Tower on the 27ft Sportfisherman

The tower has now been installed on Kevin Agee's 27ft sportfisherman "Dedication", bolted to the deck, console and leaning post. Tubes connecting to top and each side of the console will take wiring and control cables up to the hardtop for engine controls, radar etc.

The tower being test-fitted, with some of the joints tack-welded in position on the boat, to ensure correct fit.

The tower was returned to the workshop for final welding. Here it is back at the boat for final installation.

Tower being test-fitted in place, tack-welded at joints that are critical for proper fit. The hardtop will be bolted to the top of this framework.

This is the crow's nest, which will be a flying bridge on top of the hard-top for fish-spotting. The front feet are hinged and the rear feet secured with removable pins. This will allow the whole structure to fold forward to a stowed position in front of the tower, reducing overall height for road travel.

Recent weekends we have been pulling electrical cables, plumbing hoses and hydraulic hoses through the PVC ducts that run under the wet deck.

We ran the hoses first. Being stiff and relatively large, they could be pushed through the ducts and pulled out at the correct under-deck compartment to connect to pumps, tanks or skin fittings. They had to be helped with an electician's snake to lead them along the correct route. They tended to catch at steps in the inside surface of the ducts at joints between the pipes and the bends and junctions that formed the ducts. The solution was to cut the ends of the hoses at an angle of about 30 degrees to form a taper that could more easily pass the catch points and pass by other hoses that were already in the ducts.

By the time that the cables went in, after the hoses, there were more obstructions to negotiate. We pulled them through the ducts with the electrician's snake, in bundles. We formed a long taper on each bundle by taping them together with the ends stepped back in about 6" increments. So as to not form a fat bundle that would need to find or force a large opening past the obstructions, we taped each new cable to another single cable instead of to the whole bundle. This allowed the cables to spread out and flatten, to fit through narrow spaces. Coating the ends of hoses and cables with dish-washing liquid made them slippery and more easily able to slide through.

Installation of electrical and electronic equipment has started.

Console electronics installed. Just above the radios is a cubby locker and the slightly raised rectangular flat surface below the radios will have recessed cup-holders.

Same view, with covers off. The electrical switch panel is at lower right, concealed under the hinged cover. The open space to the left of the switch panel is where the ignition key-switch will be located, also under the cover. Engine controls will be to the right of the helm.

See our full range of boat designs at out main website or our mobile website. You won't find this design there yet, I am still finding time to finish the drawings.