mercury outboard

The engine is a mercury 75hp outboard (1993) 3 cylinder carburettor version, its a 2 stroke with auto oil mix. I will make a plate for the transom to raise the engine as it is a longshaft 20" and the transom is only 16". The trim and tilt all work well and the engine is in good condition overall.I am looking for a 14ft steering cable for it ( larger style cable for 55hp and above) hoping that this engine will push the boat along with little effort and therefore cut down on fuel costs , but i must admit this is all a bit of trial and errror and i may end up swapping for another engine at a later date , i will keep you posted :)

Windscreen frame and cabin front lipping

The windscreen frame and cabin lippings were constructed from strips of ash which i bent in my steamer and clamped in place to set. I made a former for the winscreen frame from a 3" thick piece of cellotex and bent the steamed ash around to set. I will encase the windscreen frame in polished aluminium for added strength .

Boat jumble

Picked up some nice pieces at the solent boat jumble in southampton last weekend. Amongst them were two 22 litre plastic fuel tanks as i have decided not to fit the large stainless tank , also picked up enough stainless trim to finish the job and a leisure battery ( 12v 72 amp hour ) . some nice chrome hinges that i will use for the rear seat, and the stainless screws to fit all the trim with( A4 grade stainless steel). Made a few more contacts aswell that i will use in the future.

Bench seats

For the bench seats i have used 12mm marine ply and screwed and glued this to a softwood frame for added strength . The rear seat will be hinged from its front edge to allow access to the battery and fuel tanks that will be housed behind the seat. The front seat will be fixed solid . I have ordered some 4" firm (blue) foam for the seat scwabs and shall be using marine grade vinyl for the seat covering. The top photo shows both front and rear seats tilted forward on hinges , this was the easiest way to fix the seats so scraped the idea of solid mounting the front seat. One thing i have found during this build is that nothing is written in stone and the ability to adjust and alter your plans will help you progress with minimal fustration . The backs of the seats are bolted to the seat bases, this should help when it comes to covering the seats with vinyl .

Riva Style Bow light / cleat and bow fairleads

Front navigation light with flagstaff,riva style front cleat and bow fairleads, all were ebay purchases and should blend well with the boat to give it that classic italian look. all are chrome plated brass and the cleat is bolted from below deck for extra strength.

Deck planking

Spent 3 days sanding and shaping the deck boards , ready to receive 2 coats of epoxy sealer. second picture shows the deck after the sealer coats have been applied. I will fit out before the final coats of varnish ( expecting to apply 20 coats of varnish to get the depth of gloss that is required)

fuel tank

This is a picture of a stainless steel fuel tank bought off ebay ,estimated to hold 129 litres. It fits in behind the rear seats and should provide me with a good range. It had alot of caramelized sugar in it when i bought it which had to be cleaned out using acetone,also the fuel sender and fuel pickup pipe were rusted out so will need to be replaced.(forgot to say that it has internal baffles to stop the fuel sloshing around whilst cornering)

An update from my original plans as my original layout left no room for the battery.  Now the battery sits neatly between twin Quicksilver 25ltr tanks .

Modifications that i have made to the tanks are as follows -- I drilled and tapped the filler caps to take a spiggot and tube attached to an external vent .   I also fitted fuel tank senders that are wired to twin fuel gauges on the dashboard. Both tanks are fitted into a custom made wooden cradle and strapped down with webbing straps.

 Fuel vent for both tanks is mounted externally in the splashwell .

3/16 " fuel line and primer bulb