Canopy & Anchoring Hardware
I've been using the boat despite it not being completely finished, the temptation is just too great. We had her out on new years eve with a front row seat of the fire works which was great, below are some photos of current progress and in no particular order. I will be going with a canvas top to the canopy just to keep the weight down since it has to be folded down each time manually.
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| I called these 'banner' side supports - Space to mount navigation lights and future outrigger bases & poles. |
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| Clamping on to get the height sorted |
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| I used a bike stand to hold the other end, all perfectly plumb so the holes are even. OH&S nightmare is my workspace. |
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| Lining everything up, making sure it will work. |
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| Bright orange rope was my insurance policy. |
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| Smoothing the edges of the bracket plates for turnbuckles |
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| MIG welded the brackets on |
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| 2nd bolt fixing after the hinge makes it all rock steady |
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| I tested the canopy by swinging on it and doing press-ups, at least one....Turnbuckles are 316 stainless from Miami Stainless on the Gold Coast QLD. |
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| Turnbuckle & bracket junction |
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| Folded down canopy for transport |
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| 2nd stage folding of canopy for backing in under carport. |
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| 2nd bolt fixing, I will be welding the tube spacer on. The reason for the spacers is so the tubes would clear the seat box when folded fully down. |
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| Here she is on new years eve - looking forward to getting the bow rails on at some point soon |
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| Top view of the bridge |
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| Anchoring setup - Large split bollard will hold the anchor in place whilst underway |
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| Bracket stop tacked on |
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| 'Banner' side frames clear the seat box when fully down |
Hi Bill! Nice work so far. Hope to se some mowing pictures from how the boat is handling in the water.You have inspired me to build a boat of my own.
ReplyDeleteBest regards : Jari from Sweden.
Hi Jari,
DeleteI finally have some video footage up on youtube, there is a link on my current blog post.
cheers, Bill
Hi Jari,
ReplyDeleteI am planning on doing some video - I'd like to see for myself actually but so far, I am totally happy with this boat and it punches well above its size that's for sure. I am even looking at game fishing gear :-)
I am really happy that my blog may have inspired you in some way, best of luck with it!
Cheers,
Bill.
Hi Bill, congrats on the great blog, very informative and inspiring mate. Couple of questions for you as I contemplate my own boat build. I spoken with Steve Chapple and he's advised that I ask you what type of welder did you use - Mig, Tig or both? I've done a fari bit of arc welding but not the other forms. Did you get yourself up to speed just with practice in the shed or did you seek some training? regards Craig Bunbury WA
ReplyDeleteHi Craig,
ReplyDeleteI used a 250 amp MIG welder and a 200 amp TIG. Both machines are Cigweld and I went with these because they offered good performance, reliability and local back up, support, advice which is handy when you are starting out.
There is no real need for a pulsed MIG if you can’t afford one but single phase pulsed TIG machines are fairly affordable these days. Keep away from eBay for welding machines unless they are from an Australian welding supplier with a local warranty but I can definitely recommend all the Cigweld gear. The other thing I used was a push-pull gun which made an enormous difference to smooth feed-ability. No formal training, just spent hundreds of hours watching weldingtipsandtricks.com on YouTube, doing days and days of welding, building things and also practising on the same material the boat is constructed of. Practice all types of welds, fillets, edge, laps, made few things like a burley bucket, ladders and trolleys beforehand. The thing is that if you wait for the kit you will have enormous amounts of practice aluminium to use otherwise aluminium consumption can be more costly than a heroin addiction! Breaking samples you have welded to destruction also helps, cut the joints, etch them in hydrochloric acid to see how much penetration there is, read welding text books, buy a few boat building books etc.
I’m happy to give you advice on the type of filler materials to use and more detail if you are after that, if you have done stick then I am sure you can learn MIG & TIG very quickly – may be an obvious thing to say but no stick welding for your boat MIG will get the job done fast and well, TIG will make It nice, a pulsed MIG can do both but weld penetration and settings are critical.
Anyhow, feel free to ask more specific questions if you like, I am more than happy to help, maybe via email?
Cheers,
Bill.
Thanks Bill info' is much appreciated. I was thinking about heading to Victoria to do that boat building course but as you suggest, if I get stuck into a bit of theory and practice that will most probably get me up to speed. Steve also offered to let me shadow a couple of welders up in the boat building yards, so that would probably be beneficial. So probably a bit more think time and looking at suitable welders out there before taking the plunge.
ReplyDeleteThere certainly seems to be a fair bit to learn about mig/tig welding so need to start absorbing that info' and back it up with some practical application. I have a few things I need built in ally, so they will be my first jobs as simple projects.
How do I get your email Bill?
regards, Craig
Hi Craig,
DeletePlease get in touch with Steve, he can pass on my email to you no probs.
Cheers,
Bill.