Will do, Thanks. Randy

Sending interior out this week
 

:eekdrop:[ATTACH=CONFIG]506669[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]506670[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]506671[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]506672[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]506673[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]506674[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]506675[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]506676[/ATTACH]Interior goes in this week. I think I am going to take out the pockets & put some panels in there for the 8" speakers, already have holes for 4 of the 6.5s. I am going to build a new seat base/sub cabinet for the 4 10" subs. I looked at some pearl white material that looked pretty cool in the sun. The stereo in my Kachina Rocks with 6 of these 6.5s & two 10" subs running 1400 watts of power. This thing with 4 subs, 4 8" and 8 6.5s and 2800 watts of power should help to kill some of these damn Asian carp that are invading the river!! Everyone should do their part. Lol. Randy

Looking great Randy.
My boat came with the pearl white, it still pops when clean and in the sun. My interior needs a refresh, it's on the winter to do list now. The hatch cover is in the worst shape. I really want to have 3 headrests built in to it with grab handles built in to the back of them. I don't know how many people of slipped off the molded in swim step when trying to climb back in to the boat.

I had the stereo gone through this spring on mine, wish I would have changed the subs. I have 3 each 8" JL audio subs in the bench seat bottom ( came with boat, shoulda replaced when I had the rear seat torn apart, clack at the upper limits), 3 each Alpine 6.5" biaxial speakers in the gunnel side panels adjacent to the drivers and passengers seats, 4 each Alpine triaxel 8" speakers in bench portion of the bow rider seats and 2each 6x9's mounted to the under side of the hatch cover in boxes. The 6x9's were installed by the previous owner, they really fill in the midrange when the hatch is up about a foot, but not practical when moving fast or when anchored as people want to go swimming and having the hatch up makes it almost impossible to get back in to the boat. The amps are mounted in the mid cuddy, 2 on the bulk head that supports the helm, and one on the other side. The amps are a hodge podge, JL Audio ( 560ish watt), Alpine marine amp for the subs (600?watts), and a 450ish Watt JBL. I went with an Alpine marine head unit, Alpine marine remote touch pad etc.

Hey Dave, the back seat has 8" speaker holes. That system sucked, I hope the thief/ ex employee is happy with it. I am going to build a new box for the bottom of the seat for the 10s so I am going to take out 2" from the bottom of the top half to keep the overall measurements the same. I am trying to figure out where to mount the amps, I don't want them out in the open in the cuddy & I don't want them in the engine compartment either so I might try to make the sub cabinet a little deeper to mount them there but I have to be careful about giving enough room for the crank pulley. The shop that mounted the side mount whipple moved the seat fwd a couple of inches & made the back seat pretty uncomfortable, so I am also wanting to fix that problem also. Anybody wanna come and help? Randy

Mount the amps here -
http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/m...ps0627027e.jpg
http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/m...psb6537c19.jpg
The two amps in the photo drive all but the subs, the sub amp is behind the panel on the other side of the opening.

Mounting them behind the interior panels in the cuddy is a PITA, but you don't have to worry about them getting wet or being stolen. Unless some one knows where they are and have a sawzall. It would still take some time to get at them.

Putting them under the back seat or in the engine compartment could expose them to water, especially under the back seat. You would be better off mounting them behind the gunnel panels.

I will take a look & do some measurements, those 700 watt amps are pretty long though. Thanks for the heads up I didn't even think about behind the dash. These 25s definitely do not have any extra room for stuff like this, This boat originally never even had a radio. Randy

You may need to reroute some wiring but your amps should fit no problem. The two amps in the picture take up a lot of room, cant imagine yours having a much larger case. I bought an alpine digital 600 watt amp for the subs and was amazed at how small it was. If moving the dash wiring is to much of a hassle you can mount one amp to the inner side of the fixed plywood bulkhead that you see in the picture. That's how Eliminator mounted one of the craptastic amps my boat came with. The head unit on my boat is mounted in the left side interior panel behind the dash, lots of dead space to mount stuff also. There is considerable dead space behind the gunnel panels also, would be a real PITA to access when you put it all back together though.

I hear you about lack of cubby / storage space in these boats, they are a "small" 25'. If they were a foot taller it would help, but then they would be heavier and not go as well with stock power.

My amps are 20" long 9 5/8 wide & 2 1/8" high for the 700s and 16 3/4 long same wide & tall for the 450s. Plus I have the plastic end caps to cover the wiring so add 5" to the length of the amps with those. They might fit horizontally but I also need to get plenty of air around them for cooling. If I wasn't in love with this boat being my 1st blown go fast I would probably just sell it & go buy something else to tinker with. But I really am looking forward to working on it this winter & try to use my imagination to make it cool without going too far overboard. Plus it will keep me out of the bottle. Randy

Make sure they have enough air space so you don't over heat the amps. The new alpine pdx amps are tiny. I have two of them. And I love them. If you mount them inside of something make sure they have a few inches of air space above them to cool them.

