1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Fitting the Transom Door

As part of the process of making the boat weatherproof, I need to have the transom door painted and get it installed. I’ve had the hinges for a long time, but I was having trouble finding a latch. Well, I finally found one that will work, so I drilled all the holes, dry-fitted all the hardware, did a test install, then adjusted the gap all the way around so there won’t be any interference once it’s painted. I also welded up the seams on top, since the guy who built the aft enclosure had only tacked them. I think it turned out pretty good, and it’s finally ready for paint.

First, tape up the opening to protect the paint and then install spacers

I recycled the spacers from the glass delivery. They’re 1/8″ thick rubber, which is exactly the gap I’d like all around the door.

Tape the edge of the door and place in the opening

Vix drill jig centers the bit in the hinge hole

These spring-loaded Vix drill bits are a great tool to have if you’re installing hinges and other things that require screws to be installed dead center in hardware holes.

Hinges are installed on the door

I got me a transom door!

Next I need to install the latch and weld the top seams

Buck Algonquin 70TDLS625, polished 316 stainless transom door latch

That gap on the latch side is a bit tight

EZ-One track saw lets me make perfectly straight cuts

Exactly 1/16″ trimmed top to bottom

Nice!

Next, drill the latch holes and get ready to fire up the welder

The seams between the tacks might cause epoxy filler to crack

I’m not sure why the fabricator for the aft enclosure didn’t weld continuously across the top of the transom door like he did for the rest of the aft panel. I considered using epoxy fairing compound to fill the seam, but I’m concerned that the crack between the panels will eventually telegraph through the filler. The tacks were all done in 5356 aluminum MIG wire, which is strong but also has a higher melting point than 4043. I don’t want excessive heat to warp the door, so I used 1/8″ 4043 TIG filler and my AlphaTIG to stitch weld the seams.

First, hit the seam with a stainless wire brush

Sloppy stack of dimes, but it’ll do

I’m envious of the guys who can lay down a perfect stack ‘o dimes, but I just don’t have the robot-like hand motion to consistently pull it off. I understand that it’s mostly a matter of seat time, and as a hobbyist I just don’t spend enough time laying down beads to get my muscles trained. On the upside, I’m jabbing the tungsten with the filler much less often than I used to…so there’s that. And I’m convinced that in the event of a zombie apocalypse (or the living equivalent for whatever happens after election day 🙂 ) being able to TIG weld aluminum even sloppily is a useful skill to have.

Stitch welding from the right to left and inside to out to spread the heat around

I walked away from the door a few times and gave it five minutes to cool. The last thing I need is to get it too hot and warp it!

Back at the boatyard, time to grind some weld

Flap disk on my new Makita grinder

I’ve had a Craftsman grinder for ages but was impressed by a buddy’s new Makita. Compared to the Craftsman, it’s smoother and relatively quiet. I also like the paddle switch much better than the one on the Craftsman that stays on. I dropped the Craftsman once, and it took off like a Tasmanian Devil until it finally pulled its cord from the wall!

Good stuff!

Don’t forget to smooth off all of the screw holes, too

Not too shabby

Good gaps

When opened, the hinges keep the panels from touching

Et voila!

The transom door is ready for the painter. Now if only he’d show up and get some stuff done…

Next up in our 1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Installing V-berth Head Moldings

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Relocating the Fuel Tank Fills

Somewhere between 2008 when this refit began and 2012, when it restarted in earnest after the paperwork SNAFU, I spent some time with Sketchup making concept drawings how I thought the aft stateroom would look if the project ever restarted. By the time the SNAFU was resolved, I’d already purchased a new aft fuel tank that would go above the keel rather than outboard, like the original configuration. What I realized eventually was that the fuel inlets for the new tank were in the wrong spot–the pipes were pointing straight up on the headboard end of where a queen-sized mattress will eventually be. The fuel fill pipes on the tank don’t stick up all that much, but by the time I added hose and a 90° fitting it was going to be very tall. About 18 months ago I realized moving the fuel inlets would be the best approach. Then I got let down by yet another local fabricator/welder and decided I’d learn a new skill and buy myself a TIG welder to compliment my other welding machines. Recently I bought an AHP AlphaTIG 200 and have been practicing away on aluminum and also stainless. My first stainless project turned out pretty good–replacement pipes for the fuel fills–and my aluminum TIG welding was looking better with each hour of seat time I get. If I’m going to splash this year, the job’s gotta get done. So I got ‘er done.

Practice welds on 1/4″ plate

I pulled this 1/4″ plate out of the scrap bin in my garage at home when I was practicing my TIG welding. It brought back memories of the profoundly incompetent master fabricator at Chesapeake Marine Engineering, who after having my Miller Trailblazer and spoolgun for two weeks to learn the machine and practice (his shop welder is a different brand…Snap-on, of course), managed to weld the blobs you see on the left side of the plate. The welds on the right side and the fillet around the tube are mine, done after 15 hours of practice time with my AHP AlphaTIG.

