End of October Update

On a personal note ... I dug out my 4 lb sleeping bag as it's getting cold again here.  Sure wish the boat was finished and I was in .... oh, say, Tahiti ! ! !  I absolutely refuse to turn on heat before November.  It's nice and warm during the day ... it's just cold at night.

I've done a lot of little things that you can't really see even my looking at pictures ... like filling screw holes, glassing the work bench top, cutting and fitting little corner supports.

I've also decided not to cut the top of the work bench for the bandsaw.  I don't use it that much and it takes up a lot of prime space.  It was different in my 33 ft motorhome as my work bench was almost 7 ft long.  It was a stand up work bench and I had much more room.  This is a 5 ft, sit down bench.  Deeper front to back but shorter.  I'll have to get used to sitting down at a work bench.

Today I fit in and installed the largest peice of insulation yet.  The peice behind the stbd settee.  With this in I can so on up the hull with oak stripping and fit in the settee deck boards.  It also gives me a line for glassing in the stbd water storage tank.  That's the bare hull area you see lower right in the picture.

I also completed the wood work in the storage cabinet behiind the dinette.

Port & Stbd Quarter

If you haven't figured out by now I like to build stuff.  That being said there's no way I'm going on an extended cruise without an onboard workshop complete with bandsaw, drill press and lathe.
Stbd quarter behind the nav station is my little sit down work shop.  Port side behind the galley is the quarter berth.  I've finished all the main structure and have just trim and final construction to complete.  I expect to finish, except for trim stips by the end of next week and like all the other berths I've installed, yes, I'll spend the night on the boat in that berth.

I still have to put in the insulation and oak strips.  The band saw will be recessed in the work top so the cutting table is flush with the work bench

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The bunk board will lift up to expose an 8 inch deep pan locker.  The cleats you see below the clamps will support this 8 inch deep bottom.  Then another hidden locker.  Probably long term food storage or infrequently used items.

Equinox

Well, summer has once again waned away and we're now officially in Fall.

September Equinox in Escondido, California, U.S.A. was on:
Sunday, September 22, 2013 at 1:44 PM PDT

With the cooler days eventhough they are shorter light periods I'm getting more work done inside the boat.  It's actually starting to look like a place I eventually will live.

I don't live in Escondido but a few miles away.  I'm a traditionalist and I grew up always thinking it was on the 21st day.  I'm glad the Earth knows better than I.

What have I don't the last days and weeks.  Well, I finished all the portlight backers and have glued in most of the cabin sides insulation board.

I ran out of 1/2 inch plywood so ... good bye at sea settee / in port berth ... hello wood for project.  Yesterday I did some cabinet work on the eating nook, book shelf, and storage compartment. 

Forward Cabin

The forward cabin consists of the captain's stateroom, stbd side, how ever small it might be, it's still private and all mine, and port side the head / shower.  I've seen way to many boat layouts that you straddle the toilet or stand in front of the counter to take a shower and it drains to the bilge.  I guess parts of my layout come from my submarine days but I like a stand up shower that that's all it is ... a shower.  Well, yes, it does double as an at sea wet locker.  That being said you're not going to see any pictures of the shower today, but that's the compartment I'm working in.  I'm working my way around the cabin glassing on the deck / cabin side plywood corner, which where also will be attached a continuous oak hand rail.  I know, a gadget shelf is pretty and decrative in port but when at sea you need a place to grab without poking your hand on some trinket you bought in Singapore and will be glad when it's broken so you can throw it away.

Ok, so the first picture is the stateroom with the port lite backer board and insulation in place.
The second picture is the head and how I attach the boards to the boat.

Tomorrow I glass the 24 inches or so edge in the shower.  That complete the deck / cabin side corner.  Next project after I insulate the cabin side is the cabinet work in the head.  I think I've decided on a tilt up sink over the toilet.  I mean, how often do you need both the toilet and the sink?  I mean, if you're that sick I don't think you're muli-tasking anyway.  It's either one or the other ... or both at the same time but I doubt you care anyway .... until later, or until you're cleaning up after yourself or another crew member ..... ya, I know .... way to much information and mind pictures.

Updating My Blog Layout

After having enjoyed S/V Delos blog I've decided that I can update mine with the new fancy templates Blogspot offers.  So you'll be seeing some changes.  I've spent the afternoon playing on a test blog to see what I want.  I think I've got some good changes in store.

I finished updating Sunday afternoon.  Please comment if you have any suggestion or changes you think would help.

Thank you for visiting and sharing in the Chasing Summer project.

