New dash for a whaler?

[Bozol]

I live in a really cold place (Inuvik, Canadian arctic) and the center console on my 17 Boston Whaler montauk just leaves me chilly after a day on the water when it's -10 outside. The console is single seat custom built and is aft of center. Since buying a new engine and gambling on weight, it's become clear I have to move weight forward. I was thinking of removing the center console and installing a proper dash with windsheild. Some people I've spoken to have told me not to as it would 'ruin the whaler feel' and be a lot of work. Does anybody know if you can actually safely install a dash on a whaler? How about ways to stay warm and dry with center consoles? Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[erikgreen]

Re: New dash for a whaler?

Installing a dash is up to you... it's not too hard, since it's not really structural, and you end up with exactly what you want.

As to "losing the whaler feel" I think that's up to you, not everyone else

I'd suggest building a mock-up of your proposed dash out of cardboard, place it in the boat and see if it looks good. If it's what you want, cut the parts out of 1/4" plywood and cover with fiberglass. Then paint or gelcoat (gelcoat assumes you're using poly resin).

As to staying warm and dry... in a boat that size it's hard. You could put a small electric heater in your new dash to blow right on you, keep your hands warm. Put a plexiglass windshield on it just big enough to keep the rain and snow out of your face. Maybe even plan to put a T-top on the new dash/console to keep the rain off.

Other than that, you'd need to get a bigger boat with capacity for a camper top or enclosed pilot station

Erik

 

[berry79]

Re: New dash for a whaler?

-10 degrees. I can't even imagine. I wouldn't leave the house, or dare to even get in a boat. I don't how the people up north do it. I guess I'm to used to this tropical climate. As for the boat, do what ever you think would be best. Who cares what others think. It's your boat, and if you want a dash then I say go for it.

 

[jqwhaler]

Re: New dash for a whaler?

You can get a full OEM set of canvas that will totally enclose your deck area from Mills Canvas. http://www.millscanvas.com

Or you can have a local canvas maker sew one up for you. (But I assume you don't have many local canvas makers up there...)

 

[Bozol]

Re: New dash for a whaler?

Thanks for the advice. I already have full canvas for the boat but it's a real pain to put up and down and needs some fiberglass work regardless. As I have concluded I needed to move the weight forward anyway, I wanted to see if its possible to build a dash. I like the cardboard idea. I've worked with fiberglass before, but not gelcoat - is it hard to work with? I have a great heated workspace.

We do have a relatively 'local' canvas maker in a town called Fort Macpherson, about 2.5 hours drive from here on the Dempster highway. They do tents mainly but can do boats too. https://www.fmtent.ca/store/Stores_App/store.asp?Store_id=129&Shopper_ID=387491085093874&page_id=5

 

[erikgreen]

Re: New dash for a whaler?

Gelcoat is just polyester resin with coloring agents and possibly other additives depending on your brand.

The big thing with it is that it's a pain to work with unless you're molding or you don't care how it looks too much.

It needs to be isolated from air to harden, either with a coating of wax or pva or plastic. Unless you're molding once it's hard you need to fair and smooth it, which is a ton of sanding. It's hard stuff, takes a long time to shape and longer to smooth (and lots of wet sanding).

All that said, it's the most durable coat for the console, and I've seen a couple that were done with spray on gelcoat and just left rough.

I'd recommend you use plywood to shape the console, cover with fiberglass, fair or smooth with fiberglass putty, then use a good quality paint. There are a few other folks here who've done consoles... your process won't be significantly different from theirs, especially if you have a heated work area, so do a search and look through the "completed" section for lots of examples.

Post pics and questions here as you work

Erik

 

[Bozol]

Re: New dash for a whaler?

Supposing I have all the tools and materials, and can work 2-3 hours a day on it, how long will something like this take? I am not the most experienced when dealing with fiberglass. Thanks for the advice. I won't be starting this project for a couple of months, but when I do be sure there'll be lots of questions and pictures. Something for me and my buddies to do that reminds us of summer when it's 24 hours dark and -45`C outside!


Bozol

 

[jqwhaler]

Re: New dash for a whaler?

Supposing you do build a dash, and use gelcoat, you can get the OEM stuff from Spectrum Color...pricey but a good match. http://www.spectrumcolor.com
I am assuming you have your battery(ies) in the console? That will help with the weight if you haven't already put them there.

 

[erikgreen]

Re: New dash for a whaler?

