Sunday, January 30, 2011

Weekend off

     Had the weekend off with the wife, and back to work tomorrow.  I did stop out today just to make sure there wasn't too much water in the bilge, but that was it.  Back at it on Tuesday.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

     Boo for snow.  Thankfully the wife didn't have to go in to work today so I could use her car to bring out the cushions for a test fit.  When I got out there I spent my first 45 minutes or so shoveling snow off.  Fun stuff.  I put the cushions in place to make sure everything fit correctly, then put them up front with all the other crap I am accumulating. 

     Next was a coat of primer for all the places I won't be able to reach very easily later.  It is amazing how much better stuff looks with just a coat of primer.  The less of that nasty yellow I see the happier I am.

     I took the huge template home, traced it out on a piece of plywood, and cut it out.  Using the wife's car again (I really need a truck) I brought this out to the boat while I could.  I won't be able to install it for awhile yet, but easier to get it there now.  I cut out the back support pieces and called it a day.

More templates

     This masterpiece of plywood, duct tape, and cardboard is the end result of my day.  The two pieces in front are templates for the supports that will be behind the backrest, supporting it and dividing it into sections.  There will be three separate section, each about two feet long, with access hatches of some (undecided) type to access this new storage.  The forward 2/3 comes up even with the shelf and the back 1/3 is up to the top.

     Before bringing this thing home and tracing it out on plywood, I want to bring the cushions out to make sure my measurements are correct and it will look OK.  Eventually, the parts of this visible above the back cushion will be covered with 1/4" plywood and stained. 

Monday, January 24, 2011

Coming together


     I got a lot done today.  First, I got a coat of paint on the parts I couldn't get to earlier on the galley and in the engine box.  Next I cut out the pieces for the small icebox, and the port side piece for the main icebox.  Of course this involved a bunch of sanding to get them to slide into place.  I need to do a bit more, but for now they are good.  I'm going to have to take it back apart when I start working on all the insulation, drains, and fiberglassing needed to finish this project.  Sadly, the finances aren't there at the moment, so I have to move on to other things that I can do with the materials I have on hand for now.  I put everything together to see what it is going to look like when it's finished, and I'm pretty happy with the result. 

     I still need to install a step on the front of the engine box, and I'm thinking about adding a step on top of it as well, even with the top of the icebox.  Any ideas or suggestions?  Feedback people!

     I moved over to the port side seat after getting everything back together.  I spent a while trying to envision the layout I want and doing some measuring.  Before building anything here though, it is going to need to be sanded and painted.  I cleaned and scrubbed everything I could and then broke out the sander and went to town.  Thankfully I had a dust mask on.  What a mess.  After I got off everything I could I wiped down the whole area and cleaned up as much of the mess as I could.  It's going to take a while for all the dust to settle.

     I thought about getting a quick coat of primer on, but I had agreed to make dinner.  Roasted game hens, potatoes, and brussel sprouts.  Cross your fingers that I don't mess it up.

Saturday, January 22, 2011

No boat work today

     I got hired for 24 hours of overtime today, so no boat work today.  Sorry, check back later.

Friday, January 21, 2011

Pleasantly Surprised

     I was pleasantly surprised today when I went out to the boat.  The coat of paint underneath the galley looked great, and was dry enough to put it back together.  Because it was laying on its side when I painted the inside, I had to give the part that is towards the engine space a coat of primer and will paint it later.  I also got the bottom side of the starboard side galley piece primed.  I will hit it with a coat of paint before putting it in place because it will be removable, and the top side will be covered with a laminate.

     With the galley back in place and secured, I moved back over to the icebox.  I wasn't happy with the way the conduit curved around, so I redid it making it a straight shot.  I will have to do my cardboard template for where it comes out, but I think I'll manage.  Should be easier to run wires that way.  I put on the front piece and screwed it into place.  The cardboard you see on the right is a quick trial piece to figure out how and where to set up the panel.  I'm going to need to figure out how high the seat back will be before I make anything permanent.  Always seems like something else needs to be done before you can finish working on the current project.  The plan is to have most of this be a door on a hinge with just the edges permanently installed.  This should make it a lot easier to access and work on any of the electrical system.

     The next step was spending entirely too much time and the hardware store trying to figure out how to put in the drain.  It looks like a regular tub drain might be my best bet, but I'm going to go dig around at West Marine this weekend to see if I can come up with a different method.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

     I was trying to decide between going the expensive route with BilgeKote or the cheap route with Killz for underneath the galley.  I ended up somewhere in between.  I found a can of white Brightsides in the barn left from a previous tenant and figured I would go with that.  It isn't as strong as doing it in BilgeKote, but it is a lot cheaper!  I put the first coat on today hoping it would do a good enough job covering that I could stop at just that one.  Sadly I don't think that is going to work.  I have off of work tomorrow, so hopefully it will be dry enough to put on a second coat.  The instructions say 16 hours, but it is pretty cold out there so I'll have to wait and see.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Freezing Rain

     It might be kind of hard to see, but this is a picture of the boat covered with a layer of ice.  We got some freezing rain last night and it made a mess.  Later on when it started warming up I got a good look at the leaks I was hunting down.  The companionway trim, the hooks near the old icebox loading hatch, the cockpit hatch, and something in the head are all leaking.  Never ending, isn't it?

