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Improved Cheese Grater


geeviam

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I received my 2 custom cut, 1/4" lexan plates in the mail today that were only a total of $16 shipped.   I hope to get to mill one down to fit, drill the holes, and try it this weekend.       For $16 bucks, what have I got to lose?   I will report my results as soon as I get them.

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1 hour ago, JEM said:

I received my 2 custom cut, 1/4" lexan plates in the mail today that were only a total of $16 shipped.   I hope to get to mill one down to fit, drill the holes, and try it this weekend.       For $16 bucks, what have I got to lose?   I will report my results as soon as I get them.

I went out to measure my cheese grater yesterday, but my boat is at the dealership for some minor warranty/replacement stuff (live well pump and battery charger swap). Can't wait to see what you gain, JEM! When do you anticipate to test this, this week? 

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Yes.  I hope to get 'er done this Saturday and splash it for a sea trial. That is, unless the fish are calling me.  Then it might be Sunday afternoon.  I keep it in a marina barn, and when they set it on a wash rack, the seachest plate is sitting there for me to work on.   I can't imagine it taking to long to bevel the edges to fit and drilling the holes.  I am not getting my hopes up to much.  But I would be thrilled if it did nothing but stop the little bit of porpoising in the mid ranges.  Any other performance gains (speed) would be gravy.

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2 hours ago, JEM said:

Yes.  I hope to get 'er done this Saturday and splash it for a sea trial. That is, unless the fish are calling me.  Then it might be Sunday afternoon.  I keep it in a marina barn, and when they set it on a wash rack, the seachest plate is sitting there for me to work on.   I can't imagine it taking to long to bevel the edges to fit and drilling the holes.  I am not getting my hopes up to much.  But I would be thrilled if it did nothing but stop the little bit of porpoising in the mid ranges.  Any other performance gains (speed) would be gravy.

You should be free to make as many high speed runs thru Thunderbolt as you like. Remember, the Coast Guard isn’t getting paid, so I think their motivation may be real low to give chase. 😀

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2 hours ago, HewesYourDaddy said:

You should be free to make as many high speed runs thru Thunderbolt as you like. Remember, the Coast Guard isn’t getting paid, so I think their motivation may be real low to give chase. 😀

Don’t do it JEM, they are getting paid. 😁 The Departmet of Homeland Securtiy “identified a way to pay our military workforce”. Besides that, they will receive back pay. 

HYD, someone posted a 115 - 2 stroke on the Maverick, Hewe’s, Pathfinder Facebook page for $2,500. 

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I worked on and off Saturday and this afternoon on the new and improved DIY sea chest plate, a/k/a a cheese grater plate.  I thought it would be a couple of hours and done.  Nope.  It is a lot of tedious work to sand to fit, and especially to drill the screw holes to fit existing screw holes in the hull.  I think it was really above my pay grade.  But I think I have it ready to install, but with predicted lows lower than the temps for 4200 to set up, I will wait for next weekend.

I can’t imagine doing this while the boat is on a trailer!

 

 

 

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I'm with Linesider, let'er rip JEM! Looks like you worked well within your pay grade. That piece looks GREAT!

I did a fantastic job straightening my prop out during a sizeable negative, Saturday. I guess I could tackle this when I send my prop out to be re-pitched and cleaned up....

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Man, was that your brand spankin’ new Bravo?  If so, I hate that for you.

Back to my low skill level, maybe somebody here can offer some advice.  The forward inner screw head just fell off when I was removing the SS cheese grater., leaving maybe a 1/8 inch of the screwshaft.  I tried the smallest easy out I had to reverse the screw to no avail.  I went and bought a tiny needle nose vice grip to try and get a grip on it, but still no good. As a last resort, I just ground the stub down flush, but I don’t like having but one screw fastener at the forward end of the plate.  I guess my options are hope some 4200 will hold it down, or move over a little and drill a new hole, making sure I don’t go completely through the hull.  I just wondered if anybody had any other ideas how to drill that reminder of a screw out, without really making a mess out of it?

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5 hours ago, BradM said:

I'm with Linesider, let'er rip JEM! Looks like you worked well within your pay grade. That piece looks GREAT!

