I am making reasonable progress with my SR4 restoration/conversion and I have a couple of questions. I'd appreciate your input.
The boat has the deluxe moulded deck and had a bilge pump fitted. The pump doesn't work and needs to be replaced. Would I be better of fitting an elephant trunk or should I stick with the pump?
The second question is, when I come to install the jockey console, is the deck strong enough for me to just drill and self tap the console to the deck with a screw every 3 to 4 inches? I will be using Sikaflex with this process.
I can't comment on the deck and console question but I would definitely fit a elephants trunk as it is surprisingly easy to fill them up with waster and a trunk clears it quickly!
Both, or a good trunk. But most trunks are made of think hypalon which stays open if you don't drive the boat. Therefore your boat will flood.
I have a pump (don't know the capacity but it's rather big) for rainwater and water what comes with the diving gear.
If it's realy bad weather and a long drive I use the trunk (mine stays also open when i stop driving.)
When it's going rough a pump has not enough capacity to keep the boat dry...
for emptying large amounts of water quickly you can beat a elephants trunk, but if you're keeping it on a mooring then I guess the bilge pump would be handy too, so you probably need both.
be careful drilling and screwing the deck as it's easy to drill into the buoyancy chambers, best avoided at all costs
__________________ Member of S.A.B.S. (Wirral Division)
there's a thread on here about the buoyancy chambers, I think it may have been MattH that started it? but it does show the location of the chambers, the other option is to jus glass the console in so you don't need to drill n screw
have a look at this thread, page 2 shows the tank construction
Thanks for that thread link. Wow, that was a project!!
I am aware of he two rear tanks. I won't be drilling anywhere near them as it's just a single jockey console.
I not experienced in GRP work. Happy to do small repairs etc. I don' t fancy glassing into an ivory white deck. Too hard to hide the blunders.
I think it will be screws and Sikaflex. Although, not to close together with the screws as I am concerned about the "chain drilling" effect. Don't want to disappear overboard, hands clamped to the steering wheel, sitting on my jockey seat, still perfectly attached to the console footprint neatly torn from the rest of the deck.
Mellifera
Scubaqua
