Birth of a Cheyenne [Archive]

Ken F

03-18-2004, 08:23 PM

ATM, will do! I'm sure also of his abilities!
This is the first one out of the mold!
here is a link to the photos that will work:
http://community.webshots.com/user/kenf100
Look in the folder "Birth of a boat".
Jake, I gues I probably should, but you can't link to them anymore. I was trying to put them on ***boatpics, but it is down right now.
Ken

Jake W

03-18-2004, 08:43 PM

Yea I know Ken it is a pain some times.
It's great to see some progres on it.
Jake:D

squirt

03-18-2004, 08:44 PM

Wow Ken thanks for sharing keep it comming!:D I'm not in the market anytime soon but I want my next boat to be a new laid up bare hull :cool:
Don

Jet Hydro

03-18-2004, 08:45 PM

Ken that looks like chopped class? Are they going to use woven glass on the bottom? I always thought that woven glass was stronger?

Infomaniac

03-18-2004, 09:41 PM

When did Capps leave Cushing Oklahoma?

Ken F

03-19-2004, 05:31 AM

Squirt, will do. I'm going to make Ervin a website, so we are going to document the boat from start to finish.
Steve, that was just the first layer on top of the gel. He's going to use bi-axial cloth
on the bottom along with 1/2" balsa. Stirngers will be 3/4" mahogany. It was cold & rainy that day, so the gel wasn't setting enough to go ahead and apply resin. He was afraid it would melt through the gel & cause it to "alligator", so elected to wait until the next morning before proceeding further.
Info, Ervin had his shop in Drumright, (which he still has), however he has moved to Eureka Springs, Ark. The boats and quite a few accessories will be built there. He also has the guy who does the interiors for American Offshore (I believe-don't quote me) who does absoloutly beautiful work.
A good example can be found at www.hi-techperformance.com under "We Build Custom Boats". The little yellow & white TX-19 pictured is his upholstry work!
Ken F

Infomaniac

03-19-2004, 05:47 AM

That is great. I am interested myself. Is there a contact number?
He has a Firehawk I think as his personal ride?

Ken F

03-19-2004, 10:40 AM

Info,
I believe that Duane at HTP is the dealer for the midwest, and his phone # is
316-794-8616, or you can e-mail him at
doblander@hi-techperformance.com
Ken F

Blade1

03-20-2004, 08:25 AM

Good to see your boat comin along, ill bet you cant wait till its finished!!! have you decided what your powerplant is goin to be?REMEMBER---It aint fast enough till the fear of death overcomes the need for more Speed Hey Hey!! My black one is still out at Duanes which is fine(it couldnt be in better hands) ,because if it was here id be messin with it instead of finishing my other projects,ive been workin on that old Sanger i picked up,put on a jetovator i bought from Duane,Switched it over to electronic ignition(MSD)like i needed to burn a set of points in the middle of the lake or 10 mi DOWN river from the ramp!!! and replacing some of the wood in the seats and cleaning up the hull.Goin to bring it and my black one to Tablerock Roost.Anyway keep us posted on your boats progress!Am still goin to be gettin with you and ron? about the paint and graffics we discussed at he picnic when i get the black one back.Take Care--Be Safe

Ken F

03-20-2004, 10:28 AM

Hey Dan! Good to hear from you!
I'm taking the "radical" 460 out of the Omega, and it goes into the Cheyenne, along with a new polished Agressor pump, and intake. Still have mixed emotioins about the polished deal, (I'm not into polishing stuff) but it's supposed to be coated, so time will tell.
Ervin got a layer of mat as shown in the pics laid in this week, and they were planning to lay the Balsa wood for the deck yesterday. Then it's time to switch molds, and start laying up the bottom.
I'm planning to go down and spend a couple of days in Eureka and take plenty of pics!!!
<Switched it over to electronic ignition(MSD)like i needed to burn a set of points in the middle of the lake or 10 mi DOWN river from the ramp!!!>
LOL...you obviously have never had a halls unit or your box go out have you!
That happened to Ron & I last year down at Shell Knob. He had blown his engine, and I was heading back in after a day, and saw him sitting on the shore all by himself. Stopped, and he said his battery was dead. Had an extra in the truck, so went back to the ramp after it, motored back to Ron, and my halls sender shot craps...never did start again. We BOTH wound up pulling our jets back to the ramp along the shoreline! Now I carry my old points dist. as a back-up.
Talk to you soon....
Ken

