Another Cobra 6.6 Refurb....

Cobra200 · 03 April 2012, 23:37

Hi All,

This may be of interest to some so I thought I would post a few photos of my Winter refurb of my new (to me) Cobra 6.6. I bought the boat in July 2011, mainly for the outboard, as the boat was kinda thrown in! It was in a sorry state, despite the age she was also left on a swinging mooring and needed a lot of TLC. As Winter came I decided to winterise the outboard and take it off the transom to what was going to be a quick lick of paint....however....

Cobra200 · 03 April 2012, 23:45

As I started to strip back and take off the old fittings it was clear that just a lick of paint was never going to make a lot of difference....

Cobra200 · 04 April 2012, 00:07

Well to save boring you all to tears with all the ins and outs the hard work and many profanities paid off, I took "Snow Goose" back to her boat park today.
She has had:
Full Re-wire
Transom stripped, repaired and finished
New Bilge pump and outlet re-positioned
New Console door
Complete New fabrication of front seating area
New helm and rear lockers
New Courtesy lights fitted
Deck repaired and re-painted
New Mast with lights, VHF ariel and Radar reflector
New VHF
New shelf (Courtesy of my good friend Claude Pett)
Polished top to toe with GM3 (Amazing at shifting that yellow faded look!)
New aft step plates
New Stainless Steel nuts, bolts & screws top to toe!
Complete New Fabrication of Seats using foamex
Newly Upholstered by Hythe Upholstery's (Thank you Richard - I highly recommend your service to all on here!!)
The list goes on......

Cobra200 · 04 April 2012, 00:14

Engine was re-commissioned and put on, ready for the summer! New Witches Hats and re-positioned hydraulic lines means the newly sprayed engine cowl will no longer be scratched to bits by wires all over the place!

Cobra200 · 04 April 2012, 00:24

I need to properly fix down the helm seat and hinge the rear seat.

However the two jobs I could do with some help with is:
1. Soda Blasting the hull (The transom took me 3 days and I refuse to take on the hull!)
2. Re-tubing (These tired tubes let down all the effort taken to get the boat looking tip top!)
Any suggestions please send them my way....budget has been stretched so appreciate all generous offers and reasonable quotes

This will finish the boat off nicely...even if these tasks become next Winters projects its worth asking now!

Cobra200 · 04 April 2012, 00:28

Not that my Father will read this, however I just wanted to say a massive thanks for all his help in this project. I have drawn on all his knowledge and resources, including taking over the past 4 months of his life as he constantly ran around like a looney organising things and fixing the mistakes I made....I like to think a good team but I couldn't of achieved this without him.
Thanks Dad, you're one in a million!!

Ian M · 04 April 2012, 05:24

Yes, the plummage is looking very good

I think you will find that many on here enjoy the profanities and mistakes that we all make on a job such as this.
Well done, see you in the Solent some time?

horacebat · 04 April 2012, 05:30

Just goes to show theres no such thing as a 5 minute job on a boat!.. its looking very good though!, well done!! :-)

boristhebold · 04 April 2012, 09:24

Well done looking nice, great to see older boats being brought back to life, I imagine you feel a good sense of achievement.

Cobra200 · 04 April 2012, 09:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ian M

Well done, see you in the Solent some time?

Thank you Ian, I launch at Beaulieu so often out and about on the Solent....keeping my fingers crossed for a glimmer of sun/no rain and I will be out!

Cobra200 · 04 April 2012, 10:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by boristhebold

Well done looking nice, great to see older boats being brought back to life, I imagine you feel a good sense of achievement.

Its always a fine line between putting money into these older crafts or letting them slowly fall apart until they eventually get laid to rest in ones back yard.... From there it is only a matter of months before the wife decides to use it as a flower pot!

I just felt the boat has a good reputation and from what I have read and experienced ticks the boxes, of course a brand new spanking craft has improvements. But I like to think that efforts in revamping an older craft are not in vain. Its a fantastic and rewarding sense of achievement, having a complete new lease of life I am sure will improve the performance

At the very least it gives me great confidence that I know everything works how it should, my slight OCD should also ensure it gives many more years of enjoyment on the water.

HUMBER P4VWL · 04 April 2012, 10:28

Are the tubes knackered/scratched/holed? If not a professional clean will take all the ground in dirt out and then you can re seal the tubes. A professinoal clean can open up the pores of the Hypalon lifting all the dirt out, though if you don't reseal it straight away, any dust dirt just collects like flies round sh&t. Just had ours done and it looks fantastic! Cost the travel and labour for a few hours of a guy we know. Much cheaper than a re tube

Cobra200 · 04 April 2012, 10:37

Thanks Paul, I did have a professional clean done....not sure it actually did any good in my eyes but happy to give your recommended 'chap you know' a go if he is reasonable. It might be worth at least getting his professional opinion at the very least. Could you possibly pass on his details please. Thanks in advance.

Jizm · 04 April 2012, 11:10

Boat looks really good

Nick Hearne · 04 April 2012, 11:37

Looks great & well done to you, I have white tubes on my SR4 with black speckley mould marks & have not been able to shift them nor did the broker how sold it to me & he thought it would clean up!

HUMBER P4VWL · 04 April 2012, 12:42

Try M501 bostick cleaner thinner with a lint cloth, then put a sealant/protector on.

Welcome to SBA

ncp · 04 April 2012, 13:49

Impressive job all around!

Aluminum dash? How was it to work with? I'm debating Aluminum or Starboard ...and I don't have a lot of tools.

Cobra200 · 04 April 2012, 15:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by ncp

Impressive job all around!

Aluminum dash? How was it to work with?

I must confess the aluminium dash was already installed prior to my purchase. Looking up into the console it is certainly an easier route to take than re-fabricating the console which has more holes in it than a trawler man's net. That said I have used aluminium in similar applications and it is easily malleable and does look good when all polished up!

Wightdiver · 04 April 2012, 16:42

Hi Cobra 200

For what its worth I have just had my RIB re-tubed by Rib Shop in Swanwick, fantastic job at a reasonable price, I can highly recommend them.

Is the suicide seat in the console an original item or something that you or a previous owner has modified? I have never seen one like that and I quite like it.

Regards Andy

Cobra200 · 04 April 2012, 17:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wightdiver

Hi Cobra 200

For what its worth I have just had my RIB re-tubed by Rib Shop in Swanwick, fantastic job at a reasonable price, I can highly recommend them.

Is the suicide seat in the console an original item or something that you or a previous owner has modified? I have never seen one like that and I quite like it.

Regards Andy

Thanks for the recommendation Andy, I will get a quote from them.

The suicide seat was, I believe, and still is standard on the Cobra Ribs. I have slightly modified this seat as the original was more like a perch so I extended the base by an 1.5", small detail but means you can actually sit on the seat now! Behind the seat back is an access panel I have put in so you can gain access to all the electrics in the console more easily. Below the base also houses two petrol caps for the tanks.

Regards
Rich