< Back to Salty

Tuesday

Before I could truly finalize the Monitor installation, I needed to properly prepare various fastener holes for the mounting brackets, which meant disassembling everything; I couldn’t complete the diagonal braces (which would run between the bottom of the Monitor frame and the upper support tubes) till I could properly and permanently install the main support tubes.

But before going down that road, there were a few more things I could and should do first, starting with drilling holes through the main support members at the windvane frame itself, in two pre-marked (at the factory) locations.  This would ultimately pin the upper support tubes to the frame.  All the frame and support members would eventually be pinned like this, and I’d do the remaining drilling and pinning later, but this set was the most critical, and the upper tubes weren’t going to change their position at all, nor did I want them to, and I also had to install inserts within the tubes that would prevent compression when the tubes were bolted together though the new holes.  So while the upper tubes were in this position, I drilled through the two required locations with a 5/16″ bit.

The locations of the upper brace brackets were already marked on the masking tape on deck, as were the lower brace brackets,   So now, I could remove the support tubes so I could finalize the hull and deck bracket installations.  With the windvane frame supported by and secured to the wooden framework I’d built, I removed all the support tubes as needed, then unbolted the brackets and made final hole preparations by boring out the locations with a 5/8″ bit to remove any core.  I found that the two forward holes on the deck brackets were actually in an area of solid fiberglass, just forward of the transition to the plywood core, so as it turned out I’d not needed to overbore those two holes, but who knew.

The upper set of holes on the transom brackets were in a section of the transom cored with plywood; I knew this because I could see the outline of it from inside.  The lower holes were in solid fiberglass, but with the upper holes properly marked based on the bracket position, I overbored the holes to remove the core from the upper locations.

Preparations complete, I filled the new voids with thickened epoxy, leaving it to cure overnight, after which I’d be able to complete the installation.

Down on the bench, I installed the stainless steel inserts in the two main support tubes, using some sealant to hold them in place.  I kept them aligned by running through the bolts that I’d eventually use to secure the frame and tubes.  I set them aside for now.  I’d have to repeat this process with other frame support members later.

This windvane came with an LED sternlight built into the upper part of the frame, and the light was wired through one of the upper supports.  With the extra-long upper support tube on this boat, the wire length supplied from the factory (which would have been adequate for most installations) was not long enough to extend all the way through the tube, so while things were disconnected I added a wire extension that I could run through the whole tube during final installation.  Then, secured the light fixture to its welded bracket (it had been shipped pre-wired, but not bolted in plate, presumably to prevent damage during shipment).  The light came with a little stainless steel cover that I snapped on afterwards.

That was it for the Monitor for the moment, and I wrapped up the morning with a new coat of varnish on the tiller and rudder cheeks.

The owner asked me to build an enclosed locker above the port settee for various electronics mounting, and through various discussions we’d arrived at a raw concept.  Before beginning to lay out the ideas in a mockup, I wanted to see how the new electrical service panels were going to fit in the two locations at the aft end of the cabin, where the originals had been located, since the panel layout might affect certain aspects of the electronics locker.

The new panels–one per side–were slimmer than the originals, and so to cover the old holes I’d need to build some covers for the original surface.  I made simple patterns of each side (of course they weren’t symmetrical from side to side), which I’d use later to make veneer panels.  Then, on the port side, I taped in a representation of the panel’s outside dimensions so that I could see how, or if, it affected any decisions we might make about the electronics locker.

The rough idea for the new locker was to mirror the angle of the electrical panel at the aft side, leaving a little nook for securing and charging the usual small devices of today, then extending forward to the galley with a flat panel suitable for flush-mounting things like a VHF radio, stereo, and other things.  So I measured the angle and reproduced it on the forward side of that little wooden fiddle, choosing a more or less arbitrary starting point by eye, to leave some space between the fiddle and the new panel for storage of small items.  From there, it was a pretty simple matter to cut some cardboard into the rough shapes required to produce a 3D representation of at least the first run at the new locker.

The backrest was going to have an impact on the amount of usable space on the new locker panel, and would also enclose securely the little shelf at the aft end, so I placed it in position to determine how it affected things.  It did create a very nice, cozy area to place a camera, phone, or other handheld device, but effectively reduced the height of the flat panel by a few inches.  For now, I didn’t try to construct a panel that might span between the electrical panel on the left (aft) and the new angled panel on the right (forward), but the angles involved would make it tricky to shape, and the overall size of the new electrical panel on the aft angle meant that any depth available behind such a connector would be pretty minimum, perhaps an inch or so, in order to clear the panel.

With these basics in place, we had something to work with, and I could make changes as needed from here based on the owner’s feedback.

