Blazer Marine Slingshot Build!

[Mario Johnston]

Alright, boys & girls, we're back!
First coat of sealing on the tub is finished. Gave her a 24 hour cure and sanded again tonight. Will lay down the second round tomorrow morning.

 

[Brad Christy]

First saw this on a Andy Brown rigger, modded it to work on a P/T sport 40 radio box cover.

Ray,

Exact principle behind my radio switch. I use two 6-32 brass slotted panhead screws. This means the nylock nuts are the same hex as our glow plug, and that wrench is always in my pocket. I solder the leads into the slots in the screws. I also mill flats on the heads of the screws, parallel to the slot, and these flats fit into a pocket I mill into the plywood plate on the inside of the tub. This keyed fit keeps the screws from rotating. Once everything is in place, with brass nuts and washers on the outside of the tub, I hot glue the screws in and the wires down, isolating the solder joints so they don't find a way to come loose. I also solder up a wiring harness that includes the battery itself and allows me to charge the battery without disconnecting anything or energizing the receiver. I also make the buss bar itself out of brass. It is a virtually bulletproof set-up. I have yet to have a switch failure since. The only problem is that the guys in the retrieve boat can't figure out how to turn my radio off. I'll try and get pictures.

Thanks. Brad.
Titan Racing Components
BlackJack Hydros
Model Machine and Precision LLC

 

[Brad Christy]

First saw this on a Andy Brown rigger, modded it to work on a P/T sport 40 radio box cover.

Ray,

These are the best I could come up with on my phone. I'll get better pics of the switch itself this evening.

Mario,

You could use this same approach for your pipe mounting points.

Thanks. Brad.
Titan Racing Components
BlackJack Hydros
Model Machine and Precision LLC

 

[Ray Sametz]

Ray,

These are the best I could come up with on my phone. I'll get better pics of the switch itself this evening.
View attachment 285870View attachment 285871
Mario,

You could use this same approach for your pipe mounting points.

Thanks. Brad.
Titan Racing Components
BlackJack Hydros
Model Machine and Precision LLC

Andy's setup was in the baitbox on his Mongoose, also used his glow plug nut driver to turn on and off. When DMS radios came out it stop the retrieve boat guys from messing with your switch.

 

[Mario Johnston]

Thanks, Brad.
Looking into it, sourcing the material i want.

 

[Mario Johnston]

Onto coat number two of sealing.
Both of these initial coats, I've added a small amount of alcohol to, so as to thin the mixture and help it penetrate the wood.
Scraping off the excess and sanding tomorrow night.
ALMOST TIME FOR PAINT!!

 

[Mario Johnston]

Second coat of sealing is finished, onto the long tedious task of sanding the entire tub.
This little detail worked out great: the lower fiberglass carb cowl i decided to affix using a thickened epoxy mixture bead on the interior and exterior.
just finished sanding it smooth and near seamless... (and incredibly strong!)

 

[Mario Johnston]

I make a living as an artist, and one thing many of us are familiar with is the theory that things are more aesthetically pleasing when divided into thirds, or 'the rule of thirds'.
Theres definitely something satisfying about the 3 carbon portions of the boat, overall evenly spaced.

 

[Mario Johnston]

At this point, I'd guess we're about 95% sealed. The tub has been saturated in 2 solid coats, sanded and smoothed between and thinned just slightly to ensure penetration of the grain.
The remaining portions are the top deck and inner radio box ceiling). Should wrap up what's left of the epoxy job by the weekend, then she's ready for an oh-so-slight splash of color.
those of you who have driven with me know my color scheme already

 

[Chris Kurtz]

Looks really good Mario.

 

[Mario Johnston]

Another day, another round of sealing. This time the radio box deck underside. Its right around this point I'm discovering that sealing some of these parts BEFORE assembly might be best for the next build

 

[Ray Sametz]

I personally like a tinted lexan radio box cover, more stable and won't warp. Also can see the inside and be tipped off to trouble ie water or something lose. OMHO

 

[Brad Christy]

Another day, another round of sealing. This time the radio box deck underside. Its right around this point I'm discovering that sealing some of these parts BEFORE assembly might be best for the next build
View attachment 285986

Mario,

Ron VanWagnen used to advocate for a "Wet Systems Party" prior to any building, when finishing a wood boat. He'd seal EVERYTHING before starting the building of a kit. I'm not rally a fan of gluing glue to glue, but there is definitely a benefit to getting some of it done while it's far more accessible.

On my BlackJack kit, I have gotten in the habit of doing the cowl lip reinforcement FG/CF work before putting the bottom skin on the tub. I can get to it WAY easier this way. It's considerably easier to get the results I like and keep the excess epoxy to a minimum.

Thanks. Brad.
Titan Racing Components
BlackJack Hydros
Model Machine and Precision LLC

 

[Mario Johnston]

I hear ya, Brad.
A lot of the pieces I was able to saturate and seal as I was building, Insides of the of the sponson skins, etc.
That radio box ceiling and top deck definitely may have been easier to deal with beforehand! Everything else, not so bad!

 

[Mario Johnston]

Back into some finishing touches this morning: cleaning up the radio box lip edges for a good seal when lid is on.

 

[Mario Johnston]

The idea for the next addition came from Brad Christy, so Thanks, Brad!!
Making a reinforcement plate for my pipe mount. This cherry wood will be a good look.

 

[Samuel Hagan JR]

The seal job came out super clean.

 

[Brad Christy]

The idea for the next addition came from Brad Christy, so Thanks, Brad!!
Making a reinforcement plate for my pipe mount. This cherry wood will be a good look.
View attachment 286135
View attachment 286136
View attachment 286137
View attachment 286138

Mario,

There ya go. Pretty much bulletproof at that point. With the end grain plugs, you can now torque those pipe mount screws down plenty tight and the caps will keep them all locked in place. It's little things like this that turn a good build into an awesome build. And yours was an awesome build already.

I'm still meaning to get some good pics of my radio switch set-up, but I keep forgetting to get them after I get home from work.....
Thanks. Brad.

Titan Racing Components
BlackJack Hydros
Model Machine and Precision LLC

 

[Mario Johnston]

Time to put work into the cowl. Thank to Joe Peters for laying down the first layer. About to hit this thing with filler and send it again

 

[Mario Johnston]

Been putting work into the cowl for the last few days. The first coat of primer revealed the usual pinhole spread. A quick scuff and some Evercoat 440 sorts this out. Let sit for 24 hours then hit with 220 grit paper, finish with soft pad. Good to go for next coat