New Build and Few Questions

[Mike Cathey]

You may consider swapping out the brass tubing for stainless before you cover up the lines with the deck. Brass has a tendency to crack, corrode and rot. I can't overstate the pounding these boats take. A brake line bender is a good tool to have for bending stainless tubing.

 

[Mike Hughes]

What's the size of the stainless tubing you typically use?

3/16"

Some on amazon
Amazon.com: 3/16" OD x 6 ft. Welded 304 Stainless Steel Tubing : Industrial & Scientific

 

[Jeff Aylesworth]

These have been epoxied in. If it matters, the likely hood of this boat ever actually racing is slim to none. I just don’t have the time. This is for casual use with my son. Is it worth cutting them out? I did use gflex so maybe that will help a bit?

 

[Jeff Aylesworth]

Thinking about the motor mount, I have the carbon fiber mount from Bill Brandt. But haven't been able to find much info on how much of angle should be on the motor, the mount has quite a bit of adjustability but was thinking there must be something to establishing the angle of the motor in the hull.

 

[Mike Cathey]

These have been epoxied in. If it matters, the likely hood of this boat ever actually racing is slim to none. I just don’t have the time. This is for casual use with my son. Is it worth cutting them out? I did use gflex so maybe that will help a bit?

If you cut the tubing 2"-3" from where it's glued in and then put some heat on the tubing close to the epoxy the tubing will pull right out with a pair of pliers. Then you would just have to open up the holes to 3/16ths to accommodate the stainless tubing.

Remember the heat technique if you have to remove brass tubes stuffing box.

 

[Jeff Aylesworth]

Greatly appreciate the tips and tricks!
I ditched the balsa nose I had been working in favor of a normal piece of wood/shaping a scrap of 2x4. Seems to be working but I am baffled at how you transition from the nose to the cowling. I must not be thinking of something or even more likely overthinking it.

 

[Mike Hughes]

I shaped it so I could glue it up into the cowl. It looks like you are trying to extend the nose from a round nose to something more pointed. Either way I would still glue it up into the botton side of cowl.
Mike

 

[Mike Hughes]

The pencil line below show how much is the cowl. It is a vacuum form clear lexan cowl. I cut it so it would over hang some with hull.

 

[Jeff Aylesworth]

I was just going from pics, i really dont want make it too difficult. So maybe a less long and more rounded shape that lines up with the hull and cowling shape.

 

[Jeff Aylesworth]

Revised my nose and have just a little more sanding to go. Also fitted the front section of the cowling and its looking pretty good as far as I can tell.

 

[Jeff Aylesworth]

Wondering about this approach as well. This guy appears to have cut a portion of the cowling off to mold it to the nose. This is a screen grab from a video I found on youtube:

 

[Steven Kinney]

Jeff I did mine just like yours. I just add a little piece of stainless rod at an angle and that goes into a piece of basswood I have attached in the cowling. I will see if I can find a pic of the cowling for ya.

 

[Jeff Aylesworth]

Thanks for the pic!! that helps a ton, do you have some sort of framing inside the cowling piece?

 

[Steven Kinney]

Yes I gave a piece of bass wood in the nose for the pin then I have a small amount of wood maybe 1/4 wide that goes around the inside of the cowling about half way back with a couple cross braces. But the only reason I have that is so the cowling will hold its shape. I don’t think I had to do that to any of my Smokin Joes cowlings because the windshield is so much higher up.

 

[Steven Kinney]

Here is a picture of how I did my Oberto. There are a ton of different ways to attach the cowling everyone here has given you some great ideas but in the end just do what works for you. Hope this helps!

 

[Jeff Aylesworth]

Thats a great pic too! I do have some ideas for sure! I don't know why I have found this part to be so intimidating...

 

[Steven Kinney]

Looks like your in the right track. All the suggestions you have gotten will work for sure.

 

[JimWalters]

I'm going to try and use this for the nose on my graham trucking... almost the right shape.... just some sanding and cutting..
Got it at Michaels...

 

[Jeff Aylesworth]

Thanks! These pics are super helpful. The cowling seems like one of those jobs that is more art than science.

I have three pieces to mine, the nose, the turbine inlet and a turbine tray. I was thinking about epoxying the nose section and the turbine inlet together so its smooth. Then will use the turbine tray basically as its own hatch at the back end of the hull.

 

[Hydro Junkie]

Jeff, that is pretty much the way the cowl and hatch on my 2000 Elam was done.

You can just make out the blue metal heat shield under the turbine exhaust. It's screwed down into the transom at the rear and to a pair of 90 degree brackets fastened to the engine bay walls in the front.