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Thread: Flathead's Combee TomCat

  1. #41
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    Re: Flathead's Combee TomCat

    LMAO for sure Duane.
    Mike - Eastern NE

    We live on the surface of a rock hurling through space...some things are bound to happen.

  2. #42
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    Re: Flathead's Combee TomCat

    Hey Flathead,
    looks like you got a good idea of where your going with this.
    My question is how are you going to fasten the poly to the fiberglass? From what I found is that not much will stick to it. I'm curious.
    Keep the pic's comming .
    thanks Bogger
    Boat specs:
    Hull, 116 fiberglass
    Bottom, Frog spit
    Motor, Rotax 532 dual carb
    65 ponies to push with
    Reduction, 2.58/1
    Prop, IVO 62in.3blade adjustable
    Rigging, 0.5 and 0.75 emt

    All still under construction

  3. #43

    Re: Flathead's Combee TomCat

    You caught me Bogger,

    When I first formulated this plan I went online and found a few specialty adhesives that seemed to be a workable solution. Reinforced with screws or rivets. Nothing much likes to stick to hdpe. (as you know). However, I neglected to look into the price of the products. My plan is now to use lots of screws. Lots and lots of screws....... If welding aluminum was one of my skills, I probably would have went in that direction instead of the hdpe. If anyone has a proven method of attaching the two material, I'd love to hear about it......

    Bruce

  4. #44
    KWAZY old Southerner... Duane Scarborough's Avatar
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    Re: Flathead's Combee TomCat

    Bruce,

    I can't help you with that. But you seem to be able to pull a rabbit out of a hat. I don't know how that is done, and I don't know how you'll pull this trick off either.

    It'll be interesting to see....

    Good luck with it, we're sitting on the edge of our seat....

    Thanks,

    Duane
    A KWAZY old Southerner... and darn PROUD of it.

    Airboat Pros MiniPro 116 / Frog Spit
    SS rigging - with side by side seating
    Teledyne 4A084-4 engine
    Solex H30/31 Carb
    Arrow Prop 1.73:1 reduction
    67" Whirlwind 2 blade Mini Prop

    under construction

  5. #45
    MAA Vendor

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    Re: Flathead's Combee TomCat

    Hey Bruce, I would build the bottom back with fiberglass and then fasten the polymer to the fiberglass. The Polymer will not work as the bottom by itself. It will flex too much. You can build a plywood bed to set the bottom on to act as a mold. Make the bed flat and sand it smooth, seal it good with a good sealer, put about 3 coats of mold wax on it. Set the hull on the new mold and do your bottom lay-up overlapping the sides of the hull.
    Chuck

  6. #46

    Re: Flathead's Combee TomCat

    I thought long and hard about Chucks advice. (thanks Chuck) Really, I did. If the voice of experience says to do something, it's usually a good idea to do it. However, after much deliberation, I have decided to stay the course and go with a poly bottom. (Besides, I hate fiberglass work and had already bought the poly).
    We attached to poly this week. My wife and I are on vacation this week, so we knuckled down and got-r-done. After some experimentation, I found a product that would make a passable sealant. I'd rate it about 7 out of 10 for it's ability to stick to poly. A friend hooked me up with stainless screws and nuts and off we went.

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  7. #47

    Re: Flathead's Combee TomCat

    Here's some more pics......

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  8. #48

    Re: Flathead's Combee TomCat

    Oops, got some of the captions wrong. FATCAT current weight 265lbs. Not light, but lighter than it was........

    I'll keep posting as I make more progress.

    HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

    Flathead

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  9. #49
    KWAZY old Southerner... Duane Scarborough's Avatar
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    Re: Flathead's Combee TomCat

    Flathead,

    Well, that's certainly.... (Oh crap, what's the right word...) Oh yeah, DIFFERENT. That's it.

    I'm sure that you'll find a way to make it work.

    Honestly, I would not have the cajones to try what you are doing, but I think you'll make it work.

