Too Stroked

I continue to follow this one in total amazement. Although the pictures show absolutely stellar finished work, they cannot possibly do justice to the amount of planning and sheer difficulty of the execution. One of the problems with work like this is that many folks look at it and go "Yea, so?"

You know what the biggest problem with this restoration is going to be? Backing this work of art down a launch ramp into something less than crystal clear water. Then of course there's going to be the problem of drool getting all over everything.

Keep up the good work!

CcanDo

Too Stroked,

Again, thank you for your flattery. I agree with your observation that it can be difficult to appreciate a project of this scale. In fact, I have been somewhat surprised no questions have been asked regarding omitted details.

It is the ultimate compliment being recognized from one engineer to another. The preserverence, tenacity, and just down right hard work that goes into a project like this cannot be appreciated without good ole gray hair. Some recognize only the shiny finished product, but not the efforts required.

Many individuals have posted their own personal projects on this forum with outstanding results. Whatever their objectives, we tried to analyze each component to see if we could recognize ways to improve on the "accepted" design. I am certain many of our decisions can be argued against, but our goal in posting the thread is to be entertaining, provide insight into what is required to assemble a boat of this nature (for those that don't already know), and exhibit our participation in this unique sport.

Now, with less formality:

For those of you considering a project like this, it is a tremendous undertaking. Make sure your wife thinks you work the graveyard shift before starting)

CcanDo

To complete the powertrain, the new #6 drives, drivelines, and tailpipes were installed.

CcanDo

more:

apollard

Well, having done some restoration / restomodding on cars & boats before, I can say I am in awe at the level of detail and craftsmanship involved in this project. Using that as the guide, I'd say stunned appreciation accounts for the lack of comments.

BenPerfected

Cat,
Can you provide some more detail on how you sealed around the tail pipes inside and outside the transom? As we seem to remove our tails at least annually, I would be interested in a non-permanent/removable water proofing solution. The CMI round rubber seals that go under our round trim rings don't work...to much tail pipe movement.
Ben

live wire

With the execption of the Adventures of Bob the builder threads this is hands down one of the best threads I've followed in a while.

Thanks for taking the time to share it.

dammmagnum

CcanDo

Unbelievable workmanship that you are doing this project.

How long have been working on this cat project to get to this this stage?
How many other other projects like this have you completed?
you seem to have all the details under control, so i am assuming you have done several of these types of projects before?

Thank you
Jim

CcanDo

Thank you Apollard. Many of the pictures show parts we designed/fabricated in house that were not discussed. For example, we used ultra high strength 475 stainless steel to create lift-eyes for the transom (located in bilge). These were real fun to polish! Another example is the trim cables coming through the transom. Mercury includes a cable seal with the #6 gimbles, but they are straight. They are very nice pieces, but on this boat the deck is such a steep angle where the tailpipes exit, the straight cable seal didn't work well. Vendors offer angled cable seals, but they fasten to the boat with two small screws. So, we machined collars for both outside and inside the boat on the cable seal to make the cable exit properly; and continue to use the Mercury cable seal. These are small details. This is just a couple of examples, but they are improvements over the common "off the shelf" parts.

Glad you are enjoying the thread!

CcanDo

Ben,
We provided CMI with Autocad drawings to fabricate the trim rings. We wanted trim rings both inside and out for cosmetic reasons, to provide additional support for the tailpipes, and to provide additional sealing. We used tire tubes to mock up a gasket and create template for cutting the gasket material. After some research, we ended up using 1/8" sheet silicone rubber. This material is UV resistant, has a tremendous stretch ratio, and is inexpensive. The cutout for the pipes is only 2 1/2" (oval). This allows the silicone to fold over the trim rings so the tailpipes are resting on rubber instead of metal or fiberglass. We also glassed then polished the tailpipe cutouts so any water that may get past the outer seal could not saturate the foam core.