Feb
22
Written by:
Tom
2/22/2010 8:53 PM
And now, a look at one of the power boats.
Let's start off with the Chris Craft. About a month ago, it was still upside down, with the crew doing the final sanding and fairing of the hull.
Next job is a group varnishing of the topsides.
(photo: Warren Barker)
Yep, those are painting trays and rollers. There's a lot of flat surface to coat here, and nothing works quite as well as a good foam roller for this kind of job.
After the varnish had dried the next day, it was time to drill a hole in the keel for the prop shaft. This is a very big deal, as the hole angle has to precisely match the angle of the prop shaft. It's not easy drilling a hole like this with a normal drill, so Warren pulled out his Boring Bar.
(photo: Warren Barker)
The boring bar is a long metal rod that accepts drill bits in one end. Warren used a pillow block (a tilting, mounted bearing that guides the rod) and the prop support to hold the rod at the proper angle for drilling. You can see the prop support near the end of the boat. And, yep, that's a drill hanging there on the end of the boring bar.
(photo: Warren Barker)
There's a lot of thinking that goes into a setup like this.
(photo: Warren Barker)
You only get one shot to drill this puppy.
(photo: Warren Barker)
But at some point, you just go for it.
(photos: Warren Barker)
Once the hole is drilled and you stop sweating, it's time to get back to work. The bottom now has been painted and there's more coats to go onto the topsides.
(photo: Warren Barker)
Ok ok, enough waiting, let's flip this puppy.
(photos: Warren Barker)
Once the boat is upright, it's leveled and braced.
Now the transom can be built up right on the frame of the boat.
And here's a theme you'll see repeating throughout this process… even though the boat is now right side up, there's LOTS more to do. For instance, the frames that were left long now have to be trimmed down to match the deck camber.
Oh, and hole that was bored in the keel? it's just visible down in the lower left side of that photo. Here's a close up:
Next up come the the deck beams.
There aren't a lot of them, and they're notched to accept longitudinal deck supports. It looks kind of like a boat kit: insert tab A into slot A.
Those varnished mahogany topsides are just dead sexy.
You can see why people drop their jaws over these boats.
Inside, the engine beds are being checked to make sure they're level along their length.
Soon all this will be hidden by the sole (in a boat, the floor is called the sole), the engine, gas tanks and much more.
And in our next entry we'll finally get to the GarWood!
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