Sorry to say , but you can't bolt hollow tubes together , when you are at sea, it will work loose, as the tubes will compress, and the bolts will come loose ,if you are going to keep going with this , get someone with a Tig welder to weld it all together, and for the main threaded bars that clamp this on to the crossmenbers , add a round tube through the rectangular tudes where the threaded bars go, so the tubes can't compress,

@WildlingSailing *_ The visit to that guy's cat.... man, that boat was nothing less than "Organised Chaos" _*

Grrreat to see you back on Mahi...But we're missing you!...Missing your cooking, shopping, tidying & most of all your company!🤗 Soo proud of you Sparks...Love, as always Mum❤

Drill stainless real slow with sharp drill and fairy liquid .

great to see you back. looking forward to se the progress true the summer

We missed this Mark, we appreciate all the work you do

Ahoy ! Friesland is magic; especially with the draft of a Wharram. 'Recommend Shiermonnikoog, Ameland and Terschelling.

Cobalt drill bits are the way forward for drilling stainless steel. Also bear in mind that stainless steel work hardens when drilled. Make sure your bolts protrude through the nylon part of the nylocs so they don't come undone. Great work and it's starting to come together.

Mark your perseverance and dedication and the support of your parents is admirable. Your Mistral jacket brings back fond memories.

Looking good progress is being made…..⚓️⚓️⚓️⚓️⚓️⚓️⚓️⚓️⚓️⚓️⚓️

I know it's the nature of the beast, but please look out for your back mate. All the hunched over lifting of outboards and such can get you. No use having your dream boat if it means you can't get up and down into your hulls!

Keep the lifting of the engines on the uprights. If you do it on the fore-aft cross brace, they will bend. Keep up the good work.

Great project, Did you know that stainless steel drills have a different cutting angle than normal steel. ❤ keep rolling bud

"it'll be massively overpowered, but it will be fun",, haha love it!!

The squeezy bulb thing. Ah yes. I thought our outboard was busted last year. After having an outboard for 40 years I learned that there is a dot and an arrow on there, and it doesn't just show the direction it will pump fuel, but you need to hold it vertically with the dot facing down when pumping to get the fuel flowing. Who knew ;)

I would be fiber glassing the flooring at least on the bottom where you are going to be getting wet from the ocean. Be better to fiber glass both top and bottom, I know it would be a lot of work and a high cost but in the long run be stronger and last longer.

Great to see you back at the boat which really should have been gifted to you. It was dead and you saved it from being buried in a landfill . Best wishes for the future.

Great to see you back at work Mark and been hanging out to see what’s next. Not my business but freaks me out when I see you leaning over the drill with no eye protection.

Welcome back mate. As others have said stainless steel must be drilled slowly and with good drill bits also it look like You use normal WD40 as cutting lubricant which it’s not very good for. WD40 has a special cutting oil for this purpose.

Mark, thought you might want to know that I recently learned something from a old metal fabricator on drilling holes. Use liquid dish soap as a cutting oil and it will keep your bits cool and it honestly works quite well.. good to see you back mark.. only have had sailing seabird Friday uploads for awhile now but you're back and can add to the Friday entertainment

The answer to saving ruining your drill bits mate is to drill a smaller pilot hole first. Ruin the smaller and cheaper bits! And welcome back. I’ve missed the videos lol.

Mark! Hang on a minute while I get a cupa coffee. OK. Good to see ya!

Welcome back Mark, it's always a pleasure seeing you work so hard on this boat, Mahi is taking shape.

Nice to see you are still banging away on your project/boat/home. Keep at it, it takes a bit of time. But the old girl is looking much better these days! Cheers Mark.

Minor suggestion, use cutting oil for lubricant while drilling, stainless steal is notorious for destroying drill bits or any cutting tool. The cutting oil also cools the bit so don’t use WD 40 it evaporates too quickly and loses its lubricity and cooling power. As to bit metal use Good HS Steal bits or cobalt but just a hint cobalt hard to sharpen after they are dulled.

good to see you again missed you

Great to have you back. That diagonal brace for the engines is definitely the way to go. All those steel tubes need diagonal bracing !

Great to have you back 👍🍻

Great to see you again, Mark. Based on my personal experience, may I recommend that on your first 2 or 3 coastal cruises, you choose points of destinatioin with good proximity to marine parts and supply stores. There will always be unexpected incidents that illuminate the need for something previously thought not to be important, or to fix or improve things that are just not up to the task they were intended to serve. It is just hell when you have an unexpected breakdown on a shakedown cruise that occurs 400km from the nearest store that has what you absolutely must have to get you back onto the sea. Yours is my favorite KZfaq channel and I look forward to each new video, every week.

