I'm an idiot!

[JKTrevecca]

Been working out of town all week. Got home about 430 today. Spent time with the family and put the kids to bed then went to the garage for about 1.5 hours and finished cutting/routing the floor with the hole for the recessed bait tank.

My replacement vinyl flooring material, epoxy resin, and seat base arrived thanks the fed ex man. The flooring glue should be here tomorrow. I need to grab some 1 inch grip 3/16 rivets at Fastenal tomorrow.

I hope to be laminating the floor on all sides with epoxy this weekend.

Can't decide if I want the rivets to be under the vinyl flooring or drill through it and install the rivets through the vinyl flooring. Thoughts?

Here are a couple pix. Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts.

[JKTrevecca]

made some progress today after church --- updated about 35 photos here. it's taking longer than I'd hoped but I'm nearing the point of taking it all apart, coating it all in epoxy and wrapping it in marine vinyl then installing it permanently. still need to plumb in the bait tank. I'm wanting to plumb water into and out of it. thinking about how to do that most efficiently and haven't settled on anything yet.

https://goo.gl/photos/7KKadFCFsfcLS78RA

[TNBronzeback]

Coming along nice! gonna be like a brand new boat when your done! nice work!

[JKTrevecca]

I picked up 5 all aluminum storage hatches with frames + an aluminum frame and teakwood lid for a floor compartment yesterday off of a junk bass boat and a rotting run-about. Gotta earn the green stuff right now but I'll try to post pix later tonight. The lids are actually bigger than I thought but they will work. I'd rather have larger than needed openings than too small openings.

[aero320]

Lookin' Good!

[JKTrevecca]

Thanks for the encouraging words. This has turned into a much longer process that I'd hoped but I'm trying to do it the right way.

Started to coat the new floor with epoxy. Did two coats on the bottoms and sides. I'll flip them tomorrow and do the top side. I pre-drilled all of my rivet holes so epoxy would flow down into the holes to water proof those too.

Bob.. Question for you about the bait tank. I'm considering (maybe once I'm done with the majority of this project) making an external filter that is gravity fed like a SB2. Do you think a drain in the bottom of this tank that flows down, then over, then up through a stand pipe in a 5 gallon bucket, then down through the filter media and pumped back into the tank would work? I need to pay my dues over at striper soup and get Shawn's opinion on it.

Also - For those of you with side console boats. How high off the floor is the bottom of your steering wheel and how far back from the wheel is your captain's chair? I'm considering raising the console on this when I get to that point but I'm curious what your measurements are. I'll check on a new boat at BPS too.

Here are a couple pix of the epoxy.

[aero320]

Originally Posted by JKTrevecca

Thanks for the encouraging words. This has turned into a much longer process that I'd hoped but I'm trying to do it the right way.

Started to coat the new floor with epoxy. Did two coats on the bottoms and sides. I'll flip them tomorrow and do the top side. I pre-drilled all of my rivet holes so epoxy would flow down into the holes to water proof those too.

Bob.. Question for you about the bait tank. I'm considering (maybe once I'm done with the majority of this project) making an external filter that is gravity fed like a SB2. Do you think a drain in the bottom of this tank that flows down, then over, then up through a stand pipe in a 5 gallon bucket, then down through the filter media and pumped back into the tank would work? I need to pay my dues over at striper soup and get Shawn's opinion on it.

Also - For those of you with side console boats. How high off the floor is the bottom of your steering wheel and how far back from the wheel is your captain's chair? I'm considering raising the console on this when I get to that point but I'm curious what your measurements are. I'll check on a new boat at BPS too.

Here are a couple pix of the epoxy.

The answer to your filter question is yes. My boat has a 29 gallon oval baitwell in the rear of the boat on the starboard side. The aeration system was simply a pump at the bottom and a nozzle at the top that was tilted in order to create water rotation in the tank.

