New Mean Machine cowl

[Scott T]

Never been a fan of the Mean Machine cowl, so I'd always planned to make a new one once I got the boat. I've been at this for a few months, and it's slow progress in between higher priority projects, but it's almost there.

I started with a big sheet of 1/16 ply and some balsa framing. I had to bend the ply base to match the slight curve in the hull. The frame and some CF cloth underneath help hold the shape, and the base was left on the hull with weight for a week or so. I'm pretty hopeless with timber work, so I'm sure there a better way!

I got hold of an Agitator knock-off cowl, which forms the basis of the new hatch. I simply cut it out on the flat section and lined it up to fit. Before attaching it, I matched the deck recess with the ply base.

[Scott T]

Once I'd positioned the cockpit where I wanted it, I cut a rectangle out of the ply base to match. Next I added supporting strips to the base for the cockpit section to sit on and give good strength.

The cockpit section was then epoxied in place with clamps to minimise and gaps. The cockpit had a bit of a curve to it, but it all pulled together OK.

[Scott T]

The new cowl is much sleeker than the MM cowl, and more scale at the same time. These comparison shots show the difference.

[Scott T]

Next was lots of filler, spray putty and sanding. The thicknesses of the ply and fibreglass didn't really match, so this took a bit of time.

I put on a quick coat of white to see how it looked. The new hatch is much easier to tape down than the MM cowl, which is a real pest if you're in a rush.

[G Doggett]

Nice one Scott.

That looks so much better than the 'hunchback' original hatch.

Good to see a bit of creativity. It looks a bit like a mini Longlite !!!

Graham.

[Scott T]

Unfortunately the white paint I used is rubbish - must have been a dud can. I've used this paint a lot in the past, but this lot won't seem to dry and is staying tacky, even after a month! So progress has been slow.

Anyway, I plan on some semi-scale fake exhausts and decals, but I won't have time before a big race meeting we have coming up. So I sprayed a quick windscreen on it for a practice run today. Looks great from a distance, so I can't wait to stip the paint back and redo it with the proper paint scheme.

I'll update this thread when I finish it off properly

[Scott T]

Thanks Graham! Looks better, and is easier to tape down - win-win!

Hmm, mini-Longlite, sounds good.....maybe the next one!

[bustitup]

great job man...it looks great

where can I get one of those cowls...i want to make a cowl for my sprint cat 41

[David Kingston]

Still think you should let me make you that glass one Tappy.

Looks sweat all painted though.
Managed to do some painting myself on the weekend. And still got more to do. Had time out watching the offshore boats today though.
ROCK ON

Dave

[Scott T]

I got it from a member of our club who imports the Head of the River cats, so your best bet would be to contact HofR and see if you can get one. Might be a bit too small for a Sprintcat 41 though.

[Scott T]

Still think you should let me make you that glass one Tappy.

Looks sweat all painted though.
Managed to do some painting myself on the weekend. And still got more to do. Had time out watching the offshore boats today though.
ROCK ON

Dave

Still thinking about it Dave - another reason it's not finished! Might see if we can work something out during the week.

[Brushless55]

Good job man!
looks great..

[sailr]

"spray putty" ?

Next was lots of filler, spray putty and sanding. The thicknesses of the ply and fibreglass didn't really match, so this took a bit of time.

I put on a quick coat of white to see how it looked. The new hatch is much easier to tape down than the MM cowl, which is a real pest if you're in a rush.

[Scott T]

Spray putty is a high build putty/primer style thing. Lots of varieties of it at auto shops.

http://www.septone.com.au/detail.asp?item_cat=&item_number=231&page_num=3

[Steven Vaccaro]

Some how I missed this thread. Nice work.

I have one question, since the canopy starts a bit farther back than the stock one, have you had any issues with motors hitting the modified hatch?