     About this point, "M" (one of the neighbors) asked for my help lifting out a large battery on a customers boat.  Four hours later I got dropped back off.  There goes my afternoon.

     I did get the front of the icebox trimmed up and put in place. You can't tell in the picture, but it runs all the way down to the hull. When it was up I ran the conduit piece back there for access to the new panel.  I got some primer on a couple of pieces, but no where near enough to get everything put back together.  I really need to decide on paint or primer down here so I can get moving on to other things.



Friday, January 14, 2011

     I went to the boat today with every intention of putting on a second coat of primer underneath the galley, but it was just too cold out.  The primer was the consistency of mud.  Plus the hardware store had my bits in, so I went and picked those up.  I ended up spending more time than I thought would be needed to finish cutting out the hole for the ice box and figuring out the framing for it.  The thickness of the original tabbing down there was amazing.  I made a template for the front piece of plywood and spent some time marking out where I think the conduit and drain lines should go.  Not a very exciting day, but got a decent amount done. 

      I finished the day off with a bonfire, beer, and homemade soup night at the neighbors.  All in all, a pretty good day.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

     Today I cut out the larger piece for the icebox cover and brought it out for a test fit.  I'm pretty impressed with how well the back edge turned out, especially considering I cut it with a skill saw.  Unfortunately, I somehow screwed up the front edge.  The part touching the engine box supports is about a quarter of an inch short of what it should be.  Thankfully I'm dutch so I have a hard time throwing things away.  Digging through the scrap pile I found a piece that will fill this perfectly.  I just need to glue it in place. 










     I then proceeded to remove all the work I've done in this area.  Strange how empty it seems now.  I figured now was probably going to be the easiest it gets as far as removing the galley to clean out and paint underneath of it.  Lots of scrubbing, lots of sanding, lots of cleaning up, and lots of priming.  My arms are going to hurt something fierce tomorrow.  I got the first coat of primer on the whole inside of the galley Assembly, the engine and battery boxes, and the area where the galley sits.  With the heater on inside it was plenty warm enough for the primer.  I'm going to have to put on at least a second coat before reassembling everything, and a coat or two of paint if I decide to go this route.  I might just leave underneath and inside the galley in the white primer if it looks OK.  It is the same stuff I did my stucco porch in New Orleans in, and that is still holding up well even after 5 years, so I think that would work.  I hope it will anyways. 

     I found the third "234" on a piece holding in the galley.  This one was written in pencil rather than being scribed in.  Makes it a lot easier to read than the others.  If I still had questions about the number they are squashed now.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Starting the icebox

    I actually slept all night at work last night so I got an early start today.  Nice change of pace.  I started off at home by trimming down the engine box pieces to my new marks.  This would be SO much easier if I had a band saw.  One more thing for the wish list.  When I got out to the boat I put them in place and did a little final sanding around the edges to get them just right.  The piece dividing the engine box and ice box was a little tricky, but it finally slid into place.  The shape looks a little strange at first, but that is because I am trying to get a little creative.  I am going to build out a traditional icebox, but I am also going to make use of the old ice loading hatch.  The plan is to use that as a small, separate cooler for drinks and whatnot.  It will be accessed from the outside, and the front of it will be in line with the L shape you can see in the picture below.  It will run about 3/4 of the way across the regular icebox right about where my cardboard ends.  It won't be very big, but should be enough to get in 12 cans or so of my favorite frosty beverage and a decent amount of ice.  Sounds great, but I'll have to see how it works out in practice.

     With the engine box done for now I moved on to framing out the icebox.  Between nothing being square and the boat still being in the water, getting it all level was a bit tricky.  Hopefully I got it right.  I have supports for the top on three of the sides right now, leaving the hull side for later.  Once I have the top piece cut out I should be able to use that for a better idea of where to place it.  I plan on using some 5200 to stick it in place, so I want to get it right the first time.


     I was hoping to get the rest of that hole cut out, but it seems my Dremel Trio is hard to get bits for.  The local hardware store was kind enough to order a couple for me, but I have to wait until Friday to pick them up.  While I was there I picked up a piece of 1 1/4 conduit, a couple of 45 degree elbows, and some 1/2 inch clear tubing.  The conduit is going to run against the front icebox wall (underneath the insulation) from right behind the battery box up to the top of the existing shelf on the port side.  This is where I decided to put the new panel, and having a short and hidden path up there from the engine box will come in handy later.  The clear tubing is for drainage from the two coolers.  The plan is to have them run into the engine compartment with some sort of shut off installed.  That way I can either drain the water into the bilge or into whatever container I have handy at the time.  Thinking ahead will hopefully save some headaches down the road.