Ok, it's off to FRP and MGM for more fiberglass supplies.

http://www.fiberreinforcedproducts.com/

http://www.mgmplastics.com/

Stbd Side

Continuing on that same project, now I have to do the stbd side ... but first I need to part way finish the settee / in-port berth and part of the nav station.  I've installed some of the under supports and cut the berth board to size.  Now I can properly support the under catwalk structure as I fasten it in place.  That will be a job for Friday.
... and yes, before I made a lot of dust grinding on the stbd side Violet and I spent the night on the boat.

 

 

 

Port Side Portlight Backer Board

For quite some time I've been contemplating just how to do the portlight backer boards.  I had a general idea not nothing concrete.  I was also in a quandary on just how to round the corner from under the catwalk to the cabin sides.  The other day it came to me.  Create a corner with multiple layers of 3/4 inch plywood.  The first board, attached with thickened polyester resin attaches under neath and sticks past 3/4 inch for the first face board to rest on.  This also produced the proper arch and curve.  Then the second face board is biscuited and glued in place.  The final under board will be of 1 inch finish oak and stick out far enough for a safety hand rail to be incorperated with it.  (this board in not installed yet in the picture)

Then the port light backer boards are set in place again using thickened polyester resin.  The center cutout is smaller than what it will be.  When I actually get the port lights I'll cut the finish hole using a template.  I'll be using Newfound Metal 7x15 portlights in the main cabin and 5x12 portlights in the forward cabin.

 

I'll attached Polystrene board between the backer boards and I'll have a great surface for installing the finish oak strip trim.  Should look great when it all finished.

This should make the cabin nice and cool when the sun is beating down on it ... and, when I'm in Alaska it'll be nice a cozy warm.
Now, on to the fwd cabin for port lite backer boards and insulation.

Galley Sink

Over a year ago I took out the double sink and put in a single, 16x16 sink in my 22 ft motorhome.  After doing so and using for a while I decided it was the perfect size sink for the boat.  Trouble is I only had one and it was a above counter sink and I wanted an undercounter sink on the boat.
So ... what does one who is some what creative do? .... you make a mold of the sink you want.  Spray the sink with mold release and fill it with glass and resin.  Guys, I don't recommend you try this at your home.

Then, after it's cured you just remove it.  Well, it wasn't quite that simple.  I had to take the sink out of the counter and work with it for a while outside with a garden hose and wooden wedges, but eventually ....

Now, boats don't always just sit level so I didn't want a drain in the middle.  What is a guy to do?  You grind off the drain from the middle and make two, smaller drains port and stbd.

Then, after 10 coats of carnauba wax and spraying it with PVA mold release.  Take it to FRP and have it sprayed with a layer of black gelcoat ... and ... waaalaaa

After removing it from the mold and cleaning it up I cut the counter sub-top on the boat and installed my new sink.  Heeling to port or stbd my sink still drain properly.  I'll install a ball valve below to hold water.  Remember all water on the boat drains to onboard tanks.

Now I have to find some Bloodwood for the finish counter top.

Yet Another Project

I get side tracked very easily, but hey, there are so many projects that need to be completed what's wrong with jumping from one to another, then another, than back to the first?

Remember a month or so I glassed the edge of the deck?  I've now started sanding the deck.  All of the original non-skid, molded right into the gelcoat, has to be removed before painting.  I've been working on fairing between the deck and the glassed over edge.  The brown at the deck edge is mix of fairing resin.  (polyester resin, milled glass, phenolic micro-ballons, fumed silica)

Sanding is very dusty and take a long time but in the end it will be worth it.

I have to finish the deck before I can install the deck level safety stantion bases.

Stbd Side Settee

This last week I've been cutting and fitting the support / dividers for the port side settee.  It well serve as a place to sit while at sea, and a berth when in port.  Above and outboard will be a permanent berth.  Also, behind the ladder, which are really the original stairs just turned around, I fitted in the aft, port berth bulkhead, which also serves to prevent water from splashing into the aft berth area.  I'll have a similar half  bulkhead on the stbd side to protect the navigation station from water.
Today I glassed them in place.

 

The aft compartment, with the board in it will be the stbd side water tank.

 

 

 

For the last two years I had the stairs as stairs, then I got he idea to have a ladder.  I posted on Cruisers forum the pos and cons between the two.  Got lots of good interaction.  In the mean time I had the ladder against the hatch.  Recently I turned it to port.  Also, today I built the engine cowl, which will make give me an 11 inch platform at the base of the ladder.  I like it.  It takes up much less cabin space than a stair way.  Besides, I'm a submariner ... they have ladders and it works just fine.  End of discussion.

