Construction of the Dillon Mini Vee 2009

<<  Page One     Page Two

Over she goes. Two temporary bulkheads, originally located between the coamings, have been removed.
The carlins are installed (where the deck meets the coaming) and the dashboard is temporarily in place, as well as the small bulkhead forward of the dash that carries the forward steering shaft bearing. A good time to paint the interior. A couple coats of latex primer should do it. Any paint slopped onto the carlins or the sheer clamps or deck beam or stem will be planed away when the framework is beveled in preparation for the decking.
Anxious to see how it all looks, I surged ahead with the deck, cowling and motorboard. But these parts are just tacked in place with a few screws and some spring clamps for now.
Finally all together. The cockpit is painted. Now a coat of primer on the deck and coaming. The home stretch.
Painting the deck.
Painting done! Next step is to move it outdoors.
The scale shows 185 lbs. Subtract five lbs. for the block and tackle and the lifting rig and I'll call it a neat 180 lbs. bare hull weight, right where I expected it. Rigged for Mini GT (without a jack plate, at least for now), I'll need about 25-30 lbs. of ballast to make weight.
Out in the sunshine -- or under the clouds in this case, with thunder rumbling in the background. I dropped the motor on, and setup should proceed quickly. Maybe a test run in two or three days. If all goes well, its first race will be in five days.
A Mini GT boat racing in GT Pro. This is the best action shot I have just now. Fourteen-year-old Drake Halver is at the wheel. He took fourth place in his very first race with some aggressive driving and taking advantage of other racer's misfortunes.
Purchase Mini Vee Plans	Purchase Mini Vee Plans The Evolution of the original Dillon Mini Vee Building the new Mini Vee, 2009 Bringing back Mini GT racing, 2010 View the Online Construction Notes Continue Shopping

<<  Page One     Page Two