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

[Burglary5%]

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

Nice project. Replying so I can follow along and use your experience.

 

[CaptainKickback]

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

Thanks burglary. Glad to have you aboard. Have you started a project? A thread?

Say, what's the history on your screen name?

 

[Burglary5%]

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

I have started a project I am rebuilding a Baja 180, I would not have ever thought about doing so with out this forum as a guide. I dont post much but I read ALOT!!!!!!!!! I think I have a good grasp on the process. I will start a thread soon, I thank all of you before me for the great descriptions and pictures. I can see myself running into alot of the same issues. I find your thread very helpful as you have expressed all the insecurities I have about starting to fiberglass. You have overcome them and I guess I will to. I absolutely love your boat and I find myself looking for the next project even though I havent finished this one.

As far as my screen name goes...... I am a Sergeant with the police and I run a Burglary unit. The day I signed up for the forum I had just been given the task of reducing burglaries by 5% it is an everyday reminder of my goal.

 

[CaptainKickback]

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

That is about what I suspected (pun intended) regarding you screen name. I'll bet everyone here on the forum will be wishing you success with that assignment.

And for success with the boat project as well. You will overcome the fears very quickly. Heck, mixing PB may even become fun.

 

[bajaunderground]

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

I am now a follower...all hail CKB (and oops, WOG, Friscoboater, GT1000000, jasoutside, rumba and others) your guy's expertise is phenomenal. This is a large undertaking and while it's way outside of my grasp (I have a 18'6" Baja and I tackled a new interior, that project pales in comparison) Someday (hopefully not too soon?) I will need the FG, PB and Gelcoat advice. I let these rebuilds be a reason why I will blow dry my boat out after each use, cover with 7 layers of plastic/sunbrella/plastic/sunbrella/canvas/plastic/sunbrella when not in use...

I am watching (and not in a creepy way, either!)

 

[oops!]

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

hi baha. waiting for your thread..

hey capt....

so im sorry if i didn't have time to read back about the stairs.......is this a plug you are making,,,then a negative mold? or are you just glassing over the stairs and pulling the shape?

if you pull a negative skin and gellcoat and lay a positive it will be easier for you..

as far as stregnth.....3 layers of 1708......and i would also add a wood rib in the foot steps. for the up rights i would add a wood core (1x2) from base to top. as well......i would use a woven in one layer.....with the weave going vertical.

 

[CaptainKickback]

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

I am now a follower...all hail CKB (and oops, WOG, Friscoboater, GT1000000, jasoutside, rumba and others) your guy's expertise is phenomenal. This
is a large undertaking and while it's way outside of my grasp (I have a 18'6" Baja and I tackled a new interior, that project pales in comparison) Someday (hopefully not too soon?) I will need the FG, PB and Gelcoat advice. I let these rebuilds be a reason why I will blow dry my boat out after each use, cover with 7 layers of plastic/sunbrella/plastic/sunbrella/canvas/plastic/sunbrella when not in use...

I am watching (and not in a creepy way, either!)

I hear ya on motivation to keep your boat tip-top. But then, boats that have owners like you aren't the boat that end up here. Keep up the upkeep!

 

[rrumba]

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

I have started a project I am rebuilding a Baja 180, I would not have ever thought about doing so with out this forum as a guide. I dont post much but I read ALOT!!!!!!!!! I think I have a good grasp on the process. I will start a thread soon, I thank all of you before me for the great descriptions and pictures. I can see myself running into alot of the same issues. I find your thread very helpful as you have expressed all the insecurities I have about starting to fiberglass. You have overcome them and I guess I will to. I absolutely love your boat and I find myself looking for the next project even though I havent finished this one.

As far as my screen name goes...... I am a Sergeant with the police and I run a Burglary unit. The day I signed up for the forum I had just been given the task of reducing burglaries by 5% it is an everyday reminder of my goal.

i wish you well on your assignment of 5% reduction in Atlanta..... and welcome to the forums, will be looking for your thread.





Hey Capt, why not use the mold as your stairs instead? cover them with some nice 1/4" ply??? or is that a structual part as well?

