SoCal Jet Boats
Tech Talk => Projects => Topic started by: Chad89GT on December 07, 2016, 04:54:56 PM
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Hey what's up SCJB. Guess it's been longer than I thought since posting about my project(s). Started out with a '78 Tahiti bubble deck (http://www.socaljetboats.com/projects/'78-tahiti-super-tiger-bubble-project/) but soon traded that for a '72 Tiger that I thought was further along. Turns out it had a soft spot in the floor I just couldn't ignore. I'll post up some pics as time allows. It's finally starting to go back together but my son got into Kart racing so the budget suddenly became pretty slim!
Here's what she looked like the day I brought her home:
(https://www.socaljetboats.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hawaiian50.com%2FJetboat%2FIMG_3655.jpg&hash=6dbe426ad9a59a92f692c5ef6d21ed19331d14a4)
Seats aren't installed, just sitting in place:
(https://www.socaljetboats.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hawaiian50.com%2FJetboat%2FIMG_3693.jpg&hash=1f96eb4b168447a14f2f557b0334f308f6d90779)
Mock-up motor we had laying around the shop to see how everything fits:
(https://www.socaljetboats.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hawaiian50.com%2FJetboat%2FIMG_3695.jpg&hash=f38da0a2b7cdf71864602a78fac2f2397cb505bb)
More to come!
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I kind of wish I was able to ignore a "small" flaw in the floor, but curiosity got the best of me. What started as a small inspection hole quickly evolved into a 2-year project :(
(https://www.socaljetboats.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hawaiian50.com%2FJetboat%2FFloor1.jpg&hash=9e4db9d71c6f7f08e5eb2effe042e0ee5e10efc4)
(https://www.socaljetboats.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hawaiian50.com%2FJetboat%2FFloor2.jpg&hash=8dff8ed225e2c20bf3a25cac3d182a220a5dc05d)
(https://www.socaljetboats.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hawaiian50.com%2FJetboat%2FFloor3.jpg&hash=2121200b0bbcf1212bd917b14dfabe809ce822d5)
(https://www.socaljetboats.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hawaiian50.com%2FJetboat%2FFloor4.jpg&hash=e833e9ac96202e74b5e104ddd929a4e95d29e4c4)
While the floor was being removed we discovered the center rib support was rotted out too.
(https://www.socaljetboats.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hawaiian50.com%2FJetboat%2FRib1a.jpg&hash=c4a701bef42e0576d447ecb20ea57f9743a9f37d)
(https://www.socaljetboats.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hawaiian50.com%2FJetboat%2FRib2.jpg&hash=8a241c1279747fbd112754eb180cbdf67f7d6286)
(https://www.socaljetboats.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hawaiian50.com%2FJetboat%2FRib4.jpg&hash=013a25ef6fe92ad15354e15cfbfcdccfb8e2ca84)
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Say hello to my leetle friends!
(https://www.socaljetboats.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hawaiian50.com%2FJetboat%2FTermites2.jpg&hash=494122aa048dc4d06a6fa190c3a453cd049bee9e)
Termites living in the floor support rib have been taken care of. Wasn't expecting that!
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While that was going on I needed to do something positive so spent some time doing oiling mods to the Olds 455:
Used a head gasket as a template to mark where the drain back holes are located.
(https://www.socaljetboats.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hawaiian50.com%2FJetboat%2FIMG_3682.jpg&hash=538291952f35df300ff01f369e515e59f3dd5bbf)
Might have gone a little overboard (no pun intended)
(https://www.socaljetboats.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hawaiian50.com%2FJetboat%2FIMG_3683.jpg&hash=845b0416168b96410e345e8ba93717c7625058aa)
Used the oil pump as a template for the rear main cap. Forgot to take a "before" pic but here's the "after"
(https://www.socaljetboats.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hawaiian50.com%2FJetboat%2FIMG_3684.jpg&hash=f90501af49efca47e607c4fa72460651be89c799)
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The old tanks I got turned out to be full of pin holes. Luckily, a good friend of mine has access to a CNC plasma table, and he just happens to be a bad ass welder/fabricator. I took some measurements, bought a sheet of aluminum and he came up with a plan.
