| Kaholee Refit |
October 3, 2007 I began the day with more work on the custom shower box for the cockpit. I cleaned yesterday's laminate with water, then ground the glass to prepare it for additional layers. I cut additional material for the box and flange, and laminated on the extra, leaving it to cure overnight. |
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Next, I began some of the preparations for the anchor windlass and anchor platform at the bow. After realigning and double-checking the positioning of these large items, I made the appropriate reference marks on deck and removed the platform and windlass to the bench. Using a sheet of paper and a pencil, I made a rubbing of the bottom of the anchor windlass, which I turned into a mounting template. Once I cut out the template, I used it on deck to mark for the position of the large chain hole and the three stud locations that secure the windlass. I also marked for the six bolt locations to secure the anchor platform, and laid out and marked where the two foot switches for the windlass control would go, using the provided template. When all the layout was complete, I used oversized Forstner bits to drill large holes through the top of the deck and through the core, without extending through the inner skin. This effectively excavated the core material from large areas around the future fastener locations. For the anchor chain pipe beneath the windlass, I cut the hole to the proper size as indicated by the template, and then excavated some of the core from around the edges of the hole. After cleaning out the holes and protecting the surrounding deck with tape, I installed thickened epoxy resin in the holes and in the area of excavated core at the chain pipe, filling the areas completely. I left this to cure overnight. |
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I built the mahogany anchor platform several years ago--a small job that eventually, through a series of circumstances, led to Kaholee coming east for this big refit. So the platform was pre-existing, though at the time I had not installed any sort of metal reinforcing plate; however, I had built the platform with this in mind, and a few weeks ago I ordered a piece of 3/8" aluminum to fulfill this need. I chose aluminum over stainless for a few reasons: light weight, strength, but most importantly I could mill and cut aluminum myself in the shop, whereas a heavy stainless steel plate is virtually unworkable by me, requiring outside labor to drill and cut. After tracing the outlines of the anchor roller bolt holes, mounting holes, and a large cutout for the stem fitting, I drilled and cut the aluminum plate to fit. I found that an angle grinder with cutoff wheel worked the best for cutting out the center portion, though I finished up with a jigsaw and reciprocating saw as required. Even so, this was a laborious process. Once all the cuts were complete, I cleaned and sanded the bonding surface of the aluminum to clean, bright metal, and then epoxied it to the bottom of the anchor platform, securing it with clamps while the epoxy cured. |
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I spent the remainder of the afternoon working on a variety of tasks, including determining the location for such things as the huge fuel filter assembly, raw water strainer, and other items to figure out where to proceed next. I decided that I'd have to run out in the morning for a sheet of Meranti so that I could build supports for the batteries and some other interior work, since I need to get some of the battery cables run and installed before I can install and begin the final wiring to the electrical panels. It also made sense to build and install the battery platforms before I did any further installations in the cockpit lockers that might limit access. Finally, I ordered a wide variety of materials required to complete aspects of the plumbing system. The water tanks had been built with 1-1/8" OD nipples on both the fills and the supply, and finding a way to adapt this odd size to the hoses required took quite a bit of catalog research. |
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