Revenger build thread!! - Page 19

larby · 04-06-2011, 09:45 PM

I'll actually buy a hat just to eat it if the motor's ready for next weekend!!

Seriously though, I can't wait to hear the motor running again, especially with the blower! It'll really spur me on and I can sort engine mounts etc then too. Best I get on with making the fuel tank eh!

James

PerformanceDodge · 05-06-2011, 10:12 PM

Wow James that looks stunning, can't wait to hear her running. Love the colour what type of paint did you use for the underside.

larby · 19-06-2011, 09:10 PM

Freddy - The whole boat is painted in 2 pack as would be used for a car. It won't ever be left in the water so I'm not worried about any issues there.

Well, I've gotta hand it to Chris (Coronet Kip), he's basically finished the motor!! Still a few bits left for me to sort now, but it's back together!
Can't thank him enough and wouldn't hesitate to recommend Tubby's to anyone over here who wants work done. You've been great to work with, fantastic communication and a great laugh too, Thanks!

Couple of pics... With the sump on the deck it stands higher than my hips!!

larby · 19-06-2011, 09:22 PM

So while the engine was being finished off I've been getting on with the rest... Not a huge amount of progress but I've been making sure it's all done right. Tabs have been fitted & re-fitted 3 times now as I wasn't happy with them.
All bolts have been marked, shortened to the right length and re-finished so there's no excess hanging out into the engine bay!

Big thanks to Olly for the finish on the tabs, it's a special vapour blasting which leaves them with a semi gloss finish such as you'd see on satin finished jewellery. They look amazing!

Also got hold of a great set of seats from a friend who's just bought a 21 cougar. They're motordrive seats and are the best seats I've ever sat in. I'll be getting the shells resprayed black again and motordrive are supplying all new black covers with new padding etc.

That's all for now... She's coming along nicely!

James

larby · 18-07-2011, 09:32 PM

Well, kinda! Picked it up from Chris a while ago and got it placed in location. I've since aligned it, measured and drawn up the main engine mount. (the 'KISS.' bit stands for 'keep it simple stupid' and will all make sense soon!)
Hopefully I'll have the engine mount made this week. It bolts through a pair of ally braces which shroud over 2ft of the stringers. Don't think I'll have to worry about the engine breaking loose!

Also mounted the angles for the centre floor to sit on and cut the access hatches in the side floors so I can get to the bolts holding the angle on. I plan to not have a single screw in the whole boat, I hate self tappers!

Fuel tank is next to be drawn up and will be a combination of favours to get made/welded etc hopefully! Once that's in I can put the whole cockpit floor in.

All the gauges, rocker covers and other bits are on the way from the US, can't wait for them to arrive and Carbon Weezel will be making the dash look much better!!

I've also ordered materials to make a custom polished stainless rub strip. This will be made seamless the whole way around the boat and will have hidden studs welded to the back for attachment to give a very clean look. A pair of very clever custom midship cleats will also be hidden in this rub strip.

That's all I can think of for now, hopefully I'll have some more big progress soon when the tank's in etc as then I can start rigging!!

James

Alacrity · 19-07-2011, 12:58 PM

Looking very nice.

Tony Davis · 19-07-2011, 01:40 PM

Looking at that mount, I assume your planning on using std Mercury engine mounts/feet.

Past experiences have shown to me that with the power your going to be running, your going to be breaking quite a few of them! I'd have gone for solid mounts.

larby · 20-07-2011, 08:41 AM

Alacrity, thanks

Tony, My plan was to go with the merc feet from the engine, but then solid mount them to those plates, if that makes sense?
My old (and rather crappy) engine mounts bolted through horizontally as per those american 'offshore' mounts but were a royal pain in the arse as there was no adjustment and the engine tended to shuffle out of alignment as the holes were elongated.

The feet on the engine look pretty heavy duty, and I won't have the crappy rubber mount bit at all. Just the foot, a 10mm spacer and the platform on the mount, with a bolt through the lot. This then allows me to adjust the engine mounting position properly.

What are your thoughts on that?

James

Jon Holmes · 20-07-2011, 10:21 AM

She's looking good James.

Im glad you stuck with it, well done mate.

larby · 20-07-2011, 10:46 AM

Thanks very much Jon. I'm really glad I stuck with it now too. It's been a long hard slog but it's really getting there now!

Today is a good day, the carbon sample just arrived and looks awesome (thanks Carbon Weezel!!), my stainless for the rubbing strip just arrived and I'm off to work to start cutting the engine mount. Result!

James

jw. · 20-07-2011, 01:39 PM

James, just a thought on your engine mount. The ends where it fits over the longits appear pretty stiff but you'll need it to bend a little there, partly because it'll be a slide fit over the longit and therefore have clearance which will need to be taken up when tightening and partly because there will be a bit of crush in the longit. You could arrange slight flex in the section over the top of the longit so that the outer is able to bend in to give the nip. Alternatively, if the clamp plates are lengthened slightly they would bend enough to take up the squeeze.

larby · 20-07-2011, 02:16 PM

Hi jw,

That mount actually bolts onto an ally upside-down 'u' section that sits over 2ft of the stringer. This will be bedded onto the stringer and then bolted down to minimise the amount of crush needed when tightening. This part of the engine mount will then bolt down over the whole lot, which will be nicely straight sided and should only crush a fractional amount more, which the ally will happily form to.

