Popular Mechanics 1962 PM38 Build [SPLASHED 2017]

[pekstrom]

No Title

Well, turns out I'll need 2 more pints of this green stuff. The second set is almost gone already! But most of the hull is now covered and curing. I'm hoping this will be the last time I sand it. I am planning to get 2 more pints of the green stuff for finishing the deck and also for the transom. I do like how it is turning out though. Can't wait to see it painted too!

 

[SGoergen]

Pekstrom, the boat looks great! I can't wait until mine gets to that point.

Scott

 

[pekstrom]

No Title

I took advantage of some warmer temps today (it's been cold by our standards here in the south east.) and did some sanding. I actually think I will be able to paint after this round of sanding! Exciting times! I need to finish one side and then the flat part of the bottom. Just a few more hours of work. Then a coat or two of primer and then on to the top coats! I've got some time off over the holidays so hopefully it won't be too cold to be out in the garage...

 

[pekstrom]

Pekstrom, the boat looks great! I can't wait until mine gets to that point.

Scott

Thanks Scott! I'm looking forward to see how your boat is progressing!

 

[gm280]

pek, your boat is coming along nicely. Looks really good to me. :thumb:

 

[pekstrom]

pek, your boat is coming along nicely. Looks really good to me. :thumb:

Thank you very much!

 

[pekstrom]

Alright, so since I am (hopefully) getting closer to finishing up the bottom, and since we're about to get over the hump and start heading downhill towards boating season again, I am starting to ponder some of the accessories I'll need for the boat. One important one is the battery. I realize something like a small U1-type lawn equipment battery would work for cranking the motor, but I am also considering some of the other loads it may have to support. I'm thinking perhaps charging a couple of phones, running a small 10w VHF/UHF HAM radio transceiver, lights, and I'm sure some other odds and ends, I am pondering a dual-purpose battery. I'd prefer something smaller like a group 24 size. What do y'all use in your boats? Or am I over-thinking it with a small boat and motor like this one?

Btw, I'm not thinking it would need to support all that load at all time. But those are some of the things I am thinking could be needed at times...

 

[gm280]

Alright, so since I am (hopefully) getting closer to finishing up the bottom, and since we're about to get over the hump and start heading downhill towards boating season again, I am starting to ponder some of the accessories I'll need for the boat. One important one is the battery. I realize something like a small U1-type lawn equipment battery would work for cranking the motor, but I am also considering some of the other loads it may have to support. I'm thinking perhaps charging a couple of phones, running a small 10w VHF/UHF HAM radio transceiver, lights, and I'm sure some other odds and ends, I am pondering a dual-purpose battery. I'd prefer something smaller like a group 24 size. What do y'all use in your boats? Or am I over-thinking it with a small boat and motor like this one?

Btw, I'm not thinking it would need to support all that load at all time. But those are some of the things I am thinking could be needed at times...

If you don't wan to go full blown 24 group car battery size, you could always go either NiCad or Lithium Ion packs. They are small enough that you could carry two of more. Then when you get back to terra firma you can change them up for the next outing. Just a suggestion. :noidea:

 

[pekstrom]

If you don't wan to go full blown 24 group car battery size, you could always go either NiCad or Lithium Ion packs. They are small enough that you could carry two of more. Then when you get back to terra firma you can change them up for the next outing. Just a suggestion. :noidea:

A group 24 battery I think would be ideal. I would keep it in one of those nifty battery boxes with a vented lid and strapped to the flooring. They tend to have enough juice to run things for a while. And while the outboard is running it would at least get a trickle charge from the stator in the motor. But would something like a dual-purpose type battery be worth it? For a trailer queen like mine will be, would a regular car battery suffice? What suggestions do y'all have?

 

[archbuilder]

Pek, I can't remember what your are running for a motor, seems like it was a small Merc. I run a marine group 24 on Miss Morgan, and the stator on the 115 has no trouble keep it charged, even with the 45 watt stereo cranked up. I did upgrade my charging system to a CDI regulator. The factory didn't put a regulator on the older Mercs, and I kept boiling the battery. The regulator was well worth the money and the folks at CDI were very helpful. After that, zero problems with charging.