     Before leaving for the day I made some new templates for the top pieces.  I realized it will have to be two pieces, because I could never get one solid piece in there without ripping something out.  I'll take the easier method, thank you.  The seam will function partly as one of the edges of the lid so I don't feel too bad about it.  Of course when I got home I realized I left the cardboard at the boat.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Engine box building

      I didn't get a very early start on the boat today, plus it is getting dark so early that it really makes it hard to spend much time out there.  I got a pretty satisfying amount done today though.  To start my day I bottled about 6 gallons of beer I brewed.  Now I just have to wait for it to finish.  When that was done I decided to do some boat work.  I cut out some plywood to the shapes I needed, purposely cutting them a little large.  It is much easier to cut or sand them down a bit then having to start over.  I got them fit in to place one at a time and marked where I need to cut off a little bit more.  Because of the little bit of overhang I had to do them one at a time.  The piece on the side was the hardest because of its strange shape. 
    I also marked out and started cutting out the part of the port side settee that was under the old ice box to give myself a little bit more room in the new one.  I didn't get the hole done though because I broke my bit.  Time for another trip to Home Depot it seems.


Saturday, January 8, 2011

Short day

     Between being super cold outside, the wife being sick, and me getting beat down at work last night, I didn't get much done on the boat today.  By not much I mean nothing.  I took the dog out there for a bit of running around, picked up a bit, and took my cardboard cutouts home where I have the skill saw and plywood.  Hopefully tomorrow I'll get them cut out and bring them out for a final fitting.  Before I actually install everything I need to slide out the galley and do some priming/painting behind and under everything.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Framing out the engine box

     Sorry, but no pictures of what I did today.  I spent most of the afternoon finishing the build out of the battery box and started framing out the engine box and then making cardboard layouts for the plywood that will cover the front and top.  Eventually I will add hinges to one or both of these pieces, but I am in no hurry here.  I figured it was more important just to get them in place for now.  The piece on the port side will have to wait until I decide how big to make the icebox, and more importantly, what I am doing with the old ice-loading hatch above it.

     I bought a battery box for the battery, but it turned out to be too small for the existing battery, so I will have to return it.  For now I have it just sitting in place.  I mounted the battery charger on the side of the galley where it will be covered by the engine box, but out of the way of the shelf in there that folds up.

     I still haven't figured out how big of a bilge pump to get, so I just hooked up the old one in a very temporary fashion.  I should have taken a picture of this. The wires running over the floor from the battery to the pump are pretty impressive.

     I have to work tomorrow, but the plan for the next day is to cut out the plywood and cover this up.  Hopefully I'll have made some decisions about the bilge pump and the icebox by then and can continue on to them.
   

Monday, January 3, 2011

Battery box

     I am planning on replacing the ladder coming into the boat with steps to make it easier.  The plan is to make the counter continue all the way to the port side, using it as the top of the new icebox and the top step to get in.  To do this, I need to move the battery box forward a little bit so I can use the top of it as the bottom step.  There will be either one or two steps in between eventually.  I want to replace and relocate the battery switch so there is no point in trying to save the old one.  I was as careful as I could be during the demolition of this area but ended up pulling the few remaining wires free during the process.  I ended up pulling them all out at that point, because I'm going to be relocating them anyway.  I just need to remember to get the bilge pump hooked back up in the next day or two as well as the charging system.  That means I need to figure out where I want to install the new wire runs.  A little earlier than I was planning on tackling the electrical, but such is life.


     I used cardboard to make a template and cut out the new front.  I installed it flush with the galley edge giving myself about another 2 inches to play with for the step.  I still need to seal it up with some epoxy and either stain or paint it, but I am trying to make everything easy to remove so this shouldn't be too big of a deal to do later.  I might end up getting a thin piece of hardwood to put on the front as well.  I saved the cardboard just in case I need to cut out a piece to size.  Now that this is installed I can use the top piece to continue framing out the part of the counter that will also function as the engine cover (for the non existent engine).  The front vertical piece will rest on the back edge of the battery box cover helping hold it in place.  I used the existing top of the battery box but I need to figure out how to remove the ladder supports without damaging it too bad.  It is a very attractive piece but will need to be sanded down and refinished.

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Slow start

     Kind of a slow start to the new year.  The boss came out to the boat with me today to offer a few suggestions and have lunch with me after I did a little bit of work.  Emphasis on the little part.  I made a couple of cardboard templates for the speaker and light holes in the bulkheads.  I traced these on to a piece of scrap plywood and used my new Dremel router/jigsaw/sander to cut them out.  It took a little bit of sanding to get them to fit, then I used some expanding wood glue to stick them into place.  Once it dries properly I will use some filler to smooth the spots over and hopefully you won't be able to tell they were ever there.