Looking for products to make in a machine shop.

[Bob Quinn]

Marine grade bbq grill. Something to compete with the Magma.

OR

not necessarily marine but a SS plate to replace the grates on a gas grill. I see people buying these propane "flat tops". Why not just have a robust plate what replaces the grate on your grill to turn it into a flat top? Maybe add a few vent holes at the rear so the combustion gases can escape and you're good to go. Make something common size to fit 3, 4, or 5 burner Weber grills to start. There are a bunch of those out there.


Or

A sturdy boat hook like you're looking for.

I actually took a big plate I had that was made for over a wood campfire and threw it on my Traeger a couple weeks ago, put it right on top of the grates. It worked great!

 

[Bob Quinn]

Maybe look at making stainless replacements for the chrome/brass stanchion bases and Tees used on rails.

I just talked with a guy right over by my marina, it's Algonac Marine Cast.
They have been around since 1925, they have a large catalog of boat parts, struts rudders etc.

http://algonacmarinecast.com/ if anyone wants to check them out.

They "might" actually have the same ones.

If anyone can look at one of the bases or Tees and see if there is a number stamped into them?

Or if I could get samples of any of these I could stop in and see if they could match them up, or find out what it would cost to have them duplicated.

If anyone has some to spare or can find any casting numbers on them let me know.
He said it would likely be a 5 digit number.

 

[Fanfare]

Both right and left end caps for Hatteras wood railings? Especially with spring loaded release pin. Three on my boat.

Twist fasteners for engine room doors? Both the handle part and the base screwed to the wall. Eight on my boat. Most of mine separated from the base. Had to replace with functional ones but not original. I'd buy!

 

[MadHatter53]

Both right and left end caps for Hatteras wood railings? Especially with spring loaded release pin. Three on my boat.

Twist fasteners for engine room doors? Both the handle part and the base screwed to the wall. Eight on my boat. Most of mine separated from the base. Had to replace with functional ones but not original. I'd buy!

I just had one of my handles pull out, not bad given it’s age.

 

[SEVEN]

The twist locks for the engine room doors is a fabulous idea.

 

[Bob Quinn]

Both right and left end caps for Hatteras wood railings? Especially with spring loaded release pin. Three on my boat.

Twist fasteners for engine room doors? Both the handle part and the base screwed to the wall. Eight on my boat. Most of mine separated from the base. Had to replace with functional ones but not original. I'd buy!

I just so happen to have a set of rail caps off my stern swim platform/stairs opening as I am redoing my teak railing. I will take it down the street to the casting place to see what they say.

There seems to be a lot of this stainless stuff no one can get anymore so maybe it's worth finding out how to duplicate some of these parts.

 

[SKYCHENEY]

The twist locks for the engine room doors is a fabulous idea.

I agree

 

[madhatter1]

Bob, you can't create a need. There has to be a need and then fulfill it. Then you have a market. Every single thin on every boat over X years old that is no longer in production needs to be custom fabricated. Focus and excel at that. Build a reputation. Rather than produce widgets you think most would buy do custom work. Produce excellent product. Then the business self sustains.

 

[Bob Quinn]

Both right and left end caps for Hatteras wood railings? Especially with spring loaded release pin. Three on my boat.

Twist fasteners for engine room doors? Both the handle part and the base screwed to the wall. Eight on my boat. Most of mine separated from the base. Had to replace with functional ones but not original. I'd buy!

Did you try Sam's for the latches?

 

[Bob Quinn]

Bob, you can't create a need. There has to be a need and then fulfill it. Then you have a market. Every single thin on every boat over X years old that is no longer in production needs to be custom fabricated. Focus and excel at that. Build a reputation. Rather than produce widgets you think most would buy do custom work. Produce excellent product. Then the business self sustains.

I think you are right on that. I have spent a lot of money on a couple or more different projects over the years and then found out the marketing was something that is more expensive than the product. One thing worked out, the rest pshhhh. I think duplicating some of this old, can't get it anymore stuff is something I can do. Wouldn't be high volume but never the less there is a need!

 

[Fanfare]

This is way beyond my knowledge but could any of these be duplicated using CAD/CAM or 3D computerized printing? Once a pattern is made it could be stored for as many or few orders as needed. Charge what the market will determine.

 

[Bob Quinn]

This is way beyond my knowledge but could any of these be duplicated using CAD/CAM or 3D computerized printing? Once a pattern is made it could be stored for as many or few orders as needed. Charge what the market will will determine.

Possibly, to completely cut something like a stantion etc. using just a cnc machine would be costly. Then you also have to polish the part to remove all the cutter marks etc.

Cutting a pattern and then having casting made would be more cost effective.

Yes these things can be laser scanned then use the cad data generated to create either the casting pattern or directly cut from billet. Often figuring out how to hold something in the cnc is difficult for odd shaped parts too. The bad of all of this is SS prices are through the roof!

