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

[CaptainKickback]

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

Man, this rain is killing my work on the boat day.

Just stiing in the car waiting for the rain to stop...again!

Sea ya...

 

[jbcurt00]

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

Elsewhere on another thread, WoodOnGlass posted that it might take a week +/- for unwaxed resin to completely become tack free

So it may have been all of those factors, except too dry...

 

[CaptainKickback]

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

Elsewhere on another thread, WoodOnGlass posted that it might take a week +/- for unwaxed resin to completely become tack free

So it may have been all of those factors, except too dry...

Thanks jb. I didn't see that post. Its great to have more eyes on the forum.

Darn, raining harder now. Going to head home a come bacck later.

Sea ya...

 

[jbcurt00]

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

I agree with JBC! GT

If you don't mind, GT, I think I'll just hang on to this & use it every now and again Probably will even if you protest....

I wanted to add "Your right!" but deleted it upon further reflection

Something something, busted watch, something, twice a day, something something

Thanks GT


You're welcome Capt Sorry Gus' rain dance to send it boatnut's Nebraska way didn't seem to pan out so great.

I wonder if it was attire or moves related...

Yeah, probably a heaping bunch of both:facepalm:

 

[GT1000000]

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

If you don't mind, GT, I think I'll just hang on to this & use it every now and again Probably will even if you protest....

I wanted to add "Your right!" but deleted it upon further reflection

Something something, busted watch, something, twice a day, something something

Thanks GT

My Dear MBS afflicted, boat Brutha,

Not only can you use it whenever you want, you are free to ad-lib my positive comments about you from now till eternity...so it is written, so shall it be done...

Carry on...

 

[CaptainKickback]

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

Sorry Gu's rain dance to send it boatnut's Nebraska way didn't seem to pan out so great.

I wonder if it was attire or moves related...

Yeah, probably a heaping bunch of both:facepalm:

I'm trying to picture that. Not able to conjure up any positive images.

Maybe his rain dance starts the rain here and sends it slowly north and west. All I know is I got

RAINED OUT​

Went home to sit on the patio with a cigar for an hour or so to wait out the rain. The longer I sat there, the worse it got. Until the closest ever (for me) lighting bolt struck right off the patio. Enough of that.

Finally, around 7:00, went back to the boat to close it up right. Surprised the tarp had held because I hadn't tied it down well. The storage yard was flooded. I had about an inch deep pond under my boat. Was afraid to pull the electric plug. But I'm still here.

GT, in the future, please reserve all rain dances for Tuesdays. Thank you.

Sea ya...

 

[GT1000000]

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

I'm trying to picture that. Not able to conjure up any positive images.

Maybe his rain dance starts the rain here and sends it slowly north and west. All I know is I got

RAINED OUT​

Went home to sit on the patio with a cigar for an hour or so to wait out the rain. The longer I sat there, the worse it got. Until the closest ever (for me) lighting bolt struck right off the patio. Enough of that.

Finally, around 7:00, went back to the boat to close it up right. Surprised the tarp had held because I hadn't tied it down well. The storage yard was flooded. I had about an inch deep pond under my boat. Was afraid to pull the electric plug. But I'm still here.

GT, in the future, please reserve all rain dances for Tuesdays. Thank you.

Sea ya...

Sorry CK, It was supposed to be a Sun dance for us and a rain dance for the drier Iboats brothers, I guess I didn't have the right moves...:facepalm:...I am gonna have to re-read the manual...

 

[CaptainKickback]

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

[h=1]Got Away To The Boat Today[/h]I should have taken a picture of my white long sleeve T-shirt when I was done working on the boat today. It was baby s$%# yellow, just like the boat. When you grind gel coat, that fine powder fills the air. Add a sweaty wet shirt and Sticko! Solid yellow.

Besides that… I final fit the port floorboard, and then cut and fit the small filler piece just like I did for the starboard side last week. I even got two layers of CSM on the bottom side.

I have a bit more grinding to do (mostly rough and scuff, no gel coat) then I can start a long chain of fiberglassing: companionway deck hole, port floorboard, filler piece, water tank hull area, center hull storage, water tank supports, inside main bulkhead, transom tops, companionway outsides.

Whew. I’m hoping for some fast and furious progress over the next several weeks!

Sea ya…

 

[CaptainKickback]

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

[h=1]Found Something I Didn?t Like[/h]First, the Baby S$%# Yellow gel coat I had all over me (see previous post) was from grinding the gel coat away so I could fill a rectangular access hatch in the cockpit deck in the middle of the companionway. It had a wood (rotten) hinged lid and provided access to the batteries.

While I was grinding the gel coat, the fiberglass underneath started giving way. After further review, I was able to crunch out a section about 12? long. It was full of wood chips as if it was really rotten, broken up, and dried over the 5 years the boat was on the trailer. I scooped them out and could see the wood had been the base of a support bean (3?D x 2?W) across the forward part of the cockpit deck.

The deck is solid. I jumped up and down everywhere and no sign of weakness. I checked below deck and the beam (A) looks OK. It doesn?t even go all the way across the boat. You can see where it ends (B).

