Sunday, October 3, 2010

navigator progress

I hope you like to watch paint dry. The boat is at that point where a builder can turn up day after day, without a lot of changes to report. Coatings, sandings, primings and all...

The cockpit seat panels are both glued in now, and the doublers are glued in on the starboard side. I need to do some thinking about the installation of a modified Minn Kota electric outboard that will be made into a removable pod to live under the rear seat.

I know what I want to do, and pretty much how I'll do it, but I have to summon the courage to cut the shaft off a perfectly good motor, and cut a hole in the perfectly water-tight bottom panel of the boat.
It's all about the size and placement of openings, methods of fixing and worst of all: re-wiring the motor to make the speed control more efficient than the resistor system on it now.

Then I need to pick my moment to turn the hull and attend to the outer side of the planking.

2 comments:

  1. Electric powered emergency motor? Neat and clean I guess. Painting inside these things is the pits isn't it.

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  2. I'm not sure I'll always be happy without a stinky outboard, but often where I sail, the motor only runs for a few minutes to get in and away from the marina. I'll be able to charge the battery with our own solar power too!

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