Now I moved on to several smaller jobs, starting with replacing a round access panel into the holding tank beneath the cabin sole.  The existing deck plate was missing its screw-in cover–no one knew where it was–so I bought a new one,  Of course the cover from the new deck plate was a slightly different size from the existing ring, so I had to remove the whole ring and replace it with the new one.  One should never expect the easiest way to actually work.  Meanwhile, I reconnected the waste tank pumpout hose, which led aft through the engine room and up to a deck plate.

With new hose freshly on hand, I began to replumb the cabin-mounted bilge pump, and started with its new suction line, which ran through the engine room on the port side and down into the sump beneath.   I installed a filter on the bottom of the hose and led the end forward, where I reconnected it to the existing pump.  I thought it best to run these lines now, while I still had the best engine room access, rather than fight them around the engine later.  I’d planned and expected to continue with the discharge line, which would run back aft to the new through hull valve, but the lengths of hose I’d planned to use, and which I’d previously determined I had on hand (and thought was adequate) turned out to be a little too short to make the run, so I had to order a longer length, delaying the completion of this pump’s plumbing for a bit.  I also planned to work on the new cockpit-mounted pump in the immediate future.

Continuing with the sort of stream-of-consciousness knock-off-the-list jobs that seemed to be making up my afternoon, I reinstalled the galley sink in new sealant, and installed a new drain hose to the new through hull.

Thinking ahead to some of the engine’s ancillary systems, and looking to fill a final void in the day, I prepared the new raw water strainer for installation by securing two 90° pipe elbows to the housing, ready for hose connection.

Finally, I prepared the new fuel filter for installation, first by installing the special and required adapter fittings into the filter housing, then a pair of 5/16″ brass elbows for the fuel hose.

To make maintenance easier, particularly in tight spaces, I liked to add a valve to the drain fitting on the filter bowl.  In this case, with limited headroom, I planned to mount the filter as low as possible, to leave room for cartridge replacement from above, so I installed the drain valve on a 90° elbow off the bottom of the bowl, replacing the original drain plug.

Total time billed on this job today:  7.5 hours

0600 Weather Observation:
20°, clear, 6-8″ new snow from yesterday.  Forecast for the day:  Sunny, high around 40.

< Back to Salty

Monday

I started the day with another light sanding on the rudder cheeks and tiller, preparing them for their next coats of varnish.  I’d intended to get back to this later, but it didn’t happen.

To finish up the main construction of the battery box in the cockpit locker, I had to build a top–a simple-enough proposition complicated by the fact that the locker and the box’s position within were not neat and square, and the height of the box meant that I couldn’t access the inner part of the lid for basic patterning and fitting.  So I started with a narrow strip of cardboard so I could scribe the shape at the forward end, which was the most critical cut to make.  I transferred this to a slightly oversized piece of plywood, and with the back side of the box removed, and a temporary cleat on the inboard edge of the locker to hold the top, I could finalize the shape of the top along the two locker edges–both of which required various contours and shaping–before marking the two straight cuts at the plywood edges of the box.  It just took several rounds and ups and downs from the shop to eventually complete the new top.

After making some reference marks inside the locker, and with the top in place, I prepared and installed with epoxy some hardwood cleats to support the top on the two locker edges, and a second pair of cleats slightly above, into which slots the top would slide.  This would hold these two edges securely, and I’d install some sort of latch to complete the security of the top.

Meanwhile, I permanently secured the aft support cleat on the battery platform with epoxy, and added a little cleat to the inside of the back panel, just for ease of installation and alignment purposes.  This cleat would rest on the shelf cleat and help the user install the back panel whenever it was necessary.

Next on my agenda was the new Monitor windvane, which installation I looked forward to, though I knew it’d likely present some challenges.  When the unit arrived several weeks earlier, I’d taken the time to remove all the packing material–of which there was a huge trash bag full–so now I could more easily remove and lay out all the frame and support pieces on the bench for inspection.

I’d already read through the extensive instruction manual once, but now I did so again, now with more attention to the specifics of this boat.   I also reviewed the photos available of other Contessa 26 installations available on the Scanmar website.

The first–and main–challenge was to somehow position the frame where it needed to be, suspended in mid-air.  The manual suggested lines, but that wouldn’t work in this case because the frame would actually be mostly above deck level, and also had to be so far aft in order to clear the outboard rudder–which, with the strong transom rake and low topsides of this boat, probably made it one of the more challenging overall installations.  All along, I’d been thinking that I wanted to build a wooden framework to support the windvane during the installation, and now I prepared to move forward with that idea.

Before beginning the installation steps, I had two small details to deal with.  First, I removed the old hailport from the  transom, which the owner had requested, and to ensure that it wouldn’t end up beneath any of the frame pieces (it didn’t, but that’s neither here nor there).  Then, to ensure proper clearance and positioning of the vane, I temporarily installed the old rudder cheeks just to give me the ultimate top/aft point of the rudder, which would ultimately be the defining point of the vane’s positioning.  The rudder, and the space between the cheeks, would also be the ideal centerline for the vane.