You’ve been missed!

Missed the videos glad to have you back

A trick with the fuel line is to burp out the air pocket in it by only slightly inserting the quick connect and squeezing the primer at the same time until a stream of fuel squirts out. Then push quick connect on all the way. Prime until float bowl is topped up

Carbide pilot drill will go thru like butter.You really need a cabin built on top to sail the world to protect from elements

Welcom to your boat. It's a real pleasure to watch you again

Some diagonal bracing on the engine frame could be a good idea.

When Drilling Stainless Steel, Use Kerosene or Diesel as a Cutting Lubricant at Low Speed. You Won't Blue the Metal or Drill Bit by Keeping everything Cool and Slow.

It’s great you’re back. Sorely missed!

good to have you back Mark

You’re making a great headway with this project. Keep going, loving the content and seeing you put your skills to work. 🤟

“Spring Forward - Fall Back” This term is meant to trigger your memory to set your clocks forward 1 hour in the spring at the start of DST, and 1 hour back in the fall when DST ends.

Good to see you back and raring to go. Looking good. Can't wait for next week.

Little tip with outboards always take petrol off let them run dry. When finished with for the day.

Bosch and some other companies make these "multi-purpose" drill bits. They look like concrete bits but work on metal and work well on stainless, especially if itt work hardens on you. Welcome back!

Nice to see you.

Spring forward fall back. That how I remembered.

I think failing point of you suspended structure is not the bolts but rather the part of the vertical square tubes above the bolts. If you increase the diameter of those bolts you will end up with even a lower amount of metal there and it will make the entire structure even more fragile. You may ran a software simulation to know the structural integrity of your contraption if you have some basic understanding of mechanical engineering. Also you entire approach is a problem : You add features and charges to your contraption and think about material resistance afterwards. You will end up overloading it and have to scrap it all together in order to redesign it from scratch because you didn't thought about the ultimate state of your cabin and engine bay beforehand.Another point : You design a boat not a house. In ruff sea you will encounter many more forces than gravity and even the force of gravity will not always be vertical and constant. You also have to account for large waves smashing in you structure and pushing it upwards or sideways. Unless you don't expect to sail on open sea?

Loved your friends, Cat! kept thinking, Spaceship! ❤ sorry, haven't seen you in a bit but boat looking better!

Well done. Great progress. Can’t wait to see her sailing to Friesland. You are an inspiration. ⛵️

part 3 : I would lash the boards of your floor doing so creating a space between boards for the water to escape faster diminishing resistance to the waves and also doubling safety by keeping the boards in place when the screws fail.

thought I’d share, now almost been a year of looking forward to your videos each week :) happy to see you’re back!

We missed you Mark, welcome back! Great content again. That engine cage is starting to look a lot more robust.

Great stuff Mark. Unfortunately I'm useless at sharpening any sort of tools so can't help!

Welcome back my friend.

Hi, bit of a warning.. be careful when cooking with those portable propane stoves on boats.. propane is heavier then air.. so will collect at the bottom of your boat.. and when ypu least expect it.. have a spark and your entire boat will go boom.. cook outside with those stoves

Easy way to remember Spring forward fall back.

You can get plastic blanking caps for that square tubing to stop water getting in and to make them look finished.

Well done Mark, keep picking away at it.

Hi Mark Greetings from Ireland again lol. It's Great to have you back. The glasses look so Good. The Weather is terrible over here in Ireland, rain rain. Good work. 😅🙏🙏🇨🇮

Welcome back in the Netherlands. Try to prepare the boat for sail first. And then the rest will take care of itself. Greetings from Spakenburg, Netherlands.

Glad you’re back I’ve missed watching your progress of a morning. That catamaran was cool I’ve never seen one of those before.

We made a harness for our Yamaha powerhead out of h/d strapping. Made lifting/lowering the engine so much easier, and even more so with a line attached Next to drilling S/S the triangulation of your engine mounting is getting the most deserved criticism. Pending a complete redesign you could drop a length of hardwood (an old oar?) into the bottom of the sled so that it transferred some of the engine’s thrust directly against the back of the crossbeam - easily dropped into place and removed when required

Yess Mark pal! Getting there mate... Slow is steady, steady is fast! So sweet to see ur mum's comment too dude!

Hooray, he’s back!!!!

Locking fasteners and/or LocTite will be important in the frame design, with the engine mount torque and vibration provided by both sea and engines.

Welcome back sir, you have been missed! Happy to see that new “car” and the twin outboards. Hopefully that fuel issue will reveal itself and you can check that issue off your list. The weather there looks kind of miserable but Spring should be coming your way soon.

