BIE Back in Business

[Wildfowl]

Well...all summer with nothing and now I have two projects to start on. Big Island Engineering is back in business.

If I learned anything at all from the forum it is that spring might not be the best time to start a project so I thought I better get started this fall.

I think I am going to call this one Pearl. Mostly because it reminds me of my best old dog Earl and it kind of looks like something that you would scrape out of a crusty old oyster. It was certainly in a crusty old pile.

It is 12'6'' X 61" bottom back X 17" transom. I thought about calling it the 1266117 but had an eerie bad feeling that could end up being the number of seconds I would have in the build and changed my mind. Besides CRWS/Mad Cow or what ever that is would not allow for it either.

It has a VW on it but I bought it for the glass. Might be able to scavenge the carb and intake and a few other notables.

Not for sure exactly what I have planned for the build but can tell you whatever it is it will all have to happen naturally...

You may have seen it before and here it is again with a few documentary before shots:










Here it is after a bath. I spent $13.75 at the car wash but I found one of the quarters on the ground so I am putting 13.50 in the books. There is a 4' level in some of the side and rear photos for scale.











Next step is to deploy the AERD and give the hull a good twice over for planning. She is probably going to need some new stringers and such to go with the new front deck.

Not sure what the hull is so if anyone has any thoughts they would be greatly appreciated. There are a couple of 1/2"deep X 1" wide X 24" long little rudder fins on the back bottom if that helps with the ID. Hard to make them out in the photos.

Big Island Engineering...where no part is the wrong part.
Situated in a secure and undisclosed location.

[Papee]

I enjoy your posts, good luck!

What is that prop? any numbers on it?

[Bogger2]

Wildfowl, Thats beauty in the rough. Keep us posted.
Bogger

[Wildfowl]

Thanks B2.

Papee... The prop is an Air-props Inc of FL. 52X24 The other number on it is 6376. By coincidence it is the same company and style I am swinging on the 400 in 72X34. That is my second project.

You can't tell form the picture but the laminations are sound and very tight they just look loose. The metal took a small nut strike on both edges but nothing too serious. The rivets are all sound and tight. They kept the prop in the house and rotated it every now an then. The bolt pattern is a little wobbly (go figure given the 18"? hub(s)) but still fairly sound looking.

I would suspect it will be somewhere in the ball park for what ever I decide to motor this thing with so I might use it as a tester or spare or wall hanger or whatever happens naturally.

Hey Buster...you know anybody looking for a VW prop hub? I might have a couple or three to spare. Serious, I have no desire to use them.

On second thought I am going to see about floating this thing before I take it apart...just to see how she sits in the water.

[Wildfowl]

Never get as much done as you would like but made a little progress:

I cleaned up the inside a bit more so I could get to work.





I took the rudders off so I wouldn't have to worry about them flying off while I was going down the road. Took her out to the lake to see how she floated.









She sat a little lower in the back than I would have liked, about 6-7", but she is carrrying about an extra 150# worth of iron and mscl. stuff that does not need to be there. That and the motor is so far back the prop was way outside the boat.

I started some deconstruction and the motor cover itself, with the iron frame, was pushing 18# and the iron blocks holding the slow moving vehicle sign on were 2.5# each. Sorry Buster the cover had to go. I might keep the SMV sign just for S&G.

I am fairly confident that the metal cooling housing, part iron hub, half a bell housing with a steel flywheel, and all of the extra stand steel will push the 125# mark.

I went to turn it over and she spun so I hooked it up to a battery and she turned over real good...that is...after I cut the belt from the frozen alternator with my pocket knife. The motor is clean and oiled so not sure what it's future will be.






Next steps are to take it for a weigh in as-is including deconstructed parts. Strip the engine and rigging with the AERD and weigh just the hull. That should be all of the base line I need to see what or if my next steps will be.

[buster]

Wildfowl,

I'm not sure at this point in time if I will need a VW prop hub or not. We haven't even decided what kind of engine will be used. I keep you in mind though.