    After all, who'd have thought that Buster's Subaru starter was going to work? (Well, there was Buster...)

    Duane
    A KWAZY old Southerner... and darn PROUD of it.

    Airboat Pros MiniPro 116 / Frog Spit
    SS rigging - with side by side seating
    Teledyne 4A084-4 engine
    Solex H30/31 Carb
    Arrow Prop 1.73:1 reduction
    67" Whirlwind 2 blade Mini Prop

    under construction

  10. #50

    Re: Flathead's Combee TomCat

    Thanks for the vote of confidence Duane.

    My plan at the moment is to complete the boat just enough so I can test it. SAFETY is my biggest concern. A propeller whipping around at 3000rpm's or so will make a mess of anything it comes in contact with. I plan on my kids being able to run this boat, so you know I'm serious about it. If it's anything but solid and reliable, I'm going to scrap the FATCAT and move on.
    After safety, comes performance. Not so much about how fast it may go, but how slow and/or poorly it may handle. It may turn out to be a lost cause. If so, lesson learned and move on.
    However, if it turns out good , then I'll spend the time to really finish it up, you know paint and all....

    I think it's time to get serious about welding aluminum........

    Bruce

  11. #51

    Re: Flathead's Combee TomCat

    I dont see how this is going to work its gonna be dangerous be safe and put a helmet on during the testing

  12. #52

    Re: Flathead's Combee TomCat

    David,

    I'll be standing 200 ft. away from it during static testing, trust me

    Bruce

  13. #53

    Re: Flathead's Combee TomCat

    Ok, FATCAT progress since my last post.
    I know this whole thing may seem a little weird, but I think it's going to work out OK. To start out with, I know the poly is not nearly rigid enough to withstand the forces generated by the engine. So I needed to come up with a way to channel the thrust from the engine into the hull without going 'thru' the poly. Here's some pics of what I came up with. I'm calling it a 'working mock-up'. Certainly not a finished product but functional enough for testing.
    My rationale is, as the motor begins to produce thrust, the lion's share of the force will be transmitted to the fiberglass portion of the boat thru the strut, effectively bypassing the poly. The function of the aluminum framework you see is simply to keep the poly from flexing. I'll be able to test it, and if all works out OK, then I'll remove the conduit supports and weld in something more permanent and I'll get the aluminum welded up as well. In addition, I'll probably glass in some reinforcement where the strut attaches to the boat.
    The weight of the boat before the aluminum, strut and engine stand was installed was 265lbs. I have not weighed it yet but I'm hoping the FATCAT is currently around 300lbs. Still lighter than the original.
    If anyone sees any gaps in my logic or engineering, I would welcome you input. By the way I don't plan to do anything crazy like putting a 125hp motor on it or anything like that. What, you think I'm NUTS?

    Flathead

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  14. #54
    Senior Geezer buster's Avatar
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    Re: Flathead's Combee TomCat

    Hey Flathead,

    Ya only live once, let it all hang out

    Actually it was Ron that decided to use a 125 hp engine. He heard about some guy having trouble getting a stock engine Tomcat to plane out right. Also, he said he wants it to run dry!

    Hopefully I won't have to ride in it when it's done

    As far as I can remember, airboaters never have been overly concerned about putting lots of power on their boats. It probably should be more of a consideration though.

    Dave
    IF YOU WON'T STAND BEHIND OUR TROOPS, THEN JUST STAND IN FRONT OF THEM!

  15. #55
    KWAZY old Southerner... Duane Scarborough's Avatar
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    Re: Flathead's Combee TomCat

    Flathead,

    I'm sure as heck not going to shoot down what you've done. It looks very good.

    But, as I look at your pictures, I wonder why you couldn't just lay fiberglass into the hull, on top of the stringers, and poly?

    Yeah, it's going to add some weight, but it'd also make it lots stronger.

    JMO, but I think that the struts you've added AND fiberglassing like I suggested would be the way to go.

    BTW, I just recently read about something called "peel-ply". It may make getting the outside of your fiberglass (on the transom and bow) work easier. One place called it the "poor man's gel coat". You may want to check it out.

