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Wednesday

After some morning errands away from the shop, I turned to the mast wiring.  While I had the masthead casting off, I checked over the masthead sheaves, which all looked in good condition as far as I could tell, but it looked like there might be one damaged or partially missing, as evidenced by the plastic hub on the aftermost pin (first photo).  That pin just slipped into cast slots from above, and was contained by the masthead casting when it was normally in place.

To extend the RTE wiring harness, a 5-conductor cable, I ended up using the same 14/5 cable that I’d run through the boat for this purpose earlier, which meant that wiring connection at the terminal block in the boat would be straightforward same color to same color.  This cable was heavier and larger than I wanted, but options were few and far between, at least with any products I’d trust and that were available in less than 1000′ parcels.  As least I knew it was quality wire.  Somewhere there must be a source for tinned 5-conductor cable in smaller gauge sizes and nominal overall diameters, but I couldn’t find it and after a time further looking was only wasteful.

In the event, I connected the new wire to the existing harness, noting again the color conversions between the two, and for added longevity and strength within the mast, I added a sheath of heat shrink over the entire splice.

I chose to use the existing wires (which had powered a tricolor masthead unit) to pull the new cable down from the top.  So I heavily taped the new harness to the old to help it on its way through whatever course it took down the top part of the mast.  In addition to the 14/5 cable, I also secured a new VHF cable to pull through the mast and replace the existing.

The wires from the masthead ended up in a length of plastic conduit within the mast when they reached the steaming light location at the spreaders, along with the three-wire harness from this light.  The conduit slipped over an extruded lip on the inside of the mast, and therefore was removable as a whole.  At the steaming light, I secured a length of messenger line to the existing wires before starting to pull out the entire harness.

From there, it was relatively simple to pull out the conduit and old wires from the bottom.  The new harness fed in fairly easily from the top once I got it going, which suggested it had an unimpeded path through the spar.

I left some slack in the masthead wires just below the top of the mast to allow the masthead casting to be removed for sheave access in the future, then resecured the masthead–with RTE and VHF extension attached–back in place before making up the end of the VHF cable as required.  After photos, I removed the VHF antenna for safekeeping, but the RTE was now a permanent fixture by virtue of its hardwired and sealed construction.

Since it was straightforward to slip on the wire conduit afterwards, I went ahead and ran in the 14/3 wire for the steaming/deck light combo at the spreaders, and made up the wiring at the new LED fixture before installing the fixture with machine screws.  I left some wire slack bundled behind the fixture.

The masthead cable was too large to fit within the internal mast conduit along with the steaming light harness, so to secure it as much as possible I came up with a plan to secure it to the outside of the conduit with cable ties.  With the conduit out of the mast, at intervals I drilled holes at the outer edge to accept wire ties, and as I fed the conduit back into the mast and over the steaming light cable, I secured the thick masthead cable loosely in the wire ties–loose because they had to allow the conduit to slide up, while still securing the exterior cable tightly enough.  This actually worked better than I’d hoped.

I chose a location on the forward side of the mast for the wire outlet, which would eventually connect (via flexible conduit aka hose) with the deck fitting on the boat.  I drilled a hole for the wires to pass through and installed a rail mount base on the outside, which diameter matched that of the deck fitting (and hose).  Then I led through the wires.

After reinstalling the mast base casting, I measured generously for the final wire lengths, which had to pass through a length of hose/conduit, then through a path in the boat to the terminal blocks for final connection.  Since the terminal blocks were hidden from normal view, and because I wouldn’t be there to make up the wire lengths when the boat was rigged, I left what I thought (and hoped) was more than ample wire length to make up the connections without being ridiculously long.  The wires could always be shortened later if necessary, but at least they were ready to be connected as is.  I labeled the wires as necessary to match up with their respective connections in the boat.

Total time billed on this job today:  5.25 hours

0600 Weather Observation:
35°, clear.  Forecast for the day:  sunny, 50s

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Tuesday

I spent the morning taking care of myriad smaller tasks, starting with the engine hatch, which I lightly sanded and painted with the finish coat.

I installed a new bulb gasket around the perimeter of the engine hatch.

I cleaned up the original bronze stuffing box, and packed it with two layers of new graphite packing.  There simply wasn’t room to thread on the nut if I added a third layer, though I tried several times to make it work.  After repacking the box and compressing the packing using an old shaft, I installed the stuffing box in the boat with new hose and clamps.

To support and secure the RTE to the masthead, I installed a standard 1″ antenna base, to which the RTE would thread.  I installed it over an existing wire hole in the masthead casting.

To extend the VHF antenna aft, away from the RTE, I installed an aluminum extension, which I bent to match the angle of the masthead casting so the protruding end would remain level.  I left the extension oversize at the beginning, but later I determined where to mount the VHF antenna bracket and cut off the excess.  The extension could be removed to allow the backstay toggle to be inserted into the mast beneath it, once the masthead casting was back in place.

The topsides featured original gelcoat in good condition for its age, but with some staining, dirt, and oxidation.

It didn’t take much to bring back the shine and clean up the surface with light polish.

The engine exhaust outlet was located fairly high on the transom, above any normal levels of submersion, and this, along with the high cast iron gooseneck just inside the transom, would be as effective as anything against potential backflow into the outlet. The very space available in the boat required certain compromises in the exhaust system design.  However, to ward off a following sea in more extreme conditions, the owner elected to add a simple exhaust flap over the outlet, which added a bit of extra protection to the system.

