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.

Progress and more progress

With the help of my wife, Julie I have been able to spend more time on the skiff. I have continued to fit the skiff up for the season. I have been working on fitting floors, running shift linkage, installing gauges and more trim. It was a challenge to put the rub rails on alone but it was interesting. The gauges Pat Powell did are great! I had to get a replacement temp gauge since the one I had would not work for my set up. I created a basic ring painted black to make up the size difference.



It was challenging to run the new copper oil line and not kink it. I was able to fit it up but I wonder about the connection it cannot be tighten much which makes me nervous. I may disassemble it to re-check everything.

I finished up the floors and tried something different with the shift lever. My boat had problems with the linkage and someone tried to fix it. I have tried to sort it out further with repairs to the keelson and rework of their repair. It does not look nice but it is functional and I believe will last.


I worked on the rear bench seats by installing the supports. I may add a doubler to the seat to make sure I capture the screw. I also spent more time on my engine box sanding and rounding the table edge. I will try and cut the plywood for the sides. Thanks to John Paul for the loan of an engine box to make templates.



Here are some pictures of the bow after I put the trim pieces on.


I am hoping to borrow a shaft alley hatch to recreate it for the skiff, mine did not have one. With the warmer weather coming I am hoping to get some final painting and varnishing done. I need to install my running gear and need the temp higher for the 5200 to cure corectly. I am looking forward to my new tank arriving and finishing the interior. I want to get started on starting my motor to get it ready for install.