Trailer fitting and woes

It has been almost 2 years since my last post and Frolic has been doing well. I have had constant issues with the Trailer I bought for Frolic and it constantly damaging the hull when retrieving the boat. I have tried all kinds of possible fixes with no success. Every time I haul the boat the hull and keel get damaged. See pictures below of latest damage.

I purchased the trailer through a local marine shop, Paul Erickson's Marine Plus in Ferrisburgh, VT. The trailer is made by Sea Lion out of New Jersey. I sent a Chris Craft hull line drawing to the company so they can build a trailer to meet the need of the boat. When the trailer arrived I the boat was not finished yet and was not put on the trailer until a year later, I got delayed in finishing the boat. The trailer was very nice and looked like it would do the job.

When it came time to fit the trailer to the boat it appeared that the boat was not being supported properly and that about half or the 22 foot boat was not supported. I inquired about this and was told that this was ok, even though I asked since it was a wood boat. I would try various fixes on my own with no real success. After my second season of using the boat I turned to Paul at Marine Plus for help. With the boating season starting in Vermont Paul tried to contact the trailer company but in the end he could not help and recommended I contact them myself.

I contacted SeaLion and began working with the owners Mike and Lou. I sent photos and they analyzed the issue and recommended forward bunks. The measurements were taken and the parts made then shipped. Once I get the parts I believe I will need to move my main bunks out to accommodate the new forward bunks. I will post pictures and document how it goes. The guys at SeaLion were great in that they took the time to help and basically just charged me for shipping for the parts. They really want me to be satisfied with the trailer and are eager to help. You may want to check them out for a trailer if you need one. Till then. Michael

Folic goes for a swim!

After some difficult work the moment came and Frolic went out. The only problem other than a north wind was the generator putting out 20 amps, not god. I had the generator and starter t at Vermont Engine and something was not right. I took it to a shop that bought out Vermont Engine in the electrical rebuild business, Auto Electric Inc. They did a great job an got everything working lie a top.

Frolic gget's an engine

Well there has been sometime to pass but I finally finished the boat and got it into the water! I have been spending alot of time trying to get the engine aligned. I have been really lucky in that a good friend let me work in his shop. It took way longer to do because did not have the original motor and nothing was really in place the way it was when the boat came out of the factory. Between Jody and Myndy I was able to solve the conundrum. Here are some pictures o the install.

Rain Rain go away Mikey wants to finish and play with his Skiff!

This Month has blown by so fast and so have the items left on the list to get the Skiff in the water this year. Frolic has really taken shape and looks pretty good. I have finished the inside of the hull except for motor mounting, and fastening the floor down. There is nothing else to hang, or install as far as bright work and chrome.




During this time I have also been installing all the thru hull pieces and sent my prop off to Murphy's Propellers in Norfolk, VA to have it reconditioned. They did a great job and it was under a 100 bucks not including shipping. I used 5200 on th ethru hull pieces and only have the shaft protector left to install.

Everything is going together fine. I have a glob of 5200 in my pick up that slide down from the hull. It is not obstructing to much and think it will be ok. I will keep an eye on it.

I have had fun this past Memorial weekend because I started up my engine for the first time on the stand. It took me an afternoon to get it running. I ran into a problem in that I followed my wiring diagram and could not get the starter to turn off the key and no power to the coil. I got a gauge set and hooked up the amp meeter like the diagram said and nothing worked. I had to take the wire from the ignition side that shared the post with the amp meter to the other post to energize the system. I dont know if I have things wired correctly on the boat and will have to troubleshoot once the engine is installed.



I have been trying to finish the engine box and have made progress. I have sanded, stained and placed 2 coats of CPES and hope to start varnishing tonight. The box is looking pretty good even though I have some high and low spots in the stain. It was pretty uniformed before the CPES but what can I say.



Well that's all for now, but things ar ealmost done and I am getting excited to see if this boat will float.

Are we done yet?

Not yet but getting really close! I have finished the wiring to the point were I need the motor in and the front bench seat installed to finish it all. Wiring under the dash and in the forward was pretty cramp, I wish I was short. All in all the wiring went well and I used a new product this time and would recommend them to anybody. I used the shrink wrap terminals from Ancor. They worked pretty sweet. Here are some pics of the tight spot job.






I have also been working on the through hull mountings. I needed to make the right size carriage bolts for the rudder stuffing box. Here is a snapshot of the work.


Trying to remove many years of tarnish is not easy and the pices are not perfect bu they are clean and ready for use.


Finally I have a picture of Jeff at Rayco making my tank. They did a great job and recommend them to anybody. They are fast friendly and fair. Thanks again Jeff!

I am hooping to finish the through hull bedding, and starting the motor in the coming weeks, after that it is doing all the finishing touches to get it on the trailer to have the engine installed.

Need warmer weather to finish everything

Slowly but surely things are starting to warm up. I have been continuing to fit up the boat. I have run the Cooper for the fuel line. Installed the the fuel filter and test installed my new tank from Rayco. Thanks Jeff!





I am really waiting for warm weather so I can do my through hull bedding with 5200. My nights are still below 40 degrees F and the directions say it is a no no. I have also started the various projects to finish the boat while I wait on the temperature to come up. I have been finishing the motor and working on various cooper and bronze pieces.


More to come in that I am still working on the engine box and I will begin finishing the wire to the panel. I am hoping that I can do the through hull work and start my engine for the first time before i install it in the boat.

Warm weather and chance to work outside without freezing

We have had some nice weather here in Vermont and I have been trying to work outside as much as possible. I thought I would tackle the sides of my engine box, which proved to be a challenge. I made several pieces before I found one that was right for the sides of the box. The front an drear were easy. I measured several times before I cut but 2 go a rounds yielded sides that were small. It was very frustrating and I should have bought some inexpensive plywood to make templates. Here is what I came out with but not perfect.




I also worked on adding some pieces of wood to the rear bench support. The screws missed the support originally so I addrd another biece ot stabilize and give the bench more to screw into.


I also had fun re painting my Sea Skiff emblems. The are pitted, not re chroming now, cost to much and plus I want the boat in the water for use! They came out ok.


I am awaiting my new tank from Rayco and getting excited. I am currently trying to figure out were to put the water/fuel fileter seperator. On the Skiff there is very little room in the rear so I am thinking of runing th eline past the engine just forward and mounting it there under a hatch then running th eline back to the engine. This would give hte filter more room and easier for me to service. We will see.