Ken F

03-20-2004, 10:31 AM

Infomaniac, were you talking about Erv or Wayne having a firehawk?
Don't believe Erv even has a personal boat at this time.
Kne F

MANIC MECHANIC

03-20-2004, 10:46 AM

Originally posted by Jet Hydro
Ken that looks like chopped class? Are they going to use woven glass on the bottom? I always thought that woven glass was stronger?
It is common practice to first lay down a layer of mat
between the gelcoat and the woven glass to prevent the weave of the cloth "printing through" the gelcoat.
About the only good use for matted glass.
Not only is mat not very strong, it is also very heavy as compared to woven cloth layups.
Very interesting pics Ken.
Tim

Jay321

03-29-2004, 03:38 PM

Ken, I have known Ervin for over 30 years. He has gone to many races with me and has a good understanding of how the cheyenne bottom works. I have a 87 Papp cheyenne and I am getting a new one from Ervin soon. Ervin has worked with the bottom of my boat a lot. I also have a 85 Condor TX -19 that Ervin built. It looks almost new, I was offered 13500 for it a couple of weeks ago, but turned it down. I am the guy that Ervin got the mold from. I got it from Jimmy Dominic. I talk with Ervin on a weekly basis and that is how I found out about you. I am not just saying all this to make you feel better, it is just the facts. I have gone 128 mph in my current cheyenne and Ervin was there helping. I can't wait to get my new Cheyenne. Tell Ervin hi if you talk to him before me. Good luck and be safe in your new ride. I will probably see ya on the water soon.

Ken F

03-29-2004, 04:35 PM

Jay, good to meet you ! Yep, I'd agree, Erv is a great guy, and I have the utmost confidence in his boat building abilities. (I still havn't figured out how he keeps time tho-LOL) I've heard more than one person say he's the best in the country. I would venture a guess that your TX 19 is still worth that kind of money because of who built it wouldn't you?? The same boats built by several un-named builders aren't worth nearly as much from what I've heard.
I'm really looking forward to getting this one in the water! It's been my dream for several years now to have a tunnel, and with help from several friends, it's coming together finally.
You should try and make it up to the TableRock Roost this July, there will be about 30 or more high HP jets there in Eagle-Rock.
Thanks for your note...I appreciate it.
Ken Fhttp://www.hotboatpics.com/pics/data/3085/5520TopBalsaSm-med.jpg

Ken F

03-31-2004, 06:53 PM

Here's a good pic of Ervin laying some glass....http://www.hotboatpics.com/pics/data/3085/5520ErollingBottom-med.jpg

Ken F

04-03-2004, 11:54 AM

Here are a couple of more pics of the 1x4 Mahogony stringers cut & in place, and one section of the Balsa floor in place.
http://www.hotboatpics.com/pics/data/3085/5520stringersSM-med.jpg
http://www.hotboatpics.com/pics/data/3085/5520Stringers___BalsaSM-med.jpg

Jake W

04-03-2004, 03:19 PM

Ken I was wondering why the deck needs all that balsa.Looks like it is really close.You guiys gona weigh it when its done?
Jake:D

Ken F

04-03-2004, 04:11 PM

Jake,
Ervin says that is necessary so that you can walk across the nose if you are up on the beach, or the wife can lay out on a towel....there are still two more rows to go inbetween the three already there. He says he hates to have to go wading just to get into the boat! lol...I'd kinda have to agree there. It is only 3/8" Balsa that went on the deck, 1/2" goes on the floor.
Yes, of course we will weigh it. Ervin is as anxious as I am to know! He has been doing some calculating, and thinks it will weigh pretty close to 400 lbs. when complete.
You still going to make the roost aren't you????
Ken F

Jet Hydro

04-03-2004, 04:34 PM

Hey Ken
does he sand it in-between layers of glass? And how long does he wait before each layer? Looking pretty cool!