The battery hold down was another thing. I couldn't find any that weren't flimsy. I finally used one of the cheapo boxes, to contain any boil overs / leaks, tossed the lid and built my own hold down, works like a champ and keeps the battery from bouncing everywhere. Its in the last part of my thread on Miss Morgan if you are interested. Its similar to a few on the market, I just replaced some of the plastic parts with aluminum and stainless all thread.

 

[pekstrom]

Pek, I can't remember what your are running for a motor, seems like it was a small Merc. I run a marine group 24 on Miss Morgan, and the stator on the 115 has no trouble keep it charged, even with the 45 watt stereo cranked up. I did upgrade my charging system to a CDI regulator. The factory didn't put a regulator on the older Mercs, and I kept boiling the battery. The regulator was well worth the money and the folks at CDI were very helpful. After that, zero problems with charging.

The battery hold down was another thing. I couldn't find any that weren't flimsy. I finally used one of the cheapo boxes, to contain any boil overs / leaks, tossed the lid and built my own hold down, works like a champ and keeps the battery from bouncing everywhere. Its in the last part of my thread on Miss Morgan if you are interested. Its similar to a few on the market, I just replaced some of the plastic parts with aluminum and stainless all thread.

Hey Arch,

Yeah, it is a 25 HP Mercury for 1980/81 and I suspect I'll need a charge regulator for it as well. Do you use just a regular marine starter battery or do you have a dual-purpose one? I'll check out the CDI regulators and see what I end up with. I've gone through your Miss Morgan thread a couple of times a while back and that is one nice looking boat. I don't think I'll be able to do much metal work, I don't have many tools for that. And I don't have much experience with it either. But I'll see what I can come up with. May just have to go with one of those belt hold-downs. At least initially.

 

[archbuilder]

Pek, I just realized I didn't put a pic of the final battery hold down on the thread. It is in the video on page 147. Noting fancy about it other than the fiberglass attachment points on the floor. You could probably do something for yours in wood with a couple stainless tee nuts. Other than that its a piece of rectangular aluminum tube with tool dip on it, a couple star nobs from the hardware store and some stainless all thread.

Does yours have a distributor or switch boxes? My switch boxes were bad, CDI makes those, but I opted for a cheaper brand and have had good luck. Before I updated those, she ran fine on the stand, but like crap on the water. Apparently they go bad after 10 years or so. Took me a bit to figure that out, just thought I might shorten your leaning curve if you have that problem.

 

[archbuilder]

I just have a deep cycle marine starter battery I picked up at O Reilly's.

 

[Patfromny]

Marine batt is fine for what you'll be using it for. I have a plastic box with lid and the strap down system with the plastic brackets on the deck. I have had no complaints about it moving around. I replaced the 30+ year old one with new just because everything else was new. The one knock I have is partly due to my ineptness. I can never figure out how to re-wrap the strap each spring when I am reinstalling. It is also not super easy to remove but it's a battery and I only have to play with it in the spring to install and the fall to remove and put on trickle on my bench. I like the plastic box incase of leaks but I'm sure you could get an automotive pan and T bar that would suffice. If they are tight they are fine. They might seem flimsy but as long as the battery is not moving around it will work. You could also look for a race car style batt. Box that you screw to the deck. Think automotive when marine doesn't satisfy you.

 

[pekstrom]

Pek, I just realized I didn't put a pic of the final battery hold down on the thread. It is in the video on page 147. Noting fancy about it other than the fiberglass attachment points on the floor. You could probably do something for yours in wood with a couple stainless tee nuts. Other than that its a piece of rectangular aluminum tube with tool dip on it, a couple star nobs from the hardware store and some stainless all thread.

Does yours have a distributor or switch boxes? My switch boxes were bad, CDI makes those, but I opted for a cheaper brand and have had good luck. Before I updated those, she ran fine on the stand, but like crap on the water. Apparently they go bad after 10 years or so. Took me a bit to figure that out, just thought I might shorten your leaning curve if you have that problem.

I checked out the video and saw your battery hold-down. Looks nice and sturdy. I bet that battery stays in put nicely. Something like that I could probably do. Nice speakers up under the deck as well. I have been toying with the idea of building a battery box that's attached to the transom and custom fit for the battery I pick. I'll have to toss around the ideas and see which one I like best.

I have to admit I don't know if the outboard has a distributor or a switch box. But I am thinking it has a distributor. I'll have to dig out the service manual and look a bit later. I was browsing around on eBay a bit ago and came across a CDI switch box kit for older Mercury outboards like the one I have... So a distributor seems likely.

