In reply to captainawesome :
Mine supports the floor a fair bit, so I got pretty close. but mine was just two shapes really. A Little CAD and trace it on the foam. I used a piece of stainless wire and a coping saw, plus a old car battery. Had to add a foot switch as the battery got the wire HOT really fast.
In reply to java230 :
Perfect. I've got a coping saw and a battery.
I guess I didnt make it that perfect 
captainawesome said:In reply to 914Driver :
Yeah I think the top looks great raw, but it's going to be painted. Not sure if it will be white or the Biloxi Blue color from Duralux that I ordered.
As a former sailor, all I have to say is reflection. But I should stop following this thread .....
In reply to 914Driver :
I assume the white is going to be almost as reflective as the raw aluminum?
In reply to captainawesome :
Huh, I didn't realize we had our own color. Now I kinda wish I could paint my Challenge car with that.
In reply to Pete Gossett (Forum Supporter) :
I'm hoping it look as good on the boat as it does on a computer screen.
So a question for you boating experienced folks. I want a wooden steering wheel, but am trying to budget only needs right now. The original plastic wheel is cracked. I'm certain it would last this summer, but I want something better now. So if I get a stainless one will it be too damn hot to touch? It's like $35 shipped, so not a big dent to the wallet.
516D4VZ10GL._AC_SL1001_ by hatchethairy, on Flickr
Or I can get a Grant hub adapter for $20 and a wooden wheel for another $130. $150 buy in seems reasonable and it's what I'd rather have.
grt-8545_di_xl by hatchethairy, on Flickr
I suppose it depends on where you live but that metal wheel does look like it would get awfully hot in the sun. If it were me I'd try to find a wheel from a 1960s boat, something like this. Are there any boat / motor salvage yards in your area?
In reply to stuart in mn :
None that I know of in my area. I've been looking at the usual places online, but most are just newer boat styles.
Well last night my oldest daughter wanted to join in on the fun. So now both my kiddos wanna help me get the boat done quicker so we can play in the lake sooner. I like their style. Unfortunately I'm not used to having help, so I'm trying my best to just keep them busy and feel like they are furthering things along.
I stuck the oldest with the shop vac to try to get the dry sludge eradicated, which she later joined the youngest for more scrubbing.
The youngest was tasked with scrubbing the inner walls of the hull after helping me put the old floor puzzle piece back together. We had to scrape off the old foam and bag it to get a nice flat surface again. I laid out some cardboard and traced the patterns out, then cut it all out. The template looks good so far. I need to mark out the ribs so I can lay out my screw holes, but that's about all that's left.
Untitled by hatchethairy, on Flickr
Untitled by hatchethairy, on Flickr
Untitled by hatchethairy, on Flickr
Untitled by hatchethairy, on Flickr
Untitled by hatchethairy, on Flickr
The plan is to get the plywood and foam tomorrow in the morning, then start to power wash the inside . I can get the plywood cut and ready for epoxy, plus the foam ready to fit Saturday. Sunday if it's dry enough I'll Gluvit the hull from inside around all the rivet joints.
I spent about an hour with the hose doing my best to rinse some of the leftover crud out since I got out of work a bit early. It was still pretty nasty.
After dinner me and the youngest pulled the power washer out for about 40 minutes before the rain came in. She dressed herself. Style for days. Looks like the pressure washer should do a better job cleaning than I expected. Pretty stoked about that.
Untitled by hatchethairy, on Flickr
Did you cut the cardboard wide enough so that the actual wood will nestle in the channel on the side of the hull?
In reply to captainawesome :
That metal would probably get pretty hot.
I've got a vintage one if you're interested, Attwood, pretty damn good condition. It would also probably get warm, but it will warm slower than hollow polished metal steering wheel
But I like the Nautalloy Aquabird ones, myself. I've got one for my Herter's
Usually a fairly reasonable price as well https://www.ebay.com/i/114192006733
Mr_Asa said:But I like the Nautalloy Aquabird ones, myself. I've got one for my Herter's
My dad had a 1956 Herter's Duofoil Flying Fish 16' runabout (you gotta love the names that Herter's gave their products. 
) It had those big tailfins on the back, and was built like a tank.
In reply to stuart in mn :
I love Herter in general and all the crazy ass E36 M3 that George did when he built his boats. I love how weird the Flying Fish boats are, but I don't like them for me. This is a Mark III Runabout. '56 or '57 14 footer. More of a basket case than the Lonestar I just picked up.
Here it is when I picked it up
Its got nice lines, but is a massive basket case with some fiberglass damage. Part of why I bought the Lone Star, so I could teach myself fiberglass work so I can fix this thing
That’s great that the young ladies are helping out, they’ll feel like their part owners. My dad brought home a fixer upper when I was 12 or 13 and I learned a lot about sanding, painting, etc working on that boat.
