Pulling the trigger on a pilot house on the 228

[PointedRose]

Nice work, looks great and coming together quickly! Will be a game changer for you

 

[luckydude]

Boxes built. Still being welded to the roof, once that is done, Charlie will cut the face open, leaving a small lip that I'll use to screw on a starboard face. My 9 inch display will get flush mounted in the center and I'll have doors to either side. The space between the back wall and the front window is so I can get my hands (hopefully) to the window clips to fasten it in after painting.

 

[glacierbaze]

Going to need a t least one large chase, to run wires and cables to the box. Have you planned that location? Would be nice not to have it in front of your face, as before.

 

[DennisG01]

Lookin' REALLY nice. I'm jealous!

A thought... are you guys doing anything to help deaden the sound on larger, flat aluminum spots? Do you think it's needed? Like maybe the stuff that is put on the inside of car door panels? It really does make a noticeable difference - and it doesn't have to go all the way to the edge. Car audio installers sometimes use this stuff, too. I've had cars with and without this (from the factory) and there is definitely a difference.

 

[DennisG01]

Going to need a t least one large chase, to run wires and cables to the box. Have you planned that location? Would be nice not to have it in front of your face, as before.

Yes - and make it bigger than you think you need!

 

[glacierbaze]

Inside the starboard window frame, and a smooth curve into the bottom, front corner of the box.

 

[DennisG01]

And leave a pull string in there that's three times as long as the length of the chase. But, hey, we're starting to do that armchair quarterback thing All of these things are probably already thought of by Lucky and the builder - it looks like the guy has done this before

 

[luckydude]

Going to need a t least one large chase, to run wires and cables to the box. Have you planned that location? Would be nice not to have it in front of your face, as before.

Well, I was planning on having it come off the helm where the hard top was, go over to the corner and go up to the box from there.
As part of this, I'm listening to Jens M, and I'm going to put an extension NEMA 2000 bus up top. So what goes in the tube:
- ethernet
- NEMA 2000
- power and ground
- power to nav light (so it is switched at the helm)
- power to spreaders (ditto)
- VHF from the roof

Then in the box I have
- 942xs (ethernet, nema 2000, vhf)
- Standard horizon VHF (nema, vhf) - not really in the box, under the back of the top, cockpit radio
- maybe an ethernet hub but I don't think I need it because I have two ports on the 942

Through the box from the roof
- Radar (Garmin Fantom), I think it is power and ethernet but I have to check
- 2x VHF, one goes to down the channel to the helm radio, the other goes to the cockpit radio
- GPS antenna goes down to the AIS unit
- GPS on NEMA 2000 (for radar)

So I need a beefy channel box to helm, a channel that can hold VHF, power, ground (2x for radio and spreaders) to the back edge of the roof.

I'm probably forgetting something but you get the idea.

 

[luckydude]

Inside the starboard window frame, and a smooth curve into the bottom, front corner of the box.

That's exactly the plan, so the curve runs it over to the corner and then up. No sight obstruction. That's kind of the whole point of this hardtop, I want to chase tuna and I want to be looking through glass.

 

[luckydude]

Lookin' REALLY nice. I'm jealous!

A thought... are you guys doing anything to help deaden the sound on larger, flat aluminum spots? Do you think it's needed? Like maybe the stuff that is put on the inside of car door panels? It really does make a noticeable difference - and it doesn't have to go all the way to the edge. Car audio installers sometimes use this stuff, too. I've had cars with and without this (from the factory) and there is definitely a difference.

I have no idea how to do that. It's just a sheet of aluminum, the biggest is the roof. I'll ask Charlie.

 

[DennisG01]

I have no idea how to do that. It's just a sheet of aluminum, the biggest is the roof. I'll ask Charlie.

It's easy - the stuff is self-adhesive and can be painted. It's certainly not "needed" - just a thought to pass along

 

[glacierbaze]

I would run a good size power and ground up there, and install a second fuse block. Power everything in the pilot house from there. and avoid that hard-to-reach fuse block under the helm.

 

[luckydude]

I would run a good size power and ground up there, and install a second fuse block. Power everything in the pilot house from there. and avoid that hard-to-reach fuse block under the helm.

Yeah, that's how it was under the hardtop, I'm doing the same.

And by the way, I don't mind in the slightest the arm chair quarterbacking. This is by far the biggest boat project I've taken on and I'm doing it for the first time (hopefully last as well). I'll take people telling me what I already know on the chance that someone tells me something I don't know. Most helpful, keep 'em coming.

 

[DennisG01]

Yeah, that's how it was under the hardtop, I'm doing the same.

And by the way, I don't mind in the slightest the arm chair quarterbacking. This is by far the biggest boat project I've taken on and I'm doing it for the first time (hopefully last as well). I'll take people telling me what I already know on the chance that someone tells me something I don't know. Most helpful, keep 'em coming.

Careful... we may start spending more of your money!

What are your thoughts for mounting point reinforcement (backer plates) for hardtop items like the 360* anchor light, antennas, possible radar, etc)? Is more aluminum blocking being welded in... or maybe just use HDPE as the backer plate as needed?

 

[Don Davis]

Are you going to powder coat the aluminum? I powder coated the bracket for my pod to mount the extra long leg Suzuki I bought and found that the color furniture white is an almost perfect match to the Gelcoat.

 

[luckydude]

Careful... we may start spending more of your money!

What are your thoughts for mounting point reinforcement (backer plates) for hardtop items like the 360* anchor light, antennas, possible radar, etc)? Is more aluminum blocking being welded in... or maybe just use HDPE as the backer plate as needed?

First of all, the roof is stout, it's 3/16" while the sides are 1/8. I don't think it needs any more strength.

I will make sure it's strong enough for outriggers, might get Charlie to do some extra stuff for those.

Lights, antenna are easy peasy. I'll do the HDPE wedges for those myself (I do wood working as a hobby so that's easy for me).

The hard one is the radar. Because it needs to be taller than any sort of crow's nest up there. What I'm inclined to do is to buy/build a seat that is all the way forward, the seat bottom is on the roof, there are some seat arms with some handholds. You sit in that with your feet on the front windshield. Then build a tower for the radar that is behind that and tall enough that it looks over the seat and short enough I can get it out my overgrown road. That means the seat arms can't be taller than 10 inches (my nav light is 20 inches and I go out my road with it up, it brushes some branches but makes it. So I can put the top of the radar that tall, but it is 10 inches tall). Either that or some fold up radar mount.

Update: I spoke with Johnson-Hicks, they did my electronics. They said the radar going around a chair is not a problem, and if it is, there is a way to just not transmit on part of the circle. So I put the radar up front and all is good.

 

[luckydude]

Are you going to powder coat the aluminum? I powder coated the bracket for my pod to mount the extra long leg Suzuki I bought and found that the color furniture white is an almost perfect match to the Gelcoat.

Grady doesn't powder coat anything except the swim platform (and I believe Armstrong does that for them). They use some sort of epoxy paint and I am planning to do the same.

 

[Ted R]

Looks great, will your glass be fixed or movable?

 

[Fishtales]

Looks great. You could paint it any color and it would look super sharp.

 

[luckydude]

Looks great, will your glass be fixed or movable?

Windscreen fixed, sliders on either side. I'm using Wyne (might have it spelled wrong, they are what Steiger uses).