Thanks, Dave

[Duane Scarborough]

Wildfowl,

It's good to hear that BIE is back in business. It does look a little rough, but seems solid enough.

On a rudder size to boat size ratio, I think it must deserve some sort of prize. They looked HUGE.

So, what engine do you think you'll use on this? Do you have any idea who built the hull?

Back when I started on my adventure, one of the things that I looked at was a VW rigging that had been pulled out of the boat. He'd bought it because he needed a duck hunting boat that'd run the shallows. The guy still had the hull. He'd used it to build a flounder boat. It was a 18' x 7' hull, and he'd put a 75 HP outboard on it. When I asked him how it'd run with the VW air drive, he replied that it was "too heavy" and "wimpy". ROFLMAO. But he'd made a decent flounder boat out of it....

Duane

[Wildfowl]

Yeah...I'm not sure but there may well have been some psychological innuendo built into those big red rudders. Nothing else in the area matches those so I am sure they were a custom.

We have come to the conclusion that there was absolutely no, none, zero, nada, zip "engineering" that went into this rig.

Some have already begun to speculate that it may have been built by the often heard of but never seen legend the Whiskaweldatorcha man. Part welder, part torch, with whiskey running through his veins. Rumor has it that he was in the final two along with sasquatch for the Jack Links Jerky commercials.

Not sure yet what the engine will be only time will tell. For now I am going to let the wind blow me around a little on that and see where it takes me.

I picked this up for the hull only which is the hardest component part of a mini size boat to come up with. It is sturdy with great corners/edges from the bottom up the sides. The core hull was done in some good fashon. Probably around 300#. I will have to re-true it up with new stringers...not a large deal. Not my favorite (glass work) but not a big deal. Any help on the hull ID would be greatly appreciated no idea right now.

[chuckitt]

Hey Wildfowl, I have found when we have to replace the srtingers, we cut them out and take the hull to a monument company and get them to sandblast the complete inside of the hull. This saves a lot of sanding and will take them less than one hour to do it. Once you have glassed in the new stringers, you can re-gelcote the inside and it will look like a new boat.
Chuck

[Duane Scarborough]

Wildfowl,

I work with the Whiskaweldatorcha man. At least I think it's him. Might be his Southern half-brother though. I'm pretty sure that neither of them built that boat. There's WAY too much engineering and attention to detail there.

On the other hand, you've got a good platform to build from. And plenty of parts to clutter up the shop.

Seriously, I do like the shape and lines of the hull.

Good Luck, and please keep us informed on how this goes.

Thanks,

Duane

[Wildfowl]

That is a great idea chuck...the local monument co will be at the duck head meeting in a couple of weeks. I'll see if I can sweet talk (whiskey) them into some winter work. I'm sure I will be asking for more ideas once I get the guts pulled out and take some clear pictures. It is going to get cold here soon so I will be putting those historical docs on the NAA for you all then.

Duane, be sure to let us know if your whiskaweldatorcha man wonders off. We will set up a watch to enforce the WWTM safe zone around area boat yards and back yard boat projects. You know just incase he is picking off of your screen saver and all.

[Wildfowl]

Well I guess we have to take the good with the bad.

Gramps always said if you ever think your having a bad day try missing one.

I was full on to deconstruct last weeked but a buddy of mine and his wife called and they were going to be in town with the RV they have been traveling around in since January. They hail from Oregon but headed south, east, north, and are now working their way home. I offer every visitor great hospitality and deconstructing an airboat was not on their list of must do's. We had a great time just no airboat work.

So I am all set for this morning, and I knew going in the weather was going to be a beauch, but the weather liars jacked it up again. 4" of snow and still falling.





Guess I'll go whack a duck for dinner, have a word with the bird, and see about taking the cage off so I can get the rest of the rig in the shop. I really wanted to weigh the whole nut case all in one but I gues the important number is that of the hull itself. We'll see which way the wind blows.