No More Leaky Toe Rail

I've mentioned several times both in this blog and on Cruisers Forum that I'm getting rid of the original toe rail system.
I'm an avid reader of Hal Roth and a lot of his books I treat as tech books on how to build boats.  Shortly after he took custody of his Spencer 35 he noticed small leaks in the hull cabinets.  When he got into heavy seas the leaks got much worse.  He discovered that the water was coming in through all the bolt holes holding down the toe rail.  Imagine this ... you hand lay a hull, set and glass the deck in place before you pull it out of the mold to keep it all true and straight.  Then, after you have it on the work shop floor you proceed to drill 100 holes down each side to fasten the toe rail.  Are you kidding ????? 200 holes in a brand new boat?  What kind of a morron does this.  So ... just like Hal Roth I taper drilled all the holes and filled them with resin saturated with milled glass.

My project for March is to re-finish the hull / deck joint all the way around the boat.  I started by running a 1" round over bit all the way around the boat.  Remember the horse trading I did in January and got the scaffold?  Well, this is what it's for.  I glassed all 90 feet or so of edge with 5 layers of glass and cloth.  That should take care of those pesky water leaks.  I also glassed over the original fuel fill hole which was right at the deck edge .... really????

 



Starting on the starboard side. That's where I set up the scaffold when I bought it in January. I ground off the gelcoat on both the hull and deck. Then layed down 5 layers of glass. 1-1/2 mat, 6 oz cloth, 1-1/2 mat, 6 oz cloth, 2 oz mat on top of it all. I staggared the the ends so no joints are on top of the previous layer.

Violet climbs the ladder and likes helping me on all my projects

 

 







I had to get really creative with some of the scaffold to reach over the corner of my workshop area.

 







Starboard side finished and the Port side is half finished.  Looks good if I do say so myself.

 
A few weeks earlier, and no, I didn't take any pictures, I moved the mast from back side of the boat and workshop to the front side so I could polish off 25 years of corrosion.  More on that story later.
I took me 5 hours and lots ingenuity.  One foot at a time I moved the mast 40 feet, then with a sissor lift I lifted the mast up and over the line of motorhomes in storage here at the yard.  Then, with a Kabota mini-excavator I took the mast off the top of the sissor lift and moved it back down beside the boat.

 








See ... I told you that my new patio made a great place to cut fiberglass.

Finally, 90 feet of toe rail glassed and finished.
I'm leaving the scaffold at the stern for painting on the boat's name.

Chasing Summer

New Patio

In Febuary my land lord figured I needed a bigger place to lay out sails and fiberglass for cutting.
You like my new patio?

 

They sure are working hard.  They poured 7 trucks of cement, finished, and brushed it and were out of there by 2:30pm.  They must do this for a living.

 

Actually, they are serious basket ball guys and this will be a full size high school court.

 

 

Ain't it perrrdy !!!!

Easily Side Tracked

Like I said earlier, I get easily side tracked.  Toward the end of the month I made the spinaker crane, which will be at the top of the mast.  It was a fun little project to weld, grind, weld, grind, and  polish.

Jan 2013

I spent much of January cutting, drilling, and welding another set of safety rail stantion bases.  This set will all be welded at 5 degrees to accomidate the curve of the hull.  As with all my projects I get easily sidetracked.  I've got one polished but don't have the re-inforcement loop welded on yet.

 Cutting the blanks is very time consuming.  I cut them on my radial arm saw using a metal cuting blade.  I cut them in the push direction so I could better control the cut.

 The next process was drilling the holes for the stantion tube.  I set up the drill press for 15 degrees and clamped on a hardwood jig.

After de-burring and making sure all the holes would accept the tubes at the proper angle I again put each piece in a jig and made the bottom weld, which will be ground smooth.

Horse Trading

My landlord build rat rods for a hobby.  What's a rat rod you ask.  Well, I had the same question.  Here's a link to images of rat rods.  Rat Rods  You take an old junker car ... or truck or bus or anything else that looks like pure junk, cut it apart and strip it down, then make another something that also looks like junk and not paint it.  Now you have a rat rod.  Anyway, he brought over a bunch of scrap metal from the projects they've been working on and enstead of just tossing it in the dumpster gave it to me to sell for scrap.  What a nice landlord.  It layed around for a couple weeks.
I'd been looking for scafold so I could work on the upper parts of the boat instead of working from the top of a ladder.  You can find some on craigslist but it's mostly to short for what I needed.
The guy next door started working a scrap metal business and had some used racks like you might see at Home Depot or Lowes for lumber.  Some one had scrapped one section ... so ... I traded him my scrap for his scrap.  Now I have a 10 ft section I can move all around the boat to work up high.