Welding Table

Early on in the boat project I borrowed a small TIG welder from a friend of mine to do the stainless steel work on the boat.  Last year during one of my welding sessions it gave up the ghost.  I still had work to do and it did belong to my friend so I bought another one ... naturally, a little bit bigger.  It worked well ... ok, it got the job done.  If you know anything about TIG machines, which I'm sure most of you do not, I wasn't happy with the way the argon gas was controled.  Periodically I look on Craig's List for a proper welder.  A few weeks ago I found just the welder I needed ... and at a price I could afford.  Most of the small portable machines are now incorporating A/C for doing aluminum so people are getting rid of machines that only do D/C.  I only need D/C.  My new machine is a Lincoln V200-T ... with pulse.  WOW, what a difference from the scratch start Harbor Frieght maching I learned on.  You simply press the foot peddle and the fire just jumps across ! ! !  Thanks to Arc Zone, https://www.arc-zone.com/ I got one of their trade-in foot peddles at a greatly reduced cost. Anyway, with a new welder naturally I needed a new work station. Here it is.

Bilge Pumps

Many years ago Whale Pumps upgraded their Gusher 25 pump.  I like the old model better ... and there were 6 of them at Minnie's Yacht Salvage ... at a really good price.  So, I bought 3 of them.  Two to install and one for a spare.  They looked pretty raged so my friend at Vista Brake glass bead blasted them for me.  Then I sprayed a coat of etching primer on them.  The final coat will be red so they will stand out.  They will be plumbed so I can use either or both pumps to pump the tanks or the bilge.

Cockpit Seat Locker

I've been planning this job for a couple years now.  There's a lot of wasted space under the cockpit seat.  I didn't want to do it during the rainy season so I've been putting it off.  Last year I even marked out where the lift-up was to be located.  Well, today's the day.  What do you think?

Now to get the bottom and sides glassed in so it's completely water tight. You hear stories of boats that took waves and the boats were flooded thru the cockpit lockers.

Next step is to make a lip with a water removal channels that the lid will rest on.  Here's the mold.  This is the second mold.  I wasn't happy with the way the first one turned out.  Remember, the mold is upside down.