 

[CaptainKickback]

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

Hey oops! I spent 10 minutes typing/editing a response to your post on my phone last night, when my phone’s browser suddenly decided to quit. I lost all that typing. Bummer. Hate it when that happens. Frustrated, I went to bed. So, here is that post again:

Yep, it’s a negative mold. Since this is the first thing I have made from a mold, I thought it would be easier this way. In the event it doesn’t pop off easily, I figured I could just rip the boards off the back as that side will be hidden anyway. I guess I have no “popping confidence” yet.

I am assuming your rationale for a positive mold is that the finishing work would be greatly reduced. I can see that. If I do a positive mold skin from what is pictured, my measurements all come up a quarter inch or so off. I can live with that. To do the skin, how many layers of FG would be suitable?

As for wood in the steps, I do plan the sides of the steps to be plywood cored. Given that, are you still concerned that the FG only steps would not be strong enough? I can add wood if you think it would be wise without affecting my outside measurements,
Also from my previous post, any thoughts on how much of the 30 year old gel coat I should take off before spraying my new gel coat color?

And as for sanding the old gel coat, someone told me not to use a disc sander as it will leave a lot of marks and waviness. They said use a DA sander (very slow). What are your thoughts?

Thanks for the help.

 

[CaptainKickback]

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

i wish you well on your assignment of 5% reduction in Atlanta..... and welcome to the forums, will be looking for your thread.





Hey Capt, why not use the mold as your stairs instead? cover them with some nice 1/4" ply??? or is that a structual part as well?

Sorry rrumba. When I read your post last night, I only saw the part wishing burglary5% well with his assignment. I didn’t see the rest of your post until just now.

That is definitely something for me to think about, Its funny how one gets a concept and a process in mind, and quits thinking of alternatives. Since the inside of the staircase will be inside storage, I was focused on a smooth surface there as well.

The staircase mold is actually very flimsy. I would be afraid the step up on it. The sides are ?” ply with only a few cross pieces inside for support. I also didn’t spend any effort making sure the sides were plumb, and in fact, the angle at the bottom back corners is 90 degrees and does not match the angle on the boat. I only made sure that the step surfaces were where I wanted them to be. If I used it as is, I would still want to cover it with FG (and later gel coat), so I would then be back to the finish work oops! is trying to get me out of.

 

[CaptainKickback]

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

[h=1]Navigation Lights ? My Dilema[/h]
I was looking at nav lights (LED of course) online today, and started thinking about where I would put them. The red and green were formerly mounted on the bow, about 6 feet back along each side. I have planned to mount then on the sides of the bridge. No problem.

Since I plan to make a T-top, I figured I could mount a combo 225 degree running light/360 degree anchor light from the T-top, But the 135 degree stern light has been giving me heartburn. I re-read the nav light requirements today, and for small boats, the need for a separate stern light is escaping me.

When running, you need a 225 degree white light forward and a 135 degree white light to the rear. And, one is supposed to disappear when the other becomes visible. If you add those two numbers, you get 360 degrees. So, why not just have a 360 degree white light on all the time (running and anchoring)?

I can see that at the exact white light change over angle, the approaching skipper can glean some information. But that?s only a one in 360 chance. And, I can see that the height of the white light provides some information as well. But if the approaching skipper is close enough to discern the height of my white light on my 26? boat, we may be in trouble already. One more thing. The typical transom mount for the stern light doesn?t seem to make any sense for an OB boat since it can't be seen.

So, I?m planning on just an all around white light for both running and anchoring. I?m guessing that is what a lot of OB boaters do. Is the Coast Guard going to haul me in?

 

[CaptainKickback]

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

[h=1]AC Breaker Panel[/h]We have been looking at/for breaker panels for some time. Frankly, most look very plain. When we spotted the BEP line a number of months ago, while a bit more expensive than other brands, we felt that was the brand for our boat. The BEP panels have some contour, some depth to them. Not just a painted flat piece of aluminum with letters on them. Here is a picture of the one I bought online tonight:

One of the problems I had finding the right unit is that most of the AC panels are setup for either a single 30 amp shore power with no generator, two 30 amp shore power inputs with no generator input, or two 30 amp shore power inputs with generator input (more than we needed).


