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

Colorado meets the Barrio

After the GNRS,

a couple hot rodders drove down

to see one of Jason's projects.

Definitely one heckuva mobile unit!

I think it was 43 feet long.

Inside were a couple cool old race cars.

A little dirt track,

a little early drag race.

I'd watched the blue one being built.

The engine was the original 235 race block

since about 1956,

sporting a real Wayne flow through head.

I've always wanted one!

This made a racket when running!

The original racer/builder Cal Kenedy

had a plethora of stories.

And a really cool scrapbook,

full of old pics and stickers.

Each one had a history or explanation.

This was the first year Bell Helmet,

fiberglass starting to plasticize the world.

Many cool photos were too dark to repost.

You'll have to meet up at the next 

Hot Rod Hillclimb or GNRS show.

Was a good time meeting people 

away from the public.

No distractions,

and we almost got them to take a barrio lap!

Now how to get a crazy trailer like that...

TP

Whaler Resto - pt xiiv - before and after

Here's some conflicting pictures whenever I peruse 

over another clapped out boat project.

They tear me in two directions.

One shows how a fiberglass hull 

can be saved.

There's a satisfaction as it becomes real.

The other a reminder of how much work it takes.

The dust...fumes...time...$$

Last week all the wood was sanded and varnished.

3 coats should get us to next summer.

I added a coat to the rope rub rail to bond it together.

Next thing we know,

schools back in session.

We missed taking the boat out the last day.

TP

Itchy Scratchy

A couple posts ago,

I hinted at a couple extra outboards,

steering units and controls we've acquired.

Basically castoffs from others upgrades.

They're a trap for someone like me,

hmmm...

a cheap hull,

and some time...

we could have a bitchin center console boat!

Easy!

Most people are afraid of work,

or they start and realize it's not as easy

as someone's blog post or YouTube video.

Projects are out there.

Some are too rough,

like this 15' whaler.

But this one had potential.

The guy had this posted for weeks,

and lowered it to an almost give away price.

I warned him I'd offer even lower.

We trekked east to check it out.

The outside was as expected.

Crappy hack work covered by cheap white paint.

That top part would be cut out,

and a 2x4 or 2x6 rail glassed into place.

The sides were really floppy,

especially compared to our beefy whaler.

The hull was probably a 70's shape,

with a rather thick keel down the center.

How would it handle?

The bottom a little sucked in from the trailer.

Hmmm.

I knew from the picture the transom was chopped up.

From the outside it looked questionable.

The screwed on plywood theme covered the entire hull.

The seller could sense my hesitation,

probably cause I told him.

His sales techniques kicked in.

It'd be easy!

Typically I'd gloss over this kinda stuff.

A couple hours grinding fiberglass,

cutting out the soft floor and adding ribs,

reinforcing the delaminated transom...

Some epoxy paint,

another hull extension bracket,

a custom center console box...

Easy!

Although I love doing this type of work,

amazingly this time I walked away.

The reality set in.

The time, 

the material $$,

the fiberglass dust...

I'm already spread thin!

Dang it would be a cool project.

TP