Scrambler update

[travis24]

Charles

Boat looks great ! Keep up the great work and the many pics to follow!

Travis

[cbrammer]

I've got most of the platform structure welded in place. I just need to make some hatch boxes and the inner rail and I’m off to do the decking.

One of my hatches is right next to the built in gas tank. Should I be putting up a barrier to keep stuff from coming in contact with the gas tank?

[cbrammer]

My detail work on the boat is going slow. No good photos of share yet. Hopefully buy Monday I will have enough done to show some progress.

[mcmbuilder]

I know what you mean by the progress going slow on the detail work. When I was building on a regular basis I said I would have liked to just built the hull and done all the welding and then turn it over to someone else to do all the finishing and detail work. Too boring and tedious for my liking.

[frostop]

Charles, I stumbled upon your thread about a week ago and really wishing that I hadn't
This kind of build is what I have been dreaming about for years! Last winter I built two small wood pirogue type boats
and have had enough of playing with epoxy!

I am really looking forward to hearing how your boat does, specifically how you like the tunnel, please keep us updated!!
I think that I am going to try the rogue runner with modification like you have going!

[cbrammer]

Thanks, I need about two weeks and it should be all trimmed out and motor installed. I’m just struggling with working out how to wire up all the electrical. I have nav lights, dock lights, anchor motor with two switches, trolling motor, courtesy lights, battery charger, fuel gage with toggle switch and instrument panel. So how do I make good use of a bus bar and should I use a battery switch? Oh yes...how do you ground an aluminum boat?

[Lowka53]

Thanks, I need about two weeks and it should be all trimmed out and motor installed. I’m just struggling with working out how to wire up all the electrical. I have nav lights, dock lights, anchor motor with two switches, trolling motor, courtesy lights, battery charger, fuel gauge with toggle switch and instrument panel. So how do I make good use of a bus bar and should I use a battery switch? Oh yes...how do you ground an aluminum boat?

12v system are a closed system you don't need to ground boat. we only ground wood boats for lightning. Don't double up your connectors on your buss bar. and It doesn't hurt to have a positive breaker on your battery. since you are using a outboard you probably don't have the inboard installation book it has wiring diagrams in it.

[cbrammer]

Well, its 11:10 pm and I’m done for the night and heading home. Still need to cut deck hatches and pull wiring and a few small brackets need to be welded on and prime and paint. Motor goes on next Thursday so I’m pushing hard!

[Kevin Morin]

cb, all metal boats should have the DC neg common to the hull in one single location. The engine clamped or bolted to the transom will potentially accomplish this but best practice is to have the battery negative taken to the hull in one location using battery size cable a copper sweated on lug, and a SS bolt in one dry location so the copper and aluminum are dry.

If this is not possible (dry bond site) then isolate the aluminum and copper by using a SS stud and washers between the aluminum and copper flange of the lug sweated to the copper conductor. The cable should have a shrink wrap/heat shrink elastomeric covering over as much as possible of the copper so it won't drip condensate into the bilge and leave a copper ion solution in the bilge.

If the engine is the main load for the batteries then it may provide adequate bond to the hull, but the best practice is a dedicated cable. If you will have other electrical loads then single positive buss should have fused indidivual runs to the loads; lights; sounders; instruments; winches; or other loads. All loads should have a return wire so the battery is connected to the load in positive and negative and the return wire must be the same size as the load (positive) wiring. It is disastrous to use a metal hull as the return leg of a DC load circuit.

A battery isolation switch is used to completely disconnect any and all potential from the electrical system (from the loads), at one single point.

All loads would come behind this main disconnect including the positive DC buss and any individual loads (anchor winch or other high amperage load).

I hope you will consider acid etching your new boat to remove the mill scale shown in your photographs?

Cheers,
Kevin Morin

[cbrammer]

Kevin,

Thanks for your helpful info. I'm working out the wiring issues now and have already begun pulling both leads back to a single source. I’m going to have a local dealer who I got the motor from reviewing my wiring.

I need to find some Zep-A-Lume tomorrow so I can etich out my bilge before Thursday when I get the motor mounted. I don’t think I can hit 100% since I have my bow wires all ran and a storage hatch tray built into the boat... but I will do what I can in the bilge before I complete my wiring. I shouldn’t have any issues etching the decking since I have it all cut out in pieces and not screwed down yet.

[cbrammer]

I'm having a hard time finding Zep-A-Lume and to order factory direct I have to buy 4 gallons. I found a Dynaflux aluminum cleaner which does etch aluminum but it leaves a white dull milky finish to the aluminum when its washed off. I got enough to do my bilge tonight but won’t using for those areas I wanted to leave raw aluminum. Any other materials out there I can use?

[Kevin Morin]

http://www.ankosales.com/aluminum-brightener.html
http://www.biokleen.com/acid-wash
http://www.enertechlabs.com/Power_Clean_Acid_2033.php
http://www.fppf.com/index.php/products- ... duct&id=29
http://auroramarine.com/aurora/catalog/ ... /index.htm
http://aluminumsurface.blogspot.com/200 ... topic.html

miscellaneous links for different products

Cheers,
Kevin Morin

[awerner]

I recently started building the Scrambler but quickly ran into a few problems. I am wondering how to construct the 3/16 bottom frames with a 1-1/2 flange at the top, no demensions were given. I am not sure if i should trace a pattern off of the blueprints, and if so, do i start from the notch for the chine bar and cut a straight line across? please reply ASAP

[cbrammer]

Awerner,

Trace the pattern from the prints and before you get to far think about how you are going to finish out your interior. I ended up cutting things out from my framing to make room for how I was planning on finishing out my boat. Read my posts and you will see some of these issues I came across. Also, I notched out the bottom frames to allow me to fixture up the longitudinals easier. I was very happy I did that. It saved me a lot of work in laying up the longitudinals.

Also, if your putting a jet pump on your motor for this boat...think about a tunnel now. I should be able to give you better feedback in two weeks when mine is done and I have tested it in the field.

Please of luck and I look forward to seeing some of your pics.

Tight lines!

[cbrammer]

Got some time on the boat today. I was able to build both shelves and get them welded on the boat. I’m feeling a bit rushed now that I have a camping trip scheduled for Memorial day weekend…with the intent of using this boat. I should have everything welded in place by the end of next week. Then I just need to prime, paint and install the seats and cooler. I might need 2-3 weeks to get all of that done. The time on the boat is becoming an issue on the home front (not a good thing coming into Mother’s Day).