    As for your and Buster's HP discussions, we all know that not having enough HP is a VERY BAD thing.

    Is there such a thing as having too much HP ? Of course there is. But it'd be nice to have "some" extra, for when you need it.

    Because it's there does not mean that you have to use all of it.

    I've probably NEVER used more than 75% of the available HP in my Chevy Colorado, but then it's certainly not underpowered for my needs.

    Just things for you to think about.....

    Good luck, and I'm looking forward to how it turns out.

    Duane
    A KWAZY old Southerner... and darn PROUD of it.

    Airboat Pros MiniPro 116 / Frog Spit
    SS rigging - with side by side seating
    Teledyne 4A084-4 engine
    Solex H30/31 Carb
    Arrow Prop 1.73:1 reduction
    67" Whirlwind 2 blade Mini Prop

    under construction

  16. #56

    Re: Flathead's Combee TomCat

    Duane,

    hmmmmm....you know, the idea of covering the poly and stringers with fiberglass had not occurred to me. Honestly. An interesting idea and a good working solution if the direction I'm going doesn't work out. Thanks airboat buddy.

    I just ordered up a book on rebuilding VW engines so I'll have some good reading material this weekend. I know part of the tomcat's problem was a weak motor. I had originally planned to reinstall the motor without a rebuild just to see if any of the changes I am making will make any real difference. However, come spring I want to hit the water running (so to speak) so I have decided to rebuild the motor before testing. I plan to be on the water as soon as the ice goes out.

    Gotta go, I have a motor to rebuild and a cage to fab up......

    Flathead

    By the way check out the cool pic my daughter took......

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  17. #57
    KWAZY old Southerner... Duane Scarborough's Avatar
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    Re: Flathead's Combee TomCat

    Flathead,

    That is a cool photo. There seems to be something about a side by side low seating mini that I like.

    Duane
    A KWAZY old Southerner... and darn PROUD of it.

    Airboat Pros MiniPro 116 / Frog Spit
    SS rigging - with side by side seating
    Teledyne 4A084-4 engine
    Solex H30/31 Carb
    Arrow Prop 1.73:1 reduction
    67" Whirlwind 2 blade Mini Prop

    under construction

  18. #58

    Re: Flathead's Combee TomCat

    Well, the testing phase has begun. It's been a couple of months since my last post, but work is continuing on the FATCAT. I've rebuilt the 'top' half of my VW engine. Replaced pistons, rings and cylinders with new and had the heads checked. Compression is back with tolerance and it's all tuned up. I've modified the cage to accept the higher motor mount. You can see the new conduit in the center. I've been running it quite a bit and it has not shook itself apart so today I ran it around my yard, pushing the trailer, me and the wheeler it's hooked up to. So far, so good. As soon as the ice is out, I'll test it on the water to see what, if anything, has been gained.

    Flathead

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  19. #59
    Senior Geezer buster's Avatar
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    Re: Flathead's Combee TomCat

    Looks good so far Bruce,

    It kinda looks like you made the hull as wide as your trailer would take.

    Hope it works out good for ya.

    Dave
    IF YOU WON'T STAND BEHIND OUR TROOPS, THEN JUST STAND IN FRONT OF THEM!

  20. #60
    KWAZY old Southerner... Duane Scarborough's Avatar
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    Re: Flathead's Combee TomCat

    Flathead,

    I agree with Buster.

    You've got it coming together.

    But you might not want to sit in the center of the seat for the water tests.

    Let us know how it does.

    Good luck !

    Duane

    P.S. Please wear a life jacket.
    A KWAZY old Southerner... and darn PROUD of it.

    Airboat Pros MiniPro 116 / Frog Spit
    SS rigging - with side by side seating
    Teledyne 4A084-4 engine
    Solex H30/31 Carb
    Arrow Prop 1.73:1 reduction
    67" Whirlwind 2 blade Mini Prop

    under construction

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