Ball Lightning, 1989 Avon sr4

[Barrel Rider]

I bought a 1970's sr4 in 2020 which needed a bit of work to get it on the water but gave me many hours of fun in 2021. There was a couple of things I wanted to change though, mainly a higher seat and higher steering wheel. I found being sat so low quite uncomfortable for long times and the wheel was too low to use when standing.
I was going to change the console but a very good looking sr4 popped up on fb marketplace nearby so I decided to buy that instead as it was sort of a blank canvas.
A picture of the older one and the new one after picking it up, and a mock of the seat and console.

[Barrel Rider]

Made the console from marine ply, epoxy and fibreglass. It took a lot of fairing with epoxy and micro spheres to get a smooth surface. Then 1 coat of a thick epoxy primer and 3 coats of polyurethane two pack paint.
I found the double jockey seat on fb marketplace for £80 which I thought was a bit of a bargain, the seller told me it had come out of the mold with a couple of imperfections in the gel coat, easy enough to fill before painting.
Unfortunately there was a poorly applied paint to the hull which took a bit of sanding to remove. I used the same epoxy primer and 4 coats of the polyurethane two pack paint on the outer hull and transom, wet sanded, polished and waxed.

[Barrel Rider]

The seating foam came from a company called foamcut2size.co.uk and I went with their firmest option - RB95. My upholstery is very very rudimentary and I just stretched, stapled and folded in the corners after shaping the foam with my filleting knife
Fibreglassed in the console and new flowcoat for the deck. Outboard swapped over (I forgot to take a pic but have included one from last year when I fitted it to the older sr4)
For such a small rib it feels like a lot of wiring and not much space to tuck it away neatly.

[Barrel Rider]

I saw this floor matt, 3m Nomad, recommended on an Avon searider facebook group and found some on ebay. It's very grippy and very comfortable underfoot, probably my favourite addition so far.

A new rubstrake was in order as the original had began to deteriorate. I had a big fail here, after gluing the first section on, it then slowly peeled away and fell off before I had even finished rollering it, woops. Fortunately an eraser wheel easily removed all the glue without removing any hypalon. After some great advice from this forum I had success trying for the second time.

My rather dodgy diy attempt at lifeline holders too

[Barrel Rider]

New rubbing strake successfully bonded in a sort of traditional searider style, cabling tidied up and electrics finished. I added in an extra fuse and switch panel in case I add any other electronics in the future.
After using her a few times now I'm really pleased with the higher seat and steering wheel position. My knees aren't bent nearly as much as the lower seat before, and can take a bit of my weight in choppy conditions. The firm foam is a fantastic shock absorber. I can comfortably stand when entering a shallow bay and peer over the bow without a long reach down for the wheel.
All in all I'm really pleased with how she's turned out. I've named her ' Ball Lightning ' , it was the title of a book I was reading at the time and I thought it suited her!

[IainK]

Very neat work and inspiring too. Thanks for sharing. iain

[Barrel Rider]

Originally Posted by IainK

Very neat work and inspiring too. Thanks for sharing. iain

Thanks Iain