TOPIC: PowerCat 18dc

I have the PowerCat up at Tim Calms' getting twin merc 100's. Getting anxious to have her back. Have a pole building going up in January so I'm hoping to have her back in there shortly after to install a floor and seats, lighting, and other goodies.

I'll need to get 2 tachs and a speedometer.

Tim's mounting part of the floor under the splash-well for me so he has a place to mount the power tilt/trim motors. I'll probably put a bench seat across the back. Putting 2 15 gal aluminum tanks in the sponsoons under the floor.

Had to have part of the 'glass over the transom trimmed to fit the width of the tilt brackets, that's what you see in the one pic. The other is just of her with a leg hanging for alignment.

Glad Brian built the heck out of that transom! This girl's going to be a blast!

Merry Christmas!

Tim does great work!

Yeah he does. Rebuilt both Merc 1000's for me. Thought since i never mounted motors like that I'd take advantage of his expertise.

Heard from Tim the other day. My 18DC is close to coming home! Unfortuantly, her pole building won't be ready till spring. We broke ground and got about half the fill leveled when the rain and freeze hit. Oh well, I have about 5 more parking spots because of the hill we removed!

He completely rebuilt both motors. One needed a new block because all 6 pistons were burned. Looks like someone put 3 carbs from a 900 merc on my 1000 and advanced the timing way to much. It needed complete rewiring, plug wires, distributor, you name it! No real gaskets anywhere, someone just used gasket sealer. Oh, and there was black gasket sealer stuck all over the crank shaft from it oozing in. Just a total mess of a motor. The other one needed a new leg, that was the one with the frozen pivot. So now it's blue in the middle! I told him i could do all the cosmetics when i get her back.

He built a custom mount out of aluminum for the SeaStar hydrolic steering. I installed the piston and helm, but the piston was just mounted temporary until the motors could be put on.

Hopefully by this time next weekend i'll have some pictures and better info on what he has done. Then i can get started on the electrical, gas tanks, floor, and interior. Looks like my car will spend this winter in the drive way like last year when i put the floor in the Chevron.

Here are a couple more pics of her.
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Nice boat, they are a good ride you will enjoy it,,I have a 18dc but don't know what I am doing but I have rode in an 18 before,, good luck looks good Bill

Bill, Right back at ya! I prefer that blue over my yellow. Don't get me wrong, the yellow is in good shape, won't be changing it any time soon.

Every time i se an 18dc, it's missing the windshield. If i don't get one on, i'll need goggles running those 2 100's.

So took my dad who's 79 and a buddy from York PA to Castile NY on Saturday and brought her home!

Tim gave me a list of stuff to finish. Brake in and tuning. Both motors were rebuilt 100%. New carbs on the one that had carbs from a 900. He rebuilt the electric motors and pumps for the power trim. I got 2 aluminum 18 gal tanks from him i'll put under the floor.

This is the motor that had the stuck pivot. replaced the whole leg with one that works, but it's blue! Oh, and it needed a doner block.

More pics...
The hydrolic steering.

The tank that'll go under the port side floor. Need to figure out how i'm gonna do that:

It's a mess now, but it works. The pumps will be mounted after i do a floor.

The Twins!

Can't have twins without twin controls.

Gas tank label

I've gotta be honest Dan, I'm a little (okay a lot) jealous! I've loved that Power Cat since we watched Brian put it together, and twin Merc 1000's to boot! Proud for ya buddy, can't wait to hear and see the old girl out on the water again. You've GOT to have somebody take a movie with sound this spring.

Thanks Mark! She's in the garage where my car should be. You know there's something wrong with ya when you park your new car out in the snow and cold so the boat can stay nice and warm!

Once i get her broke in and tuned up I will get a vid of her.

Hope to start fabbing stringers for the floor this weekend. Don't have anything to copy so it should be interesting.

Been talking to the guys on the Power Cat mail list about the floor project. Here are some pics of what i'm planning. Note the wood is not what i will be using, just scrap to give an idea.

