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30tournament, The Airhead pump doesn't have the volume I need. I'm trying to displace about 190 cu ft in a few minutes. The shopvac idea might work although I'd rather have a ready made unit. I might try to contact them if all else fails. Kilowatt, Any names you can supply would be great. Fishnnutz, The spa blower looks promising also. I checked the website but it didn't have volumes listed. I'm going to look into that some more. Thanks for all the replies so far.

Thanks for the reply. I'm about googled out on this thing. I've tried to contact a few air pump/blower type mfg's about this. No luck so far. Anyone else?

I've got a new project in the shop and I'm in need of an air pump like that used in a Hydrohoist or similar floating boat lift. I would like to get the pump manufacturer's name if anyone knows it. Thanks in advance.

Don't forget about wiring. Do you have a way to get the wires thru the pipes or must they be surface mounted? If they can go thru the pipes, it will look much nicer. Top guy should be able to drill holes now before powdercoating (if that hasn't been done already).

I'm glad to hear that, sort of. I'm a computard and I thought it was just my crappy old laptop that was the problem. I'm sure an internet/computer guru type such as yourself has the latest and greatest as far as computers go. If you're crashing there, then it's not just me and my computer. I thought I was going to have to start shopping for a new one, now I can hold off a little longer. Look at that, reelboating.com really does save me some money.

I think I've got the Swine Flu flu. I'm sick of hearing about the Swine Flu.

Don't be so quick to deny refugee status. I hear UNESCO has some serious money to support refugees around the world. Maybe if you applied for some funding the sandbar.net thing could be free (at least for members 1 thru 2328).

Stamoid is a nice product. It's a reinforced vinly product rather than a fabric so it cleans easier than Sunbrella. It also doesn't stretch like Sunbrella can. You can get it two tone (white on top, blue under). We use it for laceless tops. With the powdercoat I would vote for a contrasting color like blue or black.

So no actual treatment of the metal? Years ago I used to do some painting and when we had a job that involved aluminum we used a 4 stage system. First was Alumiprep to remove contaminates and etch the metal, then Alodine, which was a chemical wash (some form of chromate I believe). After that 545 primer was applied and then finally the Awlgrip topcoat. The Alodine was the treatment for the metal to help prevent corrosion, or so I was told. I was curious to know if the powder coaters used something similar.

Although I think it looks nice, I'm not a big fan of powdercoating aluminum. I've had issues in the past on boats I built. The corrosion started fairly quickly after the tops were installed, six weeks on one and about four months on the other. The corrosion started around the screws and bolts which is what I would expect due to the dissimilar metals, I just didn't think it would happen so fast. We even took extra time trying not to break the paint film. This was some time ago but I'm still jaded. I've heard that some powdercoaters are treating the metal before application. Have you checked into what is the latest and greatest as far as prep for the aluminum to minimize corrosion problems?

Hey, Kingair, why'd you post a picture of Cynthia Nixon and her ex-boyfreind?

I'll take your word for the sound. I'm not really an audiophile so I didn't look at it too close. I just remembered seeing it and thought it was a pretty cool concept. I also agree with you on getting quality, regardless of what the item might be. It's quite often less money in the long run, and almost always less headaches.

First I would drill out the holes slightly oversized to remove any sealant. Next, dish the surface around each hole (you can do this with a large countersink). Fill each hole with 3M Premium Filler or thickened epoxy. After the filler cures, sand the filler flush and then sand the entire area with 150 grit. Mask off an area larger than what you want to paint. Spray color matched gel coat on the surface. Don't spray all the way to the masking and you won't have to worry about the hard edge of the tape line. Be sure to catalyze the gel coat. Here's a trick that not too many people know. Instead of adding wax to the gel coat, I spray several very, very thin mist coats of PVA over the still wet gel coat, waiting a minute or so between coats. PVA is water soluble and comes off when you wet sand. I think it leaves a better surface than wax and doesn't require as much wet sanding to get a good finish. If you spray it too heavy, it will just run off. If your supplier has a broad enough selection, you may be able to buy patch booster (aka patch aid or patch thinner). If you can get this you don't need to worry about adding wax or spraying PVA over the gel coat. Patch booster has surfacing agents built into it. One caveat about patch booster - it needs to be fresh.

Now you're just talkin' crazy. Look what the flux capacitor did to Michael J Fox.

Big deal. Everybody knows two strokes suck. And a turbo charger? Man, that's old school. If it ain't got direct plasma injected warp drive, I ain't havin' it.

I saw a marine stereo with a builtin Ipod dock behind the face. As I recall, it was waterproof and the Ipod could be controlled from the face of the unit. I don't remember where I saw it or the brand but it might be worth looking for. As for adding a radio box to your T-top, make sure you have enough height so that your feild of vision isn't affected. Some tops are built shorter when there is no radio box.

Very nice, neat wiring. The wire ducting is a little different than you usually see on small boats. There are a couple of things I noticed about it that you may want to look at. 1. The copper ground buses. I hate bare copper on a boat. It will get that artsy green patina (better known as corrosion) in no time at all. I would at least put some dielectric grease on the terminals. The SS bolts on the small buses don't conduct as well as copper. Bronze screws would conduct better (how much, I don't know). There are several companies that make tinned ground buses for a few dollars. 2. The natural cable ties and mounts. Black cable ties are UV stabilized. I know it's inside the console and not likely to get a lot of sun but I've seen them break down on boats I've repaired. Plus I think they look nicer, more or less blending in with the wiring. Looks like your well on your way. Good luck with the rest of the project.

Have you looked into the QL tabs by Volvo. Very small profile. I haven't used them but I've heard good reports.

I think "need" might be a bit strong. I would occasionally check out the bilge for the entertainment value. Since I can't stay awake for Letterman anymore, a visit to the bilge would substitute for a laugh or two. I'm just hoping this forum doesn't devolve into the constant pissing contests that seem to happen over there (mea culpa - I'm guilty of joining one or two myself ). Seems like the bilge attitude and subject matter is getting carried over into the regular forums.

Where will I get my daily dose of crazy? Just made it over here from the THaT other site. I'm guessing that most people kept the same screen name (or at least I recognize a bunch). I like the format for this site. Any quirks particular to this site that you've found for posting photos, etc?