Date

What did I do today?

Hours

01-04-00

I cut the two main engine stand tubes and the small cross tubes that will be used to support the fan shaft and bearings. I test welded some small scraps with my wire feed machine and the welds look like they will do the job well.

1.00

01-06-00

I welded four short cross tubes in a stacked "log cabin" arrangement on top of the main tubes for the fan shaft and bearings.  I then trimmed to length a 2.25" piece of exhaust pipe to fit down the center of the stack.  This pipe will help keep the fan shaft and the bearings centered in position.

2.00

01-12-00

I cut and welded the pieces for the engine riser platform.  I made the platform into a "U" configuration, then welded two support legs, angled to the rear, off of the aft corners of the platform.  The vertical prop supports will be welded on next with gussets added to provide strength and support for the 90 degree pulley axle mounting.  I also created a template for the vertical prop supports so they can be bent or cut and welded into the proper shape.

2.50

02-06-00

I cut the vertical prop supports approximately to length and welded them to the engine riser platform.  I also cut a notch in the verticals to help in bending them together at the top for the prop shaft cross tube pieces.  Then I set the welded assembly on top of the main horizontal tubes and set the engine in place.  Then the position of the 90* fan belt idler pulleys was determined and the two main assemblies were welded together.

3.75

02-12-00

The fan was temporarily mounted in the stand and the stand was set on the rear deck for test fitting.  Everything is coming out pretty well but the main rails will need to mount on 1" spacers to position the fan at the correct height in the fan duct.  After the fan was removed from the mount the bearing flangette bolt holes were drilled.

1.00

02-13-00

Cut the slots into the front engine adjusting plate.  Drilled the engine mount holes in the engine riser platform.  Cut and checked the fit of the compression tubes for the engine mount holes.

1.50

02-19-00

I cut and welded the fan idler sheave axle mounts in place.  The frame tubes were tweaked and bent into proper alignment removing the warps caused by the welding.  I cut and shaped two pieces of angle iron to attach to the rear deck for the engine stand to bolt onto.  The fan and shaft were installed and set on the deck to locate the position of the crossbar mounts to the horizontal tubes.  I cut and welded the front and rear crossbar mount to the ends of the main horizontal tubes and two short legs to the center of the tubes.  All six points for bolting the mount to the deck had compression tubes cut and welded in place.

6.00

02-22-00

I wire brushed the riser platform, the horizontal tubes and crossbars of the engine stand.  They were then sprayed with liquid navel jelly and set aside.  I drilled the mounting holes in the hull brackets and then sprayed them with cold galvanizing compound and later sprayed them with black paint.

1.50

02-24-00

Sprayed the bottom part of the engine stand with cold galvanizing and then gave it a couple of coats of paint.

0.75

02-26-00

Installed the engine adjusting bolts in the stand and mounted the engine for another test fit.  Checked for the location of the prop shaft mount and cut the prop shaft bearing support pieces and the center tube the same way as I did for the fan bearing mount.  The support pieces were welded together log cabin style and then the center tube was welded in.  The bearing mounting bolt holes were drilled and compression tubes were cut.

3.50

02-27-00

The prop bearing mounting bolt compression tubes were welded in place.  The bearing mount assembly was positioned and welded in place.  The front engine adjusting plate was located in position and welded in place on the vertical tubes.  I also installed a piece of angle iron across the top of the vertical tubes to use as a bracket for the prop guard or any other supports I may need to install.  The engine stand was wire brushed to remove all the welding residue and splatter and was then given a coat of the liquid naval jelly spray.  I test fit the prop shaft with the bearings, pulley and prop.  Everything fits and all the clearances are perfect.

4.00

03-13-00

I cut two "crescent" shapes from a 2 X 8 plank with a 32.5" radius.  Then a drew an arc on the bed of my trailer and nailed the crescents along the line.  A "jam" block was nailed down at one end of the crescents.  Then I inserted a piece of 1/2" EMT tubing against the jam block and bent it around the crescent blocks.  My radius was a little large because the tubing "springback" was a little more than expected but with a little work I got the radius where I wanted it and kept the tubing flat and symmetrical.

1.50

04-01-00

The pieces for the prop idler adjusting sheave assembly were cut, drilled and welded together and then welded to the engine stand.  The top portion of the engine stand was primed and painted.  I still need to fill the ends of the tubing with something to keep water out of them.

3.00

04-02-00

I did the final assembly of the prop and fan shafts, bearings, bushings and safety clips.  I installed the idler sheave adjusting arm and pulley and checked the alignment.  The engine stand is now complete and ready to install.

1.50

05-02-00

I bent two pieces of 1/2" EMT into a "U" with the side tubes 18" apart.  After taking careful measurements I cut the side tubes to the correct length for attaching to the guard arches.  I cut several 17" pieces for cross bracing between the side tubes.  I cut and formed the ends of the tubes so they insert one inside the other instead of trying to use a butt joint when I go to weld the tubes together.

2.00

05-06-00

Installed the engine stand brackets and engine stand on the rear deck, then attached the fan.  I lowered the hull down to the ground, installed the engine and rechecked the belt alignments.  Attached the engine throttle cable connection to the engine.

3.25

05-07-00

I worked on the prop guard all afternoon.  I cut, bent and welded, then I cut, bent and welded some more!  Actually, I got the two "hoops" attached to the vertical side pieces and then attached the deck mounting brackets to the bottom of the side pieces.  Three spacers were installed between the forward and aft hoops.  Three radius bars, one vertical and two horizontal, were installed between the forward hoop and the engine stand.

5.25

05-08-00

The upper and lower rudder pivot bars were drilled for the 3 rudder pivot points.  The upper bar was clamped in place and two radius arms were clamped on to check the fit.  A little more bending and tweaking brought the two hoops as close to being even as I can get them.

