Excel 435 HD fit out from scratch

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by jeffstevens763@g

me too

They display ok on the windows laptop, not on the iOS app[emoji849]

[RickW]

Ok for me on the iOS app

[69cmw]

I can see them on my iPad and iPhone using the app

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by jeffstevens763@g

me too

I just get this, the other photos are ok

[jeffstevens763@g]

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

I just get this, the other photos are ok
Attachment 131563

yep i get that on my samsung sh-t phone too but the others are ok

[Stevem]

Looks great Jeff, love the stealth look.

[69cmw]

Looking good Jeff.

My block for raising the engine arrived yesterday from Trent Plastics [emoji846]

[jeffstevens763@g]

Originally Posted by 69cmw

Looking good Jeff.

My block for raising the engine arrived yesterday from Trent Plastics [emoji846]

great i'll look better Craig

[jeffstevens763@g]

Originally Posted by Stevem

Looks great Jeff, love the stealth look.

cheers Stevem i'm liking it more as the build progresses

[jeffstevens763@g]

Back on the console I've had a good luck at it and decided to go with stainless steel hinges for the floor mount, so I'll pop rivet to the floor and bolt through the plate (shock absorber ) the hogging rail I'll have to cut different angles to keep the hogging rail in shape. Just while I get this done I thought I would mention the console for those that have seen other threads I've gone though a few finding what works and what doesn't. For the type of boating I do a chartplotter is a must as is a radio I wanted to be able to read,adjust easily while underway so this was the end result,made from HDPE sheet and welded together with a soldering iron the loop type and a hand welder which feeds HDPE rods in through the nozzle which is heated by a fancy heat gun which gives a proper weld for the main frame pieces. It's not easy and it's my first one not perfect but it suits me and works very well. I can adjust my screens to suit up and down, the battery and fuse box housed behind the power switch and accessory socket (4 screw release to get the gel battery out). Two pockets for sun glasses and bits and bobs most of all somewhere to rest a brew. Apart from my time it cost around £40 to make plus the small elasticated nets to stop stuff shooting out.

I used 5mm thick HDPE if I was to do it again I would use 10 MM thick I doesn't distort whilst welding as much, I do tack it but it still distorts the extra weight wouldn't matter IMO

[jeffstevens763@g]

i might not be of interest to all but i'll stick it in anyway, pics are of the two ways ive welded the HDPE with the 5 mm sheet i found that the soldering iron weld was enough to hold certain pieces i'm not an expert but i found if you penetrate the material enough and pust the melted material forward as you progress back you build a weld so it's just forward and backward along the weld length it leaves it in peeks which you can just go over with the iron to smooth out if needed, so you're digging into the root of the 90 degree angle on the joint & done both sides it's quite strong.

with the welding tool [glorified heat gun] you fit a nozzle on the end there are root nozzles but i use my soldering iron for that its just simply place the nozzle on the weld area feed in the HDPE welding rod pull backward and the nozzle leaves a weld fillet much the same as arc welding, takes practise to get the speed right but looks ok if you do get a mess a rotor file in the drill will smooth out for a neater job.
the beauty of this is you can make some decent brackets, boxes etc to suit your needs which aren't readily available to buy.

the welder was £80 off ebay
the HDPE rods off ebay not expensive.
soldering iron anywhere. you can use a gas rope cutter too the prod type
rotary files ebay trade name desuiter [think its spelt like that]
lastly HDPE dosnt accept glue it's too oily & if you mark/scratch it pass over it with a heat gun to make the surface more presentable or to take the manufactured shine off it for aesthetics

[jeffstevens763@g]

top hogging strip mounting in place getting the angle somewhere near was a bit of a pain i ended up using my power planer to shape the angle it worked very well as does an ordinary wood plane but there's bits of HDPE all over she's doing her nut still its not me spreading them it's the dogso thats through bolted and firm.
the floor mount i was going to do similar out of HDPE but a hinge then thought why not just buy two hinges in SS i've put them side by side in the middle on the strengthening plate that originally rested in the rail slot on the mercury, i've had to extend this to accommodate the larger tubes on the excel about 50mm so i've mounted the hinges on a HDPE plate drilled to accept two decent bolts .
i'm going to mount on the floor [rubber insulation to stop corrosion] bolted with threaded inserts this time it's about 4 inches in to the boat which will allow me to make a rack for a drinks bottle always a pain rattling around in the boat in the rough. once its all in place i'll put some pics up.

