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My Big Fat Redneck Boat Canopy

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BrownOut

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It has plumbing parts, chainlink fence parts, and other hardware. But man, it works great! Now, I know what you're thinking... that it interferes with the boom. You're right, so I have to take it down for sailing, or else figure out a way to shorten it when I want to ride the wind. Notice that the aft-stay interferes with the canvass. Shoot! I have to do something about that.

The boat was cleaned after the photo was taken. Maybe I should have cleaned it first :)
 

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It kinda looks backward to me (style wise), but I guess that's for easier access to the foredeck?
You could slit the canvas at the aft section to allow for the stay. Then put a zipper in and zip it up toward the stay. This would allow the canvas to extend further aft. It would leak at the zipper in the rain, but I assume this awning is mostly for shade.
 
Nice boat you have, but nothing compared with an S-class-sailboat. Good for parties, less good for sailing!
 
I used to own a nice little 20 foot cabin cruiser with Ford 5L V8 Mercruiser. This is what happens when your son doesn't run the bilge air exhaust blower before starting up the engine; after refuelling:
 

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So who is the genius that designed a boat the builds up fuel vapor inside it when refueling in the first place? :eek:

Bummer. But it does still float!:D
A little Saws-all work. some plywood, a bit of fiberglass matting and resin, a belt sander, and a bit of paint and your still good to go!;)

Plus it would be worth more now having been customized! :D
 
Are those pipes and flanges zinc coated? If so, you exposed yourself to toxic fumes while welding them! My other concern is that zinc coated objects mounted to boat hulls act as a sacrificial oxidation plate(s). If I'm incorrect on the latter, please disregard then.
 
You can get away with welding zinc coated steel ( galvanized ) if your work area is well ventalted. I use a 60" fan and roll up doors to ventalate my little shop, so I don't suffer any ill effects ill effects ill effects LOL!

Zinc electrodes are used to protect metal objects, like the propeller. But it only works that way if it's below the water level.
 
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That's a big fan! Still, for much less cost you could probably just get yourself a protective mask to make sure you don't inhale any toxic fumes. Always best to err on the side of caution.
 
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The fan is probably overkill. All you really need is good ventalation. Working beside the roll up door would suffice. But in Alabama, the Summer temp is typically in the high 90's, and the humidity is rediculous. With the fan blowing up a torrent, I can work in relative comfort.

It is because the intense heat and humidity that I made the canopy in the first place. Oh, and BTW, it's a prototype unit. I'm still whittling on it to get it right.
 
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You could be right, but I believe that zinc ions have been shown to be toxic (and indeed lethal) in very low concentrations, so personally I would obtain a protective mask. I believe they're fairly cheap and can be used for a wide range of purposes anyway; protection from fumes while spraypainting would be another common use.
 
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Been doing this for about 30 years. I'd never needlessly expose myself to hazardous conditions. Working in the ships yards in Houston as a young man, was much worse than anything I've done on my own.
 
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Sounds grim. My father was considering filing a law suit against an airport since he's hard of hearing which may well be a result of long-term exposure to loud noises while he worked at the airport. Of course, eventually someone pointed out that he was given ear defenders and couldn't be bothered to wear them ;)
 
As y'all can probably tell, the skill I most need to upgrade is my tube bending. Hi-quality tube benders are way out of the budget of the small-shop hobbists. Thinking of trying to build my own, if I can figure out a method that will work with all the kinds of material I use.
 
Harborfreight Tools.com has an inexpensive hydraulic tubing bender that includes various mandrels. A friend of mine uses one and his results are amazing, to the point of truly professional. His secret is to completely fill the tubing with water, temporarily cap the ends and then bend. He's done roll cages for race cars and tube bumpers.
 
HFT is a great place for hobby people to get tools. MY mill and lathe are from there. With a little work and modifications, you can have a good quality tool. With a little Google search on the machine you purchase, you can find many website that list mods for your tool that will make it a viable tool. For example; this site addresses my HFT lathe.

Mini Lathe Modifications
 
I have two of the 7" X10" mini lathes sold by HFT. I got them from a "broken tool" auction, and they both have fried control circuits. I'm working on a timer based PWM controller to replace them with.
 
Harborfreight Tools.com has an inexpensive hydraulic tubing bender that includes various mandrels. A friend of mine uses one and his results are amazing, to the point of truly professional. His secret is to completely fill the tubing with water, temporarily cap the ends and then bend. He's done roll cages for race cars and tube bumpers.

If you're talking about the one that uses a bottle jack, that's what I used. I'm not completely satisfied with the results. It probably works better on thicker-wall tube. For my 16 ga tube, it tended to put kinks in the material, especially on the OD side. I see structures made out of the same material with near perfect bends. Wish I knew what they are using.
 
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