Spring is not far away now, hope to see this boat on plane this summer.
Would be nice to see it i person too some day. I live in the north of sweden and have been planing to visting some finnish pokerruns

I will visit Saaristo poker run too in Naantali but without boat. Fountain should be in water 13.6. saturday, hatch open for people in small show here in Valkeakoski

Mine breathes a lot even at idle, I'm using the stock breathers (open) but ventilating my oil tank to the crank case as well. Might connect the breathers to the intake in the future.
Not too much exhaust smoke though, there will be some burned oil as I dont have valve seals of course.

The first engine I had smoked white all the time, I think it was in poor shape already when I got it.

I made prop aeration tubes to Fountain, they may help to get on plane or not, but if there is more bad than good, they can be plugged easily. Tubes are 60x1mm carbon fiber, very light and if some debris go between tube and prop, carbon should brake, not propeller. Stainless steel fixing that become pretty tough, tubes see lot of vibration.





I had to make new lamination table that is as straight as possible to build new engine hatch. Partition wall post is good straight thick plywood to make some straight things, 18mm film plywood on top.
Hatch is big, 2.4mx1.85m so table have to be straight to get straight hatch, it will be made from 70kg/m3 PET foam and carbon fiber.


Hatch is one piece design and hinges will be on back and under (hidden hinges), I made attachment points for hinges and lift cylinders more rigid from 320kg pvc foam and thicker carbon to get screws more bite and UD carbon cloth connect top and lower skins together, should be very tough hatch.


Test fit, corners under radar arch need cut of and fix them permanently to boat.


First I hand laminate edges and corners, too big and stressful job to try vacuum infusion or even vacuum bagging all in one time.


Corners was very difficult to do them pretty, not good, but I'm not disappointed too, this is not easy job. Skins will be 800g/m2 triaxial carbon fiber, they must vacuum bag to prevent delamination and get fiber/resin ratio better. I think to do it in two parts, each skin separately, too big part to rotate or too big risk that underside get air under laminate.



Corner pieces came out pretty good, I laminate one edge and skins to both pieces at once, vinylester pot time with slow hardener was enough to do that.



I try seal the bag with bitumen glue, it work way better than tacky tape, 100% seal at first try!





Driveshafts are ready and in balancing company! Old end pieces are sandblasted and ready for new glueing. Update for last time, O-rings on both ends, keep glue where it should be.


Long lathe needed to glue 2350mm long shafts. Luckily my friend machine shop have one.




Some of CV joint had bad balls, strange scratches. I figured out that ball groove edges have maybe caused them, so I polish and gently rounded grooves and edges. In upper pic you see they were just rough machining surface.


Here is polished joint body. These are 128mm CrMo race CV's, one inch balls.



I need to be more active and keep hurry to get boat to water beginning of june....

Likely a dumb question. The cages of the CV can be assembled incorrectly, being that the inner/outer cages can be aligned 2 ways (sometimes, not always.) The picture above is correct with wide inner cage, to small area of outside cage. Maybe initial install they were wide section, to wide causing binding?

Thats a lot more work you've accomplished in not much time my friend!!!

Why a single hatch and not the dual? I always like the dual since it makes it so much easier to work on the back of the bilge.

That is one BIG single hatch, LOL

yes, cv joint can be assembled wrong but it won’t move back and forth anymore. I think these won’t go together wrong either.


Hatch have different opinions, I think single versus two part design long time before decision. I’m often parked to side park, don’t know right term, so dual hatch you don’t have access to engine room from boat side. One hatch give much more room to engine sides, I can walk around engine if single hatch is open, cylinders go also back so they are out of way then. If something need to do near transom I need to knee but it have to anyway because all parts are pretty low in bilge.
Hatch have to be very light so cylinders work at high ratio to get hatch as much open as possible. Hard to explain but hope you get the point.

Give it the time it needs. Jobs like this should not have a deadline.

Your speed of progress is incredibly impressive at the current rate.

Keep at it!