$70/hr “professional” welds; the one on the right was his best

Aric Euler, the professional fabricator at Chesapeake Marine Engineering, blamed my lousy Miller equipment for the blobby welds (he owns Snap-on equipment, you see). But it turned out that the problem was he had the polarity switch going the wrong way and he tried to make up for that by welding in short circuit rather than spray transfer. You’d think he could have figured the polarity problem out over the two weeks he had the machine and the manual, being a professional and all that. Perhaps the Snap-On machine does it all for him…

100% amateur welds

I know…my welds are inconsistent, I’ve got craters in the ends, and since I didn’t preheat the plate the first weld was cold. I also didn’t grind the plate first, so there’s a lot of contamination. But compared to the welds done by the expensive professional, they’re not bad at all. The fillet weld on the pipe, which was particularly challenging because the plate is 1/4″ and the pipe is 1/8″, turned out quite nice, if I do say so myself.

I know I could do with a lot more seat time practicing, but time’s a wastin’. I’ve got to get the tank fills done.

The honey-do list

AHP AlphaTIG moved into the Roamer salon

That’s a great thing about these inverter machines–they’re very light compared to older transformer machines. 60 pounds goes up the ladder much easier than 350 pounds does.

Forward tank moved out of the bilge

Another plan that changed was fuel storage management for the forward 125 gallon tank. If I use the normal fill, I’d have to cut another hole in the exterior. And every hole I cut is an opportunity for a leak or for the paint to fail at some point in the future. So, I’ll use fuel lines and a pump to fill the front tank from the rear tanks. The front tank will supply the genset as well as a hydronic boiler system I’ll be installing one day, and in a pinch it can also supply fuel as a day tank for the mains.

Front tank filler inlet cut off

Plug cut with hole saw

Straighten 1/16″ 5056 spoolgun wire, then wipe with acetone

Three passes around…not pretty, but sealed well.

Strike one line off the honey-do list

Move TIG machine to the aft stateroom

Cut off the port fuel inlet

and then the starboard fill

Filler inlet from the front tank fits great in the aft tank

Welding the top around the new fill was fairly easy

I know, I know…not exactly a “stack of dimes.” But it’s fused well all around.

The underside was extremely difficult

I’d been practicing welding flat on a table in my garage while sitting with everything at just the right height. Then I practiced vertical welding on the same table with everything just so. I’d heard that “out of position” welding could be challenging…I’m here to attest that “challenging” is a HUGE understatement.

The new tank fill inlets are pointed back at the transom, which is 18″ away. The steering gear is 12″ below the fill, so there’s no easy way to squeeze in and look up at the under-side of it. And my welding helmet adds to the joy of fitting in this confined space. I ended up laying on the tank with my head hanging over the end, basically welding upside-down. The welds aren’t the prettiest, but they’re solid and well fused all around.

Port side old fill ready to be capped

Good fit on the starboard side

Not the prettiest, but it’s well sealed

Port side done

Starboard side done, with three passes around the old fill cap

Striking lines off the honey-do list

That’s a wrap for relocating and capping the fuel tank fills.

Next up in our 1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Installing the Fuel Fills

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: New Toys and Fuel Inlet Pipes

The V-berth head (AKA the Throne Room) is progressing, but a lot slower than I’d hoped. I still think it’ll be done before the end of April, but the honey-do list is long and there’s lots of stuff on it that has to be done to splash later this year. I’ve got a couple of welding projects that needed doing, like relocating the aluminum fuel tank fills and fabbing the stainless tube fuel fills and exhaust risers. My Millermatic 35 and Trailblazer 280NT weren’t going to do the trick. Actually, the Trailblazer could have provided the power, but I would have had to buy a TIG rig for it. The thing is, the Trailblazer’s an engine-drive welder, and the Onan gas engine in it is pretty loud. It’s fine in the boatyard, where there are no other sources of 220v power. But when I want to weld something at home on the bench, even ear muffs don’t stifle the racket.

So, with all of that rationalizing out of the way, I went and got myself an AHP AlphaTIG 200X (tigersalesco@gmail.com). The results were…interesting…until I figured out the settings. There are a lot more things to adjust on this, with high frequency start and run, pulse, and even settings to keep the gas flowing after you stop welding, which I learned is critical for stainless.

