In February my cowl arrived which got me revved up about working on the Batboat again. All revved up and nowhere to go, however. Still too cold outside.
More parts that I ordered came in and it just got me even more stir crazy. Much worse than last winter!
I got a pair of welded steel fenders from eBay for $72, almost $30 less than they are locally. Really great stuff! 9" wide x 32" long x 15-1/4" tall. I opened the box as soon as they got here, rushed outside and found they fit perfectly on the trailer except the boat was in the way.(!!!)
Here they sit in my stairwell. The economy in my part of Michigan is poor. I can put them on Craigslist but I bet I'll be stuck with them for a very looooong time. :(
I promptly ordered another set. This time PVC plastic from iBoats.com.
It warmed up in mid-March and I put them on. Took much longer than I thought but they look great.
Its important that the fenders are on early this year because I'm taking the Batboat to Flint to pick up large sheets of plywood needed to finish the boat.
Another very important thing is the transom tie-downs. These will keep the boat centered on the trailer in case of an accident. I used two bow eyes that are a spitting image of the original that Glastron used in the 1966 Batboat I.
On March 18th it was warm enough outside again to get back to work.
I used the blister card as a template to mark the holes and drill.
Perfect fit.
Now to caulk them in permanetly with 3M 5200 caulk. The next day the temperature dropped below the 40 degree surface temp that the manufacture's application instructions call for so I waited TWO MORE WEEKS to finish this job. :(
March 30th and the snow is finally gone again! Back to work.
This is permanent, below the water-line caulk. The best you can get for marine use.
I caulked them in good on the inside of the transom. Water will never leak in.
It looks like a mess but its under the splash well and after painted over with Bilgecoat no one will ever see it.
Turned out really good on the outside, also. Excess wipes up cleanly with acetone.
Now to wait 7 days for it to cure. No problem there. It snowed again a couple days later.
This is my brand new, never used caulk gun. Paid nearly $2.30 for it last fall and it broke the first time I used it.
Don't buy "cheap" folks. The rivets broke on through. It would not puncture the bottom seal of the caulk tube (that I didn't know I had to take out). A run to the hardware store for the $3 gun saved the day.
What a pain!
The next afternoon while on the way to an all day stay in Royal Oak I stopped by Michigan Lumber in Flint to price the plywood. $24 for a 4' x 8' sheet of 1/4 inch Douglas Fur exterior ply. A bargain!
I'll need 6 sheets but that is for the next post. Until then I am keeping busy working in the yacht yard and with my business.
Stay tuned! The best has yet to come!
Through some keen detective work I have always believed that the dark blue metallic flake gelcoat that was used on the 1966 Batboats I and II was the same used on other 1960s Glastron boats such as the Jetflites and other models.
Posts
