tophatyachts.com

Yesterday was big day for the old Dawn, we have a reliable motor!!
Yesterday morning we motored from lane cove river to rose bay under our own steam and back again, with only a one hick up! which doesn't sound like much i know but for the past 18 months she hasn't left the river and it was awesome to wipe off the slim it had grown.
When i left we got to about the middle of rose bay and it cut out, turns out the fuel plug had block along with the bulb, i fixed the bulb while drifting towards the beach but didn't have time for the plug so i ended up just putting the fuel line in the tank. You would have no idea how much fuel comes flying out under the bridge. This week after work I'm hoping to install the stainless tank that the boat came with and mount the key switch and battery box in the cock pit locker.
The Dawn motors just shy of full throttle at 6.0 knots, which i think is almost hull speed as we pull a small swell and bury the transom.
What speed do other toppy's do?



All the best,
Aaron Gage

Congratulations Aaron on your first journey in Dawn Breaker. 6knots is about max under power. I can do a little more with my 15hp diesel but to do so I have to block the rear cockpit drain or get wet feet due to the yacht sitting low aft. When do you think you will get the sails up?

Thanks Mark!
Hopefully soon! Progress has been slow but i want to run new halyards and new wire for lights etc before standing it up, But ill bolt down the step this week, but it all costs money and car rego is coming up hah . Anyway I'm just stoked I can motor around anyway and i think it will come together better just using it as it should be.... a boat!

Arron are you the owner that put a 9.9 in the outboard compartment if so what did you have to do.

Hi there Dutyfirst00,

Yes I'am! The 9.9, 4 stroke high thrust doesn't fit in the standard well so i modified it a bit.
From the top of the cockpit seats i used a fiber glass batten to get a nice smooth curve allowing about 50 mm of the coming at the back of the boat to exist and give strength.
I cut it out with a grinder and and left a bit of a bucket out of the transom with a hole to drain out and to keep chain in there for security for the motor while I'm not on board.
I used 3 mm plywood to extend the the seats and coming back to the outside transom and glassed it using a few layers of 450 gram chop strand mat and vinylester resin and shaped it with bog. I'm still working on it i just need to sand it a bit more and paint it, but ill paint it when i do the coeming and cabin top later.
Its hard to explain but theres a picture on the site somewhere.

Cheers,
Aaron

Arron
I emailed you re putting Yamaha F9.9 in a MK3 Tophat. I started on this exercise about 2 years ago and gave up, I still have the 9.9. and have been encouraged by you to start again. I need to see what you have done so pictures would be great, other than that you can contact me at dutyfirst00@bigpond.com and we can exchange other means.
Jay Simmonds (Simmo)
dutyfirst00@bigpond.com

I'd like to see some pictures of the well mods if possible. these hi thrust motors seem to be very popular many boats I've seen having dumped their diesels and transom mounting them. I have the 8hp yam in the well and am looking to upgrade

Congratulations Aaron, it certainly is a great feeling to have ya boat moving with a reliable motor.

Do you lift the motor up when Dawn is moored?

My motor is 18 hp Tohatsu 2 stroke and the PO modified the well to fit it, however, I would like to see pics of your modification when you have time.

With speed, I consider 5 to 6 knts to be a good cruising speed. I did a few hours at 8 knots the other day using half throttle but that was going with a rising tide of about 4.5 metres so it was racing in. : )

cheers

Troppo