Fresh out of the box

AHP is an inverter TIG, which is a LOT lighter than transformer welders. For comparison’s sake, this weighs around 70lbs. My Millermatic 35 weighs 350. Granted, the Miller is a wire feed welder, but most of the weight difference is attributed to transformer vs inverter. Both machines are rated for 200A max output. The AHP has a neat feature where it’ll run off of 120 or 220, though the max amps drop to 149 with 120v input. Plus, since the input power goes through an inverter, what comes out the other end can be adjusted for amps as well as frequency; you’re not stuck with 60hz juice. After skimming through the user’s manual, I did what any right-thinking man would do: I fired that bad boy up and tried to weld…tried being the key word.

Lotsa dials with words that probably mean something

I downloaded the Miller Welding App, which gives you a ballpark idea of where the main settings should be given the type and thickness of metal you’re working with.

Tillman TIG gloves–watch the sizes

I can’t remember ever buying a set of gloves that were smaller than Large. Most of the time, I get XL because most manufacturers’ idea of Large can be a bit too tight. But Tillman TIG gloves are Made In USA, and they’re sized for American welders! They were actually a bit too big, but I figured I’d use them anyway. Turns out that was a bad idea. With TIG, you feed the filler rod in with one hand while the other holds the torch. Holding the torch with big gloves is no problem, but with the oversized gloves on I couldn’t manipulate and advance the filler rod well at all. I checked out Tillman’s size chart (RTFM, eh?) and ordered Medium instead…fits perfectly.

1/16″ filler rod from a spoolgun 1# roll

I had a couple of 1# rolls of 1/16″ 5356 aluminum alloy that were leftover from the V-strut installation, so I cut off 30 inches at a time, straightened them out, and used them for TIG filler. I suspect that as a rank beginner, it would be best for me to use 4043, but I only have that in 0.035 spoolgun wire, and that’s way too small.

First attempt in the upper left

My first attempt resulted in a bunch of carbon…turned out the gas was on too low. Then I kept sticking the tungsten into the plate. Keeping it 1/16″ away while holding filler rod in the other hand is a challenge. Normally, I use my left hand to steady my right when MIG welding. It gets even more complicated because the AHP comes with a foot pedal that basically works like a throttle. Mash the gas, and it puts out the max amps you set on the dial. Let off on the pedal though, and the arc cools down accordingly. It’s all super neato stuff, but this is very, very different from anything I’ve done before, and I’m no spring chicken. Old dogs, new tricks…you know the drill.

After a couple of dozen tries, though, I was able to get good penetration on 3/16″ plate (leftovers from the side decks and aft enclosure) and my beads were looking pretty close. I’ve never had a steady welding hand, so my beads tend to wander no matter what process I’m using, but it was good to finally get past the carbon fouled, stone cold mess I made with the first few attempts.

Practice, practice, practice

I should also note that this leftover plate has been treated poorly. It sat outside for a while, then got tossed in a box in a dusty part of my garage. All I did was hit it with a stainless brush before welding, and aluminum is very sensitive to contamination. But at this stage of the game, I was just trying to get my right hand to hold the torch steady and move in a straight line while my left hand dipped the filler and my foot worked the throttle to keep the puddle going.

Sharpening the tungsten

I kept dipping the tungsten tip into the weld, which messes up the arc…makes it very erratic and not focused. So I repeatedly had to sharpen the tungsten. I found that a cordless drill a buddy gave me after the bastard thieves cleaned me out in 2014 worked really well to get a consistently ground point.

After several hours playing with aluminum, I switched over to stainless. I found stainless to be a lot easier to weld, so I got ambitious and started fabbing my fuel fills.

1-1/2″ tube to 45° elbow to 2-3/8″ cone

First pass without filler

Without filler, stainless TIG is very similar to plain steel with an oxy acetylene torch. The heat just comes from electricity rather than flame. In addition to my general lack of skills, I found it very challenging to get a smooth pass working around the circumference of the tubing. Also, the necessity of post-weld argon flow for stainless was new to me. Even after you stop welding, without a constant argon shield while the metal is red-hot, critical components of the stainless alloy oxidize out, leaving not-so-stainless steel behind. The first welds were very gray because I had inadequate post-flow. For the fuel tank fills that’s not a huge issue, since the first time I fill the tanks the diesel will pickle the inside of the tube and prevent corrosion. But I eventually read the AHP manual (imagine that!) and ran the post-flow dial up to 10 seconds on the machine.

ShopSmith bandsaw is too small…must buy new toy

I had planned to use my ShopSmith bandsaw to make all of my cuts, since it’s miter gauge permits very accurate 90° cuts. But I wasn’t thinking about its 11″ depth limit. The Sharpie mark to the right of the bandsaw blade is where I needed to cut. Sooo…I need a metal cutting bandsaw!

