Boat Building 101 ***Pay Attention***

Well, some people have asked me to do a step by step deal on what it is that I do to build a boat. It is definitely time consuming and not something that can be easily explained. So, what I will do is to try to walk through some of things that are done to complete a boat.

Step 1: Start with a blank hull.



Step 2: Cut out your drive location & set it up. Very few things must go in one exact spot on the boat. Electrical components, fuel lines, cables, etc. can all be changed around. The Gimbal or the intake MUST be set exactly in the right spot. Once that is done you rig around it.



Step 3: Once that is put in place, I like to put all of the hardware on the boat. Since I build the wire looms for each boat, I have a little bit of flexibility on where I am going to put things. The best way to do it is to put blue tape over everything and break out your fine line Sharpie. Draw the gages, draw the switch panels, draw your handles, etc... You can see what it is going to look like before you are done. MEASURE FIVE TIMES, CUT ONCE!!! Boats are not very forgiving on mistakes!

Dash




Rear Grab Handles


Cleats: The Accon pop up cleats come with a backing plate. I also use it for my template and it works out awesome.




Step 4: Cut the boat out.
On the cleats, I always drill the anchor holes first. So, drill away


On the cleats, some people like to use a jig saw, I personally like to use a hole saw. I drill three holes in the center staying within my template pattern. Make sure that you pre drill the pilot holes prior to drilling down and through. Depending on the size of the cleat, you usually use a 1" or a 1 1/8" hole saw.

Once you get done drilling your three holes for the cleats, I take a barrel grinder and clean up the center portion. If you don't have a barrel grinder, you can use a file as well. Both work well, just the barrel grinder is faster & easier.


The vent holes are easy. The outside mounting holes take a 5/16" bolt so I usually drill the hole 11/32" It gives me just a slight amount of tolerance to fit the bolt in. If you drill a 5/16" hole for a 5/16" bolt and you are off just a hair, you will be opening enlarging the hole. The center holes are simply 3" diameter holes. I always use a 3" holesaw to cut the holes.


Next step is to drill out the dash. Angled holes are kind of tricky because you can't go straight in. Take your drill and pilot drill all holes prior to using a hole saw. Place the drill on the center of the gage and go straight in until you feel the drill punch the glass and go into the wood. At that point in time, angle the drill to point back directly at the driver. Once the pilot holes are drilled, use a holesaw and cut the holes. Typically most gages use a 2 1/8" holesaw for the smaller gauges & a 3 3/8" holesaw for the bigger gages. These are monster gages so the small gages took 2 5/8" holesaw and the speedo/tach took a 4 3/4" holesaw.


When cutting a switch panel or any square hole on the boat, make sure that you use a good quality jig saw blade. If you use a cheap one, you will burn it up in about 2 minutes. Another tip is to cover the feet of the jig saw in blue masking tape. If any part of the metal hits the gel, you will scuff it and need it to be repaired. Pilot drill a 3/8" hole on each corner of the panel and go to town with the jig saw.


Step #5: Resin all holes. Any exposed wood is a potential spot for water rot. Make sure to go through and resin any/all holes that could possibly get wet. I resin every hole that I cut and silicone anything that is going to be exposed to the water. Note: I didn't take a picture of the resin process. In the pictures the tape is removed. DO NOT remove the tape prior to resining the holes. If you do, you run a huge chance of getting resin on your gel. If you do, it is a pain to clean up and could take the gel with it when you chip it off. Resin the holes with a brush then once you are done remove the tape before it dries. If resin sticks to the tape, the tape will be on there permanently. Clean up any resin goobers with a rag dipped in acetone. Do not wipe it across the gel. If you do, it will drag. Simply wipe up the little area and follow your initial pass with a clean rag of acetone to remove any leftover residue.







Step 6: Once your resin is dry and you have properly sealed up any water penetration points, it is now time to install your hardware. On my boats, I use 5/16"-18 x 1 1/2" bolts on the back grab handles and ski tow. On the inside, use a 5/16" stringer washer (available from Dana, Rex, Eddie) to spread out the load of the handle.


Place your gages in the holes you designate for them. I usually use blue tape to hold the gage straight while I am under the dash connecting them.

Step 7: Once you get all of your hardware in place, it is time to start the electrical. I start off with 500' spools of wire. Some places you can get pre made harnesses, but I like to make my own. Needless to say, it starts out as a complete and total mess. I will break down the colors in another thread.




About at this point in time, is when Ol' RD would say "Jesus man, it looks like you blew up a Radio Shack."


This is what the finished product looks like behind the dash.

Bitchen! I'm loving the step by step Danny!

I love that hull. I'll get past the fact that it's a jet.. It's still one of the best looking boats I've ever laid eyes on!

RD

Nice write up!!!

Boat looks great:beer

What kind of screw do you use to secure the cushion clamps to the back side of the dash? Do you pre drill the holes?

I am going to do some cleaning/re rigging on our cole jet soon now that the wedding/side yard is free.

Cole Trickle said:

Nice write up!!!

Boat looks great:beer

What kind of screw do you use to secure the cushion clamps to the back side of the dash? Do you pre drill the holes?

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I usually use a #10 Panhead 1/2" long. I do predrill the holes even back there. The glass is so thin you probably don't need to do it, but I would rather be safe than sorry. I usually keep 2 cordless drills with me under the dash. One with a screw tip and one with a drill bit.

Cool thread...

Nice write up. Im going to refer to this thread when I re-do the Spectra.
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Free Xxx Stream

Cool write up....and people wonder why boats cost so much...

mbrown2 said:

Cool write up....and people wonder why boats cost so much...

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Yeah, even with the prices of boats, I think I make somewhere around $5.00/hr.

Nice thread...Can't wait to see what that jet will do...

$5.00 an hour...you're overpaid

And it's still not done...... Typical boat manufacturer.

Beautiful work.
I don't know a damn thing about the different hulls, but these boats you are building are just stunning, and have "the look", as far as I am concerned.
The lines seem timeless; like a chopped ''34 Ford 3-window.

nice thread! thanks for taking the time to write this

Your boats are so sick Danny! I wish.............

Very clean work Danny,You should be proud of the boats you are putting together!
Can't wait to see one in person.

bragger ......never give out your secrets.....J/K looks good D

Nice work Danny. I've only seen th red boat in person and it looked awesome. Good luck in this venture buddy.
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Marijuana Trichomes

:thumbsup