DaleH
FOUNDER of Classic Parker Forum
Part 4 in a series ...
Motor: I guess I should add that at this time in the project (now late Summer), I went shopping around for a used motor. I found a deal I just couldn’t pass up, an electric start 40hp Yamaha with power tilt (manual trim) from a local dealer I’m friendly with and have referred many, many people to. Turns out it that in the Spring it had been tuned up and had a full waterpump and impeller service performed, but then the owner wanted to get rid of it, as the boat was junk and practically worthless. The deal to me was that I had to take the boat and dispose of it – and it had no trailer, and then de-rig & install the motor myself – with the boat FULL of mad hornets.
No problem, I knew it would be until the next Spring before I splashed the boat, so I grabbed that ol’ neglected hull on a spare boatyard trailer and waited until the 1st cool frosty morning. That put the hornets into submission and the motor came right off pronto! As a bonus, after I stripped the OB & cables off the hull, I sold the bare hull with steering controls for $100 - sweet bonus! The marina that sold me the motor said that if they had to do all of the work to de-rig and remove the OB, they would have sold it for > $1K.
Console: Due to the OB horsepower and accessories I wanted on this skiff, I knew I’d be adding a small side console for this rig. I had briefly considered tearing out the middle seat and putting in a large flat floor, to make the hull into a mini-CC boat, but I gave up on that idea up quickly. In reality, removing the middle seat would be akin to removing one of THE main structural components of a basic v-hulled aluminum skiff.
Shopping around on my favorite boat parts website (eBay – haha!) I bought an ‘as new’, but surplus, fiberglass console complete with new Teleflex tach, volt, trim & fuel gauges installed for short money. No one bid on it (I’m assuming) since the gauges weren’t wired up and there wasn’t any instructions with them. I took the gauges out (tested them), downloaded their instruction/install manuals, wired them up together as a set, and then ended up selling them all on eBay for $60. Damn, I’m good, huh! I went just with a tach for motor gauges.
So, how to mount a console? Simple really, remember that it takes but 3-points to establish a plane. So I used the middle seat as the main support area, with a brace down the inside of the hull to support the console’s starboard-side, and then a vertical bulkhead up from the floor that also is secured to the vertical face of the middle seat. I think the pictures tell the story. Using ‘scrap’ plywood as my templates, I cut & fit all until the console rested square or level to the sheer of the hull.
Then it was simply installing all new gauges, instruments, and steering. For steering, I went with a new Uflex (competitor to Teleflex) No-Feedback ‘NFB’ cable steering system, procured from Andy, or “SIM”, of Shipyard Island Marina. For those who’ve never used one, these NFB steering systems are great! They have a 1-way clutch or locking device that prevents the torque of the motor from turning the steering wheel as felt at the helm. They also make the boat darn safer to operate!
Supplies used for Part 4
* 40hp Yamaha OB motor
* Fiberglass console
* Uflex NFB Cable Steering
* Color Northstar GPS
* Color Navman depth/fishfinder
* Wood, aluminum channel, and associated fasteners
Links:
Aluminum Skiff Rebuild Part 1 – Intro]
Aluminum Skiff Rebuild Part 2 – Tools & Tips
Aluminum Skiff Rebuild Part 3 – Hull
Motor: I guess I should add that at this time in the project (now late Summer), I went shopping around for a used motor. I found a deal I just couldn’t pass up, an electric start 40hp Yamaha with power tilt (manual trim) from a local dealer I’m friendly with and have referred many, many people to. Turns out it that in the Spring it had been tuned up and had a full waterpump and impeller service performed, but then the owner wanted to get rid of it, as the boat was junk and practically worthless. The deal to me was that I had to take the boat and dispose of it – and it had no trailer, and then de-rig & install the motor myself – with the boat FULL of mad hornets.
No problem, I knew it would be until the next Spring before I splashed the boat, so I grabbed that ol’ neglected hull on a spare boatyard trailer and waited until the 1st cool frosty morning. That put the hornets into submission and the motor came right off pronto! As a bonus, after I stripped the OB & cables off the hull, I sold the bare hull with steering controls for $100 - sweet bonus! The marina that sold me the motor said that if they had to do all of the work to de-rig and remove the OB, they would have sold it for > $1K.
Console: Due to the OB horsepower and accessories I wanted on this skiff, I knew I’d be adding a small side console for this rig. I had briefly considered tearing out the middle seat and putting in a large flat floor, to make the hull into a mini-CC boat, but I gave up on that idea up quickly. In reality, removing the middle seat would be akin to removing one of THE main structural components of a basic v-hulled aluminum skiff.
Shopping around on my favorite boat parts website (eBay – haha!) I bought an ‘as new’, but surplus, fiberglass console complete with new Teleflex tach, volt, trim & fuel gauges installed for short money. No one bid on it (I’m assuming) since the gauges weren’t wired up and there wasn’t any instructions with them. I took the gauges out (tested them), downloaded their instruction/install manuals, wired them up together as a set, and then ended up selling them all on eBay for $60. Damn, I’m good, huh! I went just with a tach for motor gauges.
So, how to mount a console? Simple really, remember that it takes but 3-points to establish a plane. So I used the middle seat as the main support area, with a brace down the inside of the hull to support the console’s starboard-side, and then a vertical bulkhead up from the floor that also is secured to the vertical face of the middle seat. I think the pictures tell the story. Using ‘scrap’ plywood as my templates, I cut & fit all until the console rested square or level to the sheer of the hull.
Then it was simply installing all new gauges, instruments, and steering. For steering, I went with a new Uflex (competitor to Teleflex) No-Feedback ‘NFB’ cable steering system, procured from Andy, or “SIM”, of Shipyard Island Marina. For those who’ve never used one, these NFB steering systems are great! They have a 1-way clutch or locking device that prevents the torque of the motor from turning the steering wheel as felt at the helm. They also make the boat darn safer to operate!
Supplies used for Part 4
* 40hp Yamaha OB motor
* Fiberglass console
* Uflex NFB Cable Steering
* Color Northstar GPS
* Color Navman depth/fishfinder
* Wood, aluminum channel, and associated fasteners
Links:
Aluminum Skiff Rebuild Part 1 – Intro]
Aluminum Skiff Rebuild Part 2 – Tools & Tips
Aluminum Skiff Rebuild Part 3 – Hull