That’s a great size for a first boat, easy to tow and handle on the water. They’re light and with the flat bottom will get up and go with modest HP. I’m sure the ladies could tube or even water ski behind her. I’m guessing that’s a 30 or 35 horse, should be plenty. Good luck and keep up the good work.
11GTCS said:That’s a great size for a first boat, easy to tow and handle on the water. They’re light and with the flat bottom will get up and go with modest HP. I’m sure the ladies could tube or even water ski behind her. I’m guessing that’s a 30 or 35 horse, should be plenty. Good luck and keep up the good work.
In one of the pictures you can see the motor is 25hp.
It's possible for even an adult to water ski behind a boat and motor that size, just not very fast. My dad's boat had a 30hp Johnson, and when I was a teenager it could get both me and my brother up on skis at the same time (although barely.)
In reply to Brett_Murphy (Forum Patrón) :
I cut the cardboard the same as the previous boards. Unfortunately like you noticed it's short on both sides because they didn't want to bevel the edge to fit properly to each side of the hull. I'll be making new templates before cutting any lumber now.
In reply to Mr_Asa :
Is your wheel a 3/4 taper fit? I'd prefer white or wood, but I really like that Attwood one you have.
In reply to 11GTCS :
It's a 25hp. At best we may do some tubing, but that's about it. The family is pretty excited about having our on lake toy. Usually we are joining friends or family occasionally so it will be nice to do our own thing from time to time.
In reply to stuart in mn :
It's good to hear that others have been able to do decent with lower power levels. I would like to get a 40hp unit if something pops up. I saw a 35hp the other day, but figure I should focus on using this one to start out.
Today I mainly drove around trying to get supplies. I've got pool noodles for under deck floatation. Pink foam was out of stock at Lowe's and the waiting line to get into Home Depot was 20 people at least. Screw that. So I bought 35 smaller pool noodles and 15 larger ones. I'll be using all the smaller and a few of the larger.
I screwed up and only got 2 sheets of 1/2 ply, so tomorrow I'll go get a 3rd. I went ahead and bought 1/4" and 1/3" ply for the rear bench seat construction plus cubby door to fuel and battery storage.
After driving all over town to get some pool noodles and no pink foam, I got back to cleaning up the inside of the hull. I scraped what was left of the old spray foam as well as a wire wheel on the drill. The power washer got heavy use to get a good surface for the Gluvit. It looks so much better now. A quick celebratory beer before heading out on a date night with my lady.
Untitled by hatchethairy, on Flickr
Untitled by hatchethairy, on Flickr
Untitled by hatchethairy, on Flickr
This is just the littler pool noodles.
Untitled by hatchethairy, on Flickr
Untitled by hatchethairy, on Flickr
Front seats and pedestals are ordered. Gluvit showed up late tonight along with the Biloxie Blue paint.
In reply to captainawesome :
I believe it is. I will get some measurements tomorrow and let you know what they look like.
I have seen white Attwood's on eBay. Can always get something generic for now and do some searching for the perfect one?
Looking good!
Today was floor day. I managed to get all three pieces cut and beveled to fit. Realizing I should have gone with 5/8" ply, but what's done is done. 1/2" it is. There will be a few strengthening ribs ripped from scrap to help beef things up a bit.
Untitled by hatchethairy, on Flickr
Untitled by hatchethairy, on Flickr
Untitled by hatchethairy, on Flickr
When me and the wife dropped the kiddos off at my Mom's, I picked up all my wood cutters that I lent her. She had a stack of pine lumber, so I took a few. That same pine was used to recreate the kick panel that was previously there. I started cleaning up the original one, but decided I'd rather just do it all fresh and new. I figure I can coat it in epoxy, and while a little on the soft side it should be fine for the intended use.
Untitled by hatchethairy, on Flickr
Untitled by hatchethairy, on Flickr
Untitled by hatchethairy, on Flickr
Paint and Gluvit is here.
Untitled by hatchethairy, on Flickr
Taper is a 3/4"
Base: 3/4
Top: 0.66" ish
Length: 1.25" from base to top
In reply to Mr_Asa :
Let me sleep on it. I've showed the wife a few now and she's stuck on wood. Can't blame her because that's what I envisioned from the get go.
No problem man, I fully support getting everything the way you want
I had a 1973 17' Starcraft with a 70 hp Johnson when I was up north. Bought it for cheap with a buddy. Boat had been rode hard and put away wet as Grandpa used to say. Painted red with a white stripe - using a broom as a brush. The thing was held together with about 5,000 rivets and every one leaked, whether it was above the waterline or below. I think we had the only 17' aluminum boat in the world that had, or needed, a bilge pump.
Best $600 we ever spent.
Carry on
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