Another Whaler Project, 15' - Done and Launched

[dtmackey]

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Originally posted by Sailor


How many dancing disco LED lights are you putting in? [8D][][]

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I may be David, but last name starts with "M" not "B".[]

Looked at the Yami 70hp after work and it was clean. Lake motor, compression was over 120psi and everything worked. It will get new paint and decals so it has the nice glossy appearance. Controls, harness, cable and digital tach were included. I may even score the battery and I got at the price I wanted to pay. Left deposit and go back early Sat morning to remove from the baot and pay the balance then drive to NH to store in the barn until ready to tackle the motor.

Got home and ordered a fuel fill (another custom idea) to compliment the kelch tank fill adapter purchases last night. Also ordered the OEM Whaler rubrail and new stainless bow light.

D-

[Triplecrownnc]

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Originally posted by dtmackey

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Originally posted by Sailor


How many dancing disco LED lights are you putting in? [8D][][]

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I may be David, but last name starts with "M" not "B".[]

D-

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I know Ive been rubbing off on you Dave, I expect to see some real bling on this one. []

[wellcraft]

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Originally posted by dtmackey

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Originally posted by wellcraft


Btw, I have the molded storage compartment, but it's designed to fit a 12 gal fuel tank, I had to modify mine to be able to fit the 15 gal fuel tank.

I have that exact kit, got everything specialty marine had available for the 15 whaler, they gave me a great package deal as I wanted everything, a few months later i ordered the Bimini top from then too. I even got the cushion for the bow.

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The interior from Specialty Marine runs about $1,100 and the bow locked is sold separately for another $150, which I can build for a fraction of that. I'm also making mods to the console raising it 3" and the rear seat 2" in addition to extending the rear compartment 2". Since the tank is under the seat, it will still give me enough storage and not eat up space in the rear of the boat. All wiring and gas fill will be hidden. I also really like the look of teak and holly, but that's not practical, so I'm thinking about laminating up mahogany and maple to achieve the same look and that wood is not oily, so it'll accept 3 coats of West Epoxy with 207 hardener and then 3 - 4 coats of sprayed varnish, possibly topped with 2 coats of urethane clear. Still working out the details.



D-

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It was like 7 or 8 years ago when I purchased everything from them and it was a lot cheaper. The way I modified mine you can't see the tank or wiring, that was one of the things it was important to me. To fill up the fuel tank you have to open the locker, I added a lock to that lid also. I would post pictures but now I have no idea how to do it. Teak and holly is what I wold like to use in my Carolina Classic 25 for the 8nterior floor, love the way it looks.

By the way, I was looking at those pictures of the whalers with bigger engines like a month ago and I'm actually contemplating the idea of using the mercury 115hp I have from the mako project. It does 45 mph with the current 70hp.

[dtmackey]

quote:

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Originally posted by wellcraft

quote:

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Originally posted by dtmackey

quote:

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Originally posted by wellcraft


Btw, I have the molded storage compartment, but it's designed to fit a 12 gal fuel tank, I had to modify mine to be able to fit the 15 gal fuel tank.

I have that exact kit, got everything specialty marine had available for the 15 whaler, they gave me a great package deal as I wanted everything, a few months later i ordered the Bimini top from then too. I even got the cushion for the bow.

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The interior from Specialty Marine runs about $1,100 and the bow locked is sold separately for another $150, which I can build for a fraction of that. I'm also making mods to the console raising it 3" and the rear seat 2" in addition to extending the rear compartment 2". Since the tank is under the seat, it will still give me enough storage and not eat up space in the rear of the boat. All wiring and gas fill will be hidden. I also really like the look of teak and holly, but that's not practical, so I'm thinking about laminating up mahogany and maple to achieve the same look and that wood is not oily, so it'll accept 3 coats of West Epoxy with 207 hardener and then 3 - 4 coats of sprayed varnish, possibly topped with 2 coats of urethane clear. Still working out the details.



D-

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It was like 7 or 8 years ago when I purchased everything from them and it was a lot cheaper. The way I modified mine you can't see the tank or wiring, that was one of the things it was important to me. To fill up the fuel tank you have to open the locker, I added a lock to that lid also. I would post pictures but now I have no idea how to do it. Teak and holly is what I wold like to use in my Carolina Classic 25 for the 8nterior floor, love the way it looks.

By the way, I was looking at those pictures of the whalers with bigger engines like a month ago and I'm actually contemplating the idea of using the mercury 115hp I have from the mako project. It does 45 mph with the current 70hp.

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Feel free to email me pics of the fuel tank and storage, would love to see your setup. I'm headed to buy mahogany lumber if time permits tomorrow.

mackeyboat(at) gmail (dot) com

D-

[Justin]

My 17' Montauk with a 2000 90 Johnson does about 44mph...and that is moving for that boat...I could easily see falling out in any kind of chop.

