whaler resto - part xviii - protection

If you read the last post,

our whaler transformed into a work boat,

one of the original reasons to have it.

The flat tri-hull is a stable loading platform,

it barely tips at the dock,

however what a thumper in choppy conditions.

The big difference in a family boat 

and a work boat is not moving weight around,

it's getting stuck in rougher conditions,

and returning later than expected.

Jaxon, Jakob and Macey Perich

When you see the kids

shivering and turning blue,

it's time to give them your flannel

and head for home.

On a project,

you can get stuck on a long chilly ride.

It only takes that one time 

to pack an extra jacket.

The perfect solution is a windshield.

I liked this custom version from the start,

and had imagined whittling one out of wood.

Probably why it never happened.

This guy had been hawking traditional

Boston Whaler center console frames,

but tricky to modify to a side console.

The answer came at the Big 3 Swap,

a tossed stainless frame.

Now thats my style.

It took a couple weekends to envision,

thoughts strayed to widening the dash.

Finally the grinder was busted out.

No more stalling.

custom boston whaler side console

Once the plan was in motion,

the fabbing went quickly.

No yacht quality work,

lotsa cut and pasting the tubes,

into a solid shiny frame.

tubular re-engineering

The bases were bent to fold over the edge.

If I really tweak out,

the bottom corner is a thru-hole for wires,

maybe for a spotlight or two.

Ok maybe the fabbing didn't go that fast.

Or maybe I shoulda started earlier.

Back at home,

we made a template for the plexiglass,

with cut-outs for hands or line.

Trimmed, screwed and glued...

Almost like it was there forever.

Even after the time change,

I'm still getting caught in the dark.

Green Boston Whaler 17' custom w/Yamaha 90 hp

You may have noticed the bimini top.

Another freebie.

I used to kinda laugh at them,

and still do if they're up when buzzing around,

billowing like a parachute.

This folds forward or back.

and it'll be nice to have some shade.

Mounted on the rails,

it's high enough to stand under.

green boston whaler 17' w/Yamaha 90 outboard

How does it work?

Have we tried it yet?

Nope.

TP

chicken of the sea

Ok here's a doozy.

For some reason,

I really really really don't like to drive 

over the Coronado Bridge.

That isn't to say I can't or won't,

I'd just rather not.

Maybe it's the big van,

which is taller than the concrete rail system,

the only barrier to a 200 foot drop.

I've found it's best to drive 

when there's no traffic.

The 2+ mile stretch will go by quick.

During typical rush hour times,

it's worse than any rollercoaster ride.

On the way home one day,

the bridge had a plethora of red lights.

I realized these were brake lights,

spanning the entire length.

Oh hæl no...

I was happy to circle back south to IB.

No way was I gonna be stuck,

not moving on that friggin bridge.

Is this time to admit I've got gephyrophobia,

the fear of bridges?

Or is this acrophobia,

the fear of heights?

Or just the fear of falling - FOF?

Holey chit...

Whatever the case,

it was tested daily cause of this project.

I'd overthink it.

On the drive I'd see the bridge exit,

contemplate,

and 50/50 decide to go the land route,

adding 20 safe minutes to the mission.

I quickly realized this sucked,

but we had the perfect alternate.

Yeah eff you stupid bridge!

What could be better,

than a 25+ minute boat ride!

No problem coming home at night,

and trailering in the dark.

I was happy to get some fresh air,

after this nasty mess of a fixit.

The whaler cruised easily at 25 mph,

about 3400 rpm,

both ways sucking down 4 gallons.

If needed it could get in the 40's,

but the fuel would disappear.

Online people are infatuated with WOT,

or wide open throttle.

The Yamaha 90 wot is about 5800 rpm,

and it sounds like a sure way to kill a motor.

To get on a plane,

the engine only revs to about 4500,

depending on the load.

After that it's screaming at those high rpm's.

So yeah I'm a piece of work...

slow boater who doesn't like bridges.

This project was crazy.

The owner (Aj) lbought a Volvo diesel

and it was too big for the spot.

The fix wasn't difficult,

if you don't mind crouching for hours,

into something resembling a toilet stall.

Cutting and grinding away...

Every day we'd raise and lower the engine,

using this boom and hoist method.

The big plug I made was precise,

but it was worth it to make sure.

Sometimes there is no replacement for 

templates,

even in this computer generated world.

Now we had a perfect fit.

The tricky part wasn't placing the engine,

although it wasn't easy.

The battle was routing the exhaust and cooling,

hindered by limited space and existing 

water thru-hulls.

Since sailboats run on an angle,

heeled over from the wind,

there are many specifics to keep water

outside of the engines insides.

Using the Volvo installation manual,

and a ton of online studying,

we found the original installation 

had numerous faults.

Most likely the reason the boat hadn't ran

in almost 30 years.

The best part was starting up that diesel,

and watching the transmission shift into gear.

The owner had been fighting this for 6 months!

After so many trips on the whaler,

naturally modifications are needed.

Every day was not a SoCal winter!

Next up will be the mods...

TP

WWJD?

First off,

F garage door mechanisms.

Crazy rat trap contraptions.

For years now the motor hasn't worked,

since the sensors are out of alignment.

No problem,

lifting it isn't that big a deal.

The problem,

is the cable would pop off the pulley.

I had a method using pipe wrenches,

and it kinda worked,

but really no,

as the wire would slip after a month or so.

Recently it seemed impossible to fix,

I left it shut for almost 2 weeks.

Time to fix it,

the good old hack way.

Bam!

Garage door ...1 - Me ...0

Holey effin chit...

This was more a result of laziness.

The old truck in the garage 

was in line with the door,

actually over the line,

so it would hit the bumper 

on the way down.

My hands happened to be near the truck,

kinda like a guillotine.

Yeah both hands like an idiot.

This image flashed in my head.

Seriously!

I immediately tried to make fists,

to make sure nothing was broken.

Whew.

Throbbing but nothing busted.

I went inside and recouped.

WWJD?

No not that one...

What would Jake do?

He would have studied on YouTube,

found videos that showed the trick,

and fixed it in 10 minutes,

using garage scrap.

Garage ...1 - me ...1

TP

A Passion for Easter

Brutal Easter for the kids this year,

mainly the boys,

as Macey's still a youngster.

Instead of baskets, candy and eggs,

they got to watch the basis for Easter,

shown in the movie "Passion of the Christ".

Definitely a true "Holy Chit" moment,

the last hours of Jesus...

We had seen it years ago,

brutal and savage.

The wife wouldn't sit through it a 2nd time,

although she did watch parts,

her eyes tearing up within minutes.

And yeah mine too.

If you didn't you've got a heart of stone!

It's arguable whether the movie was too graphic,

basically a gruesome religious horror flick.

Historically flogging and crucifixion 

were examples to subdue the population.

If you're a "bad guy", 

you get nailed to a cross,

you're knees smashed with a hammer,

and you dangle from your dislocated shoulders,

suffocated by your own weight.

Then left up there for a couple days.

That'll keep people in line!

Anyway now the boys can digest as they wish.

America has so many holidays,

but we forget the original reasons.

Watch it!

TP