Parting thoughts

I've been told I could get many thousands for this boat I guess based on the classic, uniqueness (pimp my ride) appeal. Of course you couldn't post it on craigs list-- 15 foot '79 Glastron, $10,000. HA! But positioned at the right visual location with high end cars-- maybe more.

This is the kind of project made for busy minds and bodies. To make it fun, it has to be creative. To make it possible, you have to have the space and tools. Not just the basics but things like compressor, tons of clamps, multiple grinders, taps, hole saws, punches, extra log drill bits, engine hoist and snap ring pliers.

Winter is project time, so space in warmth is key. Summer is too nice to work on anything but Cubs games, and Tennis and Corona.

It was fun overall and kept me really busy. I'm thankful to have parents willing to give up space, food and tools, a fiancee to live life simply, be and let be, and dogs who love to hang out while I work. I needed this outlet in the tough start-up business life.

I think I kept to the original philosophy of keeping it true to the roots with an updated appeal. Not as corny as I would have liked but thats a tough one with only one boat to play with. Corn edges on tacky which is not quite what I had in mind. Better to stray on the classy side of tack.

I think some cars are retro'd right (Beetle, Mini) but most are not (PT, Camaro, Mustang). The difference is the detail that was once there in the oldies (cool metal trim for nothing but bling). The Camaro looks like the shape of one old version but there's no chrome, emblems, scoops, stuff! It looks like 69 Camaro that was left on the streets of Harlem for a week. GM, c'mon, follow my lead! This is what people want. Not a shape.

Dunno whats next but I'll fire up something this fall. Ultralight? Glastron CVX 16? House stuff?I'll get a trailer and customize that sometime and start tinkering with the Evinrude.

Thanks for watching, have a good summer.

Dad and I looking at the rotten, holey, bent, faded hulk the day we got it.

What I didn't know then!

Over and Out.

C'est Fini

Done.

Minor tweaks for sure but it's finished and floated beautifully. Some fuel problems that i'll fix tomorrow (bad connector), and a flakey kill switch. The steer hole in the back needs a flapper to keep water out on fast decelerations.  

It goes fast and the acceleration was something I wasn't used to even in planes.  Bruce and I on the maiden voyage took a while to get going but once we did.... 45 felt like it took 3 seconds.  And like the sled, at a foot or so off the deck, seems much faster.

Seat install

Hey whats new, its taking three times longer to get the seats in than I planned. One day to see where they go and maneuver, connect the bases and another to get all the nuts bolts, washers, lock washers to do the job, then another to start the install only to find out you have half the correct fasteners you need and the fit is not perfect and so on and so forth. I think I have this rascal beat with 3rd stop at Lowe's for some fender washers (wider to disperse more on the soft base wood and look better), lock washers and more. At the end I will be happy with it (don't want no seat bouncing into the drink). I'm getting very tired and frustrated these past project days not sure if its the boat project finally coming to its max or what but I haven't been able to see problems and solutions clearly. A couple extra eyes is helping me out lately. I would have easily settled on less than perfect finishes in many areas. Oh well. 

Maiden Voyage today god willing and the creek don't rise.

Seats back and ready

Its a very nice job, not perfect, there are some wrinkles, but they don't take away from the coolness of the project or diminish it in any way.  I think I can take some out if I want to spend more time on them, its a matter of stretching, adjusting the foam times the square root of my steep learning curve.  May even come out over time. The color goes real well with the creme hull and the rug as planned but not so well with the adjusted gold sparkle.  (Adjusted at the paint shop for best match with the hull.)  Hindsight, I would pick the seat color after all else was in and set.  It's still cool.  I may add some of that seat gold to the trim in areas to help.  Setting them in place showed me I needed to move the throttle once again and that its a glove in terms of sitting in the drivers seat.  Reminds me of getting in an F-4 Fantom.  But thats COOL!

Stapled my palm last night.  Two staplers, one has the handle facing back, the other facing forward,  Grabbed the wrong one at the wrong time and happened to brace it with my hand.

Out.

PL 4

Punch list 3

Cut out for the steering travel

Stocked the bar

Working on the oil tank tiedown

Misc fixes

Punch list

Raised engine one hole up since I forgot to do this in the ruckus to get it on.  Crud.  

Check out the Glastron emblem above

Made rough out of martini glass holder.  Note cig light shining on it from above.  I'll ID it to make it look better.

Checked the prop measurements

Can't remember what else.  Tomorrow I need to make the oil tank holder, stock with Vodka and Vermouth, load up with gear (paddle, life jackets, ropes, etc.).

Punch list

Another view of the trim


Reconnectified the wires.

Mounted the Glastron emblem (no pic, its being clamped at the moment)

Decided to go with Adirondack seating style

 

Installed rug trim to keep the rug from lifting near the gas tanks and battery. Drilled right thru the hull.  I'm getting fast near the end and cutting corners.  Need to slow down.  Breath, relax.  There. Got it patched and it's unnoticeable with my great expertise now with resin, filler, gelcoat and color mixing.

T minus seats and counting

Trim is in place for the most part.  I need a couple longer brass screws for some thicker areas but its in and looks smart. OK, I give credit to my dad who suggested taking the pearl pickguard material and fab-ing some buttons.  Plays off the switch panel very nicely.  Of course it took longer than simply buying something.  The fabric is punched thru then the whole thing is drilled in place with clamps with machine screws and nuts/lockwashers.  

Was I not supposed to drill through the main wiring harness for the engine?  Cause if I wasn't I didn't know that.

I couldn't have planned that one better.  I mean if I was trying to drill through the cable, the drill would have slipped and I would have nicked good paint.  And how did it fall from the gunwale to the exact place I had a button planned?  It actually cut into 4 wires and bummed me out a bit.  

Interior trim

Finally getting to the inside trim (again).  I think this is our third whack at it.  Upholstery is not my fine suit and the trim fit is changing as the boat moves along.  I'd suggest not starting this until it's time (second to last item followed by seats).  For instance my new warning gauge install required me to cut out portion of the trim.  Another for instance is the martini cabinet door needed another cutout that I didn't anticipate.  My mom got the hang of it after some experimenting so the cutouts are nice and smooth and unnoticeable from the front.  (Don't look behind the curtain!)  One more night of heavy trim install and that section will be done.  I need to get some brass machine screws and make some button pleats out of the pick guard material, then punch some holes on the fabric/wood, drill in the deck walls and install.  Then one or three nights on the seat install.  Maybe July 3 for maiden trip with a shakedown cruise this weekend.  I tell you if I had another 6 months of this, I'd shelve it and move much slower and most likely finish in time to convert it from "classic" to "antique".  There is not enough Full Throttle or Rockstar to keep me going.  Although I do look relaxed in these photos.

Out.