Narrowing a console for my 20SF

[Jared]

Just got done doing my 100 hr service, thought now that I am enjoying the boat instead of grinding on it I'll try to post up some of my encounters during the build process.

***DISCLAIMER*** - I'm not a professional at working with fiberglass or fairing/painting, but I am foolishly persistent enough to work away at about anything until I can make what I had in mind. I'm sure someone better versed in this kind of work could get a much better finished product.

When I picked up my boat, the previous owner gave me the original console with it but it had already been de-rigged and removed. Looking at the size of it out of the boat and the marks on the floor where it had previously been mounted I knew right away it was too big for what I was looking for. I fish quite a bit, a clear floor layout for moving freely around the boat was more of my goal than keeping the boat original or having a lot of space in the console.

I sold the original one on craigslist, and after a lot of searching I realized that unless I made something myself or modified an existing one there really wasn't a model out there that fit the dimensions I was looking for. I started researching methods to cut and narrow a console but there wasn't a lot of information out there, so after a bit of plotting and scheming I went for it. I posted this information up on THT, but I think it belongs here.

This was the original console that came with the boat. Ate up way too much floor space, but was in nice enough shape where a guy came all the way from South Carolina to buy it for his 23' SC restoration, so at least it didn't go to waste.




A few days later, I picked this one up off of craigslist for a little less than I sold the original for, and it also came with a side door already. It was 6" narrower than the original console, and without the built in front seat/cooler was considerably smaller front to back.

[Jared]

Knowing still that I was looking to go narrower, I cut out templates of all my electronics and started mocking up different layouts until I came to one I liked. I knew I wanted to take around 6" more out of the width in order to get the space I wanted in the boat on either side of the console, so this step kind of confirmed that I could do it and still get a nice clean layout. The irony is the finished layout on the boat now looks nothing like this but it still came out well.

Mock up




Got my leaning post out, it came from Birdsall who is local here. Used it to mock up the space I wanted between the console and leaning post (didn't get a picture of the mock up of it but the finished product has the leaning post around 2" farther back then this) and also at this point knew that I would cut 1 to 1 1/2" of height off the bottom of the console.

[Jared]

Decided I wanted to take the 6" out of the middle so none of my glasswork or fairing had to be close to an edge to make it as easy as possible. Took my time with a 48" straight edge laying out my tape lines for the cuts, the more accurate the cuts the easier the glassing and fairing will be.


Layout done and ready to start cutting




This is what I use for all my fiberglass cutting, its easy to control and makes really nice cuts in fiberglass with minimal dust and a very small kerf. This tool with the scraper blade on it is my go-to for removing rotten wood off of fiberglass skins when I redid floors and transom.




Cutting done, this is the piece removed

[Jared]

Put on my suit and respirator and started grinding and tapering the fiberglass back around 6" from the cut on each side. I used a 4 1/2" angle grinder with a 36 grit disc for this part. There was a 3/4" plastic honeycomb core behind the 2 surfaces where electronics and steering/throttle would be mounted, I cut this back 6" as well.


Grinding mostly done, once I had the 2 sides temporarily joined together I came back and knocked down a handful of spots to make the fiberglass lay better later on.






Clamped the 2 sides lined up as good as I can and took some 2" strips of aluminum and pop riveted them together. I made sure the rivets were spaced far enough from the center of the joint that I could lay up the first few plys, let it kick, drill the rivets out and remove the plates, and then the last layup would cover the rivet holes from the inside. Put packing tape on the outside of the console around the joint so the resin wouldn't come through and make a big mess.

[Jared]

Used 1708 biaxial fabric and epoxy resin. The first 2 plys laid down with the aluminum plates and rivets holding everything in alignment. Let these 2 layers cure and a day or two later drilled out the rivets and removed the plates.




Scuffed the first layup by hand with 100 grit paper and readied my core material that is replacing what I removed behind where the controls and electronics will go. I used a piece of 3/4" meranti plywood bonded in with thickened epoxy.




Let the thickened epoxy around the core kick just enough that I could wet everything out and put 2 more plys of glass down without messing up the radiuses I made around the core material. Taped over all the rivet holes on the outside of the console to keep resin from squeezing through them and making a mess.

[Jared]

And we have a console back in 1 piece.




Used thickened epoxy to fill the rivet holes from the outside. A quick skim of 3m platinum lightweight filler down the joint and sanded by hand with a 12" foam board and ready for primer.




I used interlux paints rolled and tipped on the whole boat. I know pretty much nothing about fairing and painting so I used their primer as well in an effort to stick with all the same brand, I think it was epoxy primecote. I did 3 coats of primer with a quick sand between coats.




4 coats of interlux snow white and its ready to start cutting holes to mount everything. Since around this time it was miserable hot outside I cut out and rigged the whole console in my shed where there's A/C and then put in the boat and connected everything.

[jorgeinmiami]

You can work on my boat anytime

Very nice!!!

[Jared]

In the boat with everything mounted. Since this picture I added 2 more cup holders to the top of the console but overall pretty happy with how it turned out. Function-wise, the space it opened up inside the boat is exactly what I wanted. I knew I would end up around 30" wide on the console from the beginning of the planning stages of the boat so I also ordered a "narrow" leaning post from birdsall that is 32" wide and an Engel 65 with a cushion for a seat and storage in front of the console that is 29 7/8" wide.

Since the shape of the top of the gunnels from the console back makes adding more rod holders to them a bit of work I also added a rack also from birdsall to store 4 more rods.

[Bikecop1]

Great job. That looks really nice.

[77SceptreOB]

Nice work!!