| Kaholee Refit |
October 5, 2007 Yesterday's second application of fairing compound on the corners of the custom shower box needed sanding, so I got started this morning with that task. I found one air pocket in one of the corners leading from the flange into the box itself, so I filled that and set the box beneath the heat lamp to cure the epoxy one last time. Before doing so, however, I drilled a hole in the bottom of the box for the faucet. Later, with the epoxy cured and the patch sanded, I applied a coat of gray Bilgekote to the back side of the box (where it would extend into the cockpit locker), and a coat of primer on the flange and exposed portion of the box. |
|
|
I water-washed and sanded the new tabbing securing the battery boxes in place, and then cut strips of plywood to fit the back (hull) side of the boxes to complete the 3" high lip around the platforms; then, I epoxied these strips in place. |
|
|
I spent most of the remainder of the morning working on the cabin heater installation. After some test-fitting, I settled on the relative location for the heater on the port bulkhead in the saloon, and installed it plumb with four 1/4" bolts that I tapped through the bulkhead and secured with large washers and nuts on the other side. The bolts were overlong, so I cut off the excess and ground the ends smooth. Next, I determined the location for the Charley Noble; this was dictated somewhat by the potential flexibility of the supplied exhaust/intake pipe, so the vent ended up at the forward port corner of the cabin trunk. After some fine-tuning of the location, I masked off the area inside and out and cut a 3" diameter hole through the deck for the vent fitting. I mocked up the vent and marked the fastener locations, as well as those for an additional wind/water deflector, and overbored these holes to delete the core material in way of the fasteners. I also reamed out the exposed core around the edges of the larger opening; then, I filled all these areas with the usual mixture of epoxy and cabosil. |
|
|
During the afternoon, I concentrated on some hardware installation: the windlass, foot switches, and the beginnings of the anchor platform installation. From some prefabricated 1/2" fiberglass sheeting, I cut backing plates for the windlass and anchor platform. Next, I re-marked and drilled the fastener holes through the epoxy that I had installed a day or two ago, and masked around the various pieces as required. Finally, I permanently installed the windlass and foot switches in heavy beds of sealant. I needed a helper/bolt holder to install the anchor platform, so I held off on that for now. I left the excess sealant to cure before I attempted cleanup. |
|
|
I spent the remainder of the day on a few odds and ends, including installing some new fittings (the fittings supplied with the pump were 3/4" and we needed 1/2") on the recently-installed saltwater washdown pump, one of which incorporated a small filter for the intake. I cleaned up the boat and shop a bit and organized my thoughts for the next few days' work. The owner selected a new style of propane tank for the boat: the "Lite Cylinder", a composite, translucent cylinder that is lighter in weight than steel cylinders, corrosion free, and fully approved. The cylinder arrived today: here it is. |
|
|
|
|
|