1.25

05-10-00

I tack welded in two more spacers between the hoops and had one fall out after the tack welds broke from all the tweaking.  The upper and lower pivot bars were tack welded in  place and two radius bars were tacked in also.  I test fit the rudders to check the alignment of the pivot bars and pivot bolts.

1.50

05-11-00

I tack welded a few more joints.  I cut and attached two deck tubes to the forward hoop which will be used to secure the wire mesh along the rear side decks to the rear seat backboard.  I attached the flashing light support bracket tubes to the radius rods at the top of the engine stand.

1.75

05-13-00

I finally had the custom exhaust manifolds built.  I had to grind a little off of the flanges to clear the cooling fins on the head.  The carburetor fuel shutoff solenoid was sticking so I pulled it out and cleaned it.  I already had a test switch panel connected to the engine so I used jumper cables to give the engine a spin.  Replaced the spark plugs and everything else seemed to check out okay, so tomorrow I will try a short test run of the engine.

1.75

05-14-00

I installed a booster fuel pump since I am out of spec for the manufacturer's maximum fuel lift for the stock pump.  I will probably have to get a pressure regulator since the pump tends to want to flood the engine when its not running.  I connected power via jumper cables from my truck, primed the fuel system, double checked everything and hit the ignition test panel.  She started almost immediately and the hull lifted right up like it wanted to fly on its own.  After warm-up, I increased the throttle to check for vibrations, belt slap, fan rotation and other general operating conditions.  Everything went great.  With a little extra throttle the hull came up to full height, then I added a couple people and it lifted nicely.  It was very smooth, and a very successful and exciting day!

I continued my day by adding several more braces to the prop guard, welding and brazing more of the joints and added the bracket tube for the white anchor/running light.  I welded a pivot arm to the end of each of the steering torque rods and cut them to length.

6.50

05-15-00

Cut three long braces for the front of the prop guard to the deck and brazed them in place.  Drilled the holes in the rudder connecting bar and test fit the bar on the rudders.

2.00

05-16-00

 I trimmed the rudder connecting bar to length then drilled the holes for the steering tie rod in the rudder connector bar and the rear steering pivot arm.  I made a splice piece and connected the forward steering tube to the aft steering tube, then I made the tie rod that fits between the forward pivot arm and the steering wheel shaft.  The steering works pretty well.  I have to work on it a little to remove some of the sloppiness and maybe try and get a little more lock to lock turning angle added to the steering wheel.

3.00

05-17-00

I finished welding and grinding most of the joints in the prop guard.  I cut and attached two mounting tabs to the front guard deck tubes.  Then I cut and attached the bracket for the yellow flashing light.

Today I went down and did the title and registration work for the craft.  In Florida, all motorized vehicles used on the water (except for a few special situations) are required to be registered with the state.  A hovercraft is registered as an open power boat with air propulsion and designated as home made if the owner has built it.  No special inspections or surveys are required if the vessel is 16 feet or less in length.  If you have all your sales receipts for materials that show you paid sales tax, then the only fees are for title work and the registration.  It was $29.70 for my title and a 15 month registration period (my birthday is in August and I got next years registration too).

5.75

05-18-00

 I finished brazing the last three joints in the prop guard.  I drilled and test fit the yellow flashing light and the anchor light on their brackets.  Then I began cutting and attaching the wire mesh to the the front upper portion of the guard and then around the outside of the hoops.  The mesh is just being attached by wrapping the wire ends around the guard tubing.  It will be permanently brazed in place later after all the pieces are installed.

2.75

05-19-00

The rest of the wire mesh was cut and attached to the prop guard frame.

2.50

05-20-00

I test fit the prop guard on the deck and drilled the forward mounting holes after doing a little grinding and fitting to the mounting tabs.  I also reworked the prop idler pulley adjusting mechanism.

1.75

05-22-00

I installed a piece of PVC pipe from the rear deck through the starboard floatation compartment and ran the fuel line through it.

0.75

05-23-00

I had some assistance in getting the wire mesh welded to the prop guard.  A friend volunteered to TIG weld it for me in exchange for a fishing trip or two.  I also had to chase the threads in the engine crankshaft.  The other day I discovered that the first couple were damaged when I tried to install the retaining bolt in it.  I also redrilled the steering linkage pivot holes and replaced the pivot bolts with tighter fittings.  This has considerably reduced the play in the steering system.

2.50

05-24-00

Started spraying the prop guard with cold galvanizing spray.  Covered as much of it as I could without turning it over onto fresh paint.

0.25

05-25-00

Finished spraying the prop guard with cold galvanizing spray.  That's it until after this long weekend and hopefully an extended set of trial runs.

0.50

05-26-00

Cleaned the accumulated crud off the rear engine deck and laid strips of foam weather stripping down where the guard tubes lay against the deck.  This should minimize any vibrations and noise transfer through the hull.  The prop guard was set on the deck and bolted down.

0.75

05-27-00

I cut the pieces for the exhaust system and welded them together.  The system is an independant dual exhaust and the mufflers designed for the end of the pipes for 2 cycle engines.  They are basically a 1.50" tube with a baffle but they make the engine relatively quiet.  I welded together a throttle control handle and installed it and the throttle cable.  I cut the prop mounting bolts, installed the spacers and test fit the prop.

4.50

05-28-00

The rudder pivot tubes were sanded to final length and the rudder linkage was adjusted to the proper length.

1.00

 Now that the engine stand and prop guard is basically complete I feel that I'm getting very close!  Only a few more phases to complete and the craft will be ready for her maiden voyage!

Let's go get the skirt put on.  Next phase please!

TOTAL TIME THIS PHASE.....

84.75