The final position of the windvane depended on the actual waterline:  the center of the main frame tube was supposed to be 42″ above the boat’s waterline, which, with the overall dimensions of the various parts of the vane, would position the vane’s paddle in the correct position, with approximately six inches of the paddle above the waterline.  There was a fairly clear idea of the actual waterline on the boat in the form of a scum line–it was (as past experience with sisterships suggested) well higher than the factory’s DWL–and the owner provided me with key photos showing the boat in the water, which confirmed what the scum line suggested.  Working from the photo, and from the actual line on the boat, I marked the waterline position with masking tape.  This mark was 63-5/8″ from the floor in this case, and now I could add the required 42″ to this to achieve the from-floor measurement of 105-5/8″ to the center of the main frame tube.

Now, working through a series of calculations based on the existing height of a staging platform that I set up behind the boat, and using the bottom portion of the vane’s frame as a support point (15″ below the main tube), I constructed a simple frame from 2x4s that, when added to the staging platform, would support the vane at the correct final height.  On deck, using the center of the rudder as my guide, I made some basic marks to show the centerline and the centers of the main windvane support tubes (15″ on center, or 7-1/2″ on each side).  As it turned out, I needed only the visual key of the rudder itself in this case, which was a far better centerline indicator than any measurement.

With my supporting framework secured to the staging platform, I moved the whole arrangement to roughly where I though the vane would want to be–as close to the top corner of the rudder cheeks as possible.

Next, I could rest the windvane frame itself on the platform and see how I did.  I clamped the vane to the top support,  and added a couple safety lines to secure the whole arrangement.  The center of the tube was right where it should have been, or possibly just a touch higher, which is the direction I wanted to err anyway.

 

I temporarily installed the vane paddle, and, with a level, extended the waterline mark aft so I could put some corresponding tape on the paddle and confirm that the vane’s position was correct and in accordance with the supplied drawing for this boat.  It was.

Starting with the large upper support tubes, I worked through the installation steps as required.  ON this boat, the upper tubes were deck-mounted, and featured a bent shape to accommodate the vane’s position relative to the boat.  Based on where I had the vane positioned vis-a-vis the rudder, I could shorten the tubes a bit, something that was encouraged (as necessary) by the manual with the ultimate goal of keeping the vane as close to the boat as possible–or, more specifically, no further away than strictly necessary,  So with the mounting brackets temporarily in place, and the support tubes set in, I marked the excess length and also marked for a through-bolt that would secure the tubes to the mounts.  With these basics, I could temporarily secure the mounts to the deck; I’d have to come back and properly prepare the mounting holes and ultimately secure the mounts with sealant, but for now I secured them directly to the deck with tapped holes.  With the tubes cut to length, and the through-pin holes drilled, I secured everything in place temporarily.  Throughout this process, I strove to ensure that the vane was level in both directions, and properly centered on the rudder.

Sometime later, I’d have to drill holes through the vane end of these tubes to secure them there, but for now I was ready to continue with fitting the two lower braces, which would run between the bottom of the frame and the transom.  The provided tubes were pre-drilled at the end to fit into the brackets–something that was normally done for the upper tubes as well, except in cases like this where the final mounting position couldn’t be pre-determined–and would fit into a socket end at the frame, which bolted right to the bottom of the frame in a threaded hole.  Using various guidance from the manual and mounting diagram for this boat, as well as photos of other installations, I determined that the lower tubes as provided were overlong, so once I figured that out I could start to position the brackets on the hull, and from there determine the final length of the tubes.

Starting with the starboard side, I held the pieces in place as needed to determine where the bracket should mount (the tube should angle down about 15° from the frame, and outboard the same amount–with the extra guidance of about 45″ between bracket centers, according to the diagram.  These criteria helped me determine roughly where that bracket should be, though none of the dimensions were absolute,  Then I could figure out where to cut the tube, which I did next, and dry fit it in place so I could begin to secure the bracket on the hull.  For now, I drilled and tapped the lower bracket hole to accept a 5/16″ bolt.  The upper hole was blocked by the tube itself, and I marked the position of the bracket so that later I could return and prepare the second hole.

I repeated the process on the port side, though I first had to modify my wooden support frame a bit, as it blocked access to the point on the frame where the tube needed to go.  I’d used an arbitrary piece of lumber to determine the width of my wooden frame, and this was just a bit too wide.  I cut another vertical support and installed it further inboard, then removed the offending piece for clear access to the vane’s frame base.

I could have just cut off the second tube at the same length as the first, but because boats are frequently asymmetrical, I thought it’d be better to go through the various dry-fitting steps as I did before, though this t ime I had a known point on the transom for the bracket.  As it happened the tube ended up exactly the same length, and before long I had it temporarily installed as well.