I did a fantastic job straightening my prop out during a sizeable negative, Saturday. I guess I could tackle this when I send my prop out to be re-pitched and cleaned up....

Be careful who you send a bravo to. Have seen on multiple occasions people not get the blade tips right and lose 2-6 mph. 

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4 hours ago, linesider 159 said:

Be careful who you send a bravo to. Have seen on multiple occasions people not get the blade tips right and lose 2-6 mph. 

X2.......as a former marine propeller shop owner in Florida, most modern props have a complex geometry that is almost impossible to “put back to new” without the support of the original manufacturer. Most shops have scanning equipment where they scan pitch and thickness data of a new one, and put all others back to that spec. NOT bullet proof, though. A factory drawing, or factory scan data is best.

Be sure to question the shop about how exactly they know what the geometry is. I have a couple of PT OFXs, bent one, sent to one of the largest Florida shops (a friend!). I sent it back twice, and finally sent to PT. POWERTECH “condemned” it , saying THEY could not get It back to original. I ended up buying a new one. It was my running hard aground that causes the problem, and I made my friend redo for free on the send backs. Of all people, I should have known better!!!!! I did buy the new OFX from him, though. The days of straightening props using a trailer ball hitch and a hammer have been over for years now.

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I finished the plate yesterday morning and got it installed.  I dropped the boat in this afternoon for the sea trial.  This is the result.  The porpoising is much much improved.  The back end does feel “looser.”I picked up 100 rpm’s and on average, about 2 mph.  I’m sure the cold water and cold air didn’t hurt matters.  When I was taking the pictures,  it was showing 62, which was my two way average.  I didn’t know it touched 63 until I got ready to make this post!  LOL  This calculates out to a 6 on the prop slip calculator.  All in all, I feel like the results were worth the effort.  Oh, by the way, the bait well functioned perfectly normal as long as I had the pump running.  If I tuned the pump off, it would not continue flowing water while running, where the SS plate with all the holes would.  But that is not an issue for me.

 

 

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On 1/20/2019 at 6:36 PM, linesider 159 said:

Put it on and spray with some water. Give it 3 days and go run it! This is top speed weather!!

A old carb motor will make could make more HP with cooler more dense air entering the carbs but today’s hi tech PCM controlled electronic fuel injection nozzles with MAF or IAC sensors they will know the density , air temp , and how much air past the sensor than send this infor to ECM and motor will not run richer than about 15-1 or if your ECM has been reflashed for more timing the ratio will be a hair richer to compensate for the additional ignition timing but being it is electronically controlled it will adjust and keep fuel to air ratios the same even if you have cooler air with more density . Back in the day when I ran a carbs on the  hot rod Yamahas  big gains came when you ran more timing and richer main fuel jetting and twisted the heck ( cut rev limiter) out of those smelly smoking two strokes in cooler weather conditions . Wasnt good for the environment but was fun at the time , the smell of unturned fuel at idle , the 🌈 rainbows in the water , glade most of us are running clean burning stock 4=strokes no need to dump more pollution in the areas we fish . 

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On ‎1‎/‎5‎/‎2019 at 8:02 AM, mulligan said:

I am not a naval engineer or boat builder by any stretch so take this with Forest Gump in mind.

MBC has had some ride issues, porpoising, with certain combos over the years.  My guess is most builders have if they have been around long enough when 4 strokes became the norm and hulls were built around 2 stroke motors.  I am not saying that a flush or flusher seacheast would be the fix for all issues with the ride problems or fix a poor designed hull.  I feel MBC has done a good job of making changes where needed to improve the ride of their boats over the years to keep up and stay ahead.

Then there is the RF16, a great boat that owners love with the exception of always have to adjust trim and tabs to have it run right no matter of the power on the back.  Yes, MBC has changed the layout, moved the fuel tank, ect.  I am not sure if this was done to improve the ride or not but  the problem was still there and owner just dealt with it because they liked everything else about the boat. 