What we did need was a single 30 amp shore power input with a generator input, plus 6 to 8 circuit breakers. As you see in the picture, the breaker for shore power/ship’s power is mutually exclusive. One locks out the other. So, this panel is exactly what we need, with some blank locations should we need more (but we won’t, as we know exactly what we need in the boat).

I do have several questions about this panel however. So any input on the following would be welcome:

1. As you can see in the center of the panel, there is a blower switch. Blowers are DC devices. Why is that on this AC panel?
2. There are 2 blank spaces labeled for AC. I assume this is so I can add more AC breakers later. But why is one round?
3. There are 7 unlabeled blanks. I am guessing I can use these for either AC or DC breakers if I want.

Now its on to looking for the right BEP DC panel configuration (surprise, they cost more than the AC panels. I have listed twenty-some DC items I will want to have either on the breaker panel, or with their own switches off DC circuits from the DC panel. I will post more on that later as I will be looking for input from everyone on combining DC loads to reduce the number of DC circuits. (I know how to add amp draws. I just want to apply some logic to the combining).

 

[maagee79]

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

I've just spent the last 3 hrs reading every post on here I love what u r doingKeep up the good work. most of us reading this have our own projects going but you are doing a real one. Hell of a job!

 

[oops!]

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

this is going to be complicated cap.

but to use the genny, you need to lock out the dc side of the panel. i wish i had pics.

that is done by a breaker that slides over the dc side and activates the ac side.

the electrical gurus can explain it better than i can.

the big regal that cam ou from the bottom of the ocean that i rebuilt was the same.
if you need, i can give you wiring diagrammes for it, as you know, wiring schematics are not brand specific.

i really like that panel, you are correct on the fact that most are flat aluminum panels, with words on them, kinda plain jane,
it was a real pain when i was looking for switch panels for my boat as well.

 

[CaptainKickback]

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

I've just spent the last 3 hrs reading every post on here I love what u r doingKeep up the good work. most of us reading this have our own projects going but you are doing a real one. Hell of a job!

Thank you for the compliments. Posts like yours are motivation to keep going.

And welcome aboard.

 

[CaptainKickback]

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

Hey oops! When you say "lock out the DC side", did you mean the other AC input (shore power)? On the boats I've had before with generators, neither had a DC lockout and all DC breaker switches worked normally. For.the two AC inputs, this panel locks out one of the two.

Really could use your input on the FG work on the stairs, unless my last post on the subject was spot on (that would be scary...good scary though).

 

[CaptainKickback]

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

[h=1]Miami Boat Show This Weekend[/h]Yep. Time for another boat show. Mrs. Kick Back and I will be going on Monday. The salon is closed on Monday and that’s the only day she can get away.

At the Ft. Lauderdale show last November, I was concentrating mostly on the vendor booths for products I would need for my project. I didn’t get on many boats. This time, I will be getting on the boats to look at a lot of things: D?cor materials, how hatches are made, cabinet/hatch hardware, engine controls, and steering, linear actuators installations, etc. I will also be visiting the Yamaha booth (everybody says get Yamahas). Mostly, I want to know about their controls and NMEA 2000 capabilities on previous models.

I plan on taking a bunch of videos so I can look back and see the things I’m interested in. I don’t rely on the memory any more.

 

[maagee79]

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

Any new updates?

 

[CaptainKickback]

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

Sorry maagee79, nothing to report other than the boats we saw at the Miami boat show gave Mrs Kick Back some ideas for things that mean more work for me.

Anyway, I tried to get away from the shop today, but we were busy (good problem) and one of my girls had oral surgery, so she couldn't help with the phones or greet customers.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow. I hope. I will have Q's help tomorrow. I have to take advantage of that.

 

[CaptainKickback]

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

Honest. I really did intend to get a good day on the boat.

The salon schedule was light. I was dressed to get dirty. Q was already at the boat. I was literally 1 minute from walking out the door. In walks a lady who wants to hear about hair extensions. So we do the consult and color match. Then she says "can I get them today?" There goes boat work. It takes me about 3 hours to makes a full head of extensions.but, for $500, I'll forego the boat.


I did get there about 3:30. Did a lot of belt sanding to fit stringers we had cut. Salon closed tomorrow so full day, I hope. Mrs Kick Back is coming to help tomorrow!