burnsie Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 I brought a 5.4 cubby a while back and not long after getting it the engine started to play up and long storie short the engine either need a rebuild or replacing which is what i plan on doing. So while the boats just sitting their i thought it would be a good time to do stuff to the boat which i want to. Ive decided to change it to a centre console and have removed the old floor which was quiet rotten in a few places, ive removed the windscreen and fibreglass mould which wrapped around the front of the boat and stripped the hull bare. I have a few questions i would like to put out their. 1. How would you suggest finding the best position for the centre console? 2. Will mounting the batteries below the console cause any problems with cranking power for the engine because of the increased distance? 3. It has a 30ltr tank at the moment but i want to atleast double it, is the position its in now be ok? 4. Should some piping be ran for later on when the engine gets fitted for cables and steering? 5. Should i use a stainless steel console or fibreglass? Im sure ive overlooked something and have forgotten to mention it so please feel free to offer any tips and things to think about. Thanks in advance. Adam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burnsie Posted June 30, 2012 Author Share Posted June 30, 2012 heres another photo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sanfly Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 heres another photo Hi, You might be better off just going to a new boat sales yard and check out how the new boats have thier set ups as I'm sure they have invested a lot of time and money to get it right. That way you can pick up some good ideas that will look good in your boat and see how its done exactly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burnsie Posted July 1, 2012 Author Share Posted July 1, 2012 Hi, You might be better off just going to a new boat sales yard and check out how the new boats have thier set ups as I'm sure they have invested a lot of time and money to get it right. That way you can pick up some good ideas that will look good in your boat and see how its done exactly Yeah ive had a look in a few new boats exactly for that reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheap charlie Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 I have a few questions i would like to put out their. 1. How would you suggest finding the best position for the centre console? 2. Will mounting the batteries below the console cause any problems with cranking power for the engine because of the increased distance? 3. It has a 30ltr tank at the moment but i want to atleast double it, is the position its in now be ok? 4. Should some piping be ran for later on when the engine gets fitted for cables and steering? 5. Should i use a stainless steel console or fibreglass? Hi Mate, Great project! It was only yesterday that I had the full floor out of my 4.9M Clarke replacing the fuel sender in the underfloor tank. I was up under the front console inspecting some of the wiring and it got me to thinking how it would not be that hard to remove the screen and console pod and convert to a center console. Looks like you previously had hydrolic steering? are you looking to retain the current set up and just have the hoses cut to length by one of those hydrolic hose companies? Are you keeping the existing motor and remote? If so you will need to source cables of a suitable length. Battery placement is not an issue. All you need to be aware of is the longer a battery cable is the thicker the gauge of cable needs to be. In regards to your 30ltr tank, It is an existing underfloor unit? It may be worthwhile getting a second tank fabricated up to mount in a similar fashion perhaps towards the front of the boat to help balance the boat out. The original tank can be modified to have a 2 inch hose ran between the two tanks along the center rib. this should allow you to retain the existing fill point??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burnsie Posted July 3, 2012 Author Share Posted July 3, 2012 Hi Mate, Great project! It was only yesterday that I had the full floor out of my 4.9M Clarke replacing the fuel sender in the underfloor tank. I was up under the front console inspecting some of the wiring and it got me to thinking how it would not be that hard to remove the screen and console pod and convert to a center console. Looks like you previously had hydrolic steering? are you looking to retain the current set up and just have the hoses cut to length by one of those hydrolic hose companies? Are you keeping the existing motor and remote? If so you will need to source cables of a suitable length. Battery placement is not an issue. All you need to be aware of is the longer a battery cable is the thicker the gauge of cable needs to be. In regards to your 30ltr tank, It is an existing underfloor unit? It may be worthwhile getting a second tank fabricated up to mount in a similar fashion perhaps towards the front of the boat to help balance the boat out. The original tank can be modified to have a 2 inch hose ran between the two tanks along the center rib. this should allow you to retain the existing fill point??? Hi Charlie, That was excactly how i decided to do it, i was looking at wiring and realised how easy it was to remove everything and put in a centre console. So far i have found out its easy to remove it all and now we will see how i go installing the centre console haha. My mould for the windscreen was only pop rivotted on so i only had to drill them out and and cut the railing and it all lifted straight off. With the windscreen and mould gone you can see just how much more space it opens up. The steering wasnt hydrolic, just the cable setup but im going to put in a new steering set up and also replacing the motor so remote, cabling and wiring will also be new. Yeah with the batteries I did some research and found that out thanks. The fuel tank is an existing underfloor unit. As you can see in the photo below there is extra room either side in the existing area where i could get a larger one made to fit that whole space but then the weight could be an issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burnsie Posted July 3, 2012 Author Share Posted July 3, 2012 sorry i can only upload one photo per post because of the size of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheap charlie Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 Sounds like you are all over it - What where you thinking in regards to floor layout? Just a flat floor front to rear or a casting deck at the front with storage underneath? - Was the hull filled with foam under the floor? - Any thoughts as to what outboard you may go for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burnsie Posted July 4, 2012 Author Share Posted July 4, 2012 Sounds like you are all over it - What where you thinking in regards to floor layout? Just a flat floor front to rear or a casting deck at the front with storage underneath? - Was the hull filled with foam under the floor? - Any thoughts as to what outboard you may go for? Im thinking a flat floor all the way with some storage. I was thinking about a casting deck but speaking to my brother inlaw he said its not really any use unless your fishing