Conch 27 Repower Progress

Mocking up bench seat and bait tank install which dictates the size of the lid used to convert the old engine box to storage. I have to do this by photo with the yard as I’m on business travel in NY for a couple weeks. Just cutting checks on this one.

 

I will be gleaning data from this thread for my project.

Projected numbers, please!

 

Im not sure the flyguys will appreciate that drifting down the river in montana..

 

The numbers are large and painful and it continues. It will be in excess of $50K including motors.

 

Mods to console on back of cuddy to accommodate the dual outboard controls.

 

New fuel tanks glasses into watertight compartments.

 

What yard is doing the work? Nice collection of Radons in the background.

 

Looks nice! White LP on the console? Awlgrip?

 

Hull

 

Jeff Hull Fiberglass in Ventura. In addition to surfboards, he refurbishes Radon’s and Wilson’s and is the go to guy amongst commercials up there. Just recently he started building new Radon 29s from the molds he acquired. He had a massive backlog when I first started this process back in Summer of 2017. Many delays, mostly due to his backlog. That said I never pushed on him because I was dealing with two different surgeries and result recovery on my foot, plus an immense workload myself. Add onto that my wife and I buying another home up in Montana and the time flies.

 

Polished gelcoat. We stripped the old, peeling LP off down to the gelcoat and re-shot it with gelcoat which was then wet sanded and polished.

Deck has been ground smooth, removing the basket weave non-skid imprinted texture. It will get gelcoat over soft sand. Gunwales will get the same treament. Really not sparing much.

It will be a new boat. R & R Boatworks makes the Conch 27 to order in Stuart FL and they start at $140K with single power and go up quickly from there. This is the only Conch 27 on the West Coast and it is the only one I have ever seen with the walkaround cuddy. It being a divynil call cored hull, the dry weight is 4400 lbs without power or fuel. Far less than a comparable Parker. Hunt designed hull with 22 degree deadrisw, it’s built to go fast and ride smooth and dry, which it does in style. Jeff Hull says everyone stops and asks about the boat.

 

Wow, that shine is even more impressive!

 

Originally powered by a Volvo KAD44 with 290 DPE drive. Bad, wet installation that I fought for years to get to run reliably. Then the supercharger finally grenaded, sending metal shards through the turbo and aftercooler, allowing water to start being ingested into the engine. I was staring at $30K to rebuild plus $15K for a new outdrive just to get back to a bad, wet install. I went a different direction. Twin Yamaha I4 200s.

 

https://www.conchboats.com/

Mine is Edey & Duff Hull #35, built in 1998.

 

Sorry not the best ordering of pics. Been a long process. I’m stuck in NY working for another week. I’ll be working all weekend from the Marriott Marquis in Times Square in between doing laundry in that flaming faghood of Hell’s Kitchen. Missing my wife and dogs dearly.

 

Got up to Oxnard then Ventura and snuck into Jeff Hull’s boat yard to check on the progress.