Tools that work & Etc.

[Chance]

To all that took the time to respond so graciously, a hearty thank you!

I now have, thanks to those that have been there, done that, the info to proceed. There was some great input. Here's a few comments in general:

1) I would find it very hard to believe that the tabbed in bulkheads, and associated furniture would could be cut with sharpened putty knives. Perhaps a "chisel", as they of course would work in areas that are accessible enough.

2) Hand powered draw stroke saws would work in open areas, to some degree.

3) Ebb, I was thinking of installing flush through hulls as well (haven't pursued that project yet), however I determined the same thing you know, hull thickness. My solution would be to glass in a 1/2 thick piece of G10 garolite from (McMaster) that would support the sea cock flange and would obviously give the the thickness (perhaps I bit overkill) to accomodate the mod. This would also provide a very flat surface on the interior (bilge) side.

4) I'm involved in working up on the foredeck currently. I've mocked up my anchor platform, chain/rope deck pipe, mooring cleat, chocks, and cowl vent. I've finally determined all the locations of each of the above with an emphasis on fairleads from all points that will be in use at one time or another (speaking of the future of course). I'll post photos on my gallery page in a few days.

Thanks again everyone.

[ebb]

Chance, thanks for the input!

I had laid in 3/8" of Xmat and epoxy befor I holesawed just the depth of the chamfer. Barely enough it turned out!. Then I vacated the old polyester for the thru hull flange with straight and V router bits. Then continued to holesaw the big hole thru.
I have the seacock and a Whale foot water pump sharing this cubby hole (about 14" wide) between two minor bulkheads. The seacock in its own footprint is built up thicker with layers of ply.

I chose to use Forespar Marelon. That means I had to use their nylon thru hull too. Because it is nylon, that is why I chose to install flush.
That fitting is really not made to be cut shorter like you can with bronze ones. I called up F. to find out why the inside wrench ledges were at the far inside of the fitting. "These are from the mold casting of the fitting, not meant for screwing the thru hull into the seacock,"

So I've built up the thickness (about 1 1/4") under the seacock with Meranti ply. I've built up enough that the thru hull when screwed in flush with the hull does not bottom out in the seacock. All the wood pieces and the hole in the boat will be sealed with epoxy. Am thinking about using a thread seal tape for most of the two inches of thru hull in the seacock. And just bed the chamfered head and the hole in the plywood backers in thiokol. Not sure how to manage this, but I don't want polysulfide inside the seacock.

I think I'll bed the seacock on butyl tape.
[ There is no good way to take out the thru hull once it is set in polysulfide, once the rubber has cured. It's stuck there forever.
BUT a thru hull can't allow water into the boat screwed into the seacock. Therefore the fitting does not need to be glued in at all, Right???
Think I'll find some beautiful butyl wet caulk and bed with that. Bolt heads also!]
Am I missing something?



The finesse is to get the backing plate under the seacock at exactly 90 degrees to the thru-hull.
And the thru hull wants to be in flush with the bottom, not tilted any.
Forespar instructions are for a very large oversize hole in the hull and backing so their fitting won't bind when everything gets tightened.
That's a lot of wet rubber again!!!

[CapnK]

I cut the tabbing on the main bulkhead using a cheap chisel and hammer. It was easy, quick, and dust-free.

[ebb]

Ovations for the innovations posted here for cutting out those pesky bulkheads.

STILL, imco the Fein MultiMaster is probably the most versatile renovation tool for our historic fiberglass boats. Not to say that it is as efficient or even compares to what can be accomplished with a smart airtool. And an innovator behind that tool.


The MultMaster is an excessively EXPENSIVE corded tool.
The 'accessory' blades are even more excessively OVER-PRICED.
E-Cut Universal Narrow and Wide 'bi-metal' blades - the dog-leg flush cutting ones - are about $50 for three.

Fein has no specific blade for working FRP. I've been using E-Cuts for fiberglass. The bi-metal aspect is for cutting thin metal and nails along with wood. Heat build up on the blades imco kills them. The E-Cuts are quite thin and that with eccessive heat may take the temper out of the teeth. Have been cutting thick glass that requires the tool to work hard. However the thin blades do surgical quality work for as long as they last.
Also, they probably aren't made by Lenox.


There is animated discussion on the net (type in Fein on google) about MM.Other cheaper competitors are appearing, Couldn't be too hard to come in cheaper - and 20 year old patents are running out. Craftsman and Bosch are two. If you think you want an oscillating cutting tool check with these first. The blades will not be interchangable. Aftermarket blade makers have been threatened by Fein with patent suits. These guys have disappeared. Those that still sell non-Fein blades for the MM sell at prices not much under the real gouge. And no Aftermarket E-Cuts have appeared anyway.

