# Forward console Weldbilt build



## riverrat717 (Sep 12, 2015)

Just picked her up this morning. No one beats a Duckys deal!! Great people to deal with.






Been raining here all day, but stopped long enough for me to snap a couple of pics. I plan on mounting the console somewhere close to this position, with enough room to walk in front of, and around.









Thinking of a cooler livewell positioned behind the console to pop a squat on long runs, and an aluminium grab rail on the console itself.

Also, for steering cable length, should I measure a straight shot down and back from the console to the transom, and run the cables under the floor?
Who makes a decent quality top mount throttle, and is it universal? I'll be running an older Yamaha made Mariner 40, but plan on upgrading to a bigger outboard when funds allow.


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## Fordracing2105 (Sep 12, 2015)

In my opinion I would run them straight back from console under your floor. Is there any room under your floor for controls? 

Ps I have a binnacle practically brand new if you decide to go with an evinrude.


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## riverrat717 (Sep 12, 2015)

Fordracing2105 said:


> In my opinion I would run them straight back from console under your floor. Is there any room under your floor for controls?
> 
> Ps I have a binnacle practically brand new if you decide to go with an evinrude.




Honestly, I haven't lifted it yet, but i would imagine there would be in between the ribs and strakes.
Thank you, I'll keep that in mind, but the wallet will be the deciding factor in outboard selection! LOL


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## Fordracing2105 (Sep 12, 2015)

riverrat717 said:


> Fordracing2105 said:
> 
> 
> > In my opinion I would run them straight back from console under your floor. Is there any room under your floor for controls?
> ...



I haven't found or had a boat where I could run the cables down the strakes. Not saying you can't. I think there are cables out there that you can thread different ends on but not sure about that 100 %.


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## Djknyork (Sep 12, 2015)

Nice boat! What size is it?


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## riverrat717 (Sep 13, 2015)

Djknyork said:


> Nice boat! What size is it?



1870 with 29" sides.


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## riverrat717 (Sep 21, 2015)

Got some goodies installed over the weekend.





Lifted up the floor to run controls and wire. Lucked out and got 400' of 16ga tinned wire for free.
nice foam....thinking pink board replacement.









Ended up running my steering cable down the starboard side of the hull. Still have to cut a hole in the floor pannel to fish every thing up through to the console.







Left plenty of wire to tie everything together


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## evergreener (Sep 26, 2015)

That's one good looking boat to start with! Love the 29inch side... look forward to this build.


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## redrum (Sep 26, 2015)

Nice, BIG boat. I've been looking at weldbilt myself. What HP engine will you hang on it?


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## bonz_d (Sep 27, 2015)

Fine work there and good to see that the cabling is all going to work out. Love the size and layout of that boat. I think my brother would also love that for running crab pots on the Chess. for Blue Crabs.


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## riverrat717 (Sep 29, 2015)

Got a few more things done this past weekend. Mounted the helm, throttle/shifter, cut hole and mocked in the switch panel.





Mocked console in floor, and cut holes for wire and controls cables, and ran them.









Asked the electrician at work to bend up some 1" aluminum conduit for my grab bar. 





Sharkeye nav lights. Came in raw stainless, so I painted them to match the hull. 









Got everything secured, and ready for the first trip on the water, which was Sunday. New boat next to the old one, had to get a few things out of it.





Made it to the river! 40hp mariner pushes it quite well with two people, I'm sure with more weight, that wouldn't be the case.













Still have lights to wire in, and a few other projects planned.


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## Bowhunter1661 (Sep 29, 2015)

May I ask, is that a tiller conversion that you did on that motor? Or is it factory remote steering?


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## riverrat717 (Sep 30, 2015)

Bowhunter1661 said:


> May I ask, is that a tiller conversion that you did on that motor? Or is it factory remote steering?



Honestly, I'm not sure. I bought it like it is. I would assume its factory, but not 100% sure.


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## riverrat717 (Sep 30, 2015)

evergreener said:


> That's one good looking boat to start with! Love the 29inch side... look forward to this build.




Thanks! 

@Redrum, it's a 40hp mariner.


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## riverrat717 (Sep 30, 2015)

Also, been toying with the idea of a jackplate. Anyone care to chime in with their opinion? Plan on running a jet after the tax return check.


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## Bowhunter1661 (Sep 30, 2015)

I built a jack plate for my 1440 Lowe, I am running a 25 Johnson. Went from 28 to 32. I am running a 15" prop as well. Also the fuel economy seems to have increased slightly. 

I would do it all over again. The only thing I would change is the "look" of mine. Kinda slapped it together in a hurry so it isn't the best to look at. 