Total time billed on this job today:  6.25 hours

0600 Weather Observation:
40°, light rain.  Forecast for the day:  Rain ending, clouds, 50s

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Monday

To finish up the basics of the Monitor windvane installation, I installed a pair of small cheek blocks on the coaming, locating them near the initial layout marks I’d made, but adjusting as needed to where they made the most sense and the fairest lead to the vane and to the tiller.

The blocks’ positions allowed me to finalize the installation for the two cam cleats on the underside of the tiller.  I left the lines long for the owner to fine-tune as he saw fit.  Afterwards, I lightly polished the coaming and aft deck to complete the areas I’d not done the last time.

Next on the agenda was the bottom, which required sanding prep before converting to a different type of paint, so I removed the staging for better access and prepared the boat by covering the decks with plastic sheeting to keep dust off and out of the boat.  Before beginning further work, I polished the hull right at the waterline so that later I’d not run into the new paint.  I’d do the rest of the hull later.

Afterwards, I sanded the bottom to scuff up the surface–the existing was a teflon-based paint that was compatible beneath the new paint the owner chose, but required sanding first.  I didn’t attempt to remove the paint, but just scuffed it thoroughly to ensure good adhesion.  Once complete, I cleaned up and solvent-washed the bottom.

Next, after masking off I applied two coats of red antifouling paint.

Earlier, I’d determined a requirement for some additional wiring for the mast–I’d need to extend the 5-wire harness for  the radar target enhancer (RTE) since the wire provided with the unit was far too short, a shortfall I’d fortunately discovered before it became critical.  The owner and I had also discussed VHF antenna placement to avoid interference and physical contact with the RTE, and came up with a plan that would require some additional material as well.  So while I waited for the new wire and other material to arrive, I thought I’d see what I was in for with the mast project.  I found that both the top and bottom castings of the mast were removable, which greatly helped access within, so that was a plus.  Inside the mast, running up at least as high (but possibly not beyond) the steaming/deck light combo at the spreaders, was a plastic conduit containing the old wires.

I’d begin the mast work soon, but for now I just removed the old steaming light, as there was a new replacement on hand.

Total time billed on this job today:  6.25 hours

0600 Weather Observation:
40°, clouds.  Forecast for the day:  Mostly cloudy, 50s, showers late

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Friday

After an overnight cure for the epoxy plug filling the (as it happened) unneeded hole for the starboard turning block, I proceeded with the block’s reinstallation.

To prepare the modified engine hatch for its final paint, I applied a coat of epoxy-based 2-part primer, which would help ensure that the one-part final paint would cure properly over the still-fresh epoxy.  I had enough primer mixed to coat the entire hatch, though it wasn’t really needed.

With most of the work done in the cabin and no longer any access required forward, I reinstalled the bi-fold head door, and loaded into the forward cabin some of the spare gear and equipment that I’d removed early in the project.

The original light gray gelcoat on the deck (and hull, come to that) was in good overall condition considering its age, but was dirty and oxidized, which didn’t enhance its appearance.

To clean it up and restore shine, I used a light polish on the smooth surfaces, which had a good effect on the gelcoat.  These three photos attempt to show the work in progress, though there’s not enough contrast in the photos to see it properly.

In a couple hours’ work, I polished all the deck areas except the cockpit well (which I’d do a little later, once I was done with work on the engine) and a portion of the after deck, which was cluttered with tools and the ongoing Monitor windvane line installation.

With the required connector now on hand I could finish up the VHF antenna cable installation, after which I could reinstall the backrests in the cabin, since I no longer needed access behind the electronics panel.

Now that deck work was complete, I reinstalled the lifelines, which I’d removed for storage and for the duration of the project.

Total time billed on this job today:  5.75 hours

0600 Weather Observation:
26°, clear.  Forecast for the day:  Sunny, low 50s

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Thursday

Starting with the halyard winches and rope clutches at the after end, I removed the final pieces of deck hardware from the coachroof so I could rebed them and replace the fasteners.  I removed the old sealant from the deck and the bases of the hardware as needed.

The deck here was not cored, so I could proceed directly with reinstallation.  I masked off the deck around the footprints of the hardware, and reinstalled with sealant and new fasteners.

Near the mast step was a pair of turning blocks to run the halyards aft, and these were the last pieces to remove and rebed.  After removing the blocks, the fasteners looked so long that I figured there must be a core in that part of the deck, so I drilled out one of the fastener holes with a 1/2″ bit.  However, there was no core–it was just a thick solid area, presumably part of the built-in reinforcement for the deck-stepped mast.  So I filled the erroneous hole with thickened epoxy, but I’d have to wait to install the starboard turning block till later.

There was no stopping the progress on the port side, however, where I cleaned up from the old installation and reinstalled the block with new fasteners.

I’d decided to replace all four lifeline tether padeyes on the cabin top, as it just seemed right given their function, and the replacement hardware was inexpensive.  So with new padeyes on hand, I installed the four with new sealant and large washers.  I’d come back later and cut off the excess bolt length beneath.

To smoothly fair the lobster pot batten into the keel, now that it was well-secured I applied some additional epoxy to fair its transition to the bottom of the keel.

 

Total time billed on this job today:  5 hours

0600 Weather Observation:
30°, clear.  Forecast for the day:  sunny, 50