There are a couple people on this forum who have spend countless hours and big$$$ to get their rig running the best it can.  Time on the water moving weight around, changing setbacks, motor heights, running every prop that would fit on the motor and the porpoising was still there.  Then the idea of changing out the seacheast cover pops up and the same people that have been trying to get their rig to run the way it should try it out and that $5 piece of plastic gives the best ride over everything they have done in the past.

I am not bashing MBC or anyone else here just saying what I have noticed.  Heck, If MBC flushed mounted the grate I bet they would sell a lot more RF16s when people found out how stable of a ride they have with the "new" design.  I would hope that if a new grate were to go on the RF16 that Geevian and Lurem would get hull number 1 and 2 just for the years they have done with R&D.:D

This is the post of the thread award winner. So, it is deserving of a replay! LOL

I quoted this post just so, maybe, it would get read over and over again. Maybe even by some people of "influence." Porpoising is a very aggravating problem, in case "some" people don't realize it. You bring up boat up to the desired mid range cruise speed and trim it out to perfection for maximum speed and fuel efficiency.......... and ......... then......... bounce, bounce, bounce!  Soooooooooo, you have to apply tabs that in turn lower your speed and fuel efficiency, thus defeating your perfect trimming effort. This is not a handling characteristic worthy of a premium boat! JMHO.

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JEM I’m having a tough time seeing if you put two drain holes in or just one? Could you show further detail please and also is that a 22v or te? Are the hole enough to run two wells at once? On plane and at rest? Thanks

i would like to test this out on my 22te but just trying to get a game plan before I do so

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I have one 1/4” drain hole at the center rear for pressure relief and one 7/32” hole at the lower rear corner for draining on the hill.Both of these holes are vertical.  This is the same configuration used by Geeviam and Mulligan.  My boat is a 2007V model.  I only have one baitwell, so I can’t advise about 2 wells.  But like has been discussed previously, I would start with this minimum number of angled holes, and add more as needed from trial and error.  It’s easy to add more holes, but not so easy to delete too many holes!  LOL Good luck.  Holler if you have any more questions.

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  • 5 months later...
On 1/4/2019 at 7:04 AM, mulligan said:

I ran it this week but no video.  If I get a chance I will be out this weekend to run it some more and hang my phone over the back for a video.

The grater worked good for me.  I may have picked up a little on the top but the prop I had on runs fairly flat and does not have the best bite on the topend.  Just like Dale, the back feels lighter so I'm hoping a prop swap might gain some MPH.  I did notice my cruise numbers were up some.

The livewell worked well for me, better than the ss grate.  My well always took time to prime sometimes having to get almost on plane and with the new grate it fired right up and started pumping.  It worked well at rest and while running.  I only had one well on, too lazy to open the others, but had plenty of water flow.  I have (4) 7/32" angled holes running down the outside,( 1) 7/32" on the rear inside, and (1)1/4" in the rear center.

 

On 1/4/2019 at 8:38 AM, mulligan said:

Yes the 2 at the rear are vertical.  My thought behind it was to help drain and aide in getting water in the chest at rest.

This is really great stuff - thanks to you all for coming up with this and posting it.  I'm working through my summer round of improvements (removing bow cleat and replacing it with two side mounted collapsing bow cleats, mounting Ulterra where it SHOULD be,  removing a rusty seat post mount on the foredeck, patching 18 (yes EIGHTEEN) holes where the PO had installed various trolling motors, regelcoating and matching the non skid over all those holes and where the bow cleat was where the seat post was, moving speakers, refinishing the foot, all the motor maintenance, installing MateSeries rod/cup holders, Yeti mount on the front deck for casting platform, etc.) on my new to me 2008 RF16.  I digress wildly.

I've been shocked by the amount of porpoising this boat does.  It's manageable but I'm tired of explaining why I'm constantly mucking with the trim tabs to knowledgeable boat people that go out with me.  I am completely enthralled with the boat, otherwise.