I also got a new welding stand, since I had more toys on the way

Oh MAN! It’s never easy…

I’d heard good things about Harbor Freight bandsaws for a while, as far as bang-for-the-buck goes, so that’s the one I bought. Unfortunately, the saw arrived damaged. It had been dropped motor-end down during transit, severely denting the motor end cover. The motor wouldn’t turn by hand, so I contacted HF for a return. But the box and the packing was destroyed, too, and they wouldn’t pay for a new box. So I took off the damaged motor end cap and found that the motor worked fine and the fan blades inside were undamaged. I contacted HF again and asked how much they’d refund me if I kept it as-is. The nice lady said 20% was the best she could do. So I beat the cover back into shape, painted it with some rattle can I had laying around, and reinstalled it. With the discount coupon from the initial purchase and the refund for damage, I got the saw for $160…not bad!

New Harbor Freight 4×6 bandsaw…not the best, but it’ll do

Cuts OK, but the cuts aren’t perfectly square

I was able to true up the cuts with a sander, but for the exhaust system I’m going to have to mess around with this thing and get it cutting closer to true.

Need to figure out where the 90° elbow goes

With the upper end fitted where it will go…

Sharpie marks on the spray foam insulation tell me roughly where everything should go.

On the lower end, the 90° elbow needs to go right here

Register marks serve as a reminder

Back at the shop, I used the new HF bandsaw to cut the long, straight tube off at the proper length.

Line up the register marks

Tack in several places

DC 70 amps with 10 second post-flow

Not professional grade, but I’ve seen worse

Next, tack and weld the 2-3/8″ pipe

And done!

The stainless tube is lots better than the original Schedule 40 pipe. Both sides weigh as much as just one of the original, galvanized steel pipes. There’s plenty of leftover tubing, and I don’t see many more uses for that odd 2-3/8″ tubing that matched the OE Chris Craft fuel fills. So I’ll use that to practice, practice, practice before taking on the exhaust risers.

Next up on our 1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: The V-berth “Throne Room” IV

 

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: New Riser Materials

Having wasted time trying to modify new exhaust risers that simply won’t work (cost effectively) for this application, I decided to do what I’d been toying around with all along: buy some stainless tubing and mandrel-bent elbows, a new TIG welding machine, and make my own risers.

What have we here?

Verocious Motorsports stocked the items I needed, and the shipping was very quick and well done. While they’ve got 90° mandrel-bent elbows in the 4″ size I need, those only come with a 6″ radius bend. But I need short radius bends coming off of the turbos and also at the turn at the top of the engine room. Fortunately, the 120° mandrel-bends come in a 4″ radius. Perfect.

I also got one-foot sections of polished 316 stainless in straight 6″ tube that I’ll use for the showerheads. Seaboard Marine out in California (owned by Tony Athens, of boatdiesel.com fame) sells Cummins turbo flange kits at a fair price, so I picked up a couple of those, too.

All the bits and pieces

In addition to the turbo flange and the curvy bits and pieces on the blanket, I also picked up a 5-foot stick of 4″ tube, a 5-foot stick of 2-3/8″ tube, and two 4-foot sticks of 1-1/2″ tube. The 4″ tube is for the exhaust system, the other two are for the fuel tank inlets, which originally were made up of Schedule 40 galvanized pipe and lengths of hose. The stainless tubing will save 100 pounds off the stern over the galvanized pipe and I’ll  fit it a lot tighter to the hull and frame than the original-style hose.

More fancy bits for the fuel inlet tubing

I got the 2-1/2″ to 1-1/2″ reducers because the original fuel inlets are beautiful chromed bronze, but the new aft fuel tank has 1-1/2″ inlets. The 45° and 90° elbows will help get all the bends right.

The OE 2-3/8″ bronze fuel inlet and the new stainless

I’ll cut the original fuel inlet bronze pipe in half–it doesn’t need to stick into the aft stateroom that far. A short hose will connect the bronze pipe to the 2-3/8″ stainless tubing, which will drop down a couple of feet  along the transom on each side, then transition to the reducer. From there, the straight 1-1/2″ pipe will drop down to the 45° elbow, turning the pipe diagonally inboard toward the keel, where the tank is (but still running tight along the transom frames). Straight pipe will then run down to the 90° elbow, where it makes the final turn toward the fuel tank inlet. One final short length of straight tubing will get within a couple inches of the tank inlet, with a short section of hose connecting the two.

The 2-3/8″ stainless pipe is an odd size, and I don’t need anywhere near 5-feet for this fuel inlet. But, I’ll use the scraps to practice with the new AHP AlphaTIG 200X welder that’s on its way from the factory. I highly recommend Tiger Sales (tigersalesco@gmail.com ) if you decide look into buying one of these. You might be able to find the machine for a bit less, but Tiger’s pre- and post-sale support is second to none. Reports are that it’s a fine welding machine for a hobbyist like me. Time will tell. It will reportedly arrive in early March, so I have until then to cut and fit all of the stainless pieces. In the meantime, there’s plenty more that has to happen if we’re going to splash later this year.

Next up in our 1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Turbocators!