I'm the first to admit, it's all a bit OTT, but with the amount pocketed out it doesn't weigh much for the peace of mind knowing the motor isn't going anywhere! The engine feet then bolt down directly to the upper platforms with a small spacer between. I've never liked the rubber mounts and as TD mentioned this morning, they're known for failing!

In comparison, the only other revenger I've seen built for heavy offshore racing is a 'blue dart' rib over here. That has a steel engine mount from transom to bulkhead that makes this setup look pathetic!

James

jw. · 20-07-2011, 02:21 PM

Cool.

larby · 02-01-2012, 09:14 PM

Well, I can't believe how long it's been since I updated this thread, dreadful!

I'm determined to be ready in time for the coming season this time round. It looks like I haven't achieved much in the last few months but it seems to take forever to do one little job at this stage!

So, to flash back to the summer, I had a great box of goodies arrive from CP performance! Red stuff is for a mate's boat, the other stuff is mine...

Second pic shows a closeup of the lovely cabon gauges I ordered alongside a sample of the carbon which will be used for the dash. (sample courtesy of Carbon Weezel, who have been fantastic even though I have eventually decided I'm going to have a crack at carbon myself along with the rest of the boat!)

larby · 02-01-2012, 09:27 PM

So, a while ago I'd shown a graphic of the engine mount I was making... That finally got made. From there I tacked it and handed over to someone who actually knows how to weld.
Sadly, a little information got lost in translation and it didn't exactly turn out the way I wanted. For those who know welding, it got MIG'd instead of TIG'd. It didn't look good.

On the bright side, after countless hours of CNC cutting and £150 of welding, I went and ordered myself a NOS Volvo DPX drive from Bernico! This means I get to throw the whole brace away as it's A) not good enough and B) going to be 3" too high to work with the DPX drive. Ho hum!

I then cracked on and ordered the fuel tank. This came out so well that words can't describe how happy I am with it. For those who are local, if you need a tank made you need to see Scoot at Stainless Steel Fabrications on the bridge!
From a couple of cardboard templates and a length he produced a tank which fits like a glove! I've made it as big as I reasonably could, it's just under 400 litres, as I want to be able to do long poker runs to france etc and UK trips without issues. If I can make it to the UK and back on one tank then great, seeing as fuel over there now costs £400 a litre!

larby · 02-01-2012, 09:34 PM

Now I knew the tank fitted it was pulled back out and covered with an exceedingly thick layer of black underseal wax. May seem like a strange choice but I've always used it on tanks as it's just so easy to maintain compared to a painted finish or similar. Not as pretty, but who cares!

This was then fitted in with a layer of closed cell 10mm foam, which was trimmed neatly to shape after the photo was taken!

Next up I made the little hatches and cabin door, glassed and flowcoated everything...

larby · 02-01-2012, 09:41 PM

Chris from Tubby's (who built the motor, provided it holds together!), brightened up my week by turning up with a set of Bassett headers he'd bought off Ebay in a moment of madness! Whilst totally unsuitable for the boat, they looked absolutely bonkers, which is great! Gave me some wild ideas!

Once I'd calmed down I set about making backing plates for the cabin door. This door is intended to be as much a part of the bulkhead as it is an entrance to the cabin. I want it to stand the best possible chance against a navigator being flung at it, or a large amount of water from the other side.

larby · 02-01-2012, 09:53 PM

So lastly I sorted my side panels and did a bit more work on the dash.

I made a template from some flooring insulation I had kicking about, changed the design so it didn't look crap, then cut them from 8mm marine ply. They'll then be foamed and trimmed in black vinyl to match the interior.
They're the shape they are to allow the storage of my fenders behind them. With the boat in race get up, there's no rear seat to store things under, so I need to think up clever places to put things!

Last job was to cut out the current gauge location so the gauges can be re-arranged and mounted just through the carbon panel. I can't decide what to do with the hole originally hacked for the trim switches below the gauges. I'm concerned that if I glass it, it's just gonna crack again as the area flexes a lot. For that same reason, I really need to repair it so I've got the extra strength there. I may glass in a strip of stainless behind it to brace the area.

That's all for now. I'm going to be speeding it up now it's the new year, I just can't go another season without the boat! The engine is now out so I can rip the transom apart again to fit the DPX drive and get the engine up and running on a pallet ready to go back in.

James

mark.saunders · 03-01-2012, 11:33 AM

she is looking great, i cant wait to see her on the water. do you still need a trim pump?

larby · 03-01-2012, 11:49 PM

I do indeed, I haven't forgotten about you! I've been meaning to fish out my old one and look for some form of identification!
It's a fairly standard pump I think for twin ram trim tabs if that's any help? It'd be good to get that sorted soon actually now you remind me, that way I can get the whole engine bay sorted when the DPX arrives!

Cheers, James