By this time in the project boating season was quickly approaching and I wanted to be on the water by Memorial day. ( I missed that dead line due to problems with the vinyl shop)
I put down the camera and started working away, finalizing design, fitting and finishing parts that I hadn't originally thought of, but seemed like a good idea along the way.
I sanded the floor, and coated the top with a couple of coats of West Systems epoxy. I had already coated the bottom side of the floor before I installed it. I picked up some marine grade carpet and installed it by trowling down the recommended adhesive ( sorry I've forgotten what the stuff was now, but the carpet shop insisted that i use it. It was NOT contact cement )
I hauled all of my interior parts down to a local upholstery shop that I had selected. It came recommended and I had seen some of the work that came out of it. At this point I will be very brief and state that I was VERY disappointed in the workmanship, their ability to keep a schedule, and their promise to stay within the quote. I think you will agree that the finished product looks VERY nice, but those that get a closer look will see that I will be forced to re-do the vinyl work probably as soon as next season. A huge bummer.
While the interior was out getting finished, I decided to address some of the other things about the boat that I wanted to give an updated look to. First up with the windscreen. I used to be a fan of the look, but I was after something a little more sleek, so I deleted the windscreen.
Next to go was the bow rail. Again, lots of people like the look, but I was going more Hot-Rod.
I've done a lot of glass work in the past, but never any gel coat. Seamed like an easy enough concept. So I ground out all the holes in the deck, filled them with a chopped fiber and epoxy mixture. When that hardened I ground that down a little bit, just deep enough to lay some gel coat in it. When the gel coat hardened I sanded it flush and polished it. Seemed easy enough. I have to say... the finish work on the gel was WAY more difficult that I had imagined. I am FAR from pleased with my result. Lesson learned. The boat will be going to a real gel coat guy to get fixed... again.
One of the criteria for the update was that I had to have a stereo system that I could hear... while underway.... at 50 mph. My good friend is the owner of California Audio in West Valley Utah, and helped me select some VERY stout stereo components. The head unit is a Sony that allows you to put your ipod INSIDE the the unit. It was one of the coolest solutions to a few problems that I was facing. Now anyone can bring 'their' music onto the boat and their ipod stays charged and its protected from the elements. No external cords, and no ipod bouncing around on the floor or in a pocket somewhere. The speakers are all Cerwin Vega and are the drivers like the ones found in outdoor concert type of systems. Huge power amplifiers completed the system. After the first outing in the boat it was decided that the stereo easily met the initial criteria.
I also took the scoop to a local custom painter with a very specific yet generic design in mind. With only my brief explanation of what I wanted, he delivered the PERFECT design and colors for me. I was floored at the result. To most it probably wouldn't be a big deal, but I love the turn out, and I love what it does for the finished image of the boat.
I picked up the interior from the now hated vinyl shop and the final install was done.
Here is the finished project:
I wanted the design of the front seats, to carry over into the rear, so I added the small headrests to the rear seat, they also double as a pillow for your head while laying on the deck and dangling your feet off the transom.
The original 1977 design didn't have side panels in the front. I added them as a location to mount speakers, and a way from me to create more storage space in the gunnels.
This picture shows the storage pockets that I had built, it also shows the passenger seat mounted forward. A couple of the previous pictures show it mounted in the observer position
Here is a detailed look at the paint work on the scoop.
