Rocket Launcher

[ThomWV]

It doesn't always mean a pipe rack up on the hard top. It also means an easy home project, good one for the winter too.<br /><br />I actually had all the hardware I needed laying around the house. I'll start with that. I also had some Black Walnut I wasn't doing anything with. Put the two togethere and here are the steps:<br /><br />

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<br /><br />Any questions?<br /><br />Thom

 

[CCrew]

Re: Rocket Launcher

Wow! Beautiful work! <br /><br />-Roger

 

[ThomWV]

Re: Rocket Launcher

I should have mentioned the finish.<br /><br />First I did a soaking coat of epoxy (I get mine from Raka) which was prepared using his non-blushing hardner. It got one heavy coat of that, which was sanded with 180 paper at about the 12 hour mark and then recoated with a second coat which was not so heavy. This second coat was also sanded, but with 240 paper. A third coat of expoxy was applied very thin and allowed to set completely (a couple of days) before it was finished with 360 grit paper. After that I used plain old clear lacquere in spray cans from the local auto parts store (Martin Senior) to finish. I don't have any idea how many coats I put on but there were several. I sanded between coats with 400 and I just kept adding coats until I ran out of paint. Might have been 4 or 5 coats (thin). <br /><br />The epoxy was to seal the wood (including inside of the predrilled bolt holes and holes where the rod hoders pass through the wood) and the clear coat was to provide UV protection for the epoxy. <br /><br />This was a suprisingly easy little project. We have a small fighting chair in our boat that uses a standard pedistal. I have a mounting plate bolted in the hull. So I can take out the chair and put in the rocket launcher in about 5 minutes. We use one or the other depending on how many people are on the boat and how experienced they are.<br /><br />Here's the cockpit:<br /><br />

 

[Bondo]

Re: Rocket Launcher

Beautiful Work......<br />I Really like the Hook/Rig holders on the underside.....<br />You don't have a Home Port listed....<br />Where might that be ??

 

[ThomWV]

Re: Rocket Launcher

I live in West Virginia, of all places. Hardly an off-shore-fisherman's mecca.<br /><br />We fish in North Carolina, almost exclusively out of Oregon Inlet, but from Hatteras in the early spring and late fall sometimes. The boat goes down in May and stays until almost Christmas (we own some property down there and keep the boat parked on it) when I beat the ice and bring it home for repairs and upgrades during the winter. I get down there for a long 5-day weekend as frequently as possible, which comes out to about every other weekend if I'm lucky but at least once a month.<br /><br />Thom

 

[Bondo]

Re: Rocket Launcher

I used to be an independent Trucker....<br />Hauling Steel.....<br />I Still have NightMares about WV.....<br /><br />I've never seen much of the Outer Banks.......<br />I like the 10# Walleye,+ 20# Salmon,+ All, here in Lake Ontario, <br />But, I Wish the Salt was Closer....