I'll do stringers on both sides of the tanks and glass them in. Do wood at each end of the tanks to help keep them in place. Then glass the floor on top, after a few coats of resin to fill the grain in the ply.

The business end of the tank will end up under a rear bench seat to hide all the uglyness under the splashwell.
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Spent yesterday sanding down the floor paint in prep to add stringers and floor. I vaccumed all the dust. Should I wash it before glassing in the stringers or just wipe every mating surface with acetone?

Should I add a bilge bower to evacuate gas fumes from under the floor? This is an outboard, but since the tanks are under floor should the bilge be vented?

It's up to you Dan but it can't hurt any.


Bob

I'll leave it out for now and keep an eye on it. There will be openings in the front of the the floor on both sides as well as an opening under the splash well to access the fuel connections on the tank and the fuel pumps. If it appears to be a problem I can add it later. But there should be nothing under there to throw a spark.

If you don't add a blower I would at least run scoop vents. IMHO.

So i have the stringers glued in and the floor fitted! Now i need to remove floor and start 'glassing things!

Here you see the seats in place. But that rear jump seat is a bit to big. I'm going to put in a bench with a box below for the batteries and such.



Here's the two seats and the floor sitting in place.

The two seats in the rear and the bilge access area.

Close up of the bilge access area. The front half of that will be where the connections to the gas tanks will be made. The rear will be where the bilge pump is, and the plug in the transom. There is an access like this on the other side.

Dan, really looking good, attention to detail is obvious.

Thanks! and i was afraid to post those pics because i'm not completely happy with everything i've done!

dlatshaw wrote:

Thanks! and i was afraid to post those pics because i'm not completely happy with everything i've done!

That's not uncommon with a lot of us Dan, always thinking "I could have done that better". I think it's all part of the learning curve for those of us who don't do this on a regular basis or to earn a living. At the end of my last project I felt some sense of accomplishment, but really wasn't pleased with my level of workmanship. It's a good excuse to do ANOTHER project!

Some of the cuts are off by a hair and there are imperfections i see. But i know once it's glassed everything will look fine. I'm happy with the basic support structure i've created though.

It reminds me of when i was renovating my old house. It was built in 1880 and everything was crooked! The PowerCat just doesn't seem straight and true at some areas. Like from the transome to the bulkhead at the cabin is an inch shorter on the starboard side than it is on port. But the measurements on the outside seem to be true. I cut and fit the stringers on the port side, then used them as a template for the starboard. But when i put them in, i had to climb in and out a bunch of times shaving of another hair!

I have my eye on another project already! Been talking to a guy in Texas... 24 hour drive from here. But that boat should only need wax, elbow grease, and normal maintenance.

So I have made some progress. Got a matched set of 17p props for the break in period. The stringers and tanks are in. And today I glassed the floor. I'll need to hit it with the grinder, then I'll be on to floor covering.

My pole building is almost up. Was supposed to be in last year but the ground froze. I wanted to have it up for this project so I wouldn't hit my head on the door opener so much! Well I can do other parts of her in there. Like the bench seat. . .

Great progress on bot counts Dan.

bob

Dan, were you tempted to use lumber from the pole building to make the bench seats??

Warm weather is just around the corner so you can work on both projects without a woolen cap and insulated Carhardts.

Thanks guys! We had 70 degrees this weekend, was jonesing to get her on the water. If i can play hookey this week, and get my but in gear, she might be ready for next weekend!

Been doing the 'glass in the garage and stinking up the house. The wife will be glad to get it out of there.

That lumber for the building is glue-lam and pressure treated. not my first pick!!

Had the Powercat out wednesday and today. No video today, but had some motor problems. Need a solenoid for one, and some shift problem with the other. Here is a link to a video from Wednesday.



if that doesn't work just search for 1961 Powercat 18dc

Sorry I've not been updating this thread with new pics! Been busy actually boating!!!