I actually have a laser scanner but it is out of date I'm sure by now. I bought it years ago to duplicate a motorcycle air intake manifold for a turbo bike I was building. The cad part of it to refine the raw data from the laser scanner took weeks. It ended up being probably the most expensive air box ever made LOL.

The laser scanning technology has been improving rapidly, but I'm not sure how good it is yet to be honest.

I think I will be researching all of this.....

 

[Bob Quinn]

This is way beyond my knowledge but could any of these be duplicated using CAD/CAM or 3D computerized printing? Once a pattern is made it could be stored for as many or few orders as needed. Charge what the market will will determine.

Good question on the 3d printing. I know there is some "metal" printing happening now.
I'm not sure what materials or cost.

 

[Bob Quinn]

Marine grade bbq grill. Something to compete with the Magma.

OR

not necessarily marine but a SS plate to replace the grates on a gas grill. I see people buying these propane "flat tops". Why not just have a robust plate what replaces the grate on your grill to turn it into a flat top? Maybe add a few vent holes at the rear so the combustion gases can escape and you're good to go. Make something common size to fit 3, 4, or 5 burner Weber grills to start. There are a bunch of those out there.


Or

A sturdy boat hook like you're looking for.

I checked price on a piece of 316 SS plate 1/4 15 x 30 $264.39 plasma cut to size. Ouch?
I guess now I know why all the grills are made from really thin stainless steel.

 

[Bob Quinn]

Both right and left end caps for Hatteras wood railings? Especially with spring loaded release pin. Three on my boat.

Twist fasteners for engine room doors? Both the handle part and the base screwed to the wall. Eight on my boat. Most of mine separated from the base. Had to replace with functional ones but not original. I'd buy!

Do these look the same as what you have?

I'm working on the possibility of 3d printing some of this stuff right now.

 

[zigzag930]

I wish someone could 3D print the round, clear, screw on plastic fuse holder covers for the dockside power outlets....

 

[Fanfare]

The fixed latch appears the same. Your twist handle would work perfectly. On my early boat, built December, 1965, my handles have an elongated hoop handle which would probably be a bit harder to mold. I would be perfectly happy with your model handle which is much closer to my original than my replacements. I don't know if the shape changed from mine with later Hatteras boats. No photo as I am not on board but I still have one intact original handle.

As built the originals worked really effectively. Unfortunately the handle parts eventually came loose from the door bases and I was unable to fix these. I found alternatives somewhere but they do not look as well nor do they hold. These latches really do take considerable strain from the heavy doors particularly in rough seas where there is significant twisting from the hull flexing. However, after more than 50 years of Gulf Stream crossings I have yet to find any evidence of structural hull failure.

 

[HahnR]

I wish someone could 3D print the round, clear, screw on plastic fuse holder covers for the dockside power outlets....

Part Number: S24559B Part Description: Clear Plastic Fuse Cover Unit of Measure: Ea. Price: $28.09

21		0.0
41	050604/090104	29.0

 

[bigbill]

The fixed latch appears the same. Your twist handle would work perfectly. On my early boat, built December, 1965, my handles have an elongated hoop handle which would probably be a bit harder to mold. I would be perfectly happy with your model handle which is much closer to my original than my replacements. I don't know if the shape changed from mine with later Hatteras boats. No photo as I am not on board but I still have one intact original handle.

As built the originals worked really effectively. Unfortunately the handle parts eventually came loose from the door bases and I was unable to fix these. I found alternatives somewhere but they do not look as well nor do they hold. These latches really do take considerable strain from the heavy doors particularly in rough seas where there is significant twisting from the hull flexing. However, after more than 50 years of Gulf Stream crossings I have yet to find any evidence of structural hull failure.

i fixed my handles when they came off. i drilled and tapped the handle and ran a flat head machine screw through the base into the threaded handle. it took a few time to get the screw the right length, when i did i put it together with loc-tite so it would not unscrew when opening and closing the handle

 

[q240z]

"Both right and left end caps for Hatteras wood railings?"

Those aren't just for Hatteras. Chris Craft used them, too, so the market is bigger by that segment. I happened to find a NOS set that I'll eventually install on my Roamer, but they're chromed pot metal IIRC. A set made from 316 cast would be preferable.

When I owned a 1968 Chris Craft Commander with 427 Ford power, I had to replace the cast iron risers. It wasn't cheap, and the replacements were also cast iron. A few years later, I made a set of stainless risers for the Cummins 6CTAs in my Roamer that are designed not to kill the turbo and engine should the wet section fail (ceramic insulated mandrel-bent stainless tube from the turbo to the turn down toward the muffler, with a showerhead below the muffler "spillover" height). There's no way sea water can get into the engine with this approach. I was bored one day and made a Sketch-up rendering of 427 risers using the same basic approach. There are lots of 427-powered Chris Crafts out there. Available solutions start ~$5k. That's cheaper than a repower but still...Lots of gravy to be had if one was so inclined.