[jeffstevens763@g]

so now got the console fitted and secure i ended up using the threaded inserts 5 of the 6 bolts went in great the 6th was a pig but got there in the end. i sprayed the hinges with black plasticote dont know how long it will stay on but looks ok for now.
next i fitted a pop bottle rack its off a leaf blower jim next door blew his up so cut it to fit really handy whilst underway i can have a swigg when i want without trying to find the bottle, i'm always thirsty at sea so its high on the list.

next i fitted the aerial to the console i didnt want to drill too many holes in the transom plus it folds down for transporting along the tube. when fitted on the transom i had to take it apart each time it bounced on the seat, it's a tad higher too not that the range will increase much but it all helps.

next is fitting the transducer & battery charging cable i'm going to spiral wrap the two together and hold in place with plastic P clips on the floor there's some screws in the floor that i will utilize save drilling any more holes. same with the cable for the transducer on the outside of the transom, the cable will have to have P clips to hold it neat & tidy, there are some screws in a plate which i might be able to use also.

since i had trouble with the engine the charging cable had to be disconnected each time they took the engine off so i bought a waterproof cable plug which will be on the outside of the engine for ease.

what has helped is the console hinge is far enough out so i can fill the rear tube without taking the top console bolts out.

[willk]

Originally Posted by The Gurnard

..so perhaps she will out last me ...and I wont need a replacement

Looking at it another way: if she lets you down on passage - you still might not need a replacement!

[The Gurnard]

Originally Posted by willk

Looking at it another way: if she lets you down on passage - you still might not need a replacement!

If you are getting bored.. have a Willk

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=willk

[Highland Haggis]

Donny is that you piss taking [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]

[jeffstevens763@g]

so got the wiring all done ive used the old spiral wrap i had when i wrapped it round the aerial cable, fuel line, charging cable and transducer cable so it now a bit big but when it gets warmer it will return a bit to its original size having said that its for protection so it will do. i ran the loom along the floor rails and fixed with P clips and screws,as i got to the transom i used P clips attached to the two bolts that go through the transom for the backing plate that holds the tubes to the transom to save drilling. the transducer cable splits off from the battery charging cable next to the anti splash web end. ive put a waterproof connector there so i can disconnect if the engine has to come off again, its run behind the fuel tank and up to the grommet into the engine with plenty of slack for slewing the engine port & starboard.

next was to fit the transducer this is a new one my old transducer was giving shallow readings on the chart overlay even in 200m of water. i know its not the unit as thats new so plugged her in and i'm getting a good signal even out of water as i move it up and down more or less replicating the distance i'm not sure but i read somewhere they dont work out of water but this is.
drilled and fixed the bracket using just two screws you get four bit of an overkill and less holes the better especially water side. cable fixed with stuck on cable tie fixings i dont know how long the glue will last but the cables tight anyway so i can stick back on if they come off.
spare transducer cable is always a pain i had it in the console before but that was a mess so i got a piece of black sink waste and folded the spare cable in there looks fairly neat with the bracket glued on.

[Pikey Dave]

Be interesting to see how the sounder behaves underway Jeff. I’m only getting a good bottom trace at standstill & tickover. I think it’s the bracket causing turbulence. Needs more work & fiddling.

[jeffstevens763@g]

i put the ali seat on at the stern near the end of the locating bead only to find it flew off when leant on i needed to stop that i had some bungee stoppers i drilled through to accept the beat diameter and put a saw cut down its length, spread the cut open and thread on the bead up to the seat there's enough friction to stop the seat flying back now just one each side will do.
going to fit a seat storage bag too somewhere to keep my gath helmet when not in use, pikey dave rates them good enough for me plenty of zip lube and the seams sealed should keep it dry inside.

[jeffstevens763@g]

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

Be interesting to see how the sounder behaves underway Jeff. I’m only getting a good bottom trace at standstill & tickover. I think it’s the bracket causing turbulence. Needs more work & fiddling.

these skimmer transducers are really good i find Dave well when they work, reading up and looking on youtube it seems they need to be half the thickness of the skimmer below the hull although the book says 2-3 mm below so i'm going to try it, i can soon lift it on the screws. to be honest a SIB'S not the best for anything other than slow speed to get a good bottom readout.