[Bogger2]

Hey Widfowl,
Judging by those snowy pictures you should design your boat into a wind blown sled. Berrrrrr. I feel for Ya with that cold weather. We are hoping for the 70 degree weather to come. I lost 10 pounds this summer working on my boat in the Florida heat. I hope you have some indoor space. Can't wait to see what you do with your boat. Picture it and then build it.
Bogger

[Wildfowl]

Thanks Bogger... More snow again this morning. UGhhhh....!

The one thing I like about rain over snow is you dont have to scoop rain.

I do have an indoor garage/shop but it has a regular overhead door and I would have to dump the boat or ax the cage to get the nut case in. I am sure you will get to see the boat toasty warm as the build goes on.

Forecast for next weekend is 55 and mild. The wind said to wait a few days and then get er done.

[Duane Scarborough]

The worst thing, I think, about snow is having to move it out of the way. Fortunately we don't get much of it here in eastern NC.

Ya know, if I took my boat off of the trailer, I could get it into the shop. Hmm.... then I'd have to put all of the stuff in the shop out in the weather.

Nah. Can't do that.

Duane

[chuckitt]

I have put a pcs of carpet on the floor to set the boat on and sprayed it with 100 % silicone spray so the boat would slide easy. Now with the boat on the trailer and hooked to the truck, i would loosen the winch strap a few turns and lock the winch so it would not free spin. Now slide the boat back until you take the slack out of the strap. Keep doing this until the boat is hanging off the trailer and almost touching the driveway but not touching. Now the cage may be angled enough to back it in the garage. Once backed in, loosen the winch strap and let the boat slide off the trailer.
When getting ready to reload on trailer, put a car tire under the front of the hull to hold it up enough to back the trailer under the front. Hook up the winch strap and winch it back on the trailer. This works to get under most garage doors unless your cage is too tall.
Thanks, Chuck

[Wildfowl]

Well played Chuck...well played! Great idea! I'm just not quite ready to park all that weight this early in the season. This nut case needs some work.

Duane ... Sure would like to hear your boat scoot before 2010. I'm rooting for you!

[Papee]

Necessity is the mother of invention... I do the same thing Chuck, I've found that there is a balancing point when you slide the boat back on the trailer. I've done this many times by myself. The only difference in my method is that I lay some 1 1/2 pipe down on the garage floor so when the boat is off the trailer it is on the pipes and can be moved around. I've even went as far as to put some extra rollers on the back of the trailer so when I am loading it again the front of the hull is hitting these rollers. I just hook up the winch line and crank the trailer under it.

[Wildfowl]

I think it was worth the wait to move to the next step. Or should that be weight?

I started the deconstruction process.

Here is the nut case with the cage and back deck removed. That aluminum pipe cross-bar always had my curiosity. Not so much any more…it is a solid aluminum rod. I know it served no purpose in spreading the boat so I can only speculate it was intended as a brace for the bottom. That would make sense since the wood stringers set on their sides probably provided little or no structural support. Feel free to chime in if you have any ideas on that.

Speaking of the stringers they were bad and that is a good thing because if they were sound I would have had to decide if I could live with the design. Now I have to change them and thats all good. I guess.




Here I deployed the AERD and man was that a relief… for the boat. She started to smile the minute I released her from that metal madness. The hull sprang into good form and I was glad to see that.







I made a few trips to the scale during the process and this is what I found out:
Motor, stand, cage, rudders, prop, and mscl. non-hull stuff. 560# of fun.
Hull alone but still including fortified front deck. 280#

I believe I have something to work with and plan to continue.





Oh yeah, It was when I was reloading the hull on the trailer at the scale that I realized I made a technical error. Without the counter balance of the engine/metal works the tongue weight was a bit more than I cared to counter. This resulted in an almost immediate diversion to the hardware store for a trailer jack. It was more the trailers fault than the boat. Trailer weighed in at 440#…almost all tongue.

Next week…flip her over and take a good hard look at the bottom. Might get started cutting the stringers out.

[chuckitt]

If you replace the metalworks with EMT, you will see a good weight savings. I like the chainfall type AERD better than the com-a-long type but they all work better than slave power.
Chuck