| Kaholee Refit |
September 11, 2007 Today was a holey day. With Allen on site, it seemed a good opportunity to locate many of the final items in the cockpit and on deck, such as the new Raymarine instruments, connections for shore power and water, deck fills, and engine controls. I began with the four large (3.5") holes required to mount the Raymarine ST-60 instrument suite--knotmeter, depthsounder, wind instruments, and autopilot. I had previously purchased a new carbide-tipped hole saw for this very task, and after carefully laying out the instruments using the supplied templates, I prepared to cut these holes. The task turned out to be far more challenging than I had anticipated, as the very new and very sharp hole saw tended to grab the relatively thin fiberglass of the cabin trunk bulkhead and stop, forcing the drill--and the operator's wrists--to twist rather violently around. I soon traded my normal cordless drill for a large right-angle monster to provide me with a better grip, and took the remaining cutting very slowly, eventually working from both sides of the cabin trunk. The end result was damage-free and agreeable, but I was surprised at how long it took to actually get all of these large holes cut. Afterwards, I reamed the holes out slightly with a drum sander in my drill (the holes require a 90mm bit, which was not readily available; the 3.5" bit I purchased was actually 89mm) and then installed the new instruments with the supplied hardware. These instruments represent a very nice little package that we will eventually interface (using the Raymarine SeaTalk protocol) with the other electronics being installed. Much more to come on this in the coming weeks. |
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Along with his input on orientation and location of the various holes, I put Allen to work behind the wheel of the shopvac, a task he turned to with vigor. |
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After a break for an appointment with Richard Hallett, who came up to discuss the new dodger, bimini, and other canvas products that we needed to get underway immediately, we returned to the hole cutting operations. During the course of the afternoon, we located and drilled holes in the cockpit for the 120V shore power inlet receptacle, a city water inlet and regulator, and the control plug for the Standard Horizon RAM microphone system for the VHF. |
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I also spent quite a bit of time preparing for--and then finally locating and cutting--the hole for the new Vetus (Model information: "SISCO"; supplier: Defender) single lever engine controls. With the long supporting structure in the back of the controls (required for cable support and attachment), I wanted to ensure that the controls and cables could be installed without interference from other items within the cockpit locker. To that end, I eventually located the controls where the supporting structure could extend either downwards or aft, allowing for options in the eventual installation. I also located the controls far enough aft to prevent interference between the shift lever and the cockpit well. I used the supplied template to locate the opening, and then drilled four 2" holes (one at each corner) and connected the four holes with straight cuts to create the opening. I test-fit the controls, but did not install them at this time. |
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Finally, we located and drilled three large holes in the deck for the remaining deck plates: two water fills forward and the holding tank pumpout fitting amidships. |
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