion/Restore (Pics)

[dockbars]

Re: 81 Sea Ray 26 Sedan Bridge I/O to OB Conversion/Restore (Pics)

That would be the perfect venue.

You should start a thread for your project, post up the pics, and we can all follow along.

Exactly - I am going to start one.... It will be a long but lovingly done project
I just talked to a boat mechanic buddy and we are going to get my SRV200 engine swap done asap - so we can use this NOW I will start a thread about that project as it is going to be a very cool little boat when completed... I am going to paint and trim them to match - I have been thinking about using a variation of the original SeaRay yellow seen in the brochure with a VERY bright white upper deck and superstructure on both... I am looking for wow factor and I think it can easily be done with both boats... I just took pics of both and will create a thread for both and let you know... Talk soon..

 

[CaptainKickback]

Re: 81 Sea Ray 26 Sedan Bridge I/O to OB Conversion/Restore (Pics)

I have this same boat but in the Hard Top version, keeping the I-O but working on getting the transom replaced and some TLC done to it. Looking forward to hearing more about your projects.

Hey Flat Rate, welcome!

You said I-O so I assume you have the single 260 HP configuration. How's the power? Sufficient? When you say "hard top version" is that the one that has no bulkhead at the aft end of the bridge, completely open?

 

[CaptainKickback]

Re: 81 Sea Ray 26 Sedan Bridge I/O to OB Conversion/Restore (Pics)

[h=1]Side Project ? Router Table Edging Sled[/h]I recently bought a router table because I will be making a number of parts for the boat that are easier done with a router. I?ve watched a ton of videos on using a router table, using different bits, and making things. But one seemingly basic function I would want to use a router for seemed awkward. In the videos, whenever someone wanted to make an absolutely straight edge on a piece of wood, they would use double sided tape to affix a known straight edge (usually another piece of wood) to the target piece and use a trimming bit with a positioning wheel. Of course, they always make it look so easy. But when I try it, the tape moves or comes loose, or whatever
.
So, I?m thinking I have to ?convert? something to do the job. In many of the router table videos, I see people making jigs to do special things. So, I guess I need to make a special jig to do my edging. That led me to spending what would otherwise be boat time to designing and making such a jig. Actually, it?s what is called a sled as the entire jig will move, using the track in the table top as the guide.

Why do I need this enough to spend a bunch of time on it? Anytime I?ve had a piece of wood where neither opposing side was straight, I?ve always had trouble getting a straight edge to work with. You can?t run it along the fence of the table saw as the piece moves in and out according to the irregularities already in the edge. Drawing a straight line and trying to cut on it never gives me a good enough straight edge. So, I was hoping the router table would be my salvation.

Anyway, I was half way through making this jig/sled, just having glued in (Gorilla Glue) a long vertical piece onto the main sled when Mrs. Kick Back comes in and I proudly show her my design. I also show her the first actual piece I will use it on. It?s a piece for the top of the companionway on the boat and is shaped like a U, some 33? x 24?, with the back (center) of the U being only a half inch wide. She says, are you going to put a straight edge on both sides of the piece. I say, well, yes. And she says how are you going to get those long sides into your sled? My response: Oh S%$#.
I can't believe I didn?t see that. OK, so it?s back to the drawing board. What do I need to do? Humm, how long has the Gorilla Glue been setting up? Rip off the glued board. Go to Home Depot for more parts. Rework. The result, the new and improved router table edging sled:

Hope you all don?t mind the diversion from actual boat work. And I hope someone can make use of this design.

 

[CaptainKickback]

Re: 81 Sea Ray 26 Sedan Bridge I/O to OB Conversion/Restore (Pics)

[h=1]Companionway Top Frame[/h]I?ve been working out back of our hair salon on the top frame pieces for the companionway entry into the salon. These are the pieces I made the router table edging sled for and with the help of the sled, I got the routing work done yesterday. Today I got a coat of resin on them followed by a layer of CSM. I ripped up small pieces of CSM and most of them laid down pretty well. I need practice with this method to get good CSM coverage.

I made the top frame from two pieces. The base of the frame is 2.75? wide from ?? ply. On top of this, I Gorilla glued a piece that was 1 1/8? wide on the sides and only .5? at the forward side, made from ?? ply. Doing it this way made it easier to do the routing I needed to do.

The only routing on the top (1/2? piece) was to round over the top edges On the base, I routed it to take 1/8? off a portion of the top to make everything line up in the end (plexiglass lid will close into this frame and be flush at the top). Then I routed the trough that runs around the frame. This will catch any water that rolls off the plexiglass and run off the back of the companionway. I also rounded over some of the edges on this piece.

Tomorrow, I?ll do some sanding and see what more FG I need on the top. I will also put a layer of CSM on the bottom side of this piece. (weather permitting).

