There are tons of variables involved in designing and building bow area seating in a center console renovation. This is a video documenting my choices and how I was able to bring them into fruition.
Loving your channel and your methodology. I’ll bet this was a fun project to work on! Absolutely no return on investment, but the experience surely cannot be dismissed either. Entertaining ourselves always has a price. Gods blessings on you and your project.
That front section really came together in the end. It appears to have been a very wise decision to enlarge that front hatch and designing it to drain water should work out well. Almost seems like the 2 smaller hatches could have been made into one that would mimic the one on the upper level especially after seeing how strong it is when you “jumped” on it.
Thanks Wayne! Good point. I went with the two to repurpose the two original hatches and frames. Hanging on to what sanity I still have I will avoid second guessing myself on this one. Cheers! Barry
@@barrylukebuilds7894 I would never have thought about making the 2 hatches into one bigger one except for the fact that you nearly doubled the size of the upper hatch and did a great job doing that. You’re a victim of your own success. 🤣😂
Hey Barry just a thought I believe the hatches are shorter than the frame so you can add hatch gasket to seal the hatches. If not the hatch will rattle on the frame.
I really like how you did those hatches so they collect water and funnel it into the bilge. I have a Sea Ray that just has recessed hatches, and any water that hits the deck just goes straight into the bilge for the pump to take care of. It drives me crazy.
Thanks Dave. Yea, my last two boats had little drain holes in the trough bottom connected to a hose draining overboard and they were forever plugged up! Gonna be hard for this set up to get plugged up. Thanks for watching. Barry
Very nice work. Anytime you can eliminate toe stubbers is a bounus. Broken my pinkie toe a couple times on my shroud stanchions which produces some colorful language.
Thanks Man! The scrap pile is looking pretty sad right now. Lots of little strange shapes that may only be useful to fill a dumpster. HOWEVER, nothing is getting tossed quite yet.
Question? I have always heard that SEALED cypress has a long-term problem with the type of tannins inside. Something like the tannins rot over a period of years if vapors not able to escape? I could be wrong about that? Boat is looking great though!
Madison Thanks for the comment. I believe the sealed cypress thing is an old wives' tale. For starters, cypress is not a high tannin wood like some of the nut woods. Secondly there are folks who make their living retrieving cypress logs that have been buried in the mud under our bayous for decades. The logs are not rotten because they have been in an oxygen free environment where wood decomposing bacteria cannot exist. The logs produce beautiful lumber refereed to as sinker cypress. I believe the same practice is is going on in the great lakes for other species. No oxygen no rot. Thanks Barry
How does the epoxy paint hold up over time? What kind. Is it? One part or two part epoxy paint? Grey is a good look for many projects. Keep up the great work and thanks for the videos!
John First of all thanks for the kind words. The two part epoxy in the storage area is fine, no sun there to make it chalky. Epoxy coatings do not like the sun. If you follow the series you will see that I have used lots of types of epoxies all of unknow ages. I don't know what I used there. I have, unfortunately, used one batch of a grey epoxy that has had some bonding issues with the polyester resin. This is epoxy that I mixed with thickener and used as a fairing compound. Sometimes when one is a cheater baby, like me, problems occur. So a little sanding and re-fairing has been the result. I am ok with small failures but others would not be. Thanks for watching. Barry
@@barrylukebuilds7894 small failure is what I call learning well. Big failure is also a teacher, but it's not as good if ya ask me. Thanks for the input, I'm going to be coating my boat this summer so I'm trying to get my head around things and plan what I can. Be well
Barry, I've spent all day looking to find a video where someone makes the hatch frames from scratch. I see you saved your old ones but how would you have made them from scratch???
Jay Pretty simple really. A mold would have to be made , an exact negative of the shape you would want your hatch frame to be. All inside corners should be rounded and all sides should be beveled to aid in demolding. If you are after a gelcoat finish the mold will need to be VERY smooth. If like me you plan to paint your hatch frame not so much, the smoothing can be done on the finished cast. Go experiment and have fun! Thanks for watching Barry
I've watched several of your videos, and have yet to see you use a glass roller. Do you not use one? They are absolutely crucial for fiberglassing. Where the rovings and matt are cured you can clearly see in the videos they aren't rolled out properly and there is air everywhere, so your laminates will be weak.
Reddy Thanks for watching and thanks for the comment. I started out using fin rollers on the stringers but fin rollers are flat and my surfaces were not. Additionally, dealing with trying to keep them clean during the lay up process was a distraction from the task at hand (I work alone). Eventually I just quit using the fin rollers. I do use a roller with a very light nap and I do roll out well. Are my laminates weak? I have bent, twisted, grinded, hammered, and jumped on the laminations I have laid up and I can state unequivocally that they are not in the least weak. Could they have been a little stronger if a more skilled person was doing the work, probably. Will it make any difference in the longevity and service of the boat? In my opinion, no.
@@barrylukebuilds7894 just trying to help as an (ex) boat builder. One way or another the air must be removed after you wet out the glass, and in your videos I can see air in your lay ups after they've gone off. If you haven't rolled out (or vacuum bagged) then you've only done half the job, sorry to say. Apart from that I've enjoyed watching your vids, it's a great looking centre console and smart fit out.