So, I?m not worried about it as I think the fiberglass that formed around the wood made a pretty strong beam on its own. It was just a little suspicious at first. I will, of course, see if I can find where the water was getting in.

Sea ya?

 

[rrumba]

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

Went home to sit on the patio with a cigar for an hour or so .................. Until the closest ever (for me) lighting bolt struck right off the patio.

One of my favorite things, a cigar on the patio.......... nothing like a good stogie, but it has to be cooler than 100 or you just can't sit outside and enjoy it as you are sweating your ***** off.

Same thing just happened to me with the lightning about 50ft away....... scary chit there.........

 

[CaptainKickback]

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

One of my favorite things, a cigar on the patio.......... nothing like a good stogie, but it has to be cooler than 100 or you just can't sit outside and enjoy it as you are sweating your ***** off.

Same thing just happened to me with the lightning about 50ft away....... scary chit there.........

At least I was in the shade. lol

Sea ya...

 

[CaptainKickback]

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

[h=1]Cockpit Deck Hatch Thoughts[/h]The cockpit deck hatch to the engine room is humongus. You can imagine how heavy it is. Heavy enough that I was planning on putting a linear actuator (1 or 2, not sure) on it to lift the hatch.

BTW, the 2 blue sports are not arrows. They are actually the stern drive hole with a blue tarp over them. lol

But then I realized something else. The hatch takes up so much of the cockpit deck that when I want to lift it, everyone on board will have to sit tightly along the gunwales. And I can just see someone falling in this big hole.

So, I am giving some thought to cutting it in half. That way I could open whichever side smaller hatch I needed to access and there would be more room for the people on board. But, it will be some work. I will have to modify the current aluminum water runoff track underneath. It?s a rectangle now. I?ll have to put an additional channel down the middle and tie it in. I?ll also have to round over the newly cut edges of the hatch.

Think it?s worth it?

Sea ya?

 

[Trooper82]

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

That must be one big boat you have there KB if you have an engine room! I like your idea of cutting the hatch in half though. I would not think it would be too difficult to put the aluminum track in and would be worth the effort.

Good luck!

 

[jbcurt00]

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

Whats going into that gi-nor-mass gaping hole that used to be the engine compartment. Since the motors will be hanging off the back??

An across the middle divider to support the 2 separate halves of the hatch may get in the way depending on whats down there that you need access too...

Got a brig? Capt does

3rd class 'steerage' passenger accommodations?

How far is Cuba, BTW? Not a real good spot to hid the 'goods' & illegal cigars, but certainly big enough:facepalm:

 

[Big Island Lifer]

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

My boat has three hatches with an aluminum C channel connecting them in the middle. They all drain overboard.

 

[CaptainKickback]

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

That must be one big boat you have there KB if you have an engine room! I like your idea of cutting the hatch in half though. I would not think it would be too difficult to put the aluminum track in and would be worth the effort.

Good luck!

Hey Troop,

Its about 26' with an almost 10' beam. Just big enough to be a bridge boat, and for the way we like to use a boat (drop anchor and stay for 2 days), just big enough for us, as long as we have the engine room space to get the features we need in the boat.

So, one vote for splitting the hatch.

Sea ya...

 

[CaptainKickback]

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

Whats going into that gi-nor-mass gaping hole that used to be the engine compartment. Since the motors will be hanging off the back??

An across the middle divider to support the 2 separate halves of the hatch may get in the way depending on whats down there that you need access too...

Got a brig? Capt does

3rd class 'steerage' passenger accommodations?

How far is Cuba, BTW? Not a real good spot to hid the 'goods' & illegal cigars, but certainly big enough:facepalm:

Hey jbc,

Yep, got room for a lot of things we need for our boating style. Generator, A/C, vacu-flush holding tank, extra fresh water, maybe an additional battery, storage (especially full garbage bags), etc.

I hear you on the divider. More on that later.

No brig - No prisoners. The anchor pulpit will be a gang plank.

If I fill the engine room with fuel, I may be able to reach Cuba. But of course, that begs the question - Why?

Sea ya...

 

[CaptainKickback]

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

My boat has three hatches with an aluminum C channel connecting them in the middle. They all drain overboard.

Hi bil,

You know my first thought was to tie the new track into the existing track. But after thinking about it, I think a separate track, with its own drain would be best. As jbc brought up, the track will be present, but not really a problem. Everything,could go in and out with the track in place except the fuel tank. So, unless I had to change it out (putting in a new one now), I would never need to take it out. But, I'm building the boat so that everything can be serviced without tearing up the boat, I'll make the track so it can come out.

Another thought I just had is there is no reason I have to split it in the middle. Depending upon how I organize the engine compartment, one big hatch and one smaller hatch for typical access may make sense.

Sea ya...

 

[jbcurt00]

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

Sorry, the Cuba run was to get cigars & other contraband 'stuff' and fill the old engine room full of those items:facepalm:

If the engine room will mostly get divided up into bulk/long term storage of fuel, waste & water, I don't suspect you'll ever really need to get very far in there very often except as you mentioned to install a new tank if the current new 1 fails.

A smaller hatch in the larger current hatch......

 

[CaptainKickback]

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

A smaller hatch in the larger current hatch......

Hummmm... Got me thinking.

Sea ya...