 

[ben2go]

Re: 81 Sea Ray 26 Sedan Bridge I/O to OB Conversion/Restore (Pics)

I look forward to your post on the router table.I had considered a homemade CNC router table to cut boat parts, when I build my next boat.I used to do some laser cutting and basic manual machining.Not sure if I can get the whole CNC part down.Heck,I can't even design a cube in CAD/CAM or Sketch up. :facepalm:

 

[CaptainKickback]

Re: 81 Sea Ray 26 Sedan Bridge I/O to OB Conversion/Restore (Pics)

I look forward to your post on the router table.I had considered a homemade CNC router table to cut boat parts, when I build my next boat.I used to do some laser cutting and basic manual machining.Not sure if I can get the whole CNC part down.Heck,I can't even design a cube in CAD/CAM or Sketch up. :facepalm:

Hey b2g, you probably have a lot more experience with the tools than I do. But having been in software development, One. Company I worked for wrote a 3D CAD/CAM program, and that group did a number of CNC projects. So I kind of understand the basic concepts (by osmosis). My guess is some systems are complicated whe others do fewer functions but are simer. Still, expensive though. Getting from the visualization in you mond to a computer representation can be difficult.

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: 81 Sea Ray 26 Sedan Bridge I/O to OB Conversion/Restore (Pics)

There are a quite a few CNC router setups over here. A wide range of capabilities & price point. Just do a search for CNC

BTW: If you want to make a homemade welder out of 2 microwaves, or velvetta based fudge, you can find that info there as well:facepalm:

The router table & jig look to be working out good, the campanion-way roof looked great!

 

[CaptainKickback]

Re: 81 Sea Ray 26 Sedan Bridge I/O to OB Conversion/Restore (Pics)

There are a quite a few CNC router setups over here. A wide range of capabilities & price point. Just do a search for CNC

BTW: If you want to make a homemade welder out of 2 microwaves, or velvetta based fudge, you can find that info there as well:facepalm:

The router table & jig look to be working out good, the campanion-way roof looked great!

Thanks jb. The boat is definitely going to look a lot different than the original.

 

[CaptainKickback]

Re: 81 Sea Ray 26 Sedan Bridge I/O to OB Conversion/Restore (Pics)

BUMMER!!!

South Florida is socked in, solid rain. The radar shows nothing but green all the way to its farthest reach.

Had planned to go to the Air Show today. Schdduled extra girls at the salon so Mrs. kick Back and I could get away. Alas, no show.

Can't work on the boat either.

Sitting here on the patio watching the rain, I came up with a plan for today. Attention to the boat has put me way behind on my salon paperwork. Plus, I have 3 quarts of gel coat (3 different shades of grey) at tbe salon. i think I'll go to the salon, bring all my files, and everthing I need to brush the gel coat colors on a test board, and bring the back home. I'll do the gel coating in the garage and do paperwork between coats.

Sound like a plan?

 

[CaptainKickback]

Re: 81 Sea Ray 26 Sedan Bridge I/O to OB Conversion/Restore (Pics)

[h=1]Gel Coat Color Board ? Round 1[/h]Well, I did get to the salon today to pick up my gel coats (3 quarts), my FG kit, and my paperwork. At this point, (6:44 PM), I got my FG work done and my gel coat brushed out on the color board, but on my FG breaks, I just sat on the patio talking instead of doing my paperwork.

Today?s FG work was to put a layer of CSM on the underside of the Companionway Top Frame, as well as CSM on the flat spots on the top of the Companionway Top Frame. Now it?s sanding and fairing that part.

So, on to the main point of this post. We have picked out three shades of grey gel coat for the boat. The darkest will be for the hull below the rub rail. The middle grey will be for the cap, bridge, and cockpit. The lightest grey will be for use in the interior. We bought a quart of each, and so today, I wanted to brush the gel coats onto a board (the color board, previously resined), side by side, so we could see how the colors actually look.

There are different grey bases (black greys, green greys, blue greys, and brown greys). The colors we picked are all black based. I personally don?t lie any of the other based greys. Here?s our color board.

Well, our test was successful in helping us get closer to our eventual color palette. What we all agreed today, from looking at the color board, was that the lightest grey was too light. It almost looked white. Further, our medium grey looked right for the interior, so that shade becomes our light grey. The darkest grey on the board actually matches what we all envisioned for the medium grey. So be it!

Now we have settled in on two of our three shades. Next we have to get back down to FGCI (our FG supplier) and pick a new dark grey. Progress!

 

[GT1000000]

Re: 81 Sea Ray 26 Sedan Bridge I/O to OB Conversion/Restore (Pics)

Yeah, rain...