Supposing I have all the tools and materials, and can work 2-3 hours a day on it, how long will something like this take? I am not the most experienced when dealing with fiberglass. Thanks for the advice. I won't be starting this project for a couple of months, but when I do be sure there'll be lots of questions and pictures. Something for me and my buddies to do that reminds us of summer when it's 24 hours dark and -45`C outside!


Bozol

If you're just building the console and putting it in, and you have all the materials you need when you need 'em, you should be able to finish working 2-3 hours a day in something like a month to six weeks, or two to three months for a really, really nice console.

Good winter project. I'm doing something similar here when there's snow on the ground.

Erik

 

[Bozol]

Re: New dash for a whaler?

Cool, a 3 month project over the winter that'll make my boat sweet!

What kind of equipment do I need to gelcoat? I understand you spray it on so is a compressor or pump needed?

 

[allpoints360]

Re: New dash for a whaler?

Cool, a 3 month project over the winter that'll make my boat sweet!

But what are you going to do with the other 6 months of your winter? LoL

Good luck.

 

[Bozol]

Re: New dash for a whaler?

I figure I should begin ordering my stuff as it takes a while to get it in the mail here. Over the weekend I realized I have no idea what to get! Based on the information in this post, would somebody be able to get me pointed in the right direction as to:

- what fiberglass and resin to use?
- what other sealants, fillers or liquids I might want to get?
- what type of gelcoat I should use?
- what tools I'm going to need to do all this?

As always, all the help is super appreciated!

Bozol

 

[erikgreen]

Re: New dash for a whaler?

Well, I'd recommend you start reading lots of back archived posts here to get an idea of how people do things... make sure you've done your background reading before you start and your project will go much more smoothly. Use the search function to look for terms like "console" and "gelcoat" and "poly vs. epoxy" etc.

The console isn't structural, so you can experiment with it and learn if you like. I'd recommend you go with poly resin (ordinary fiberglass resin) and poly gelcoat. One good source is uscomposites.com, but others here have other recommendations. Use a good grade of exterior rated plywood if you use wood.

I'd go with what's cheapest. You could build your console out of plywood and cover it with a layer of mat and cloth, or just mat, or biaxial cloth with stitched on mat.

Or you could even skip the mat and just spray gelcoat directly on the wood... that'd be less durable but waterproof and easier. To spray gelcoat you need a gelcoat dump gun... check the cheap ones at uscomposites out. Honestly, it's really meant to be molded more than sprayed though, so if you're imagining a smoothly contoured console like the factory makes you won't get it without an insane amount of work.

If you want to know how gelcoating works, spend the time to read through Oops' "Hull Extension" thread. You'll also see some great examples there of construction techniques of various types.

Good luck, and ask specific questions here when you have 'em.

Erik

 

[Bozol]

Re: New dash for a whaler?

I've been doing some research on iboats and continuouswave about this thread and have some questions as a result:

1. Should I be using poly or epoxy for the dash glass? If I make out of plywood do I need a layer of csm first? (by the way, what does csm stand for?)
2. The dash is going to be further forward than the wood supports in the deck - can I grind out and add some in myself? Can I grind down to the glass and not worry about wood? Should I pop the deck off and redo some stuff - this is not my preferred option.
3. I wouldn't mind installing a gas tank in the bow so same questions as above, but instead of for a console, for a gas tank.

Cheers,

Bozol

 

[erikgreen]

Re: New dash for a whaler?

I've been doing some research on iboats and continuouswave about this thread and have some questions as a result:

1. Should I be using poly or epoxy for the dash glass? If I make out of plywood do I need a layer of csm first? (by the way, what does csm stand for?)

Chopped Strand Mat, aka mat. If you use poly you need mat, the wood type doesn't matter, just the resin type. I like epoxy because of the strength, others like poly. You can't gelcoat over epoxy, so if you're gelcoating you need to use poly.

2. The dash is going to be further forward than the wood supports in the deck - can I grind out and add some in myself? Can I grind down to the glass and not worry about wood? Should I pop the deck off and redo some stuff - this is not my preferred option.

We'd need some pics to be sure. You can add in more supports (more weight) or grind down to the glass if needed. Adding below deck support would be safest, but it depends on how far you're going forward and what's there now.

3. I wouldn't mind installing a gas tank in the bow so same questions as above, but instead of for a console, for a gas tank.

Same kinda deal. Make sure your bow can support the weight of a full tank of gas (7 lbs per gallon). There may not be much under-deck structure in the bow, so use your best judgement as to whether it can support the weight... there's probably not a good way to add more support due to shape and space limitations. I recommend a triangular bow-type fuel tank.

Erik