Solar powered Amp Eater

[EnsWayne]

Okay, so maybe my question sounded a little naive. I really do understand the foam only helps when things go very wrong, with lots of water in the boat

But that 60 lbs/cu.ft is a nice round number to work with. We'll have to make sure those floorboards are well-secured to keep the foam in the center section foam from pulling them right up off the bulkheads. Same with the forward battery shelf.

[CaptDave]

Good answer Bill. Mostly, the foam is just more dead weight. It doesn't become effective until you are knee deep in water. It is much easier to get your boat towed back to safety when it only has a couple inches of free-board than to salvage it off of the bottom. I plan to have approx. 6 cu ft of foam to counteract all the parts of the boat that have a negative buoyancy such as the batteries, motor etc...
Even though I feel my boat will be practically unsinkable... remember the Titanic.
Here is a picture of the foam that will be below the sole. (floorboards) The foam does not flow nice and level but rises a lot like dough in a bread pan.
In these four sections I made 3 smaller pours instead of one big one and will have much less waste.

Foam poured in 4 sections under the sole

I have used 1 gallon of foam. Even though 1 gallon should make 5 cu. ft. of foam, I estimate that I will end up with 3-3/4 cu.ft. because of the waste I have had. I am sure 1 more gallon will be more than enough to complete my flotation. It would be much easier if I had deeper spaces to fill.

[Bill Edmundson]

Wayne

Just having a little fun with you "Sparky"!

Bill

[EnsWayne]

Did you run your battery cables underneath before pouring the foam, or do you plan to pull them through the center section? I can't tell if that's what I see coiled up in the upper left corner of your last picture.

[CaptDave]

I have not run the battery cables yet. The cables you see in the picture are the jumper cables I used to test the motor installation. The center section below the floor boards will be the cable run and house the bilge pump. All the electric cables running from the stern to the bow including the horn, bilge pump and nav light wiring will be bundled and attached to the floorboard support timber to keep it above any water that may be laying in the bilge. I am saving all the wiring for when you (Wayne) have a chance to come down and make sure it is all done correctly. We will be ready to that petty soon.

[rleete]

Looking forward to more updates!

[CaptDave]

rleete,

I am so glad to have yet another fellow amp eater builder. I too am all about electric and decided the amp eater would be the perfect boat although my wife still wants me to build a tubby tug for the grand kids. I have added flotation foam below the rear battery rack. I wrapped the batter holder in plastic and put it in place after making my 2nd pour of foam so the foam would expand more out to the sides and fill in the gaps. After I could see that it would take some weight to keep it in place I jumped on top of it and stood there for about 5 minutes until the foam was done expanding. Boat building can be such fun!

I have traced the pattern for the carlings and am ready to cut them out as soon as I have daylight time available with no rain. I will need to cut the 12 ft boards outside since the boat is inside. I can see that mowing the grass is soon going to compete with boat building. My neighbors have already cut their grass a couple of times.

[rleete]

I can see that mowing the grass is soon going to compete with boat building. My neighbors have already cut their grass a couple of times.

Priorities, man! (my son is now old enough to mow the lawn, so I might be off the hook...)

May I ask what kind of paint you used for the interior?

[CaptDave]

rleete.
For all the paint above the waterline I used Rustoleum Marine Primer and Rustoleum Marine Topside Paint. I bought it at the Menards Home Improvement Store close to my house. It was reasonably priced, convenient and I have had good experience with rustoleum products in the past. I sprayed the inside of the boat using the $20.00 Harbor Freight power-painter knock off. I thinned the paint about 10% with mineral spirits. Primer + 2 coats. Below the water line I used the Rustoleum Bottom Paint. I rolled it on 2-coats. It is a flat paint and probably wouldn't be the best choice for a speed boat but I think it will be just fine for my boat which will probably top out at 6-7 knots. I don't expect any problems. I read an article where a person painted his boat with Sears weather-beater house paint and it held up for many years. Since I plan on trailering and not leaving the boat in the water all season I do not anticipate any problems.
On my boat I used:
2 quarts of bottom paint
2 quarts of primer
4 quarts of top paint

I will probably have to buy some more for the deck.

[rleete]

Thank you for that information.

Edit: PLANS ORDERED! I am ready to get started!

[hoodman]

Dave,
I thought you might be interested in this video from Sailrite about installing solar panels on a bimini top.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_d30fXuwko

[CaptDave]

Matt,
Thanks for the link to the video. I may decide to do something along those lines. It keeps the solar panel installation light weight with less bulk.

[CaptDave]

It's been a while since I worked on the boat. But I found some time to work on it this weekend. Got the rudder installed and glued the carpet to the sole.
Hope to work again on Wednesday evening and cut the carlings. I don't know why the pics are viewing sideways.

[vupilot]

Dave,

When you painted the interior with the harbor frieght power painter did you have any trouble painting areas where you cant hold the painter upright but must point it down like for the sole?

Thinking of getting one of those for my latest project.

[CaptDave]

Chris,
I could spray at an angle of probably 20-30 degrees + or - from level until the paint level in the bottle ran low. That seemed to be adequate for the most part. I tried not to let the paint run out because if it sucked air it would sputter and become messy. The actual sole floor boards I painted before installing. Leaned them up against a gate to paint and now my wife is wondering when I am going to paint the rest of the gate.