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Got an email from someone asking about this topic, so I'm bumping it (here)to make this discussion more current. The question is; can 4043 wire/filler be used on 5052 alloy aluminum? The answer (solely my opinion after 30k hours looking at the aluminum arc) is avoid 4043 at all costs- in all conditi...

niko, 1:5 scale is a good place to begin- this allows parts to be thick enough to teach lofting/layout and forms or frames are somewhat realistic when stood up inverted to begin the plate take-offs. I don't think I wrote very clearly on the bow stem material/scantling. 1/4" material, regardless...

niko, This post is about my limited understanding of the Delta Pad hull feature. AS far as I know this idea (#1) is to reduce the depth of an outboard engine's anti-ventilation plate in the water? In my outboard engine installation experience- an engine's "cav-plate" as the lowest horizont...

niko, to begin to reply about scantlings I need to make some general notes about the Glen-L catalog and 'mail order' (now days online) boat plans. Most important is that anyone who's buying a build-it-yourself plans package is usually not a professional boat builder- or even a full time builder- reg...

niko, If this is a first build in metal (in any material??) then please allow me to suggest you'd be well served making a model? Not sure what plywood products you can acquire in your location? BUT... I will say that I have coached more than a few new metal builders- many of whom told me to pound sa...

niko, the idea of a bow 'door' or bow ramp (passerelle for those who like correct nautical terminology) is well within a metal boat design modification- but adding a gang plank/retracting ramp/bow door ramp.... or whatever we should call such and appendage is going to seriously modify any design tha...

Kens, I think it's as aggressive or docile as the grit of the wheel? The 240 grit sander/buffer sure doesn't gouge or cut off huge layers or metal- haven't tried it on wood yet? For certain the felt polishing wheel with some buffing rouge or white polishing paste will bring up a great shine on alumi...

test fit_1.jpg testing prior to painting - worked well, no dust and not too badly in the way of the handle and operator's grip. Hoses are always a pain but this makes the tool much more useful in a shop. finish_2.jpg Inverted to show the part/manifold all painted to look a little more presentable. ...

end cap of 16 gauge welded to horizontal dust manifold


final welded manifold being fit to weld to the shroud prior to painting and test run.


tube to shroud welds in the corners- doesn't take much to keep this light wt material together.

corner_2.jpg a little sanding and the outside gore is ready to weld in- filling the outside corner making a kind of rounded end fit? corner_3.jpg welded and sanded to a decent surface, the manifold is close to being attached to the steel shroud's back edge (that was cut down) cap_2.jpg cap for the ...

2nd flat end.jpg this image shows the flattened piece of 1-1/4" tube laying about where it will end up- and a flattened end of some 1-1/2" tube both of which are more oval than rounded- so the seam between them will be a bit odd- not a straight miter due to the shapes. I just put the tube...

As built.jpg This post is about making a dust collector for the Eastwood SCT roller sanding buffing and surface conditioning tool posted above as the thread starter. The tool comes without any dust collection provisions so I decided to add my own by forming some steel. The black edge below the roll...

Bumping this thread to remark about a boat I've recently viewed with some interior hull corrosion and pitting in the bilge. In this thread and others, I've been on my soap box about the need to remove mill scale from all sheet and plate aluminum used in boats- at the time of construction or after bu...

Just some notes on the tank topic, an update from recent experience and confirmation of galvanic interaction of different metals in tanks. A friend's friend bought a 13 year old welded aluminum boat, and found some corrosion in the bilge- and that lead to an exploration of the rest of the boat's bil...

niko, these remarks are about beach landings in small welded boats. Perhaps not applicable to your island's beaches but worth mentioning so you can explore if they're useful or if some element of these methods might be adapted to your own landings? First is adding UHMW plastic strips to the outside ...