My Official build thread. 27 1/2’ GA

[Todd j]

Didn’t get many photos

[Brian.Dixon]

 Beautiful boat!  You're going to love the 2nd steering station when you're out hammering tuna and salmon!

[Todd j]

It felt strange to drive from there.  Dad said it felt strange sitting in the co-captains chair and not being able to see the person in control of the boat.  With the big garmin I was able to see the screen and see the tack on the suzi instrument

[json]

Your boat looks great Todd! Good to hear you got the CO thing figured out. Very cool you got it on the water and had the first of many adventures, congrats!

[Todd j]

Today we christened Fishin Impossible.  A good time was had by all

[Rbob]

Congratulation to you Todd!!

So cool, it makes me happy to see what you have built and going to be enjoying for a long time.

[Todd j]

Day 2 on the big pond.  3 of us again caught all the law would allow on lings and rockfish.  My boaty friends are beyond impressed by the boat overall.  Ride, handling, quiet, speed for conditions and everything. 

Notes for future builders.  The freeing ports are a huge pain in the balls.   My decks are 4 1-2” higher  than design.  I at rest am an inch low at the bow judging by my bottom paint that was shot in level with a laser.  With 500 pounds of fishermen at the transom and me at 225 at the second station there is always some water in the boat.  Forget backing into the swell.  My deck floods through the freeing ports and eventually will flood the fish  box, at least a hundred gallons.  At which point puts about 1500 pounds including people behind the cabin bulkhead.  Add 2-3” of water on the entire deck and you get the picture.  The fish box lid fits tight enough that it airlocks and won’t drain into the bilge.  This is worst case scenario of course, but it happened while trying to unstick 2 lines that were snagged on the bottom.  During this time the bilge was completely dry.  Once the fish box was open it began to drain into the bilge and both pumps did Their job.  I intend to plug them with a foam plug with a cord so they can be removed quickly if needed. 
   The cabinet drawer design with the dowel in the back where you have to tip the rear of the drawer up to slide it out are painful to operate with any amount of usable weight in them.  I had soft close slides in my hands.  And they got heavy enough packing them to the car that I went back in and returned them.  I think I will go that route now just to improve the usability of the galley.  I put a single cabinet door to cover the drawers.  It is one more step every time you want a spoon or whatever.  I need to change the galley set up to slides with drawer fronts to match the cabinet doors at the dinette. 
   The Wallas is awesome in manual mode, but I do get a lot of condensation on the ceilings, walls and windows while moored or overnight.  I think a dry-z-air is worth a shot.  If you insulated your PH and cuddy roof.  You done good.  I’ve now spent as much time in the boat tied up as under way in winter weather.  The condensation is a very minor annoyance, but I figured I’d have some just wasn’t sure how much. 
  Another note, some rub protectors are advised at the point the stem meets the bow roller. My pretty paint rubbed through clean through the primer.

[Grady300]

I had some of the same issues with water on the deck from the bow down only while moored. I do get some water that makes it way in from backing down and it does get into my fish box below the cockpit. I installed an auto bilge with manual override that does a good job keeping the water from overflowing into my bilge. Yes the bilge pumps would get any overflow out but I do not want bloody water getting in my bilge. I can only imaging how that would smell after a few good fishing trips. My deck is only 3" above what is specified and does a good job of draining most the time. I only sloped my deck 1 1/2" in 9 feet. I think the key to the issue is to slope the cockpit sole at least 2 1/2" from the cabin BH to the face of the scuppers. My scuppers are 1 1/2" x 6" and I do have plugs made for them on days needed.

[json]

Do you guys have flappers on your scuppers? In an 'other side of the coin' perspective, sounds like water would be able to get out of the cockpit very fast in the event that you took a wave over the stern, so that's good...