I found a rectangular plastic container online that fit in the storage area on the port side of the boat and was easily accessible. I ran a large flexible tube from the opening at the bottom of the baitwell (where the pump was mounted) over to my filter container. It was plumbed through the container wall, and connected to a "standpipe". The SBT 2 standpipe is made of 1" PVC. The water flows from the baitwell through lower tube, then into the standpipe. The water flows out of the stand pipe into the container. A pump in the container connects to the aerator head and returns the water back into the baitwell. This completes the flow.

The differential between the water level in the baitwell and the standpipe is critical (I think it was 4"), in order to keep the flow moving correctly. If the standpipe is too tall, the pump will pump the filter container dry. You will also want to inject air bubbles into the return water stream. A Dannco venturi is probably the best, but would need to be below the water level in the baitwell. Instead, I used the sprayer head that is used in the Blue Water tanks. It is a plastic fitting with a tube. It mounts through the existing aerator hole in the baitwell (above the water line) and has a tube that projects into the water about 5". There is an air hole in the top of the fitting that injects air bubble into the stream. It works very well and that would be a good choice.

Once you have the water flow established, then you will need to address the filtration. The SBT 2 uses a rectangular "stack" that is really a compartment that surrounds the standpipe. Think of it as a compartment within a compartment. The stack compartment is full of filter material and there are holes in the bottom of this compartment that allow the water (after passing through the filter media) to return the outer tank and get pumped back over to the baitwell.

I ended up using a filter unit from the Creek Bait tanks that holds a 1" thick filter pad vertically. It is easier to service than the polyester filter material and the pads can be reused for a long time.

There is one other consideration. When things are working well, water flows through the system and the water level in the filter compartment stays level. It will drop when you first turn the pump on but will stablize. Now lets say you fill the tank with shad. As the shad purge, the filter material will clog up and the flow of water through the filter stack will drop off to the point that the water level in the outer compartment will start falling. Then, eventually the pump will remove all of the water from the outer container and the water to the baitwell will stop and your shad will die. It is easy to tell when the filter starts clogging, because the water level in the filter stack will rise. You will need some way to allow the water to bypass the clogged filter unit so that the water level in the outer compartment will be maintained. In the SBT 2, this is controlled by the height of the top of the filter unit compared to the baitwell water level.

Hope this explanation helps.

[JKTrevecca]

This helps a TON actually. I have a dannco from a VERY old blue water tank that was given to me with the dannco already in it. The tank is literally falling apart.

Here is my idea. Have a drain in the bottom of the Grayline with flexible hose/pipe connected running under the floor, over to a storage compartment beside the tank. (like your portside compartment) Have a 90 degree elbow from under the floor up through the bottom of a 5 gallon bucket (or something like that) connected to a 1" stand-pipe cut off an inch or two (will need to experiment for correct flow) below the water line in the grayline. Filter compartment like a SB2 surrounding the standpipe but elevated off the floor of the bucket so the filtered water capacity is sufficient for the pump below to not immediately run dry. Then, have a through-hull livewell pump installed in the side-wall of the bucket near the bottom. Connect a hose from the pump that runs back into the tank. Here is where I'm unsure of myself.. Should the dannco go right off the pump or as close to the discharge in the tank as possible? Or would it even matter? Make sense? Thanks for brainstorming with me on this. As I've typed this, It occurred to me that a 5 gallon bucket wouldn't be the best solution. I would need something with a lid to prevent excessive sloshing of water. Gees... This is why the SB2 is better! But... I think this could work and give me the best of both worlds. The smaller footprint and insulation of the grayline with the filter and single pump design of the SB2. BTW... I used your filter design for months and it works great but the flow became restricted so quickly because the filter compartment was so small that my baits became starved for oxygen. I've seen Shawn has a design similar to yours but with a standpipe and gravity system. I think he uses about 8 - 10"PVC with a standpipe running up the middle of it. Have you seen that one?

