110 Cookson Lane | Whitefield, ME 04353 | 207-232-7600 | tim@lackeysailing.com
After a day away from the shop on other business, I got back to work on board, this time with several smaller jobs on the docket in addition to the usual varnish work.
To begin, I removed an old transducer for the non-functional depthsounder unit currently installed. The old plastic transducer incorporated a wooden fairing block; removal was straightforward, and fortunately the old transducer came out of its hole without undue effort. I removed the remnants of the fairing blocks from inside and out, since the new transducer on order featured a built-in angle and wouldn't need the fairing blocks to operate properly.
Next, I removed the old display unit, disconnecting and removing its wiring at the same time. I left the old transducer cable in place for the moment, as I hoped to use it to snake the new cable behind the liner through the same route. The hole left over from the display's removal would be covered with a small teak panel that I built earlier; of course, at this time I realized I should have built two such panels, as I'd need one for the interior as well. I'd take care of that oversight shortly.
The new fishfinder/GPS unit, a Lowrance HDS-5, featured a deck mount bracket, which the owner wanted installed on the coachroof adjacent to an existing bracket for another piece of electronic equipment. To that end, I laid out the bracket's location, marked the screwholes, and overbored them to remove the balsa core from around the eventual fasteners. (The core was in good condition where I drilled.)
Afterwards, I filled the 5/8" holes with thickened epoxy and left it to cure overnight. Tomorrow, I'd be able to permanently install the bracket, and continue other aspects of the installation.
Inside the boat, I spent a few moments installing the new curtains supplied by the owner.
Later, I spent some time looking into the cabin heater problem. An earlier search for replacement parts had turned up a few leads, most of which went nowhere. However, at the eleventh hour, I found a place that had a few full burner assemblies for this older, long-discontinued Force 10 kerosene heater.
However, the owner and I also spent some time considering purchase and installation of a newer heater. Much earlier, we'd discussed propane--either as a conversion for the existing heater, or for a new, similar heater--but decided against that route because of the inherent difficulty in installing a full propane system in a small boat, namely where and how to safely mount the gas cylinder according to applicable standards. As a means to fire only the cabin heater, it seemed not to make sense.
Alternatively, we explored the possibility of a diesel-fired heater. Initial and installation costs (and unexpected complexity) aside, however, I soon discovered that these heaters simply wouldn't work on this boat because of a lack of space available for the required length of flue pipe (4' in all cases), so we abandoned that idea and I placed an order for the replacement kerosene burner, which we hoped would make the existing heater operational.
Finally, I completed what I anticipated would be the final round of sanding, cleaning, and varnishing on the exterior teak--six coats.
Total Time on This Job Today: 5.75 hours