[Todd j]

I think we have the same scuppers.  My flaps fold in toward the house while backing into swell.  The get stuck that way.  I’m going to make some plugs for mine.  They will only let water out if they are above the waterline.  Which doesn’t work while backing up. 
  My deck slopes aft at 1-1/2” in almost 8 feet.  It’s rainy like a bastard now and my decks are dry so I am appreciative of that.   It’s supposed to blow up and we may not get out today

[Brian.Dixon]

Over the last several years, people have been trending towards equipping these boats more and more, and it seems that the aft belly tank is not as popular as a fish hold etc.  I recommend in the manual, that scuppers remain closed until needed, e.g. open when underway for wash down and/or to get rid of water in the boat.  And I'll emphasize that you want to keep the boat in balance ... these boats are half the weight of a commercial equivalent.  If you put or move something heavy forward of the CG (which is aft of the house, FYI), then you need to counter with something heavier behind the CG ... if fuel tanks are forward and the belly tank gone or truncated, then put your batteries closer to the transom or use a longer motor bracket or jack place, or buy a heavier motor.  And it's always a good idea to slope the cockpit deck pretty well to drain it aft.  If you consider the weight of 4 people, their gear, and burning or adding fuel in various tanks, it's easily 1000# to 1200# of weight that moves around the boat when underway ... all boats are a fore/aft teeter totter and the lighter they are, the more susceptible they'll be to weight being in various places.  As always ... as I've recommended elsewhere, get the boat reasonable done and then use sandbags or buckets of sand to emulate weights of things you want in the boat and find out what arrangement makes the boat trim well.  And by the way, a hidden forward weight is from decks that are thicker than called for, or glassed heavier than called for, or if you use LVL stringers that are taller than called for.  The extra LVL height adds more weight forward of the CG than aft.  And when sleeping, the weight in the bow may be enough to make the boat trim bow-down while you're sleeping ... plug water routes from the aft bilge forward and put a small bilge pump under the cuddy deck or f'w'd end of the house deck to send all-night rains out over the side.  If anyone has questions, let me know ... I've looked at and approved, or disapproved, many layouts in an effort to help builders to get the boat of their dreams.  Much can be done after the boat's done too.

[Grady300]

Do you guys have flappers on your scuppers? In an 'other side of the coin' perspective, sounds like water would be able to get out of the cockpit very fast in the event that you took a wave over the stern, so that's good...

Yes I have one way rubber flapper on the scupper. They are pretty stiff but still let water in, they are so stiff they let water out but any small stuff on the deck tends to get stuck in the stiff flapper on the way out. I actually cut some off the bottom so it would not plug the scupper

[Grady300]

 plug water routes from the aft bilge forward and put a small bilge pump under the cuddy deck or f'w'd end of the house deck to send all-night rains out over the side.  If anyone has questions, let me know ... I've looked at and approved, or disapproved, many layouts in an effort to help builders to get the boat of their dreams.  Much can be done after the boat's done too.

Yep I agree as Brian said. I have used my boat enough and have learned how to solve my water on the deck issues. I also installed a forward bilge pump up under the cuddy along with sealing off water free flowing from the stern to the bow in my bilge as Brian advises.

[Todd j]

Here’s a closer up shot of my scuppers.  I think I need a pump in my fish box.  If only I could figure out how to get some wiring to it.  I also think I need a tiny vent in the fish box lid to act as a vacuum breaker.  The bilge under the cockpit is 100% isolated from the rest of the bilge by plugs. 
  I think I will follow Chuck’s lead and trim the bottom off the scupper flaps and install some tight fitting foam plugs into the scupper tubes. 

[Brian.Dixon]

With these boats, given normal trim variations with varying loads, motion, and water movement, it would be nice to have scuppers 10-12" above the deck to minimize water coming in (and it still will) ... but then you'd have thousands of pounds of water in the boat before it started to drain and no bilge pump could keep up.  As always, I recommend keeping scuppers closed until needed (draining water or wash-down underway), and I do recommend allowing at least the cockpit region to drain into the bilge, and 2 bilge pumps (2 is one ... one is none)... and of course the fisherman's pump ... a bailing jug.  Nothing's more efficient than a scared sailor and a bailing jug.