 

[pekstrom]

Marine batt is fine for what you'll be using it for. I have a plastic box with lid and the strap down system with the plastic brackets on the deck. I have had no complaints about it moving around. I replaced the 30+ year old one with new just because everything else was new. The one knock I have is partly due to my ineptness. I can never figure out how to re-wrap the strap each spring when I am reinstalling. It is also not super easy to remove but it's a battery and I only have to play with it in the spring to install and the fall to remove and put on trickle on my bench. I like the plastic box incase of leaks but I'm sure you could get an automotive pan and T bar that would suffice. If they are tight they are fine. They might seem flimsy but as long as the battery is not moving around it will work. You could also look for a race car style batt. Box that you screw to the deck. Think automotive when marine doesn't satisfy you.

Ok, based on this and Arch's comment earlier I'm probably leaning towards a group 24 marine starting battery then. I'll have to look around a bit. I have been thinking about the type of box you mentioned, with the belt tie-down. But as I mentioned in my response to Arch I am also toying with the idea of building a box in marine plywood that is attached to the bottom and the transom. I'll have to ponder the options some more. If I built one I'd definitely include some type of way to secure the battery in it as well. I like the arrangement Arch has for his battery, but in my boat I won't have any cover for it, so I have to have a lid of some sort for mine.

 

[archbuilder]

Im sure you will come up with a good solution. Everyone's situation is a little different. I like the strap type Pat has, but I had the same issue fussing with the strap buckle. And I couldn't screw it down, my battery basically sets on the hull at that location. If they came out with a really easy to use buckle I would be a big fan of that setup. Maybe I tie-down strap with a cam buckle?

I did find a tie-down company that would custom make stuff for you. I was actually looking for tie downs for the boat at that time. I think they were fairly reasonable with their prices. Seems like you picked a strap, "buckle" style, style of the ends, material (seems like they even had stainless), length, etc. They sewed them up and sent them your way. I may have to revisit that for Fuggly, I was just pondering the battery set-up placement the other day.

 

[pekstrom]

No Title

Alright, I think I am done sanding the bow, bottom and sides now. I'll save the transom section for when she's right side up. Started working on the placement of the skid rails. Their locations should be pretty close here, but I still need to run a chalk line down the center and make sure they are completely straight and evenly spaced. Then some 5200 and some screws will hold them in place.

 

[gomopar440]

For the battery strap you could do what I did on my sand rail and just get a plastic pinch buckle to replace the standard thread through buckle. They sell them at fabric stores and Walmart's craft and fabric section, or run by Goodwill or a thrift store and pick up any old backpack or bag that has solid looking pinch buckles on it. Make sure to look for a buckle that's wide enough to fit the strap you plan on using. On mine I used a leftover piece of strap from a broken ratchet strap and threaded it through the buckle on one side, and then my wife sewed it shut. If you don't have access to a sewing machine, then make sure to get a buckle that will allow you to just thread the strap through it without needing to sew it. Basically if you have to cut the strap loose to get the buckle free, you probably have the wrong type of buckle. On the other end I just threaded it through the other half of the strap and let the excess material hang out. Leaving that end of the strap only threaded through lets me adjust it later as needed. With the pinch buckle after you set it the first time, you should never have to mess with adjusting it again unless you change to a different size battery or battery box.

Here's a pic of the battery strap buckle I made being used on my sand rail. The box stitch securing the female half of the buckle is visible on top of the battery box lid, which is about 2" forward of the buckle:


And here's a pic with the box opened where you can see both ends (sort of) of the buckle on the strap.


I don't plan on leaving just the strap and the battery box to do all the work of keep the battery secured. I added a steel hold down cap with long J bolts that pass all the way through the box and the aluminum floor underneath. This extra hold down wouldn't work well for a boat application if you're wanting the box solid to catch any acid that gets vented or spilled out. In an off road application with bumps and jumps, the extra hold down seemed like a pretty good idea. IMHO on the water you should be fine with just the battery box and the strap.

 

[Patfromny]

Jeez Gomopar you have all the toys huh? (Jealousy rears it's ugly head). What is the access bung on the top of the battery box for? Charging? Cig lighter power? That might be something to share with everyone here. (Read me)