| Kaholee Refit |
November 8, 2007 With the successful test run of the engine yesterday, Phase II of this project had nearly drawn to a close. Phase II saw many significant changes to the boat; when I began Phase II, the interior basics were in place, but there was still a lot of work remaining on trim, cabin sole, and other areas. More importantly, though, Phase II included the conception and installation of all the boat's systems: water, sanitation, electrical, and auxiliary diesel power. However, there were a few items on my list that I wanted to take care of before officially calling the project complete for now. I began with running speaker wire to the new stereo speakers from the control unit at the nav station--a relatively straightforward task. I hooked up the wires and tested the unit. Next, I continued the final list with the installation of the Engel portable dual-voltage refrigerator/freezer, which had been on hand for some time. The unit came with a travel base designed to lock it into place. First, though, I had to install the base on the port settee, just forward of the termination of the cushions that were meant for the space. In order to install the refer here, I first removed the loose plywood hatch to the locker beneath the settee, and, after marking the location of the end of the cushions, cut the hatch in two so that the forward section beneath the refer could be screwed into place, while the after section remained loose for access. I added a mahogany cleat between the sections for support at the seam, and screwed the forward section into place. Next, I installed the refer base. First, I determined that the base would work in the space provided, since the refer itself needed additional clearance at the front (inboard) side to slide in and out of the base as needed. There was just enough room for this without interfering with the previously-installed fiddle on the settee front, but there was a clearance issue with the power supply plugs that came with the unit and plugged into the back: the plug housings hit the settee back and wouldn't let the refer click into place on its base. I solved that problem by marking where the plugs hit, and cutting two holes with a large Forstner bit to allow clearance. This area would be hidden from normal view. The fridge slipped into the base properly, and I did a short test run with the 12 volt plug to ensure operation. The refer drew 2.7 amps according to the Xantrex monitor. |
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With the final hose connections in the lazarette complete, I reinstalled the engine control panel and its wooden surround in the vertical opening. I installed the panel with stainless screws and polysulfide sealant. |
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I spent most of the rest of the day cleaning up the boat--removing tools, supplies, and cleaning all the surfaces as necessary. The decks need a bath, but I'll wait on that till I move the boat outdoors. I decided to bring all the saloon cushions up so that the interior would look more complete; this inspired me to go back in time through the photos of the interior on the day the boat arrived here, back in April 2006. Clearly, Kaholee had come a long way during this very large and involved project. Phase I saw major changes in the exterior appearance of the decks; Phase II was all about the interior, and, perhaps to a greater extent, the hidden systems that one never sees, yet are so important to the success of the project. |
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Work is essentially complete for now, but as of this writing I expected the boat to remain indoors for another week or so while awaiting the canvas guys to install the new canvas, assuming it's complete as anticipated. In the meantime, I planned to move on to other projects, but there may be a few additional entries here before this part of the project is completely wrapped up, so check back. Here is a listing of the work remaining for the final phase.
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