flat water all the time and the sides arent too high. Plus its alot easier to go flat all the way. yeah it was filled with foam peices which i still have. Do you need to have these in there or can you use the filler foam stuff? At the moment im think either etec or suzuki in the 75-90 range. I was told that suzuki have the self adjusting chain timing belt so you dont have to have it replaced ever couple of hundred hours which can be quiet costly and the etec cost around 500 for about 3 or 5 years worth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burnsie Posted July 8, 2012 Author Share Posted July 8, 2012 (edited) just abit of an update. I took the boat off the trailer, one so its easier to get in and out of to work on and to also have a look at the trailers condition cause i know its a bit dodgy. Once i took it off i didnt look at it then this morning i walked out and noticed the back roller was almost ripped off in the process of puting the boat on the ground. Guess i have some more work to add to the list. On the boat front i decided to start sanding the corroded sections back and luckly only found a few sections that need attection as you can see in the photos. I was going to sand the whole section but after just doing about 10% i think ill just sand the bubbly sections and use paint stripper on the rest. Edited July 8, 2012 by burnsie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluebottle18 Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Once your ready to refit the boat make sure you write everything you want done and draw up a plan. Write down all ideas and thoughts so you don`t forget any thing. ( you probably done that ) Can you draw a picture of where you want everything in your plan Alot of what you want to do is your personal likes etc. Do you really need to have a built in fuel tank. Fuel these days doe`s not last as long so remember this if you need to replace old fuel and perhaps clean tanks. Think about shade and shelter as this can create issues in regards to comfort. IMO it is important to balance your batteries and fuel. Some hulls are not suitable for centre consuls and if not properly balanced will cause bouyancy issues and steering concerns. Generally speaking it is not a problem to have your batteries fitted under your consul but as previous poster stated increase the size of your leads. I would ask the experts in this area and the type of battery needed. Personally I would try and fit the batteries closer to the motor to avoid any possible issues as the battery ages. Build a platform for them to sit on. Compensate with moving fuel tanks forward. Don`t skimp on the consul you buy and buy the best you can afford. Remember you need plenty of room to fit all your instruments and GPS gear. I know they are expensive. Don`t forget where your lights are going to go. Other things to think about are bait well, rod holders, seating and storage box( customised to hold your extras you may need.) I know some things maybe obvious but they can be over looked. I once helped a mate do what you are doing in a much bigger boat and learnt a great deal from his attitude to doing it right. Even then we missed a few things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheap charlie Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 Hey Burnsie, Hows the project coming along? I am in the market for a Center Console around the 5 meter range and struggling to find some thing that suits. Thinking I may have to make my own out of a runabout.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burnsie Posted October 18, 2012 Author Share Posted October 18, 2012 Hey Burnsie, Hows the project coming along? I am in the market for a Center Console around the 5 meter range and struggling to find some thing that suits. Thinking I may have to make my own out of a runabout.. Hey Charlie its been slow over winter and a holiday but now back into it. The fuel tank is in the welding shop waiting to get welded back up as i had to cut some squares out so i could give it a good clean and im glad i did it was filthy!!!! i only took a picture of the sender but... Thee trailer is about 90% finished, i just need to put the lights on and one more peice of metal. ill be working on it this weekend and will hopefully get the tank in if its finished and install bilge pump, transducer, nav lights and fuel breather and filler lines. I painted the the top section of the hullbut was lazy and didnt tap up most things because im going to change then eventually but with this beautiful weather i think i might just leave them for the winter haha. One thing that might hold me up is the console, a friend is getting a work colleague to make it up for me but it was soppost to be ready weeks ago and still no report so ill just wait and see what happens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burnsie Posted October 18, 2012 Author Share Posted October 18, 2012 I also brought a brand new 09 70 suzuki which is sitting in the shop waiting for the boat to be finished haha What are you thinking about buying? if your thinking fibreglass pm me and ill send you a link to a site which has heaps of total rebuilds, its all with the one make of boats but some of the work they do blows my mind away heres a photo of the trailer set up i wen with. The photo was taken half way through Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheap charlie Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 Looking good looks like it's all coming along. You wont know your self with that 4 Stroke Zuki. Ive been looking around for a good CC around 5M preferably with a 4 stroke hanging of the back of it. Every thing I have looked at so far has been either to small, loaded with corrosion so I was starting to think maybe I could make my own Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burnsie Posted October 25, 2012 Author Share Posted October 25, 2012 i orginally wanted to get a cc to start off with but i was too impatient and this came up so i grabbed it. I kind of wish i had of just waited and got one from the start but in saying this its great learning different things while doing this and at the end i can say ive done it myself. to update ive got the floor all cut and treated, as the tank is ally i had some rust guard paint left over so i gave it a few coats of that and have all the fittings so hopefully this sunday ill be able to get the fuel tank fully in and the floor screwed down. sorry i dont have any pics at the moment ill add some soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheap charlie Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 i orginally wanted to get a cc to start off with but i was too impatient and this came up so i grabbed it. I kind of wish i had of just waited and got one from the start but in saying this its great learning different things while doing this and at the end i can say ive done it myself. to update ive got the floor all cut and treated, as the tank is ally i had some rust guard paint left over so i gave it a few coats of that and have all the fittings so hopefully this sunday ill be able to get the fuel tank fully in and the floor screwed down. sorry i dont have any pics at the moment ill add some soon. Good stuff. Bet your itching to get it on the water Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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