Max Headroom

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Rudles

Seaman
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May 8, 2009
Messages
51
I will be modifying (?restoring?) my 1966 18' Pacific Mariner over the next year and a half (small budget). The present (can you say rotten) top will be coming off and hopefully, I will fabricate a new fiberglass top. I would like to drop the floor by one inch to gain headroom as well as freeboard. Will this have any negative repercussions? Will the change in center of gravity make it ride any better or worse?
 
Mark42

Mark42

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Re: Max Headroom

Sounds like a project I would do. :D

Have you seen my thread on custom building a hard top and lowering the deck for extra headroom?

This is the iboats thread:

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=222154


This link is for the detailed project documentation on Shareaproject.com:

http://www.shareaproject.com/pages/projectTut,p,386,00.html

I'm not sure from your post if the boat has a hard top or bimini or something else, so if I'm not addressing your idea exactly, just say so.

I'm going to guess that your boat is bigger than my 16 footer, but the construction techniques will still be the same. One thing I realized is that although the epoxy resin allowed me to work with styrene foam without melting it, if I had it to do again, I might make the foam top, paint it with latex paint, then use polyester resin. But i wouldn't encapsulate the foam, just cover it on the outside with 3 layers of 1708, then pull out the foam. Additional bracing could then be glassed in from the inside if needed. The advantage of using polyester resin is that the top can be gel coated or painted, but epoxy can only be painted. A vinyl covering is also an option (like what is done on cars), not too common on boats, but I have seen it on a few cabin cruisers from the 60's and 70's.

Regarding the lowered deck, I chose to just lower the area between the seats 3 inches, which is about 23 inches wide (if I remember correctly) That leaves the seat height the same, and gives the extra headroom where its needed - the areas where you stand. And the stringers are left their original size.

Changing the deck height just 1 inch doesn't seem to yield a lot gain for the amount of work involved. Its easier to just make the top an inch or two higher. If more freeboard is needed, the gunnels can be raised. Or if you are looking for higher freeboard from a safety standpoint, then adding rails might be a better and more useable option.

Post some pics of your boat, would love to discuss this with you further. I really love projects that involve customizing the boat.

Mark.
 
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Rudles

Seaman
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May 8, 2009
Messages
51
Re: Max Headroom

Thanx Mark,
Your project looks similar to what I want to accomplish, my top is a home made plywood/2x framed affair. Looks like it was really nice when it was built but the harsh Alaska environment has taken it's toll. My transom is also quite rotten and as such will also be removed and replaced. I am planning on a total gut job. I expect I will have to replace the stringers as well as rebuild the engine well in order to be able to have room for the new bilge pumps under the oil pan. She sports a little '96 Mercruiser 4 banger 3L LX. In dropping the floor height I want to retain the present dimensions for the engine well. The 1 inch difference will serve as a guide/support for the base of the new cover which I will be fabricating with a sheet good.
I will be creating a photobucket account shortly and will post pix. As for materials for the floor and top a friend of mine who does fiberglass repair and fabrication turned me on to this plastic cellular material, a sheet good, that when glassed over is EXTREMELY strong and much lighter than marine plywood. I will find out the name of this product and will post pix of it as well.
The one pic of your project that I did see was interesting. The projectshare link didn't work though :-( (sadness)

Not Found

The requested URL /pages/projectTut,p,386,00.htm was not found on this server.

This was the result of clicking on that link.

Sure glad I found iboats! it has been a Godsend!
 
Mark42

Mark42

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Re: Max Headroom

Ok, I fixed the link in my previous post (chopped the last character off the link by accident).

I can see you have a little work to do. :) So lowering the deck makes more sense to me now. Start scavenging some cardboard boxes and make a rough mockup of what you want. Don't laugh, that cardboard top I made really gave my wife and I a feel for what the finished space would be, sun protection, and overall size.

The boat has a nice size windshield on it now. That should be incorporated into the top because it will save a lot of money over getting glass cut or ordering pre-made marine windows. To make the most use of the glass, think along the lines of raising the windshield up about 10 inches so that visibility is good when sitting and standing.

Another method of building the top (and it saves $$$) is to cut the foam sheets (use 1.5" thick foam) into the panels that are needed and put a 1.5x1.5" wood frame around the foam panels, then cover the panels with formica sheets. Quick, strong, water proof and it will look great. And hardly any resin is needed. Use gorilla brand glue or epoxy to glue it all together because it won't melt the foam.

Just something to think about.
 
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Rudles

Seaman
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May 8, 2009
Messages
51
Re: Max Headroom

Awesome Mark!
This has caused me to rethink just how to go about rebuilding the top. I like! Especially the hinged windows which would allow easy access to the bow. Thanx for all the detail! Gives me more/better ideas!
 
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Rudles

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Messages
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Re: Max Headroom/ Still need answer

Re: Max Headroom/ Still need answer

Still wondering what affect lowering the floor and raising the cabin will have on the ride. I know that raising the cabin will make it more susceptible to wind so I don't want to raise it too much. This is also why I want to drop the floor by 1 inch, to gain headroom while keeping the cabin height to a minimum. so........
1. Will lower center of gravity have much effect on the ride?
2. Will losing 1 inch off the stringers have a negative effect on strength?
 
Mark42

Mark42

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Re: Max Headroom/ Still need answer

Re: Max Headroom/ Still need answer

Rudles said:
Still wondering what affect lowering the floor and raising the cabin will have on the ride. I know that raising the cabin will make it more susceptible to wind so I don't want to raise it too much. This is also why I want to drop the floor by 1 inch, to gain headroom while keeping the cabin height to a minimum. so........
1. Will lower center of gravity have much effect on the ride?
2. Will losing 1 inch off the stringers have a negative effect on strength?
Click to expand...

I don't think that lowering the deck 1 inch will have a noticable affect, although it should, in theory, help keep the boat upright better than a higher deck.

Now raising the roof 1 inch you might actually feel when its windy. I know that when the Navy top was up on my boat, the wind pushed it around more than without the top. So my big concern is when this hard top is on, there will be more side area for side winds to push on. The full frontal area is about the same as having the navy top up. But the top may actually be more streamlined than the navy top was, so it might actually perform better on calm days.

The more weight you add high up, the more the boat will tend to lean when you are leaning against the gunnels. How much I don't know. Best to make the roof as light as possible.
 
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Rudles

Seaman
Joined
May 8, 2009
Messages
51
Mark42

Mark42

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Messages
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Re: Max Headroom

Rudles said:
More pix:
http://s666.photobucket.com/albums/vv30/Rudester/?action=view&current=IMG_0009.jpg

http://s666.photobucket.com/albums/vv30/Rudester/?action=view&current=IMG_0010.jpg

http://s666.photobucket.com/albums/vv30/Rudester/?action=view&current=IMG_0014.jpg

http://s666.photobucket.com/albums/vv30/Rudester/?action=view&current=IMG_0015.jpg

http://s666.photobucket.com/albums/vv30/Rudester/?action=view&current=IMG_0017.jpg
Click to expand...

When in edit mode, if you take the link from photo bucket (share, get link code, IMG for bulletin boards) and paste into the message, it will look like this:
Rudester

Picture271.jpg

Rudester
 
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