Motor mounts

Today's project was to weld the support for the motor mounts in place.  John had to weld the inside corners which was tricky.  A combination of knee pads including one on his elbow and a boat cushion made an uncomfortable position tolerable.  The tunnel is back in place to see how the shaft and propeller will line up.

Motor support in the foreground and another trial fit of the redesigned tunnel.

The water in the yard started to recede a bit two days ago.  I checked the survey and the highest point of water is 250 feet from the lake.  Yesterday we had a visit from a family of whistling ducks.  They were joined by a half dozen wood storks.  The ducks retreated to the side of the yard.

Tuning the tunnel

The tunnel needs to be redesigned or modified to fit with the engine elevation.  The quickest option is to modify it using a combination of beating, pressing and other metal abuse.

The water in the backyard is now deep enough for this huge freshwater turtle to swim around.  

Trial Fitting the Motor

The motor will need good supports for the motor mounts.  A few months ago a friend helped John attach two chain falls in the roof beams.  One came in very handy today.  We lifted the engine, then backed the boat underneath it.  It was gently dropped into place for a rough fit.  

It looked so good that John decided to try placing the tunnel.  It turns out that the engine sits lower than he calculated so the tunnel will be redesigned.

Longitudinals

John was on a roll yesterday and today.  The front and mid frame longitudinals are fitted and tacked in place.  If you don't know what a longitudinal is, click here to learn more:    wikipedia.org/wiki/Longitudinal_framing.

The upright tube is a temporary kingpost, not a mast.

Back at work

After a few days off cruising on Clyde and catching up on yard work, John is back in fabricating mode.

First, we had to find the plumb bob. Then make a canvas extension jacket for the Miller Aluma-Pro gun to cover a gap in the leather protector.

The framing supports are coming along.  Fitting pieces in the "pointy end" takes patience.

A Five Pound deadblow hammer is the perfect 10th anniversary present?  How many other wives would be so thoughtful?

A little blue heron, two ducks and four egrets.

Girders down!

The girders and floor pieces are in place. The square tubing across the top holds the shape of the boat.   We had more rain today and the lake continues to cover the lawn.  John spotted a big turtle down by the big oak. Unfortunately, no one was there with a camera.  We will take a few days off and back to work late next week.  

Girders and a very wet yard.

Looking the other way.

Great egret stalking fish in what is normally our back yard.

Getting there

The six plates forming the lower hull have been welded together.  Welding in the constant rain over the past few days was a problem until John rigged up a curtain using tarps.  

It is so wet that whistling ducks have moved into the yard

The shop is long enough for the boat, but other projects keep it from going all the way in.
A couple old blue tarps make an effective but very hot way to block the wind and rain.  The little diesel Mitsubishi tractor pulls the cradle/trailer around.

The next step is to put in the girders and weld in these cross pieces called "floors".