Newfound Metal Portlights

Today the porlights from Newfound Metal arrived.  There will be 10 total.  Six large ones and four smaller ones.  Aren't they pretty?

Finally ... painting

It's the dawn of a new year ... ok, all I really did was tear another page off the calendar ... well, not really I don't have a paper calendar.

I'm ready to lay down the first coat of InterLux 2000 barrier epoxy paint.

No more raw glass or patches ... she's all one color ... isn't she purrrdy ???

Diesel stove vent pipe & Mast step

Hooray ... the vent pipes for my Sig Marine diesel stove came today.  That means another hole in the cabin top.  What's that make 7 now?  ...  yup  Hope I don't have to many more to cut.  That means one more hole to keep out the sea. 

Before I can cut the hole, though, I need to make a level place for the stack to sit.

 

Now, just fair, sand, cover with 5 layers of glass and I'm ready to cut the hole.

 

Just one more job on deck before I'm ready to start finish sanding and put down the barrier coat of epoxy paint.  I want to re-enforce the deck area where the mast step rests.



There ... all ready to finish grinding and sanding the cabin top.

More about the Dorade Vent Boxes

Let's see ... where did I leave off ... oh ya ... now it's time to make the vent tubes.  Again, you can't just run to the store so we'll be making them.  I need a 4.6 inch inside diameter tube so the cowl attachment ring will fit inside.  The closest thing I can find is 4 inch PVC pipe.  So, I bought a roll of brown floor covering paper and wrapped the PVC until it got to 4.6 inches, then I tacked the edge down with 3M-77 spray adhesive.  ... but resin will be absorbed by the paper ... ok, let's spray the paper with PVA mold release ... about 5 coats.

Sorry, I don't have a picture of the tube once the paper and PVC was removed from inside.
Here's how it all goes together, though.  I cut a hole in the cabin top, glass the tube through the hole, and set the vent box over the hole ... well, kinda ... there's a little more to it than that but that's the general idea.

There ... now just do this 6 more times.

November update

So ... a lot has gone on in the last 2 months.  The days are shorter so there are less hours to work but it's also cooler so I've gone back to grinding on the topside.  I can work in the sun without sweating too much.
First order of business was making 6 dorade vent boxes for cabin ventilation.  There's the theory behind the dorade vent box.

As you can see the RED is the airflow and the BLUE is any water that may be mixed with the air.  By changing direction the water drops out, then drain out small holes in the corner of the box.  Fresh air, water free air enters the boat.
My boat, being 42 feet should have 6 fresh air vents.  So, let's just go the the store and buy them ... ya right.  Ok, then let's make them.  Hmmm, out of what?  Well, the rest of the boat is fiberglass so why not out of fiberglass?
First, I made a "plug" of what I want the box to look like.
picture of plug
Next, after 10 coats of Carnauba wax and 3 coats of PVA (mold release) over top of the plug, I layed up 5 or so coats of alternating fiberglass cloth and mat.  Actually I made the plug and mold several months earlier.  By now the mold is well cured.  Really, I was just putting off making them.
Each box take about an hour and a half to lay up and has to cure over nite before coming out of the mold.

Once pulled from the edges get trimmed, a hole gets cut in the top, and it gets fit to the cabin top
Here's the fist one out of the mold.  No, it's not going there.  I just wanted to see what it would look like with the cowl on it.

Here they are all set in their relative position.

I still have to make all the tubes.  One for the box and one that goes through the cabin top.

I enjoyed a very nice Thanksgiving visiting my daughter, son-in-law and my 2 grandkids.