A drill press adapter that you put your hand drill on would greatly improve tge drilling stainless steel even with crappie drill bits . They are cheap $50 and light .

Great to see you back at the coal face getting on with the boat. Looking forward to seeing some great progress as the days get longer and the weather warmer.

25:25 just remember, fall backwards, spring forwards, when trying to remember what the clocks do.

Part 2 :I have build outboard bracket, I guaranty you the whole thing will constantly get loose . REMEDY: first leave the bolts but get compression tubes around every bolts to keep the pipe from giving in. Then weld a triangular bracket at every intersection, with the tubes on either sides of it ,then you will have a self supporting independent apparatus .Personally I would also bolt it right through the beams after properly waterproofing the holes by epoxy encapsulation.

Hi Mark welcome back, about sharpening drill bits,I found by using a honing stone to smooth of the bitter edge will stop it from breaking of , it makes it stronger and will last longer . I'm a machinist and have been sharpening drills by hand using a pedestal grinder, a drill angle gauge and a hone stone , also a cup of water to dip the drill in frequently to keep it cool. Good luck, practice makes perfect

Special good to see you back and posting stuff for us to see. You and your channel are always something I look forward to. Don’t forget to wear your glasses, it’ll probably help.

Spain sounds inticing, I’m getting fed up with our cold and damp winters, so much easier to do stuff in some sunshine!

Nice to have you back I’ve been waiting for your return. JJ

Good to see you back on the boat. Looking forward to seeing all the progress over the next few months.

You did really well at sharpening the drill bits, the cutting edges look good. Yeah, in the same boat as you regarding glasses, really hate it when I get rain on them!

The Merc 9.9 is a great little engine. The carb and fuel system needs a little TLC from time to time. The carb comes off in about twelve seconds, and you can take it apart and clean it on the galley table with a spray can of brake cleaner. Enjoy!

wrap your expensive tools in a ziplock bag with WD40 to stop the rust - so fast .Sparky outdoor trick

Cobalt drill bits, slow and steady drill speed and cooling water wins the race 😊

Greetings from Cadiz. I hope the weather gives you a break, and if not come to the south of Spain as soon as you can. Keep it up and lots of energy on your way north.

Good to have a back , been waiting to see how things are going 👍

M12 bolts is a great idea. Looks like she’s held up well in your absence.

It'll all be worth it when you're out on the open seas again!

Welcome back! As for the drill bits, try to find a shop where the professionals are buying theirs. The quality at the building centres is often very poor.

Substitute every single "hanging" bolts with a couple of hollowed squared pieces, and invert their position to lock the latters to the vertical ones. You will spread the load on 16 pieces of thick metal without exposing the bolts. Once done you can always decide to add the welding on the spot to make it final and even stronger. The cockpit position is quite a nice!

I discovered step drills not so long ago and not to be over dramatic, but they have changed the way I drill forever. Soooo much easier and hole sizing is a breeze. Yes they do have limits, but with sheet metal (thinner stock), they are absolutely the way to go. Viking Norsemen Vortex Point drill bits are step pointed bits in regular sized sets, they drill holes like a dream, in all materials.

Mark good to see you back on the boat, I think have watched every video since you first started the channel. Keep up the good work and look forward to see you sailing some time in 2024.

Great idea to work while you are cruising. Different areas and different materials, viking and bamboo designs even.

Good to see you back. Those 10mm bolts will be plenty strong enough (google bolt strengths), however without a bush welded into the box sections these will gradually give and the bolts will come lose over time. The bolts need to be clamped to them with a nut on both sides of them.

Nice, back to boat stuff. 👍 A cockpit is a great idea 2x👍

glad you got the cobalt

I recommend that you bolt your outboard to the transom of your dingy. Don't rely on just the clamps as they are notorious for loosening off.

KZfaq is happy you're back. They piled on the adverts almost to the point it was not worth watching.

I am still rooting for you to become a pirate. Could you imagine what Blackbeard could have accomplished if he had been as close to Amsterdam as you.

Hi Mark, Good to see you back on board of Mahi and starting to work on her refit again. The floor base for the top cabin of the catamaran is well made so WIlleke and I are very keen to learn hoe the rest will look like. It also will be a great moment the see the mast back on this boat. We therefore look forward to your next vlog and send you love

Great to see you back Mark. I’ve missed you🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Good to see you back, Spring has nearly sprung so onward and upwards and look towards that far horizon.

I love how you work on one boat while standing in another 😎

Yes! Was about time! Thanks for the update

we missed you ! great to see you back !

great glasses, good to see you are back and plowing along, I was impressed with the condition of the boat on your return, very pristine interior...you did good work getting her sealed up...cheers