Guys in the remodel trade want $15 blades for $2 to $5. That is what they should be sold for by Fein. If the tool wasn't so good at straight IN CUTTING nearly everybody would have bailed for a cheaper tool by now. This tool started life as a get-in-the-corner triangle sanding tool, but there are better shorter triangle sanders now, its main claim these days is its ability to plunge cut straight in. At a wallet plunging price.
That's what it's good at on the boat. The E-Cut Universal Narrow is my favorite - even if they dull too rapidly.

Other useful blades are the brutal triangle handyman rasp and the ($45!)* smaller finger rasp for rough shaping of frp.

Fein could do no better than develop a few more blades for boatworkers.
Blades that will happily cut fiberglass all day (carbide?), cut aluminum and s.s. tube, and cut the ends off s.s.bolts.
A set of smaller less aggressive diamond rasps as flats and 1/2 rounds for detail work in corners.
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($45)* .....Bill won't stand for OBSCENITIES on this Forum.
But that right there is a real bad one!

[CapnK]

Ebb -

Several of the competitors are discussed at the toolsnob.com link I posted on the previous page.

The 'copycats' have been out long enough that there are starting to be some regular-Joe boatpeople using them. There is some discussion at this link (TSBB).

[Commander 147]

I've started using these sanding disks on my random orbital sanders and they work better than any others I've tried.

For hook and loop try these. The 80 grit 5" dia. is part # 4195A11 at this link

http://www.mcmaster.com/#4195a11/=2a65ub

For adhesive backed version try these. The 80 grit 5" dia. part number is # 4675A53 at this link

http://www.mcmaster.com/#catalog/115/2624/=2a67rq

[ebb]

Thanks Kurt,
had not seen ToolSnob before. He/She is good! First reviews I've seen on "over-molded cases" which are often designed by idiots who will never use the tool. Would like to see ratings with more depth. Was the funky Fein ADD-ON vacuum pickup rated?
Cords. Fein has one of the most pliable, TAME and generous cords of any. Easy to pack back in its case.
Case. The Fein case has an amusing fantasy handle that looks like a fettucini maker. Bottom of case is rounded with feet projections which makes it PITA tippy on anything but a flat level surface. Just plain stupid. ETC.

Both aftermarket blade suppliers (Imperial, Multitool?) for the Fein don't go beyond WOOD blades. Have not seen any of the Fein rasps copied. I believe the toughest blades are called E-cut Universal which can be used to cut sheet metal. I would use this ability to compare any other oscillating blade tool.
I would hope aftermarket blades got compared as well.
Just bought a pack of three E-cut Universals from an independent hardware for $62!* That's brutal. That's nasty.
Fein can get bought out by Walt Disney for all I care.

In rating a tool for modern boat work, we'd have to include the tool's ability to work fiberglass and some forms of thicker metal like steel bolts and aluminum plate imco. This isn't likely. They would have come out with better blades by now instead of concentrating on the oddjob middleclass handyman market.

BUT it seems that so far only Fein MutiMaster is powerful enough to become a boat tool - it is not all the way there yet. I've also noticed the tool under load can get HOT. Don't mean pushing it, merely persistent use.

For anyone remodeling a boat I would first try a Harbor Freight clone with cheap blades. Sounds more nautical anyway.
* You can buy a Fine clone (Chicago brand) for $39.99!! Might even come with some blades.
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Went back for a better look: Fein does have 3 1/8" circular blades that can be used for fiberglass. They could be used to cut off tabbed bulkheads. I think the dog-leg E-cut plunge cutting blades are more flexible and precise. Didn't think to use the round blades.
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[later post, 11/12/09]
The Fein over-produced shill TV ad for their $300 (PLUS very pricey blades THEY DON"T TELL YOU ABOUT) home-owner's handyman tool has caused a spin off of vibrating copys by everyone: Craftsman, PorterCable, Bosch. Altho I haven't 'tested' any of these, they all seem to do the exact same things as the Fein, only cheaper. You still pay thru the nose for the blades, imco. None of these do any metal work.
The test for that would be cutting off the end of a bolt/machine screw. A simple request....
Fein failed miserably.
It's a disappointing buy imco. There are no metal cutting blades. As a detail sander with the triangular pads, it's not very good at detailing at all. Fein is good at straight in cutting with the 'E-cut' dog-legs. Fiberglass smokes the blades.

Not worth the price for what uit can do remodeling a glass boat. Start with the cheaper ones