I built it with 3"x3"X1/4" angle aluminum. Originally I had a 2x10 bolted in, but, it made erie crackling noises under acceleration. Recently I installed a piece of 1/4" aluminum plate. It is solid as a rock!


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## Johnny (Oct 1, 2015)

AWESOME job so far !! That rig will give you a hundred years of good times.

Just a question . . . the shark eye "nav lights" - - - are they both white just for visibility?
or, are they red/green navigation lights?


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## riverrat717 (Oct 1, 2015)

Johnny said:


> AWESOME job so far !! That rig will give you a hundred years of good times.
> 
> Just a question . . . the shark eye "nav lights" - - - are they both white just for visibility?
> or, are they red/green navigation lights?



Clear lenses, with red and green led's.


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## Johnny (Oct 1, 2015)

that is what I was thinking . . . 
I am pretty sure you have them installed incorrectly, although they do look great.

They should be installed as to direct the colored light from dead ahead
to 112 degrees aft on the port and starboard sides.


And please correct me if I am wrong, but the way I see yours,
it "appears" that the red/green lights overlap in the front and and 
can not be seen from the side or rear.
This could cause an oncoming boater to be confused as to the orientation of
your boat and could possible create a dangerous situation. Especially if the
other boater is distracted or under the influence and speeding towards you.

Just do some research into the proper mounting of the Shark Eye Nav Lights.
Look at this photo of the listing on e-bay.


the pointy end points towards the middle for proper orientation.
and this is your boat.


Did your set include mounting instructions on the package ?

If you plan on doing a lot of night driving, A way to test if the configuration
is correct is to park your boat on the trailer on level ground . . . . (at night, of course).
move the tow vehicle out of the way. Turn on the running lights, walk out 100 feet,
stand in front of the boat dead ahead . . . you should see the red and green
lights equally..... walk off a bit to either side of the center line and only ONE
light should be bright and visible. If you walk 10 or 20 feet to the side of the
center line and you still see two equal bright lights, then it is not of the correct 
orientation and you would be putting yourself, your boat, your passengers and
the other boat and its passengers in harms way.





.


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## riverrat717 (Oct 3, 2015)

Johnny said:


> that is what I was thinking . . .
> I am pretty sure you have them installed incorrectly, although they do look great.
> 
> They should be installed as to direct the colored light from dead ahead
> ...



From TH Marine's page








Looks to me like their installed correctly. No instructions came with them. After I get them wired in, I'll test them out.


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## Johnny (Oct 3, 2015)

That is what I found too ..... but, photos can be deceiving.
I can not find any kind of mounting instructions on the web
for shark eye nav lights. I have heard a few times that they
are not allowed in Florida, but, I can not find a USCG rule
that says "no". They are only "under review" by the USCG.
I guess until something terrible happens and people are killed
will the USCG make a firm ruling.
Testing at night like I described is the best way to make sure
you are safe on the water at night.


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## Fordracing2105 (Oct 3, 2015)

If you look at one end compared to the other there is more of a tapper to let the light shine either forward or more to the side depending on the angle of the boat they are installed on. Like someone stated earlier you want to see both colors straight ahead. I don't know this for a fact but there might not be a wrong way or a right might depend on the boat of witch way to aim them.


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## riverrat717 (Nov 14, 2015)

Up date time. Finished wiring in the lights, interior lights, and ordered a spotlight for setting deeks in the pre-dawn. The old 40 prop pushes it ok, but beating up a hard to find lower unit, and banging up props is for the birds. Scored this 89 90/65 on cl for $100 per cylinder!





Compression checked out fine, cleaned it up some, and mounted it. Still have to hook up controls and wire it in, Seafoam it, and then paint it camo.
Where is a good place to find a low pressure grease gun for lubing the jet-pump? Any other advice on omc v4's is appreciated, thanks!


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## bonz_d (Nov 15, 2015)

riverrat that is a very impressive job that you have done, looks OEM from the pictures. Congrats and I'm sure you'll be having a blast on it.

Tight lines!


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## riverrat717 (Nov 15, 2015)

bonz_d said:


> riverrat that is a very impressive job that you have done, looks OEM from the pictures. Congrats and I'm sure you'll be having a blast on it.
> 
> Tight lines!




Thanks bonz_d!!
And thank you to all who reply, and view my build! This is my first jet boat, and this is a great forum!


Here's a pic of me with the first fish landed it the new boat, taken 10/4.


