[abrightwell]

I ended up going with a 40Ah LiFePO4 battery (~10lbs). Pricey, but I think it is worth the price given the capacity to weight/physical size ratio. I mulled over it for weeks and finally committed, I’m happy with the decision.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/MihmnezVkuGadfHh8

I’m probably going to do a little write up on my electrical at some point as I found this to be one of the more ‘interesting’ and perhaps lesser understood/discussed topics. Though, @mpilone’s write up here was very helpful and informative.

At any rate, would love to learn more about your setup when it’s all said and done. 🙂

[abrightwell]

I almost always use a shared photo/album link. I prefer google’s as it appears you do as well.  It has proven to be the most reliable way for me to share my pics.

[abrightwell]

Thanks for the update. I had also considered the HD velcro approach, but I was concerned about condensation build up between the foam and the shell due to the gap. My concern was not for the wood but more of mold and mildew forming behind it. I guess that wouldn’t be a terrible issue since you could still remove it and clean every now and then. I’ve used this velcro inside my kayak cockpit for years, but I always complement the adhesive with contact cement which seems to stand up to the abuse. At any rate, I’m getting ready to do my liner and might just go the 3M 77 route as well. Again, thanks for the update, it’s helpful.

[abrightwell]

I think that largely depends on which specific marine sealant you used. For instance, if it was 3M 5200, which is meant for permanent bonds, then that’s going to be orders of magnitude more difficult than just about anything else out there. 3M 4200 claims to be for parts that ‘might’ need to be replaced. I’m not as familiar with Boat Life sealants, but imagine they offer a comparable level of strength.

Regardless of which sealant you used, I wouldn’t recommend trying to pry it off directly. Instead, start by using a long thin sharp blade to slowly and carefully cut the sealant between the fan housing and the shell. And then try removing it with gentle prying and us.

But with all that said. Is it really necessary to remove the whole assembly? Is it not possible to get a replacement motor? Please don’t hold me to it, but I think this might be the right part. It says it is meant for model “FV801250” which I believe is the model number of the CLC provided fan. I’m willing to bet the guys at etrailer could verify it very quickly for you, their customer service is great in my experience. Perhaps that might be a preferable solution?

Hope this helps.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 10 months ago by abrightwell.

[abrightwell]

Nice. It looks like you glued/epoxied the washer in place? Is there also one on the under side?

• This reply was modified 5 years, 10 months ago by abrightwell.

[abrightwell]

Oh man, that sucks… best laid plans, right?

FWIW, I teetered back and forth between the NT, HF and CLC option. Ultimately, I bit the bullet and picked up the CLC Trailex trailer. Without a doubt it was expensive, but the piece of mind that came with it made it worth the money to me. Plus I bought it when they were doing a special for a free spare and mounting bracket. So, that was ‘some’ money saved I suppose. 😉 At any rate, they drop ship it straight from Trailex and I think it took about 5-6 days after ordering to get to my doorstep and it took me about an hour or so to assemble it.

I’ve also seen some that have used a typical boat style trailer similar to this, with good results. EZ Loader, is a popular brand that I’ve always seen around the boat ramp parking lots for small boats. Perhaps you could find a local or regional dealer that might be able to get you close to what you need? I had considered these as options as well during my search too as I didn’t want to spend the money. But as I said above, my primary reason for not taking this option was simply peace of mind.

Good luck and I’ll be interested to learn what you end up deciding to do.

-Adam

[abrightwell]

Hmmm… I’m not sure what to offer on the #2 panel sitting lower. I’d recommend contacting the guys at CLC and getting their opinion.

As for between the side and the hatch, I accidentally ended up with a larger ‘gap’ than I had hoped for on one side. For me, I identified it as being due to an ‘alignment’ mistake when I was mounting the hinges. My goof, but I plan to fix it at a later point in time after I’ve got some miles on it and have determined if it really bothers me that much. What your picture shows doesn’t look any worse than what I ended up with on that one side.

In either case, I’d recommend talking with CLC. Their customer support is fantastic, IMO. I’m sure they’ll be able to get you the right solution.

[abrightwell]

I think pictures would certainly help get a better idea about your concerns.

There will obviously be a little bit of a gap around the edges, assuming for the kerf and sanding afterwards. And I’ve seen varying degrees of gaps across builds.

I doubt the hatch would flatten out, but I suppose anything is possible. I left mine sitting ‘vertically’ for over a month with the front edge (end with the stiffeners) on the ground and had no issues.

FWIW, I had concerns about mine as well, but minus one mistake (on my part), the galley hatch on mine fit well enough with ‘minor’ adjustments.

