The TACO Marine Project Boat is nearly complete!
On Tuesday, Jan. 16, representatives from TACO, Ship Shape TV and AA Boat Top & Canvas came together for a work party on Project Boat – plumbing the head, covering edges with Infinity Welt, installing batteries and coating the stainless-steel railing and hardtop frame with a metal protectant, to name a few.
One of the products used to plumb the head was sanitized PVC tubing. Hayden Greviskis from Ship Shape TV said it’s helpful to place the tubing in the sun for several minutes prior to installation. The sun warms the tubing, making it more pliable and easier to feed through the chase way.
For hiding material edges inside the cabin, John Adinolfe from AA Boat Tops & Canvas used a new product he designed called Infinity Welt, a ¾-inch welt cord wrapped inside Infinity woven vinyl material.
Check out the video below where Adinolfe showcases the Infinity Welt applications.
Metal protectants are designed to coat structural hardware from the wear and tear of saltwater and other environmental factors. On a boat, it is recommended a metal protectant is applied every six to 12 months, said Mike Strickland, Ship Shape TV technician.
Depending on the product used, a protectant can be applied to aluminum, polished aluminum, stainless steel, copper, brass or any other metal to prevent staining and discoloration. To bring Project Boat’s wiring and plumbing up to date, a few holes were drilled inside various compartments.
To protect the hull on the inside, TACO Marine Category Product Manager Jose Chao applied 50/50 epoxy primer to the newly-made holes – a combination of epoxy resin and hardener applied to a dry surface making it waterproof. For more information, watch the video below.
Now that the boat’s almost complete, it’s heading to the Pacer Group workshop for electrical wiring, followed by on-the-water tests with a representative from Yamaha Outboards. In a few short weeks, Project Boat winner Roger LeFranc will get the keys to his newly-remodeled Pursuit 2650 and, as he plans, will hit the fishing tournament circuit throughout Florida.
