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I'll say it slowl-e-y so you can read my lips. NO MORE PAINT! No blue paint..none...just when I thought my welds were looking pretty good I thought...I get slammed! Isn't wide welds stronger than narrow welds? I know they are far from perfect but they are strong and in my view not ugly. I'm just a g...

Well....what do you think? It sure opened things up. I'm still trying to get use to it. It's going to function well for making knee room when sitting in the seats and leg room when sleeping in the trunk cabin. I incorporated the defroster air duct into that 3" thick vertical colum supporting th...

I was a little worried that the steering wheel was going to be to close to the shift control arm but it turned out OK. I like it.

I don't have power steering it's just a cable that moves the outdrive. The instrument cluster is original

To answer your comment about shiny aluminum photos. I do buff up the material before I weld it up because it's easier to clean after weld out. And the LED shop lights I installed not long ago are so bright(I love them) but they make the AL shine. Hey Kevin I want to ask you a question... Long long t...

Ok I get it now. I've always had cable. I will reread your post again and try to understand what your point is. I got my steering wheel support fit tacked in last night. So weldout tonight then more photos. I will give you an edge grip photo too

I don't understand what a helm pump is?

NO. There is GOOD hand grips on the port side dash! That half pipe you see I added around the fiddle board and door trim piece is really "G" rail. And the underside of that G rail is about a 3/4" very defined lip that makes an OUTSTANDING edge grip!! I did not want a taller pipe rail ...

Here's what I ended up doing on the glove box. I ran out of argon this morning so it's only tacked in place. The storage area is small but it will be a handy place for binoculars, tide book, gloves...ect. Maybe recessed cup holders too. The flat top of the glove box is really the most valuable thing...

Yea that looks great. Those photos help me with my ideas. I may do something similar. But I will be building a fiddle board with a glove box under neath. Now that the dash is mostly done, the jobs left will get easier in complexity from this point on.

I don't want to move the bulkhead. I plan to cut out the area where legs are under the dash because it will give allot more "headroom" in the berth / trunk cabin for sleeping too. The shift control is not in a ideal spot but will work fine. I wanted it a few inches forward but the shift ar...

Original dash configuration

I like the way the dash is turning out. The shift control long box, instrument panel, and defroster duct are in. All that's left is the port side glove box. The new dash is functional in my view. The old dash couldn't even hold a pencil with out it rolling onto the floor. The new dash is like having...

That is some beautiful work you did! I left you with the wrong impression mine won't be that fancy. My instrument Panel will be a square hole cut in a flat panel just like the port side only set higher. Just under the backbone. The abandoned port side holes will get covered up by the glove box or cu...

My cables and engine wiring harness are long enough and should work well for the RH steering location. It took me several evenings of holding up the steering wheel, instrument panel, shift control and chart plotter screen to get a good feel for how the dash should go together. I now have a plan form...

Life has been getting in the way of my boat project. First I had to start back to a normal 40hr work week. Then I had to fix the brakes on my truck, then the dish washer broke. Boat work had the lowest priority but I did manage to get the floor plates cut and fitted. The last sheet butt weld went re...

Yes all of the 3/16" panels will be bolted down to the frame. I'm going to leave the weld show. I don't want stress cracks showing later from walking on it. I will check for dimpling. I was beating pretty hard on it.

I DID alternate welding one side then the other just like you said. And I even thought as I was welding I could go faster and longer than I was, no problem. But you never TOLD me to weld them without a crown! I could have done that!! I have one more to do later this week so I will give the crownless...

They warped more than I expected but I was able to beat them pretty straight. I tried to grind off one weld to make the plate flush but made the mistake of giving it a few more smacks with the hammer for a little more tuning and then I could see a seem crack where I removed the weld developing. So I...

What do you think my chance of success would be if I tried to weld two pieces of 3/16 x 44" x 16" plate together on the long side and keep it flat? (Not warping) I would employ every anti warping tactic I know in the process! If I could do this I wouldn't have to buy another sheet of 3/16&...

The lowest floor level is at my feet in the photos. The first step up in the center going towards the stern is a 4" up. Then the next step up is 12", and that's the level that you step on to coming through the cabin door. And the cockpit deck outside the cabin is 2" higher yet. It sou...

Finished welding the floor frame today. Plan to cut the 3/16" floor plates tomorrow. The plywood was more trouble than it was worth. It was kinda hard to work around and wasn't much cheaper than 1/8 AL. But it's done and it will work out ok. I was thinking about the control shift handle locatio...

Hard to believe it took me all week to get this far on the floor! I just don't know where the time goes when having so much fun!! The supports are all cut and fitted and mostly tacked together now I should get it welded in tonight or tomorrow. The framing should stiffen the sides allot. Looking forw...

I thought I was going to have to listen to your harp about what a terrible mistake I was making? It's a reliefe for me to hear your "on board" with the multilevel plan! But I depend on you to be critical in your comments. It keeps me on my toes knowing I will have to justify my method and ...

I think this cabin layout will work well. It seems functional, has lots of storage and everything will have a place and fit. The step in landing at the door swing will give me a good location for a access hatch to my battery room, pumps and fans. Kmorin must be out of town or at least holding a neut...