A 115 on a 15' would be too hairy IMO...especially with a teenager at the helm.

[dtmackey]

On Friday I headed to the place I purchased mahogany from when I did the 13' Whaler project and the widths and lengths they had were no ideal and would have produced lots of waste. It was fun going through their inventory though.

4" thick teak beams. [:0]



Mahogany boards over 4' wide.





Prices were $9 - $11 pbf and I'm headed to another yard where the prices are in the $7 pbf and will visit next Sat.

This morning I headed to grab the motor I looked at earlier this week and removed it from the boat. Motor is nice and included controls, rigging and tach. Getting it into the truck wasn't fun at 225lbs.



Unloading was a little easier and I used the outboard unloader tool, which comes in handy.



Installed the new rollers and bunks on the trailer and the boat slid right on.



The Evinrude was listed and have someone coming on Monday to possibly purchase.

D-

[makorider]

I grew up in a 15 whaler. Will fly with a 60/70. Fast enough that you have to be careful into a headwind...we didnt have pt/t...I vividly remember twice we almost flipped it. Like 'that' close to the bow going over our heads.

Nice find.

[dtmackey]

Good night tonight. Buyer came for the Evinrude 60 and heard it run and did a compression check and everything looked good. He gave me asking price once I told him I had 4 others in line. I loaded it in his truck and now the transom is bare.



More parts arrived and that's about it as far as things to order. I now need mahogany so I can start fabricating the interior. Making room in my garage the boat and spend the winter and I can work on it as time permits.

D-

[dtmackey]

Visited 3 lumber yards this week that carry exotic woods and the first two were disappointing. A 50 mile ride today was worth the time and gas. This place has everything and I mean everything. This is just one of the wood sheds.



Met the owners daughter and told her how impressed I was with the lumber yard and she mentioned that they work hard to carry as much as they can and appreciated the positive comment.

Purchased a bunch of Sipo Mahogany and soft maple since they are almost the same in hardness. This board is 14" across.



Teak and holly always looks nice, but teak is $30/bf and holly about $15/bf. Mahogany is $7/bf and soft maple $4/bf and easier to work with. The two make a teak a holly look alike,



This will be for the console and seat back along with the storage compartment that I'm extending 3".



Seats in 5/4" ready to be glued.



Side already cut and raised 1.5".



Need to purchase another couple boards and will be all set. Love the way this looks.

D-

[dtmackey]

Not much other than gluing up the wood. Next glue up the seats and other items. I'll do more of the mahogany and maple next weekend after I hit the lumber place again on Sat.



This will house a fuel fill and mount on the back of the seat in the compartment since the tank will be buried at the bottom. This should look nice with the two woods and stainless fuel fill.





Not much more until next weekend.

D-

[dtmackey]

Bought the remaining wood and prepped it for glue. Also planed and sanded the seats and put a nice radius on the edges.













This is the fuel fill that will be mounted in the rear storage compartment with a hose direct to the 15 gal tank.





Next weekend I can cut everything to size and fit in the boat and then start sanding and prepping for finish work.

D-

[dtmackey]

Little more done today. Sanded the seats and coated with epoxy and it darkens the wood more than I'd like, so thinking I may just leave the seats epoxy coated and stick to varnish for the rest of the boat.

I will say the epoxy is strong and I torqued on a laminated board and it broke at the wood, not the epoxied interface.





Here's the untrimmed interior.



D-

[dtmackey]

Little more progress, mostly varnish. Was hoping to cut interior, but was raining on the day I wanted to and the boat was soaked.

Fuel fill





Seats, 3 coats West Epoxy, 4 coats varnish and still putting more on.





Front compartment hatch. Only 3 coats varnish and still going.





Random piece I glued up with leftovers. Too thin for a cutting board. Any ideas what to do with it?



D-

[gmcauliffe]

>Random piece I glued up with leftovers. Too thin for a cutting board. Any ideas what to do with it?

Serving tray or cheese tray?

Round it up to an oval, some new cleats as handles?

(PS--As always, great project. Wish was for my kids!)

[dtmackey]

Roughed out the console tonight and still need to radius a couple corners and rout all the edges. Took far longer than expected. The joints will be glued with West Epoxy and then screwed with bungs sanded down to match the wood and then the process of varnishing starts and takes about 10 days to get the desired number of coats (10).









I'll work on the rear compartment this Sat and then be ready to sand and varnish the side pieces and rear compartment which should take me into November. Eager to start on the hull, but want all the wood done and stored before starting.

Not that this boat needs a chartplotter/fish finder, but it would be nice to sink something into that dash. Suggestions in a 5 - 6" screen? Looking at the Raymarine 5" Firefly units.

D-