Thanks sdg, that is a major requirement & why I haven't settled on a location yet. I would not be opposed to mounting a couple of cooling fans either if need be. Randy

Put some computer cooling fans in the amp rack one inlet one outlet gets a nice cross flow cooling on them. Or gus and electric cooler and mount them to the cool side of it. Lol yes that's a bit overkill for your amps lol but it works well for cooling them off

Looking good!!!

Randy, you could mount them to the underside of the hatch but wiring would be a pain. If you take the time the amps will fit in the area shown in the pics I posted. Your amps are a couple inches longer than mine but you should be able to make them fit. The computer fan idea is great, I think they run on DC current, would be easy to cut some holes in the inside of the panels for the intake side of the fans? Either way, it's not like your going to be sitting still in that rocket for long...90 +mph on the water will provide plenty of "air cooling" for your system.

Hey Dave, that would be a good place to mount them. I will pull those panels & set one in there to see, if they are hidden I won't have to mount the plastic end covers so they will be 20" & 16 3/4". I wish my damn garage was done so I could work on it at night. Oh well, soon. The fans would be more for cooling when beached or tied up the power is to override the exhaust cause I have NO intentions of using mufflers unless drug kicking & screaming. Lol Randy

They will be hidden, and a PITA to get to when the interior is installed. Just make sure you set the manual adjustments where you like before reinstalling the interior. There's no way in hell some one can get a finger on them unless the cuddy seat back rests, bottoms, interior pass through panels and interior panels have been removed. Even then they will be difficult to remove. Ventilation hasn't been a problem on my boat this year. Albeit, the warmest weather it has been in was 90 degrees.

COOL, secret stereo Lol I think that's the ticket. Thanks Dave. You know, if the stupid thieves would just UNPLUG the stuff instead of cutting wires I wouldn't worry about hiding everything. Insurance should pay for stolen components but they throw a hissy fit if they have to replace a custom interior. Randy

Nice project! Looks like its going to come out looking good, just gotta have a plan & go from there. My plans changed a few times along the way but its pretty much exactly what I was looking for. Cant wait to see how the white interior looks all put together.

wow awesome looking boat

Thanks innerrage, I haven't worked on it for a while one of the disadvantages of owning multiple boats. Lol I got the interior down to the shop to get redone but that will be a while, I need to get the hull drains fixed then remount the tank so I can get the floor done. I am thinking about doing the floor in 3 pieces so I can access the fuel tank if needed. Also mounting some cross bracing between the outer stringers so the seats will have something solid to mount to instead of screwed to the floor. Randy

[ATTACH=CONFIG]512932[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]512933[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]512934[/ATTACH]:whistle:Started doing some stereo work, this should be interesting. New seat pedestal will be a sealed enclosure with 4 10" Rockford Fosgate subs. The amps are 2 Kicker 700.5 & 1 450.2 marine amps 1850 watts rated. Birth certificates for the amps say 935 watts, 945 watts, & 620 watts totaling 2500 watts. If these amps work as good as the ones I mounted in the wifes pon-tune those pesky Asian carp don't stand a chance. LOL Randy

Nice to see some progress Randy. Just focus on one...LOL. My windscreen funds were diverted to a new couch, because, you know, when you spend 9k on new carpet in the house the furniture has to match. The wife has been talking about an Escalade also, F^&*. Guess it's going to take another blowout to get what I want. I swear women think guy things last forever...Mention putting a dime in to maintaining something THEY enjoy that they consider hubbies and it's sacrilege. Not to mention the time it takes to self perform said maintenance, that some how becomes husbands " alone time". Rant off. Almost. The alternative proves out why they are called housekeepers.....

I finally have the boat in the garage so I can work on it at night. I started on the stereo because I have a whole room in the house filled with parts for the boat & the wife couldn't see the window in there, Lol. I think the amps are going there because there just isn't room for them anywhere else that doesn't look crummy to me. They won't fit under the dash & I don't want them cluttering the cuddy. I am playing with some led light strips in there now, looks neat but it's tough to know what will work & what won't. I will post some more pics soon. Randy

[ATTACH=CONFIG]513427[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]513428[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]513429[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]513430[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]513431[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]513432[/ATTACH]:poopoo:Got down to some real work the last couple of days. Got the transom stripped of hardware & started grinding the splotchy crap off. Got the sides ground down so I can make the floor fit flush on top of the stringers. The fan & vacuum were working overtime today. Randy

Looking good! Sanding and grinding sucks! I feel your pain!

