Quarantine can help with boat upgrades

[jim rosenthal]

That's a beautiful piece of work.

[Sharon Jean]

That's a beautiful piece of work.

Thank you Jim, glad you're still following along.

[Sharon Jean]

Earlier in the process, I noted that the Nidacore was notched in four locations and that
solid G-10 fiberglass blocks were glassed in place. The G-10 material is incredibly strong,
and can be drilled and tapped.

Dan (34Hatt) gave me the idea (and the G-10 blocks) so that the angle support brackets
could be bolted directly into the G-10, eliminating the need for any visible through bolting
on the top of the platform.

Here's a few shots of the tapped holes. I drilled completely through the platform, which made
it easier to run the tap all the way through. Once I have the brackets worked out, I'll cut the
bolts slightly short, and fill in the holes on the top side before applying the non-skid.

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[SKYCHENEY]

Good thinking on drilling all the way through and filling later. Hopefully that works out well. I just wonder if the filler will crack around the edges of the hole. I guess it depends on the material used and the depth of the filler.

[bigbill]

that hole will show back up. dont know how ling but it will be there later in life unless you put a piece of glass over it

[Sharon Jean]

All concerns on filling the bolt holes are certainly valid. I should be good in this
situation though. The bolts are only 3/8", they probably look much bigger in the
close up pics. Also, I'll be using Kiwi Grip non-skid, which goes on pretty heavy and
easily covers up minor imperfections.

Here is a shot of the bolt hole on the top of the platform. Before filling the hole was
beveled. I left the bolt short enough so that the filler catches at least one of the threads.


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[sgharford]

Hi Eric, Sharon - Looking Fantastic! Really cool project and another fantastic mold by Dan! I used Kiwi Grip on my swim platform about 8 years ago and it's held up fantastic. It covered the silicone bronze carriage head bolts on top wonderfully and have not wore through to date. Only advice I can give is not too aggressive on Kiwi Grip texture if you plan on adding swim ladder and/or being bare foot (knock the points down).

Hope to see you guys in Block, I was at my 43DC yesterday and smelling the fresh sea air really has me wanting to take her off market. I'm restoring recently acquired 17' whaler at present to scratch that itch, but have so much love, sweat, blood, and money into that big ass mistress coupled with fact she is legitimately 'done' after 12 years stewardship has me second guessing myself. However, the same force that is keeping me from going back into the stock market is the same force keeping me from removing listing - trusting my gut has gotten me pretty far, hopefully not another lesson learned the hard way. Time will tell.... in mean time God Bless you both!

[Sharon Jean]

Hi Scott,
Thanks for the compliments and also for the input on the Kiwi.
Glad to hear it has held up so well for you.

We're looking forward to seeing you and your family out at Block as well. I still can't believe
your 43 is on the market. As Derek said though, either way you're obligated to be at the rendezvous

Word on the street is that you'll have an additional family member too, congratulations !!

[Sharon Jean]

After carefully measuring lengths and angles, it's time to fabricate up some brackets.
The bulk of the attachment strength will be the eight 1/2" bolts through the transom.
The brackets will just be providing vertical load support.

Four brackets were fabricated out of 1" heavy wall SS tubing. I had to clamp a simple
jig to the platform to duplicate the angle of the transom.

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[Sharon Jean]

Here are a few more bracket pics. Note that the bend on the bracket where it will touch
the transom is rotated slightly from the bend at the platform. This is to allow the bolt
mounting surface to sit perfectly flat against the transom.

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Here's one of the through bolts and wedges.

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