Ongoing Concolor Mods

[jrodda]

This hull is my dream boat, but boy do I have my work cut out for me. I will put all of the projects big and small right here. Right now I'm tackling a bunch of the small stuff.

One of the first things was getting some rod holders in so I could troll for pelagics. Got it done last week. Used a 2" hole saw bit to get through the gunnel and made sure to f@ck up the gel coat along the way just so people know for sure I was there.



Put a G10 fiberglass plate on the bottom that my buddy Chris helped cut with his circular saw. It already felt pretty solid with just washers but that made it great.



There are a zillion holes in this thing to the point where I think the old owner was just doing it for weight reduction. I can't even fathom what they were trying to do here.



Also random sh!t that never got removed, like this. There are 3 wires that were cut short on the backside so it seems like a toggle switch but it's seized and doesn't move. The flat heads are corroded to hell so it will be awful to remove and then I'll just have a hole in the gunnel, so I might leave it. Or I could remove it and put a cool sticker over it...



The cleats are a bit corroded but they will hold for a while. Medium term project.

I still need to wrap my head around the electrical work on the boat, which is not my forte. I also need to capitalize on this space a bit more as it's one of only 4 hatches. Just need to find the less flammable things to put in there.



I like the rail but it could use some more reinforcement. Also pictured here are two of too many fenders on the boat (6). I am replacing all 6 of this style with 2 EVA foam ones which are smaller, more modern looking, and can double as a seat cushion. The black 4 prong thing on the rail in the middle is a downrigge ball holder which the previous owner said he never used because it was too far forward. Why it was ever put near the bow is beyond me.



Console is interesting but needs work. FF is old. It works, but doesn't give me a temp reading as far as I can tell. It was also on the fritz this weekend, though did work on day 2. I replaced the broken compass for my own slightly less broken compass for now. Maybe make room the FF level for my phone so I can have my phone up with Navionics. the steering wheel is a bit low so I'm going to try a suicide knob first, but might put a spacer under the wheel.



I find these chairs not very god looking, but it is surprisingly comfortable. It sits a bit low, though. I would like to eventually build a box for storage under the seat. Chris was saying I should build the box a bit long going astern so my mate can sit behind me and monitor the rods. Not a bad idea, though the dimensions are a bit tight.



I removed a bunch of grommet fasteners for tarps today that were phillips heads, though some are pretty seized and I'm gonna have to go back through with Corrosion X or something. I'm going to fill those and some other holes wit h bondo short strand fiberglass putty once I watch a video on how to do that.



Then there are these. Idk wtf I'm gonna do about them yet.



The hatches never got their hinges fully assembled because previous owners realized the hatch runs right into the gunnel as you open it. The latch holes are 1" and 3/4" which don't really fit the universal 2" latches and are gonna be awkward to keep drilling out with a 2" bit for those. But, I need to do something about them, because these corners are the only wet part of the boat.



Need to put carpet on the side bunks still, and more likely hard plastic type stuff on the floor bunks.



I do like this boat though, one picture of admiring instead of bitching. Op! Just kidding. Those little corners to hold a cooler need to come off. That bow floor either needs to be reinforced with coosa or removed and totally redone, but I won't be standing up there myself.



I wanna put horizontal rod/gaff storage on at least one side of the hull. I was originally thinking something like a putty adhesive and a DIY plastic hook hold system, but Chris said I should really fiberglass it in.



Trying to sell the Honda 8hp kicker outboard that came with it so I cleaned the carb. PITA but it runs good now and ready for a new owner.



After fishing it, the fuel line had a crack, so I have a fresh fuel line now to install tomorrow. I think there's a male connector installed into the boat right here so I can just take the primer bulb kit and cut it shorter on the one end.



Chris installed these rod holders onto the rail overnight while it was at his house. Very generous and a great touch.



The nonskid currently on the DIY side floors was made for shoes, not barefoot. I will redo that eventually. But I didn't slip.

[Latimeria]

That looks almost exactly like my "Square Boma" project.  Tackle some of the cheaper and easier things first because once you are at the end game and put a coat of paint inside, it's going to make that baby dazzle!

Thanks for the post as it's bringing back a lot of old memories of the Boma.  I probably have a few things for your boat in my garage.  I'll look for a few things and send you pics if you want any of them.