Everyone boat builder in town seems booked up. I just purchased a new top and I’m looking to have the metal work done to add taco outrigger plates and get the front and rear bows on the frame to match the hard top.
Oswald’s is super busy, and I don’t think they will be able to help for a while. The boat is 13 ft tall, and I don’t think it can make it down the road to carolina custom rigging. The frame would be a challenge to remove from the boat since everything seems to be glued on.
Are there any metal workers out there that can take on a job like this? How much should it cost?
If I can’t find a metal worker I might have to make some shims from marine lumber until winter.
For what you will pay and the time it takes to fix that problem… There are better solutions.I can give you some ideas if you want. What size is the main tube running around the frame?
-Albemarle 248xf “Chella”
-Dolphin 18BC Pro
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“Everybody dances when shotgun sings” Stewart and Winfield
Take it back up the road to Happy Bob (outside of Columbia). He did the mounts for the outriggers on my Sailfish and I was completely satisfied. I’m sure he could make and weld some spacers or brackets to secure your top and it would be top-notch.
thats not a bad idea. Its a long haul, but columbia wont be that bad for good work. I’ll see if I can PM him. He is a busy man, I wonder if he could squeeze me in.
Im wondering if I could get some shims made from coosa and glassed in. That would look nice and might make the top even stronger. That would buy me some time but wouldn’t fix my problem with the outrigger mounts.
I’ve been debating on whether to chime in on this. To rework the fwd. & aft ring to match the fiberglass could be pricy. Both sections would have to be cut out just beyond the bends & new parts made to fit. Fairly labor intensive. I could make some brackets for functional mounting purposes, but it wouldn’t look quite right. A sore thumb kind of look, in my opinion. The idea of some kind of “molded in” spacer like you mentioned would probably look the best without doing any metal rework.
Do you have the Taco outrigger plates or would they have to be bought, made, or whatever? Depending on that, there may be additional metal work to be done to accommodate them.
Removing the frame for transport shouldn’t be too difficult. Just a matter of unscrewing everything. a little heat from a heat gun to soften the 5200(glue) and a guitar string or piano wire to slide under the pad should work.
Holler if I can help.
Bob Van Gundy
Marine Designs,Inc.
Custom Aluminum Fabrication
803-727-4069
Bob, I think you and I are on the same page. To do the job right would require cutting off 1/3 of the top.
I got the top from Andy at riptide boats. He did a great job with it. I asked if he could glass in some shims, and he agreed. I took the lid and frame off, and only lost a tiny bit of gel coat. I’m dropping the frame and top off this week. Hopefully it wont be too tricky to make the shims.
The next challenge will be getting the plates installed for the tacos. There are no provisions installed for mounting and I don’t have any parts yet. Adding a couple bows should not be too tough for a person who bends pipe all day.
Sorry Dewgas. Before I got your response I was already working with Andy at Riptide boats about getting the top adjusted to fit.
Andy did a great job making and adjusting the lid.
Mark over at Carolina Custom Rigging is going to do the plates as soon as he gets a chance. He built two tops for me, and now he’s going to squeeze me in again.
I know you guys like pictures, so I’ll post up a couple of the composite work. Check out the shims he added. Its a really close fit now. I have to add pictures from my phone, so I’ll add them soon.