I like your optional plans...mine were all related to the boat but required the outdoors...so I spent the weekend on Iboats, daydreaming, napping, thinking about my restore, eating, napping, listening to the rain and napping...

From what I can see you are basically building a Battleship, so a good choice, IMHO......for the dark gray would be..."Battleship Gray"...

 

[CaptainKickback]

Re: 81 Sea Ray 26 Sedan Bridge I/O to OB Conversion/Restore (Pics)

Yeah, rain...

I like your optional plans...mine were all related to the boat but required the outdoors...so I spent the weekend on Iboats, daydreaming, napping, thinking about my restore, eating, napping, listening to the rain and napping...

From what I can see you are basically building a Battleship, so a good choice, IMHO......for the dark gray would be..."Battleship Gray"...

What, your wife won't let you mix resin in the living room?

Yeah rain is right. All day yesterday. Was supposed to go to the Fort Lauderdale Air Show today, but it was cancelled. So alternate plan. Salon is closed tomorrow but more of same weather expected.

Battleship grey is a good analogy. We are calling it a stealth look. Maybe not quite that dark, but that's the theme. That means whatever OBs I get have to be grey or black.

 

[GT1000000]

Re: 81 Sea Ray 26 Sedan Bridge I/O to OB Conversion/Restore (Pics)

What, your wife won't let you mix resin in the living room?

Only if I promise that it won't stink or make a mess...:redface:

 

[chriscraft254]

Re: 81 Sea Ray 26 Sedan Bridge I/O to OB Conversion/Restore (Pics)

What, your wife won't let you mix resin in the living room?

Yeah rain is right. All day yesterday. Was supposed to go to the Fort Lauderdale Air Show today, but it was cancelled. So alternate plan. Salon is closed tomorrow but more of same weather expected.

Battleship grey is a good analogy. We are calling it a stealth look. Maybe not quite that dark, but that's the theme. That means whatever OBs I get have to be grey or black.

Works looking great man. You florida guys can't complain about a couple rain days! Get yourself one of those SEVEN motor in black and red, that would look nice. Only thing is, the motor will probably cost you more than your rebuild.

 

[CaptainKickback]

Re: 81 Sea Ray 26 Sedan Bridge I/O to OB Conversion/Restore (Pics)

Works looking great man. You florida guys can't complain about a couple rain days! Get yourself one of those SEVEN motor in black and red, that would look nice. Only thing is, the motor will probably cost you more than your rebuild.

Yeah, the SEVEN. but I'd need two of them. Can you imagine?

More rain all day today. Good thing I'm building an ark!

Did get to the fiberglass store though. Got a few thingd I needed. Does that count as progress?

 

[Ryanlewis2010]

Re: 81 Sea Ray 26 Sedan Bridge I/O to OB Conversion/Restore (Pics)

FL guys and Rain what are you talking about lol i know you guys have that front sitting right over you i wish it would move a lil north like 100 mi an hit me i need it to rain out work LoL tourist hate rain lol

 

[CaptainKickback]

Re: 81 Sea Ray 26 Sedan Bridge I/O to OB Conversion/Restore (Pics)

We work outside on our boats, so if we could get the front to sit over, and fill up, Lake Okeechobee, it would be great

 

[dockbars]

Re: 81 Sea Ray 26 Sedan Bridge I/O to OB Conversion/Restore (Pics)

This was a pic taken by Peter on the Get Lit fishing team during the World Sailfish Cup out of Miami during those storms you wrre talking about - that is Hardcore!!

 

[FLAT RATE]

Re: 81 Sea Ray 26 Sedan Bridge I/O to OB Conversion/Restore (Pics)

In reply to earlier post about the hardtop:

260 Merc I-O power seems OK but nothing to write home about. Have a 383 Stroker that is going in during the rebuild. Yes it is a hardtop with the open bulhead, just a drop curtain to keep the weather out, just like the photo in Sea Ray advertisment shown above. Makes a great salmon fishing boat for the Great Lakes, nice deep vee for rough water, very stable and the hardtop keeps the nasty rain and wind off you.

 

[CaptainKickback]

Re: 81 Sea Ray 26 Sedan Bridge I/O to OB Conversion/Restore (Pics)

In reply to earlier post about the hardtop:

260 Merc I-O power seems OK but nothing to write home about. Have a 383 Stroker that is going in during the rebuild. Yes it is a hardtop with the open bulhead, just a drop curtain to keep the weather out, just like the photo in Sea Ray advertisment shown above. Makes a great salmon fishing boat for the Great Lakes, nice deep vee for rough water, very stable and the hardtop keeps the nasty rain and wind off you.

Great to hear about the stable hull. I assume we have badicly the same hull. Since I'm worried about being top heavy, stability is good! So far, everyone I've talked to with the same boat says its a great hull.