Unchained

04-03-2004, 04:36 PM

Ken,
Did you do any calculating on the height you'll be sitting at in the bucket seats?
I got notched stringers in the Stealth because otherwise it looked to me that I was going to be riding high in the saddle.
I notched the stringers myself in my old Cheyenne.
1 1/2 " makes a big difference.
Mark

Cs19

04-03-2004, 05:42 PM

I was thinking the same thing. I have the same stringers as Ken and I feel like I am pretty high in my race buckets. Im going to have some custom seats made with a low profile cushion, etc. My seats now have like 4-5 inches of padding, which is a little over kill.
I wouldnt even think about notching those 1" stringers.

Unchained

04-04-2004, 04:17 AM

I asked for 1 1/2" stringers. I didn't feel the place to save weight was with the stringers.
I can't believe the weight difference between a 1" stringer and a 1 1/2" stringer is much anyway.
They're probably the same weight with mine that are notched.

Jake W

04-04-2004, 06:16 AM

Ken yes I still plan on atending .That would be nice 400 lbs and still be able to stand on the deck.
Jake:D

Ken F

04-04-2004, 07:38 AM

Originally posted by Jet Hydro
Hey Ken
does he sand it in-between layers of glass? And how long does he wait before each layer?
Steve, I'm not sure about sanding between each layer, I've not been able to spend that much time down there.
I'll ask about it for you though next time I'm down. So far, I don't think he has put on more than one layer at a time, and then waits until the next day. I do know however that on the inside corners of the sponsons as an example, where he wants some more strength, he has overlapped the biaxial cloth in one session.
Ken

Ken F

04-04-2004, 07:45 AM

Originally posted by Unchained
Ken,
Did you do any calculating on the height you'll be sitting at in the bucket seats?
I got notched stringers in the Stealth because otherwise it looked to me that I was going to be riding high in the saddle.
I notched the stringers myself in my old Cheyenne.
1 1/2 " makes a big difference.
Mark
Mark, no I have not, but you guys have got me thinking! lol - I'll talk to Ervin about it, and get his opinion. I would have to agree with CS19, My gut feeling would be that since they are only 1x4 stringers, it probably is not a good idea.
I have thought about having some seats made that you lay back in, instead of sitting up straight. I really prefer that driving position, but there isn't a lot of legroom conducive to driving that way in the Cheyenne.
Ken F

Unchained

04-04-2004, 08:26 AM

Tell Erwin to save those 1" stringers for someone else and make you some new ones that are 1 1/2" and then you won't feel apprehensive about notching.
The legroom problem is all the more amplified with the seats higher. My Sleekcraft Aristocrat tunnel had no stringers. They get all the strength they need from the sides of the tunnels.
The R & D Express boat has the same size stringers as I have and any extra weight doesn't appear to have slowed him down any. His stringers are not notched so they probably weigh more than mine.
I spent hours getting the seats at just the right distance from the side to give me some legroom as well as fitting your knees around the steering wheel.
These boats were not made for a real big driver.
Good thing I'm only 5'11" 180 #

Ken F

04-04-2004, 10:12 AM

Mark I think I'm probably a couple of days too late to change stringers now!
They were going to stick them to the hull Friday. I may just have to do some creative seat building next year. I'm running out of time for this year, so I'll probably just have to run it "hi-boy" this summer. I know what you mean about the legroom sitting high, I sat in a JBX Cheyenne. You and I are just about the same size & weight....used to be 6' even, but think I've shrunk some over the years.
The shot of your dash & down into the footwell was really interesting! Gave me a couple of good ideas!
Ken

Unchained

04-04-2004, 11:18 AM

Ken,
When you get ready to rig the hull Duane gave me a good suggestion that I used and you may want to.
Lay out your gauges so that one of them ends up dead center of the dash so that you have the capability to remount the steering in the center of the dash and run the boat as a single seater.
Also I went with a stringer mount gas pedal that I can slide to the right and not have to remount for single seat use.
Mark

Ken F

04-04-2004, 03:30 PM

Mark, that's a great idea! (must be why he gets the big bucks eh?)
I noticed your throttle mount in the pic, but didn't put 2 & 2 together....I just thought that was to get it over toward center to be more comfortable.
Keep 'em coming & thanks!
Ken