Lee's Monaco utility build

[mrintense]

Lee, I had a similar arrangement and the roll went without any problems. I did have a sizable crew of volunteers there, but there was no issues with the stand. You're boat is likely lighter than mine so I think you will be fine. The only thing I encountered that gave me a bit of pause was when the first casters contacted the ground, the boat wanted to roll a bit on the pavement, so just be ready for that when it occurs. I would recommend having a few extra hands around, or at the very least if you plan to do it yourself, then have some restraining ropes in place.

[sshamilt@gmail.com]

Lee, how did you determine the height of the cradle? I want it to be about the height of the trailer but i do not have the trailer yet.

[Roberta]

Have a party and invite friends to the event to help you. Never hurts to have extra hands.

Roberta

[denbrlr]

Carl, thank you for the heads up on the rolling. My wheels have brakes on them so I plan to lock all of them during the flip to prevent rolling.

sshamilt, I wanted to make sure the boat was off the floor enough to be able to install the rudder with plenty of clearance so I made the cradle high enough for that. I also added a little height on top of that to give me room to install the fin without being too cramped.

Roberta, Yes, there will be some form of party

Lee

[Bill Edmundson]

I used the wood from the building frame to make steps. sure makes it easier to get in and out a thousand times doing the interior.

Bill

[denbrlr]

Bill,

Good idea.

Lee

[mrintense]

Ill second that ,the thousand times in and out of the boat. With a cabin boat it's even worse. I am sure Bill can attest to that. I bought Gorilla steps but I could have made steps as well. For me. space is a premium in the garage, so the folding steps were a better choice.

[denbrlr]

I decided to stain the topsides before the flip. I used Woodkote J'eld stain. It is very easy to work with and I highly recommend it. It took me some to figure out the color and I ended up mixing my own. I use three parts red mahogany and one part brown mahogany and I am really happy with it. It is a nice deep color with a hint of red. The pictures show close to the actual color but not exactly.

The bleaching of the topsides before staining to get a consistent color worked great. There is no color variation in the planks after staining. Here are some pictures. I used my flood light to try and get some good pictures (ignore the dust on the bottom ).

My next step is to wait 4-5 days and then seal the stain with four coats of CPES. Then, the flip

Lee

[neel thompson]

Perfect !!! I love the color and now you've got me thinking "bleach"

[Roberta]

Looks really rich and great color. I think the choice of finishing the sides now was smart and much easier. Better lighting and not working against gravity.

Roberta

[denbrlr]

Neel, thank you. I highly recommend bleaching but since your boat is flipped, you would really need to tape off your side/bottom paint because the bleach will not do that any good.

Roberta, thank you. The downside to staining before the flip is I had to lay on the floor to make sure I didn't miss any areas that will be visible after the flip. I think I got them all

Lee

[sshamilt@gmail.com]

Looks great. The color contrast with the bottom is perfect

[denbrlr]

Steve, thank you.

I ended up with one little blemish after staining. After bleaching a few weeks ago, I dripped something on the side of the boat. I wiped it off and thought it was fine but it appeared after staining as a very light spot. I worked on it by carefully sanding and re-staining. I even used some darker stain and feathered the area. It is better but still there depending on which angle you look from. So frustrating because you work so hard to make things look good and then you get a pimple Oh well.

Lee

[sshamilt@gmail.com]

I know the feeling. I can point out every flaw on every piece of furniture I have made. But no one else sees them.

[denbrlr]

The topsides are sealed with four coats of CPES and everything is ready for the flip. The flip is scheduled for tomorrow!

Lee