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## rob.hildebrand.7 (Nov 17, 2015)

How well does your setup perform? I want to do basically the same thing but with a flat weldcraft


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## riverrat717 (Nov 20, 2015)

rob.hildebrand.7 said:


> How well does your setup perform? I want to do basically the same thing but with a flat weldcraft




Over all, I'm very happy with this setup. The only thing I can think of, would be to have moved the console right up to the front deck, to see the bottom better, but then there would have been no room for the front seat post, as it's close to the edge of the front deck. Also, a tunnel would be nice with the jet. And uhmw on the bottom. 
But as I understand(correct me if I'm wrong)....jets like a small amount of deadrise in the hull to reduce cavitation.


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## rob.hildebrand.7 (Nov 20, 2015)

The reason I want a flat bottom is that I want to go as shallow and as fast as possible and be able to power slide it pretty easy yes there can be an issue with cavitation but mostly that is in choppy water from my experience and the upper Potomac and Monocacy rivers are pretty smooth so I feel that ,the flat bottom is going to work the best for me


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## riverrat717 (Feb 24, 2016)

Got my trolling motor and mounting bracket installed




Now, to find a place for 3 batteries and a 30amp 3 bank charger. I want to be sure I have good weight distribution, so should I put them under the console? With a 7'(estimate) run of 6ga wire to TM??

Or cut an oval shaped hole in the deck bulkhead, to mount everything in the bow?

Eventually, When funds allow, I plan on extending the front deck to the console, with storage under it for a larger fuel tank, which is why I'm leaning towards batteries under console. What do ya'll think??


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## JET4 (Feb 26, 2016)

very nice build


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## riverrat717 (Feb 26, 2016)

JET4 said:


> very nice build



Thanks!


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## riverrat717 (Feb 26, 2016)

Got some work done recently. Since I decided to mount my TM batteries under the console, I had to attach it to the boat the way I wanted to from the beginning. Originally, I screwed it to the floor, which is a PITA to deal with if I ever needed to pull it up again. So I went out and an 8' piece of 3"x3"x1/4" angle and a 4' piece of 1 1/4"x1 1/4"x1/4" angle for $30. I cut the 3x3 to fit in between the ribs in two spots, with a 2' piece in between (not pictured) to frame out the console, and had them welded in for a little bit more than the cost of the angle! Now I can attach the console directly to the hull, and my flooring will lift out no problem. With the left over 1 1/4' angle, I'll make a battery tray to mount under the console.


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## mbweimar (Mar 1, 2016)

Good idea for the console! Just be careful mounting the batteries. I had problems with the welds on the ribs of my 1752. They're not as strong as they look. Make sure you distribute the weight as much as possible.


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## riverrat717 (Mar 1, 2016)

mbweimar said:


> Good idea for the console! Just be careful mounting the batteries. I had problems with the welds on the ribs of my 1752. They're not as strong as they look. Make sure you distribute the weight as much as possible.



Yes....I'v seen your thread [-o< Did your boat also have all the bracing on the ribs? I have bracing that starts on the 2 ribs in the pic, think they braced them all to the bow.


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## mbweimar (Mar 1, 2016)

You know what...no mine does have that. I don't wanna hijack this thread, but it appears those ribs may be strong enough to withstand the weight of the batteries and console, but still use caution!


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## riverrat717 (Mar 24, 2016)

Finished fabing my console grab bar, and had my welder zip it up. Big shout out to Regal Metal Works for all the help and very fair prices.









Next big project will be a rod rack for the stern, for catfishing.
Also thinking about getting longitudinal stringers, similar to whats under the console, welded through out. Opinions?


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## russell4570 (Mar 26, 2016)

I'm really liking what this tinboater has done for rods






Alumacraft 1448MV - Catfish, Casting & Bowfishing
https://forum.tinboats.net/viewtopic.php?t=15412

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## riverrat717 (Jun 29, 2016)

SPI K5 Polyurea applied by Premium Protective Coatings Palmyra PA


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## mbweimar (Jun 29, 2016)

Dude, that boat will NEVER leak with 460 mils of polyurea. How much did that cost you?


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## riverrat717 (Jun 29, 2016)

mbweimar said:


> Dude, that boat will NEVER leak with 460 mils of polyurea. How much did that cost you?


Just under 3k. 460mils @ the last 4' and down the middle, around 278 280 on the rest of the bottom.


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## riverrat717 (Aug 2, 2016)

Finally starting on the rod rack. Will bolt to the rear bench with rivnuts, and have 6 Monster rod holders across it. Excited to brush up on my TIG skills.


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## riverrat717 (Aug 5, 2016)

Done for now. Just waiting on the Monster's. Will have round stock welded to it later, to keep rods in while driving down the road.


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