Glen-L Hot Rod

1. Here's a good friend of mine, Colin, rebuilding the v-drive. It's nice to have a Class A mechanic in the shop ! He's rebuilt the engine and is our ace fabricator / welder. He enjoys working on the mechanical components of the boat but is quite emphatic about staying on firm ground on launch day...

2. Before you know it, the v-drive is fully assembled. The v-drive plate was painted before final assembly. The plate was pretty rough, so we blocked it out with several coats of epoxy primer. This was followed up with Dupont 280CR DTM primer, Dupont Uro-Prime urethane primer-surfacer and topcoated with Dupont Imron urethane enamel.

3. It's important to note that the gasket mating surfaces should not be painted as the paint film buildup will change the v-drive's internal tolerances. Related Links: Casale Direct Drive Dimensional Drawing Casale In-Out Dimensional Drawing

1. Rubber webbing will ultimately suspend the seat foam. The webbing slots were laid out on the stock. A 1/4" drill bit was used to drill the slot end points. Most of the material was removed with a jigsaw.

2. Jigging a hand-held plunge router was too complex, so we mounted a 1/4" straight-cut router bit in the drill press. Moving the stock back and forth while lowering the router bit 1/8" at a time did the trick.

3. Here's the finished piece. No, we won't be using regular lawn chair webbing ! We've ordered a stretchy UV-resistant rubber webbing commonly used in the upholstery trade.

4–5. Since we're trying to launch ASAP, a local upholstery shop will be commisionned to produce removable slip-on cushions. They'll be fastened to the seats with straps and snaps. More traditionnal full uphostery can be completed over the winter months.

Lately, a hot topic on Glen-L's Boatbuilder Forum has been automotive engine conversion for marine use. If you've been dreaming about building an inboard powered boat but are intimidated by the installation process, this article may answer a few of your questions such as 'where do I start' and 'what are my options'. A good place to start is by reading the book Inboard Motor Installations written by Glen L. Witt and Ken Hankinson. This reference book covers all aspects of engine conversion and installation and should provide the insight and inspiration to tackle the job yourself. You'll also need a repair manual covering general overhaul procedures for your specific engine. Haynes Publishing Group offers a well written book that's easy to follow. One option for many boatbuilders is to purchase a ready-to-run marine engine. For a lot of builders this solution may be out of reach. Another more afordable option is to purchase a good used truck or auto engine and convert it for marine use. Lastly, a more economical option is to find a recent take-out marine engine with most of the marine parts already installed. Depending on engine condition, engine rebuilding may be required to ensure reliability and restore performance. Several Mail Order companies provide complete marine engine rebuild kits for many popular brands (Chris-Craft, Crusader, Indmar, Mercruiser, OMC, Pleasurecraft). You can either order the parts or have the machine shop quote you the parts and assemble the engine yourself. It's a good idea to have them quote the assembly labor. This way you know exactly how much you'll be saving by providing the labor. In this article, we'll present the first installment (engine disassembly) of Bruce Dow's engine rebuild. A future article will cover engine assembly and include a video of the engine break-in. Glen-L Monaco 283 Rebuild

Glen-L Monaco 283 Rebuild

1–2. In February 2007, another Glen-L builder, Bruce Dow from Toronto, Ontario acquired a reasonably priced 1962 Chris-Craft 283 HO engine complete with transmission. It too was salvaged from a twin engine cabin cruiser that had been damaged beyond repair. Bruce installed it in his Glen-L Monaco, completed the boat in July 2008 and launched in August 2008.

In October, we towed both of our boats to Glen-L's Boatbuilder Gathering in Guntersville, Alabama. Unfortunately Bruce had some major drivetrain issues that will require some attention. After we got back from our trip, I offered to rebuild his engine and transmission over the winter. The following photos chronicle the rebuilding process.

3. We loaded up our portable gantry crane and left Chelsea, Quebec at 8 AM. Picked up Colin, (our Chief Class A mechanic) in Franktown, Ontario at 9 AM and arrived at Bruce's place at 2 PM. Bruce had already prepped the driveline for removal, so we had it plucked and loaded in record time. After soup and sandwiches we headed back to the shop.

Click the 'Play' button (>) to see the video. Hot Rod Sea Trial 2 - Ottawa River Run [HD] (CyberNick)

1. One of the last interior jobs is to finish up the front cockpit seating. Click here to see our work in progress.

2. Time for some serious finishing ! Dash and front cockpit carlings received three rounds of epoxy (block sanded between coats) and 2 rounds of Perfection 2 part varnish. This is not the final veneer layer for the dash and carlings. We'll be adding a more exotic veneer over the Winter months !

Click the 'Play' button (>) to see the video.

Glen-L Hot Rod - First Startup

3. Glen-L Hot Rod Sea Trial Glen-L Boatbuilder Gathering, Guntersville Alabama, October 23-25 2009 We haven't been updating the website for awhile because we wanted to get the boat ready for the third annual Glen-L Boatbuilder Gathering, held at Guntersville Lake State Park, Alabama, October 23-25. We came up short on the decking and upholstery, but neither were needed for the Hot Rod's Trial Launch. Gayle Brantuk, Vice President of Glen-L Marine Designs and her husband John flew in from Bellflower, California to attend the event. They were accompanied by Allyn, the man responsible for crafting Glen-L's frame kits and test boats. Last year, Gayle was happy to visit us in the Park's parking lot where all the 'Work in Progress' boats were displayed. This year, she got to drive it !. Needless to say a good time was had by all who attended the get-together. It just doesn't get any better than this ! Click here to see Glen-L Gathering photos and videos.

It's been a long time since our last update. We've clocked 12 hours on the engine since our launch last October. It has performed flawlessly but we expect that the hydraulic camshaft won't stand up to sustained high RPM usage. Last month, we pulled the Hot Rod's 355 Chevy engine and will be upgrading it for severe duty service. This includes installation of a main bearing stud kit, Air Flow Research aluminum cylinder heads, hydraulic roller camshaft, aluminum roller rocker arms and an Edelbrock RPM Air Gap intake manifold.

Click here to see more engine assembly photos.

Click the 'Play' button (>) to see the video. Glen-L Hot Rod - 355 Marine Engine Startup

Glen-L Boat Builder Gathering - September 25-26 2010, Lake Nickajack, Tennessee The Gathering is a get together of boat builders, family and friends organized by Glen-L builders. The Hot Rod made the trip again this year. After scouring the want ads for several months, we found a used Palomino pop-up truck camper for a reasonable price. The passenger-side box wing was replaced with a new fiberglass-laminated plywood panel and the driver-side box wing was reinforced with fiberglass cloth and aluminum plates to support the camper tie-down straps. The original two-way refrigerator was upgraded to a new three-way unit (propane, 12 volt DC and 120 volt AC). The camper and tow vehicle's wiring were also redone. Photo coutesy of John Brantuk, Glen-L Marine Designs We didn't have enough time to get the boat ready before we left for Tennessee, so we finished up the wiring, fuel lines and exhaust hoses before launching the boat on the Thursday afternoon. The boat ran great and the new propeller is a big improvement over the prop we ran last year ! Photo coutesy of Gayle Brantuk, Glen-L Marine Designs Click here to browse our Trip Report, photos and videos of the event.

It's over for another season... We've logged 18 hours on the clock since we got back from G4. Actually using the boat has to be the best part about boatbuilding ! We shot some footage on our second last run and thought we'd share it with you. So hang onto your tuque (temp was 36° F!), we're going for a ride... Click the 'Play' button (>) to see the video. Glen-L Hot Rod Boat Cruise - Ottawa River 2010 (HD)