The Adventures of Thumper

    Sanded with 320 to get some keying of the first of 4 Allgrip epoxy top coats, the last coat will get ScotchBrite rubbed
    for a matt finish. Tomorrow I'll strip the business side of the console and sand, prep and paint. This project is all about recycling old materials and bits and building a junk yard dog.


    Cheers, Don

    Quote from Dan

    How close are you to finishing?


    A boat, a hot rod and a house is never done.;)


    I'm still 30 days from getting it wet, and looking for a truck.


    Cheers, Don

    "Great mother ocean brought forth all life, it is my eternal home'' Don Berry from Blue Water Hunters.


    Spearfishing Store the freediving and spearfishing equipment specialists.

    Quote from Don Paul

    Thanks...I've played with ships.;)


    Cheers, Don


    Looks like the ships you played with didn't get much water experience but you could have fooled me with this thread you have started. But I have to say working on a ship like in your picture must have been a lot of fun. :thumbsup2:

    I knew there was something different about Don. Now it's all starting to make sense. Build on, mad rocket scientist! Work safe and don't become complacent. Do you have a sign out front of your garage displaying the number of "event free" days?


    Always think safety. 80% of all people are caused by accidents.

    Quote from 75th

    I knew there was something different about Don. Now it's all starting to make sense. Build on, mad rocket scientist! Work safe and don't become complacent. Do you have a sign out front of your garage displaying the number of "event free" days?


    Always think safety. 80% of all people are caused by accidents.


    You have it all wrong... no Aerospace Doctorate here, just had smart people around me, this one is my hero.:thumbsup2:
    Second man to step on the moon, Buzz Aldrin.


    Cheers, Don

    Oh, I could tell you weren't an office puke by those stainless tig welds. I'm the same way. Sometimes I have to say, "No, I actually BUILD power plants... like, by hand". I wonder if some are a little let down by that, as I obviously go from white to blue collar. Who cares, right? When our country was founded, being able to work with your hands was a thing to be proud of, as our founding fathers liked their portraits to show what skill they had (sometimes having items in the paintings that they've made).
    Like Paul Revere, for instance.


    These days (like having common sense) it's no longer necessary to be physically skilled. Moreover, it seems to garner more respect to ply one's trade with a tie and a manicure (not that there's anything wrong with that). I dunno. I'm still a soldier, I guess. I don't like to dress up much either, as I can't seem get any work done while dressed like that. (I don't have many white clothes for that reason.)


    -Not that there's anything wrong with higher education, kids. Stay in school. Life will, most likely, be easier and more financially productive (given the same amount of work, of course).


    Oh, and that's a KICKASS photo of you and Buzz Aldrin... with the whole spearfishing setting thrown in... Awesome picture!


    -And keep posting new pics of Thumper. You've got skills, my friend.

    Edited 5 times, last by 75th ().

    Great insights, dig the parallel to Paul Revere, being a dammed Yankee from Connecticut I read much about his
    life and exploits. He was the real deal.:thumbsup2: I would have loved to be a silver smith in his time.


    I learned a lot from my father, like you he also did a few years in nuclear power (New London) before going to Cape Canaveral. I got to see many lanches during the Redstone,Mercury and Trident years...what a time to be a kid on base. I saw my first piece of Titanium there on a Redstone display, I was 7 and could not imagine
    a metal that would never rust. I've liked the stuff ever since.

    I better get back to sanding epoxie..;)


    Cheers, Don

    "Great mother ocean brought forth all life, it is my eternal home'' Don Berry from Blue Water Hunters.


    Spearfishing Store the freediving and spearfishing equipment specialists.

    Quote from dustyyoungblood

    How far offshore do you plan to run Thumper?


    My real boat had 1527 crossings to SCI with me at the helm. I promised my GF I would only use Thumper for
    local spots and Catalina....lets say I'm at the East End early, the seas are flat and there is Wilson in the distance. You callin' me a liar Frank? ;)


    Cheers, Don

    "Great mother ocean brought forth all life, it is my eternal home'' Don Berry from Blue Water Hunters.


    Spearfishing Store the freediving and spearfishing equipment specialists.

