JET BOAT!! Something different, cheap and fun.

I appreciate the level of detail you are putting into this project.

Thanks for the compliments.

I had a little more time so I knocked out another quick project.

I really didn't want anything in the bottom of the storage compartments sitting in water. I built these out of cedar and will oil them. Makes for a nice contrast in the bottom of the compartment and should help keep things dry.

More to come...but not today.

This is amazing. When you started this thread, I expected something along the lines of "Hey y'all, watch this!". I never expected it to become an actual, usable thing. Keep up the good work.

In reply to Woody:

I've had a lot of fun working on something that doesn't require a welder and steel.

In reply to Woody:

Agreed, the level of detail and quality of craftsmanship has far exceeded my original expectations.

Today was fairing and sanding.

Then I installed the turret.

Not really, but I wanted some way to cover up the ugly of the steering stick.

This is what I've managed so far. I'm not sure I like it. I may need a different box. It's in primer right now and will probably end up white.

It does look like a turret.

Another little part finished.

I'm calling this done. It's had its second coat of paint and the wood treated with Thompsons Waterseal. I like the way it turned out so much, I almost dislocated my shoulder patting myself on the back.

The hatch won't get screwed down until the final coat of paint is done.

lookin' good

Two weeks ago I placed an order for some Grizzly Grip. No response. I figured it just takes them a couple of days to process the order. A week later, still no response so I sent them an email. You guessed it, no response. Time for plan B.

Enter, Rustoleum X10. Solid, textured, tintable and goes on with a roller. It's $60 a gallon cheaper than the Grizzly Grip, so I figured I'd give it a try.

Edit, it has the added advantage of hiding all my mistakes.

So far so good.

The color chosen? Beach. It seemed appropriate and it should go well with the green.

I think I just found (or let you find and report to me) the finish for my pontoon boat deck.

So...I take it you like this stuff for a boat deck surface finish?

In reply to ClemSparks:

So far it looks like it will do exactly what I want it to. We will see how well it sticks to epoxy and how it lasts. Application was fairly straight forward.

Ask me again tomorrow, after it's set up and I can fondle it some.

Brown Santa stopped by today.

Seat cushions!! They are PERFECT!! Custom cushions were going to be damn near $300 and out of the budget. These are cushion tops for Igloo 72qt coolers. They were $45 and close enough to the right size for me.

Cleats.

The nasty plastic cleats on the back of the boat had to go. They were held on with SS bolts and steel nuts and had to be cut off. These are the replacements.

I have almost decided I don't like the deck paint on the back. It looks great, but it's about like 24 grit sandpaper. Great for traction. Not so good for a girl sitting in a bikini. I'm still considering my options. I might paint over it with something else to smooth it up some or go to plan C.

Toyman01 wrote: I have almost decided I don't like the deck paint on the back. It looks great, but it's about like 24 grit sandpaper. Great for traction. Not so good for a girl sitting in a bikini.

first world problems, eh?

In reply to ClemSparks:

Not really. I imagine the same problem would exist if she was wearing a loin cloth.

In reply to bgkast:

Touche.

Still...not a lot of sympathy flowing forth

KiwiGrip is made as a non-skid for boats. The texture is variable depending on how grippy you want it...I went for a smooth-ish finish (grey over white base) so that it wouldn't be up people knees or dog paw pads:

It ain't cheap but comes out nice, and very easy to work with. I can take a closer-up pic if requested.

In reply to MattGent:

That looks great!

I looked at that stuff. Pricey it is, but all the reviews were great. It was tempting but more than I want to spend right now. This thing was supposed to be cheap.

My plans for now, are to finish it out with what I have. I'm going to be top coating the X10 with Rustoleum marine top coat. It's an enamel that is smoothing out the X10 some. So, all horizontal surfaces will get one layer of X10 and then two to three layers of the top coat. All vertical surfaces will get the top coat alone. We'll see how it turns out.

Toyman01 wrote: I have almost decided I don't like the deck paint on the back. It looks great, but it's about like 24 grit sandpaper. Great for traction. Not so good for a girl sitting in a bikini.

Remove bikini, problem solved.

We will start with an overall of the back half of the boat.

I have gotten a little more done today.

Ventilation system complete.

Right side is exhaust, left in intake.

It draws air into the fan and blows it out of the hose.

This is the intake hose that runs to the front of the engine compartment in the next picture.

All covered up with a louvered vent.

Switch panel and ignition switch installed.

Mounting box for the throttle lever built. It's been sanded and has a coat of epoxy on it now.

This afternoon will be more sanding and painting.

More to come.

A little more done. All the horizontal surfaces have their first coat of paint.

More to come.

Have you considered using a twist grip on the tiller for the throttle? It would probably be nice to have the option of a free hand and being able to sit on either side and still drive.

In reply to bgkast:

That's certainly an option, but I'll have to see how I like the lever for now. It's already rigged and ready to mount. My main thought for using a lever is those long hauls where I probably won't want to hold the throttle constantly.

Interior paint is done 100%. It's darker than I had planned, but the inside of the boat was way too rough for a gloss paint and apparently if you are in SC, flat paints that are available are white, black and 14 different colors of camouflage. It'll do and actually looks pretty good.

This is the way the rear of the engine lid came out.

Sorry about the pictures, it's damn near dark here.

I'll try to shoot some in the daylight tomorrow.

These are a little better.