Thanks Sunrocket, I am glad the transom & stringers are in good shape considering the drainage problems this boat had, the triangle like marks going back to the transom on the outside of the stringers is where water would set. I will definitely be taking care of that, along with the drainage for the front steps. This was definitely NOT a boat that would've been on a showroom floor. Very wavy, rough glass work in the engine compartment covered with splotchy paint to hide it. THATS GONNA CHANGE!! Randy

You sure do nice work Randy . There is nothing so worth doing as simply messing about in boats . Don't remember who wrote that but he said a mouth full .

Yep I hear you on that also! I wasn't very worried about my bilge being a little wavy since the engine is on top of that. But I put a lot of time on the transom in my boat. All in all I used about 1/2 gallon of filler to make the transom smooth and the bilge look decent. The weather is looking good for me to get paint down at the end of this week, I can't wait!

that boat is going to look great man. I'm going to have to make a trip this summer so I can test out my motor swap againts that rocket of yours...lol Granted you're going to be laying down 1/3 or more hp than me... but hey sounds fun. I'm dreading not having my garage built. I'm stuck staring at my boat and working on what I can in the house. Glad one of us can make some real progress over winter. Looking good man.

Thank you so very much Sam, after seeing your boat that is truly a compliment I will have to really work hard to deserve. sdg0080, as slow as things are going for this boat we might have to skip a summer but Party Gras will be up for some fun. The engine alone has taken almost a year so far & I haven't even seen it yet, they are making a serp belt drive from scratch to work with the blower & fabbing everything else for the electronics to hide them as much as possible. I would really like to be able to hide everything in the engine compartment to showcase the engine so I have a lot of fabrication to think up using regular hand tools. It also looks like I will have to figure out any custom machining cause I only know 1 person around here personally that knows how to do this kind of stuff. There are a few members in Omaha but I don't know them & would not want to impose. Randy

Randy, what is the best option for getting the water to drain from the front to the bilge? From what I have seen this is a common problem, I know it is on mine. Honey comb pad under the fuel tank?

[ATTACH=CONFIG]513453[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]513454[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]513455[/ATTACH]IROCDave, there are two drain tubes 1 on each side of the inner stringers to drain water from the front to the cockpit but the openings at the steps plugs up & they have a mat of fiberglass along the bottom of the tank with a small slot for water to get through, I have gotten to it but not under it to clean it up. I will snap some pics of what I am talking about. Looks like re engineering is in order. I will try to get on that tomorrow. Randy

Transom filler panel
 

This is what I'm thinking of doing to cover some useless space & clean up the transom area, What do you guys think?[ATTACH=CONFIG]513514[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]513515[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]513516[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]513517[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]513518[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]513519[/ATTACH]

it will clean it up a lot.

Opening up the step drains
 

:eekdrop: These step drains were all plugged up & or fiberglassed over allowing water to get trapped along the outside of the stringers. Todays mission was to open them up. I started with a drill & a step bit, then got in there with a dremel tool. I tried to chamfer the holes so any water could flow right through, what started as pin holes became the size of a quarter in diameter. I will daub in some sealer & resin to protect the stringers inside the holes before I put the tank in. The last pic is the center where the front steps were supposed to drain under the tank support panel. There is a slot about 2x4" in front of the rear step in the center for any & all water from the front to drain to the bilge. With the tank setting directly on the hull floor that slot is useless. SOOO I will be borrowing Ridefast77s idea to support the tank off the floor to allow for drainage. Randy[ATTACH=CONFIG]513626[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]513627[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]513628[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]513629[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]513630[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]513631[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]513632[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]513633[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]513634[/ATTACH]

Ice trapped in the hull
 

I cut the panel under the fuel tank out tonight to at least clean it up & see what it looks like under there & not only was there a bunch of debri's under there but it was also solid ICE!! Mind you the boat has been in the garage for a while now & plenty warm enough I thought. It got cold last night & today but with the step there & the beginning of the pad right there and also the drain holes being plugged up a bunch of water stayed trapped under the panel & stayed frozen. I am definitely thinking I will have to build some supports under the tank to allow ventilation under the tank so any water that can't run out will be able to evaporate. If anyone has a better idea I am all ears. [ATTACH=CONFIG]513820[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]513821[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]513822[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]513823[/ATTACH]Where the steps are they are 1-2" tall. Short of installing drain plugs behind the steps I can't see how water can drain freely from either place. Fortunately there is nothing there to rot but the cover panel it's self & that is the only suspect piece of wood I have found so far. Randy

Here are some shots of the cuddy floor, I still need to remove the floor panel so I can make sure ALL of the ice & water are gone. Also some shots of the steps from front to back showing the pad that starts at the 1st step & continues all the way back.[ATTACH=CONFIG]513899[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]513897[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]513898[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]513900[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]513901[/ATTACH]:party-smiley-004:

wow man that is a ton of work. looking good.

I like your transom filler idea I think it will look great!

boat looks great hope your wife is doing well went thur this with mine not fun 3 bouts and now c-free for 5 years
keep up the good work and post more pictures thoughts and prayers