    Procrastination is a life and goal killer.
    Yesterday I came home hot and tired from work, had a nice dinner and sat on the couch to relax. I could think of many reasons to take a night off. How could I miss Misty and Kerri kick ass in the final?
    Than the reality of a summer slipping away slapped me hard.....time for the DVR...get off your ass Don.


    Unscrewed all 25lbs of trial assembly gear from the console.
    Sanded the surface with 320 dry paper, wiped with degreaser, hit it with a tack rag and laid down another coat of AllGrip. Bare Console weighs 33lb.


    Tonight sanded again and said F...it I'm heading for Tahoe for some R+R.:D


    Cheers, Don

    All relaxed now and ready to get back to sanding.:D
    Went to Lake Webb instead for some wake boarding and jetsking with the GF's SeaDoo. it was a wee bit hot. (106:@) last time I go there.I brought the GoPro, Airbalete and a target but vis was 6'' max.


    Cheers, Don

    There are a few things in life where size does matter.:yaydance:...Civilian marine legal VHF power is 25 watts. Marine antenna height, more then any other factor, determines how far you can transmit.
    As my primary antenna I will be using the Precision Digital 532-VB 10 DB gain 16 footer and the bullet proof Glomex RA-116 heavy duty mount. I've broken those cheap white VHF mounts of the fly bridge of my old boat in high seas when I really wanted the radio to transmit and now only use the SS mounts.


    The inside of the console and the radar dome gets some anti static black, the dome will get the matt treatment.


    Happy to not have fiber glass chewing on my forearms and wrist any more.


    Cheers. Don

    Quote from LunkerBuster

    Wow. You weren't kidding about thumper having some bigass ears


    Yeah, top leg of the base section gets braced to the radar arch with a stand-off bracket. The back up radio
    transmits to a SS whip at the top of the arch. One more boring sand and recoat tonight, wont waste any band width on that though.


    Cheers, Don

    "Great mother ocean brought forth all life, it is my eternal home'' Don Berry from Blue Water Hunters.


    Spearfishing Store the freediving and spearfishing equipment specialists.

    You guys didn't think I was going to leave the motors alone.;)
    Even though I will have two gell cells if my starter fails after a motor swamping, the thought of removing the eng cowling, top cowling, then wrapping a cord around the rope pulley while mother ocean has a bad day was not in my game plan.
    The solution sounded simple...go the Mercury dealer and order a starter rewind unit and flywheel bits.
    No longer available.:(
    The solution sounds simple....:) FleeBay.
    After nightly searches for two months bingo:thumbsup2: a dealer in Mississippi had one and I couldn't buy it quick enough, even had it 3 day shipped.
    Walked up to the door days later and it felt like X-Mass day.
    Quickly opened the box to see my gleaming new part and Fail.... there was a new outboard charging system ''stator'' assembly.
    The solution sounds simple...;)
    Call the Dealer and tell them they sent the wrong part. They were very nice, said the part guy mixed up the order because ''Starter Rewind Unit'' sounds a lot like ''Stator'' right? They sent some guy my part.
    '' No problem guys, every one makes mistakes, I'll ship it back in the AM with a track #...handled.
    Two weeks of nothing so I call. ''They will send it on to me as soon as the guy ships it back''.
    Two weeks of nothing so I call. They had sent ''the guy'' his new stator off the shelf before they received my unit back and you guessed it, he decided to be a PRI-K and keep both new parts.
    The solution sounds simple.;) they will refund me in full....Great but I still need a Starter Rewind Unit, right?
    I tell them I will still give good feed back, just find me a unit. Last week after another month I found one myself and they happily refunded me in full. See boat building is simple, aye.
    Received my FleeBay purchase and it doesn't fit my year.... Yes boating is simple.
    I'm adding this little story to show this is just a little part of DIY project building,l not because I can't handle the little things that make life interesting...it's just life and I am happy to live it.


    Now if any of you power boat guys or outboard hoarders have a new or used Pull Start assembly for a serial #6011907- 50 hp Mercury PM me, cash in hand.:D


    Cheers, Don

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