Originally Posted by aero320

The answer to your filter question is yes. My boat has a 29 gallon oval baitwell in the rear of the boat on the starboard side. The aeration system was simply a pump at the bottom and a nozzle at the top that was tilted in order to create water rotation in the tank.

I found a rectangular plastic container online that fit in the storage area on the port side of the boat and was easily accessible. I ran a large flexible tube from the opening at the bottom of the baitwell (where the pump was mounted) over to my filter container. It was plumbed through the container wall, and connected to a "standpipe". The SBT 2 standpipe is made of 1" PVC. The water flows from the baitwell through lower tube, then into the standpipe. The water flows out of the stand pipe into the container. A pump in the container connects to the aerator head and returns the water back into the baitwell. This completes the flow.

The differential between the water level in the baitwell and the standpipe is critical (I think it was 4"), in order to keep the flow moving correctly. If the standpipe is too tall, the pump will pump the filter container dry. You will also want to inject air bubbles into the return water stream. A Dannco venturi is probably the best, but would need to be below the water level in the baitwell. Instead, I used the sprayer head that is used in the Blue Water tanks. It is a plastic fitting with a tube. It mounts through the existing aerator hole in the baitwell (above the water line) and has a tube that projects into the water about 5". There is an air hole in the top of the fitting that injects air bubble into the stream. It works very well and that would be a good choice.

Once you have the water flow established, then you will need to address the filtration. The SBT 2 uses a rectangular "stack" that is really a compartment that surrounds the standpipe. Think of it as a compartment within a compartment. The stack compartment is full of filter material and there are holes in the bottom of this compartment that allow the water (after passing through the filter media) to return the outer tank and get pumped back over to the baitwell.

I ended up using a filter unit from the Creek Bait tanks that holds a 1" thick filter pad vertically. It is easier to service than the polyester filter material and the pads can be reused for a long time.

There is one other consideration. When things are working well, water flows through the system and the water level in the filter compartment stays level. It will drop when you first turn the pump on but will stablize. Now lets say you fill the tank with shad. As the shad purge, the filter material will clog up and the flow of water through the filter stack will drop off to the point that the water level in the outer compartment will start falling. Then, eventually the pump will remove all of the water from the outer container and the water to the baitwell will stop and your shad will die. It is easy to tell when the filter starts clogging, because the water level in the filter stack will rise. You will need some way to allow the water to bypass the clogged filter unit so that the water level in the outer compartment will be maintained. In the SBT 2, this is controlled by the height of the top of the filter unit compared to the baitwell water level.

Hope this explanation helps.

[JKTrevecca]

Getting there.. SLOWLY. Here are a couple pix. Several more have been uploaded to the album you can access via the link in my original post.

The seams and rivets (most of em) of this boat are so easily accessible right now so I decided to re-seal them all while I have the boat apart. I used a graphite infused epoxy called "Coat-It" which, as I understand, is the same as a better known product called "Gluvit".

I pre-drilled all of the holes in the wood floor slightly larger than my rivets, then put two coats of epoxy on all sides of every piece. Then I sanded the top side of the epoxy because there were a few drips/globs that dried hard. Sanding Epoxy makes me realize how tough this stuff is. I also thought the contact cement would better adhere to the epoxy sanded vs. glossy. Anyway.. I wrapped the first two pieces of floor in vinyl and got them installed. I shot some Lexel caulk/sealant into the rivet holes as extra insurance before installing the rivets. The edges of the floor will be hidden by trim pieces once the build is complete (hopefully by next weekend... my wife's patience is running thin ).

I think I'm going a little over-kill on the weather/water proofing especially since this boat lives in the garage but I figure if I don't have time to do it right the first time, I definitely won't have time to do it again and I'd prefer to not do it again.

I'm in town for work this week so I should be able to get a couple hours of progress in a couple nights after the kids are in bed.

[Alphahawk]

Looking good. Just curious if you are over on the tinboats forum.