He even designed baffles to help make the tank rigid and prevent slosh:
(https://www.socaljetboats.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hawaiian50.com%2FJetboat%2FTankCAD1.jpg&hash=9fec5e581fb0dc1f29c81f38dbe44493214d9116)
Once cut, the sheet aluminum was brake bent:
(https://www.socaljetboats.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hawaiian50.com%2FJetboat%2FTank1.jpg&hash=91d9c2a90104afe2359bee2fce20712d24d7f880)
Baffle welded in place (2 per tank):
(https://www.socaljetboats.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hawaiian50.com%2FJetboat%2FTank2.jpg&hash=29df6400de2a3ae9465f8152ee8a606caca50078)
And closed up:
(https://www.socaljetboats.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hawaiian50.com%2FJetboat%2FTank3.jpg&hash=a9ff90881e4a72ac78ee7259f2a4590e0e8cd672)
It's good to have friends that weld well
(https://www.socaljetboats.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hawaiian50.com%2FJetboat%2FTankWeld.jpg&hash=5e30955eeea01fa14cb4c3907532e07b609201bd)
A piece of aluminum tube was secured from Amazon, cut and welded in as a filler neck:
(https://www.socaljetboats.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hawaiian50.com%2FJetboat%2FTankPau2.jpg&hash=7211284b39393d457a95e17d262c06045ecc8c54)
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Aaaaaand here's where ASSumption can really bite you. I ASSumed my early 70s fiberglass boat that was molded in hippie hay day was symmetrical. The 2 tanks were made in mirror image of each other. The side I measured fit GREAT!!
(https://www.socaljetboats.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hawaiian50.com%2FJetboat%2FStarTank.jpg&hash=cf2ac26087bd49667b9c034cb4b93d37c19a4109)
Little did I know (should have known better) the boat is over an inch different on the Port side. Some quick rethinking was needed! Ended up angling the filler neck and laying the tank over to fit under the gunnels. It'll eventually be covered by a panel but it's NOT OCD compliant! I'll live with it, but still makes me cringe to think the tank isn't vertical like it's sister:
(https://www.socaljetboats.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hawaiian50.com%2FJetboat%2FPortTank.jpg&hash=87c5c6bcdc0a6e69909a473ae3fb45e1c2def59f)
I'll probably put a sheet of rubber between it and the hull to prevent rubbing.
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Since then there's been a lot of grinding, sanding and cleaning the hull to prep for new structure.
I figured since I had it all ripped out I might as well try to improve the structure a bit. The thought of adding full length stringers came up but I don't like how high that makes the seats. I decided to add a short extension to the stringers and create some cross pieces to spread the engine load over the width of the hull. I also decided I never want to do this again so ponied up the coin to use CoreCel structural foam instead of wood.
Here's a rough layout of the design:
(https://www.socaljetboats.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hawaiian50.com%2FJetboat%2FStringers.jpg&hash=b0474a4dd56ae0235fb4bcaf6e7d3fb70dbee413)
The center rib and stringer extensions are made of 2 layers of 3/4" foam that were resin'd and vacuum bagged together:
(https://www.socaljetboats.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hawaiian50.com%2FJetboat%2FVbag2.jpg&hash=4d9c7dcd9e8fabc3d8304a472a393122aa64e9fc)
(https://www.socaljetboats.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hawaiian50.com%2FJetboat%2FVbag.jpg&hash=eac68728e9d6aa0a71db626dc731733ae6c36cb6)
That was the easy one. We then bagged the new center rib in a similar way:
(https://www.socaljetboats.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hawaiian50.com%2FJetboat%2FVbag3.jpg&hash=b37250a2cdc868b4cc929b177d76c920fabb2c66)
The pieces were trimmed and set in place using a mix of Aerosil filler and epoxy resin. This is how the boat sits now waiting for me to have time to start laying mat.
(https://www.socaljetboats.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hawaiian50.com%2FJetboat%2FStringers2.jpg&hash=b5aab57c71a4938070567b28a61c60bdd5927768)
(https://www.socaljetboats.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hawaiian50.com%2FJetboat%2FStringers3.jpg&hash=8710cfccbf2d7b440b5d326aa08733aea2ad126d)
(https://www.socaljetboats.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hawaiian50.com%2FJetboat%2FStringers4.jpg&hash=7c77704bf449815c9768b4d52c1259d267b9070c)
(https://www.socaljetboats.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hawaiian50.com%2FJetboat%2FAerosil1.jpg&hash=54e09a0f340a4156c1ffb0d645f3d2cde378cf3b)
(https://www.socaljetboats.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hawaiian50.com%2FJetboat%2FAerosil2.jpg&hash=ee6570033cbe69e6b722a18d4abb47b9778ff867)
That's all for now!
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Look at you! Get down with your bad self! Good job. Looking good.
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Look at you! Get down with your bad self! Good job. Looking good.
Thanks, man! I'm just stoked it's no longer coming apart and is finally going back together! ;D
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Thanks, man! I'm just stoked it's no longer coming apart and is finally going back together! ;D
Totally know what you mean! Lol
Have her done for summer?
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Totally know what you mean! Lol
Have her done for summer?
I hope so! Time is a luxury I don't have a lot of since my teenage son moved in with me. His homework load is nuts and poor guy inherited my ADHD so it's been a struggle.
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I should add that I'm pretty much pulling the new structure design outta my ass so if someone sees something very wrong please say something, LOL! :thumbup:
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Looking good ! All the hard work will pay off when finished 👍🏻
Sent from my iPhone using SoCal Jet Boats