RickK's 170 rebuild

[Capt. Bob]

You're right about that itch    I made up for it with the grinding of the console  :cry:

They tell me peroxide works well on that.

[RickK]

Matt, I think you said you have a Minn Kota trolling motor on the front of your FB, is it the iPilot version?  Do you have a dog bone base under it?
Reason I ask is that I think I will put one on the front of mine but don't know the size of the dog bone base, so I don't know if it'll fit or not on the front of my cap.  The dog bone site doesn't have any specs on it listed, have an email into them but wondered it you know the size of the base?

[CLM65]

Coming together nicely Rick!  How's the build quality of that nav light?  I thought Accon was the only one that made a flip-up nav light.  They look very similar.  Good to see there are options.

[gran398]

Glad you're home.

She's looking deluxe.

Funny you mentioned heating/bending PVC pipe...its the topic du jour.

Please expound on that procedure.... tx

[RickK]

Coming together nicely Rick!  How's the build quality of that nav light?  I thought Accon was the only one that made a flip-up nav light.  They look very similar.  Good to see there are options.

The nav light hasn't gotten here yet so I have no clue about the quality - all I know is it takes a BIG hole to mount it.  The old type you only needed a 1/2" hole for the wire.  This one needs a 3" hole  

[RickK]

Glad you're home.

She's looking deluxe.

Funny you mentioned heating/bending PVC pipe...its the topic du jour.

Please expound on that procedure.... tx

Harbor freight heat gun - heat carefully until the pipe is just warm enough to bend.
I will also make a cloth strap to keep it in place.

[RickK]

More console work - started laying out the height, the length and getting it glued together - screws are temporary.

The "sticks" in the corners are oak and are pinned and trimmed after the glue dries.  The oak is a corner filler (cut at a 45) so the glass goes though the corner easily.

[RickK]

While I was at it I ground down everything on the console for filling.  I was covered in dust/glass by 8:15A  


Removed the screws and drilled for dowels and glued them in.  Then I routed the corners so the mat would cover it easily.  I then followed it up with a belt sander to clean it up.

[RickK]

Last night I put a layer of mat on the wood inside and out.  This morning I suited up in the tyvek suit and started scruffing up/grinding the wood and the inside of the console.  I was soaked in the 30 minutes it took to get all the material scruffed. When I had everything the way it needed to be I mixed up some thickened poly and troweled it on the inside sides of the console and then pulled the wood into the putty with some stainless screws.
I had about 4' x 33" left of the Plascore sheet that I had lam'd up a few months ago (can't believe it's been that long) and I cut that up into the seat and the backrest.

[RickK]

[RickK]

This is what the front of the console looked like before - a cooler in front that left about a foot gap between if you wanted to lean back on the console (and why wouldn't you)
http://www.classicaquasport.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=1100&title=cooler-in-front-of-console&cat=500

It looks like I will be able to get 3 batteries under the seat - 2 for the trolling motor and the engine battery.  That will leave the entire console free to hang the pumps and buss bars and whatever else I may need.  8)

[CLM65]

Another nice little project, Rick!  Coming along good.  Are you going to add an access hatch on the seat for the batteries?  Or can you get to them from the inside?

[RickK]

Thanks Craig.
What I'm going to do is lay glass/cloth across the seat/back the way it is and bring the glass over the edge about 2".  If you look at the 74/75 170's, they had a opening hatch that was the seat and backrest to gain access to the inside of the console  - so I'm making a retro hatch like that. Not sure why they stopped making that access - probably for the baitwell that became the standard under the seat. Only difference is I'm going over the sides of the console a bit.  Now I need to find the latches to do it.
http://www.classicaquasport.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=2716&title=as-170-sales-sheet1-19&cat=552

[gman 82 aquasport]

Like the console Rick, looks big enough to hold everything you could think to place in there Like the hatch idea for the seat, sometimes wish mine had a hatch instead of the flip seat, but that's what I have on this one

[kaptainkoz]

Awesome build! Great ingenuity and craftsmanship. Great stuff!