-Adam

[abrightwell]

I know the feeling. I was so happy to get mine flipped back over and on the trailer. It is kind of a momentous event deserving of a toast or something similar. 😉

I ended up using Total Boat Wet Edge in Flag Blue on the bottom, #4 panels and transom (I absolutely love this color). I also used Total Boat Topside Primer, followed by three coats of the paint. I was pleased with the results. Though, I think with any paint you’ll want to give it at least two days to fully dry. When I did mine, I luckily had about a week in between painting and mounting, so it wasn’t an issue. What I’ve read else where is that despite being dry and safe for work handling after 48 hours, such paints truly take a few weeks to cure fully. I’ve definitely noticed a difference in paint that was a few days dry vs a few weeks, so maybe there is something to it. 😉

Since it is on the bottom I guess it isn’t AS big of a deal, but it seems like you are meticulous in your process which I highly respect and have enjoyed watching through your posts. So, FWIW, for you or anyone that is is interested, here are some lessons I learned on painting:

1. Be mindful of temp, humidity, air flow, etc and thinning the paint accordingly.
2. 2-3 thin coats, like really thin creates an amazing finish.
3. ‘light’ sand with 320 grit between coats, wipe down with alcohol and tack rag (it’s amazing what the tack rag will pick up).
4. wrap some blue tape upside down around your hand and run roller over it with firm pressure. The idea is to get as many particles as possible out of the roller before going to the paint. I was amazed at how much came out and the difference between coats with and without doing that.
5. Using an expensive badger hair tipping brush didn’t really seem to matter THAT much (IMO). It certainly gave great results (and probably worth the money), but I felt that I got comparable if not equal results with a mid-grade brush. YMMV.
6. Only do small sections at a time and only pour enough paint for the job or even part of the job, the stuff dries fast, especially once you start rolling it.
7. DON’T go back over a section. Resist the urge to correct a mistake and fix it in the next coat.
8. Unless you are in a paint booth then forget about dust, obviously do what you can to eliminate it, but wet down the floor and keep movement in the area to a minimum after coating. But inevitably something will land in the finish. Let it dry and knock it down with 320 sand paper or a scotchbrite pad in between coats.

Here is what mine looked liked before, during and after painting the shell.

And here is what happens when you don’t account for humidity and temperature, plus how it looked after I got it right. 😉

Also, this is a great video demonstrating the rolling and tipping technique. And here is his discussion about how he did it. I highly recommend anyone that is rolling and tipping for the first time to take the time and read through it, including the comments. It has a lot of great information that I found very useful.

I actually found the painting portion of this project to be one of my favorites. I’m not sure why, but I really enjoyed the entire process. So, I hope some of this helps others and I’ll be looking forward to seeing results. 🙂

-Adam

• This reply was modified 5 years, 11 months ago by abrightwell.

[abrightwell]

I got lucky, I suppose. I was able to get away with only 2-3 small bubbles. But I’ll agree it wasn’t easy getting it to lay down on that edge. At any rate, I came back with an epoxy syringe, drilled a tiny hole on both sides of the bubble at the top and filled it with epoxy. Problem solved. 😉

[abrightwell]

Looking good. I’m thoroughly impressed with how clean your glass job is on the inside of the transom. Well done!

-Adam

[abrightwell]

Ooof… that’s rough. If it were me, I’d just sand and patch the bubbles. I had a few blemishes that I just couldn’t live with. Here is one of those where a thread from a towel I used to wipe it down somehow got caught and I didn’t catch it before putting the glass on. When everything cured it had created a bubble and to me was just an eye sore (I mean who wants to see such a thing in their finish, right?). I sanded it down and far enough out to make a good transition, then I laid two layers of a patch at the same time (since it was on the top). The effort was minimal at best and the end result is that you would never know tell it was there.

If you DO decide to remove the glass entirely from that side, I’d recommend a heat gun and a scraper/putty knife. It makes quick and easy work of removing epoxy/fiberglass (there might be a video or two out there on it). It will just peel right off. Just go slow and be careful not to damage the wood and of course sand/feather out the edges so that it blends.

Good luck! 🙂

[abrightwell]

I considered the Dremel as well. I’ve heard good things about it… but I ultimately took the cheaper route and got one of the Compact 4 1/2″ Worx Worxsaw (http://a.co/dYWJ58m). It did the trick and I think I paid <$50 for it.  Just another option to consider.

[abrightwell]

Interesting. As I was going through that step I was a little concerned about the level of strength the joint would have but I didn’t even consider the plywood lamination. That’s crazy. I had seen a few others that had a similar issue and it seems like in all cases it is related to the weight of the battery positioned at that point. For this reason, I made the decision that I am going to put my battery up forward in a trailer box, leaving only the cooking ‘things’ on/in the galley.

At any rate, good luck, I’d be interested to see how the repairs goes for you.

[abrightwell]

If I were to do it over again, I’d probably epoxy the interior right before placing the floor. Though, I didn’t find it terribly challenging or inconvenient to do after cutting the doors, etc. Just do what makes sense to your situation/approach, I suppose.

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