My seachest is easily accessible while on the trailer (well, it's not blocked by a bunk anyway, I'm still crawling around on my back lol).  After I get a chance to use the boat from this round of improvements, I'm jumping in on this.  I'm an engineer with a CNC router in my garage and here's my plan.  I'm going to fill the perimeter of the seachest with a fairing compound (it might require a quick and dirty cardboard and packaging tape mold to hold the schmoo in place).  I then sand that fairing compound flush with the bottom of the hull.  I'll make a router template on the cnc , hot glue that template to the hull, and reshape the inside perimeter of the sea chest with a handheld, bushing guided router, giving it an accurate machined profile and depth.  Then, I'll cut a matching acrylic plate on the CNC router, drill the holes as prescribed here, and mount it to the new opening where it should fit tightly and be perfectly flush with the bottom of the hull without much more fuss!  

I can probably do this in less time than it would take to try and custom fit a new plate to the existing opening.  I'm not that worried about finishing the perimeter since it's never ever seen...will be sure to use a good hard epoxy based fairing compound that can serve as the top surface without eroding.

BTW, Maverick could do the same thing with an extra manufacturing step on future boats.  Build in a little extra filler around the existing sea chest when laying up the hull, use a template to machine that opening (it would be slightly larger than the current opening without making a modification to the mold) and install a tight fitting machined plate that is flush with the hull.

Edited by JakeK
because; My proof reading skills are phenomenal right after I click "save"
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  • 2 years later...

Bringing this one back fellas...

I just got my new plate cut out (I used the smoked plexiglass) and have already checked fitment and beveled the edges so it sits flush all the way around. Am I drilling 4 angled holes on the starboard most side and two vertical holes at the rear? Has anyone done any more R&D with this project in the last few years? I do have three livewells on this boat and three pumps feeding from the chest. My only concern with the 4 holes is restricted flow at rest and I have two pumps running. Also, I have to imagine i'm more prone to clogging up those 4 holes with grass when i'm sitting shallow. 

Like others have mentioned, I can start with 4 holes and then add more after a few test runs if necessary.

Thanks!

Josh B.

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During the time since my last post on this thread, I have done some projects with HDPE (King StarBoard) and I like it a lot.  It might be a little more difficult to mark and drill the mounting holes to match up perfectly to the existing holes on the hull, without the clear see-thru Lexan, but I think I would try 3/8" thick King StarBoard if I were to make another one of these.  StarBoard is very strong but is slightly forgiving if stressed and wouldn't crack under pressure from screw tension or excessive water pressure.  I also bought some Corian after it was also mentioned in this thread.  Corian is tough stuff, but really heavy, so I wouldn't go that route.  A good source for King StarBoard is: https://www.boatoutfitters.com/material/plastic-sheet/king-starboard

Also, I would use Boat Life LifeSeal adhesive sealant instead of 3M 4200 or 3M 4000 on this project - and less is better.  Just a thin bead, or maybe just a few spots around the edge of the plate.  Too much adhesive, and you'll have extreme difficulty removing the recessed plate if you ever need to in the future.

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Well I actually had a scrap piece of smoked acrylic in my pile... that for once, was actually, just barely big enough to make the piece I needed. I went ahead with the 4 holes down one side and added two straight holes in the rear for relief/drainage. After doing a good amount of research on sealants I bought a couple different brands and did some testing on scrap pieces. A boat builder on the THT forum suggested this Bostik brand sealant. I have to say, it's very nice. It has some flexibility but it's incredibly strong. It's definitely a semi-permanent sealant/adhesive. You can't pull it off, you'll need a blade/scraper to remove it from a clean flat surface. So once it's on there I don't think you could easily remove it without damaging it, maybe with some heat and a thin piece of wire to cut through. I'll give it some test runs and make more straight holes if I have any flow issues while at rest.

Josh B.

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Nice!  I've never used the Bostik 920FS before.  May have to try it next time.  The thin wire trick is a good idea.  Good luck with your testing Josh.  You may need two or three more straight holes to get the right flow.  Better to try it out first though.  Keep us posted on the results!  👍

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1 hour ago, Vapor Trail said:

I would think the diameter of the surface areas of the holes drilled should add up to at least the surface area of the hole in the thru hull so you don't starve the pump

Agreed.  And there should always be a slightly greater quantity (more than half) of angled holes than straight holes, to maintain positive water pressure flowing to the well while underway, without the need to run the pump.

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