Pips_Blaauw

Hi all! It has been some time since my last update... Last June we were semi done with the front floater of our weasel... due to other priorities the rear floater had to wait... Until now! We removed the worst of the corroded metal and started sanding and welding... We added a new internal frame to support the new sheetmetal, which also added some strength back. We replaced the pioneer set hooks on the deck.. And I made all the rudder hardware from pictures i got from books and here! I have to admit, I could have designed those hinges better, but they work and look pretty good! I then added the new sheetmetal and a new drainplug (the location is not original, but now I can reach it way better...) Right now the floater is painted with our renowned "Corroless" (a rust converting primer). I painted the insides bright white, for visual aid when floating.... Next up, a bit of body filler for the welds and largest dents, then the OD and finally mounting it!! Best regards, Pips

Hi all! Due to the pictures in this thread I was able to (kind of) reproduce the compass box! I used 0.8mm (0.03 inches) aluminium sheet to bend the main front facia. Then the side panels were bolted on like the original. As vibration dampers I used thick rubber washers. To mount the box under the dashboard I used 5mm (0.19 inches) aluminium sheet and some more rubber washers under the dashboard. Sadly no fancy brass cast bracket.... The paint is simple black matte paint. It was dapped with a brush until dry in order to resemble the original finish. The compass is original, works great and even the light still works. Our M29C weasel will soon have its floaters completed and mounted. Thus it may technically not need the compass to be history "correct". However we think a "boat" should have a compass, and it was a fun project! Thanks to all who posted info and pictures! Greetings, Pips

Hi all! With the track bands in mind and taking care of them, we keep our weasel on wooden blocks to keep the tracks from the ground. This was recommended to us by the previous owner. It was said that it would prevent the gradual deformation by the wheels into the main bands... And thus extending the lifetime of the bands and rubber... However is this really a thing to be concerned about? Curious to know what you think about it! For now, we keep the Weasel on the pedestal it deserves... Greetings!

Thanks so much!!!! Those are definitely the pictures I need to recreate that stuff! (also thanks for the included ruler 🙂 ) Will pick this up again around september... Some busy months ahead of me, sadly the Weasel takes second place... Then again, welding in full gear at 30 degrees Celsius isn't funny anymore... Will give updates once they are forum worthy!! 😉 Regards!

Amazing work!!! Congrats to all!

Thanks!! that will definately be needed once we start on the rear floater!!

Another update on the front floater! It is nearing completion!! The splash guard was made along with the hooks which hold it in place. We have some small details wrong sadly, but we have to work with what we have. The rest of the hardware was also mounted... The final step: sanding and painting it all green, will happen once the rear floater is ready for green too. Starting to look more and more like a boat on tracks 🙂 Best regards, Pips

Good tips! In that case our 4000 pounds winch should be plenty...

pfff see thats what we need to avoid... lesson learned indeed...

New question! We are planning to mount an electric winch on our trailer to pull the weasel on it. Mainly for if we have trouble, or just to take the loading easy. But what would you guys recommend with regards to the weight rating of the winch? The ramps are about 7 feet long, and the trailer is maybe 2,5 feet high. The weasel is hard to pull of push, but do we really need a 10k pounds winch? Maybe an idea to create a kind of checklist for transporting a weasel with do's and dont's? Thanks in advance! Pips

@OZM29C Certainly! We were able to hang the front floater on permanently (its not mounted water tight yet... that will happen some time in the future...) It fits like a glove! The dents and welds add character, however we are still debating to smooth some of them out with filler... We also noted the donor weasels identification number for it to keep its identification... Furthermore, I was able to make the hatch lid and headlight guard. We are still missing the capstan.. And since we cant find one for the right price, we decided to recreate it from wood and some garden hose... The capstan "shaft" (?) itself was 3d designed and printed from a real capstan we measured up. Screws were added to complete the look... The letters, which are cast in, will be added soon. It wont hold weight of course, but at least there is no hole now... Next up, bending the water shields to fit, creating the surf guard, and some OD paint! The last picture shows the rear floater in the "waiting room". That restoration will commence soon... Due to space restrictions, the rear floater will be stored away from the Weasel when it is not in use...

We certainly do! The longer one was still present and I was able to source the same angled strip to recreate the shorter one...

That would be nice!!! The skidplate will be made to fit our weasel with floater installed. Due to the fact that we diverted from the original design. However we are missing the "springed hinges" and the weirdly shaped side pieces for the sideskirt... We would greatly appreciate some measurement and pictures from those! We already recreated the other mounting hardware of the sideskirt from a weasel we have at our local museum. But we are having trouble with the above mentioned parts. Thanks in advance!

Yupp! we actually able to salvage all the original washers (and all but 2 bolts) from the water ejectors. Are they the same as the washers used to mount the floater to the hull?

We did indeed consider that, but since our floorplate is pretty bad structural wise,we decided not to carry out this mod. I added new structural pieces to account for the lack of support from the floor though. Also, our floaters come from a Weasel with an earlier hull number than ours. It has the single headlight for example. Because we don't want to change the "identity" of the floater, we will not add or change it in a way other than factory correct for its original number. But we are still debating this.