Regards

[JKTrevecca]

Alpha - Yes. I am on that forum. I'm basically copy/pasting my posts to a thread over there. I don't know any of those folks though but it's a very helpful forum for what I'm doing right now. How about you? Are you over there?

[Alphahawk]

Originally Posted by JKTrevecca

Alpha - Yes. I am on that forum. I'm basically copy/pasting my posts to a thread over there. I don't know any of those folks though but it's a very helpful forum for what I'm doing right now. How about you? Are you over there?

Yeah....I don't post much at all over there. I got a lot of good info there on the company I chose to get my boat from. I think it is mostly for folks doing rebuilds. A lot of good info there. I admire someone who is doing what you are doing though. Going to be nice to fish out of boat you build yourself.

Regards

[aero320]

Originally Posted by JKTrevecca

This helps a TON actually. I have a dannco from a VERY old blue water tank that was given to me with the dannco already in it. The tank is literally falling apart.

Here is my idea. Have a drain in the bottom of the Grayline with flexible hose/pipe connected running under the floor, over to a storage compartment beside the tank. (like your portside compartment) Have a 90 degree elbow from under the floor up through the bottom of a 5 gallon bucket (or something like that) connected to a 1" stand-pipe cut off an inch or two (will need to experiment for correct flow) below the water line in the grayline. Filter compartment like a SB2 surrounding the standpipe but elevated off the floor of the bucket so the filtered water capacity is sufficient for the pump below to not immediately run dry. Then, have a through-hull livewell pump installed in the side-wall of the bucket near the bottom. Connect a hose from the pump that runs back into the tank. Here is where I'm unsure of myself.. Should the dannco go right off the pump or as close to the discharge in the tank as possible? Or would it even matter? Make sense? Thanks for brainstorming with me on this. As I've typed this, It occurred to me that a 5 gallon bucket wouldn't be the best solution. I would need something with a lid to prevent excessive sloshing of water. Gees... This is why the SB2 is better! But... I think this could work and give me the best of both worlds. The smaller footprint and insulation of the grayline with the filter and single pump design of the SB2. BTW... I used your filter design for months and it works great but the flow became restricted so quickly because the filter compartment was so small that my baits became starved for oxygen. I've seen Shawn has a design similar to yours but with a standpipe and gravity system. I think he uses about 8 - 10"PVC with a standpipe running up the middle of it. Have you seen that one?

I believe Shawn's new design was created to keep Skippys alive. It encourages them to swim in the circular area around the filter.

If you want to use a separate filter compartment, make sure it is the same height as your Grayline.

You might want to consider using an Ocean Clear cannister filter. The units hold about 2 1/2 gallons of water and the lid seals with an o-ring. You would drop a pump into the Grayline that attaches to the top inlet of the filter cannister. A return hose would then return back to the tank and have a Dannco attached to the end. You could even make a plate that fits on the filter ledge on the Grayline. The plate would have a tube that extends the pump into the bottom of the tank as well as a tube with the Dannco.

The cannister can contain a number of filter materials. I have two of these, one with filter disks and the other with charcoal.

Your filter clogs when newly caught baits purge. This usually occurs in the first hour in the tank. The same filter clogging happens in the SBT2 also. You have to watch the filter material and clean the filter frequently at the beginning.

The clogging problem on my Grayline filter unit is easy to remedy. Place a small section of PVC pipe in the filter compartment. Size the pipe link so that it is just above the water in the filter compartment when the pump is running. When the filter starts clogging, the water level in the filter compartment begins to rise and will then spill over the top of the bypass tube. This keeps plenty of water to the pump until you get a chance to clean the filter.

I will try to post a photo oh the Ocean Clear filter cannister.

[aero320]

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[JKTrevecca]

Updates... floor is done. Finishing the deck layout and cutting holes for hatchesuploadfromtaptalk1453437707833.jpguploadfromtaptalk1453437717815.jpg

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