These four tubes formed the main support structure for the vane, but there was also a pair of diagonal supports that I’d install between the bottom of the vane (where the lower tubes attached) and the upper support tubes.  But it was the end of the day, and I’d continue with that next time.  Though I’d felt like the installation process had gotten off to a slow start–intangibles like layout and instruction-reading somehow seem like anti-progress, though I know they’re not–I was pleased with the vane’s installation status by the end of the day, and there was no doubt that it was an impressive and artful piece of hardware.

Total time billed on this job today:  8.5 hours

0600 Weather Observation:
Snow, moderate.  Forecast for the day:  snow, 3-6″ predicted, ending in the afternoon and clearing.

< Back to Salty

Saturday/Sunday

Over the weekend, I continued with daily coats of varnish on the new rudder cheeks, lightly sanding between coats, as always.

Meanwhile, I worked on the new tiller.  Now that the lamination was fully complete, I removed the clamps, leaving me with a messy-looking blank that  I could transform into the final shape.  The side that had faced down on the gluing jig was mostly smooth, but covered in epoxy squeezeout.  To begin, I laid out the old tiller on top of the blank to determine its relative position (which I’d previously marked, come to that), and then I cut off the rough ends of the blank, where the blank had extended off the jig and left ragged squeezerout.  This  left me with one smooth surface from which I could dimension and clean up the tiller blank.

Starting with the epoxy side down, I ran the tiller through the planer a number of times, alternating sides and cleaning up the surface and smoothing it on both sides till it was bare wood and dimensioned to the correct thickness, or about 1-5/8″, according to the original tiller.

Then, I traced out the final shape of the tiller, using the original, and cut the blank accordingly.

The tip of the original tiller was tapered down over the final foot or so of the tiller length for a comfortable hand hold, and I made some reference marks on the new blank to show the extent of this taper so I could pare down the end as needed.  I took care of this quickly with a sander, then sanded the whole blank clean and smooth, rounding all corners but focusing especially on the tip end to smooth and contour it pleasingly.

I drilled the hole for the tiller pin, then, after cleaning the blank, applied a sealer coat of varnish.

Total time billed on this job today:  2 hours

0600 Weather Observation:
15°, clear.  Forecast for the day:  Sunny, high 35°

< Back to Salty

Friday

I got right back into things with the final two through hulls–the cockpit scuppers.  I’d previously cut the through hull necks to length, so I started with a dry fit to drill the bolt holes through the flange and hull.  While I had the flanges in place, I  test-fit the valves to check for clearances and to see if I could spin on the valves after the flanges were installed, or if I needed to pre-assemble them.   There was room to install both valves after the fact, and other clearances were OK (something I’d just assumed till now since the old valves were similarly arranged, but…), so I could move on with the installation.  I removed the hardware and prepared the area for final installation.

Following the usual steps that I detailed with the other fittings, I installed the final two through hulls and flange bases.

Before continuing, I wanted to address the Cutless bearing while I still had clear access to the inside of the stern tube.  The existing bearing was in fair condition, but I wanted to replace it while all other engine-related components were being refreshed.  Of course the bearing was set flush to the end of the bronze stern tube where it protruded from the deadwood, so there was no way to grab it there and twist it out.   I removed the set screws.

During some preliminary inspection earlier, I’d determined that I could (hopefully) push the bearing out from inside, and I happened to have a length of steel pipe on hand that fit the stern tube perfectly, something apparently left over from a similar situation in the past.   So now, while I had the most open access possible. I tried this method.  At first nothing happened; I didn’t wail on the pipe because I didn’t want to cause a bigger problem, so my first blows were tentative, and after a time I went beneath to check, but the bearing hadn’t moved a bit.  This was worrisome, but back inside I marked the pipe when it was all the way in against the bearing, for reference to see if I moved the bearing at all,

After some time, and additional blows with a heavy mallet, I thought I felt something give, and I went down to confirm it before I continued (to make sure it was the “right” something that gave).  Success!  The bearing was coming out.

This was a relief since I didn’t relish the alternative ways I might have to get the bearing out.  While the bearing had some life left, leaving it as is didn’t seem like a prudent approach, so I was glad that it hadn’t been that tough to remove in the end.  Back inside, I hammered the bearing out the rest of the way, and noted its size so I could order the replacement.

Back to the through hulls, I installed the valves and tailpieces to complete the installation.  I aligned the valves so the handles on each side could operate fully without interfering with the other valve and also remaining clear of the scupper hoses and their eventual path.

In the port cockpit locker, I installed the valves and tailpieces for the two bilge pump outlets, facing the 90° tailpiece for the cabin-mounted bilge pump (the larger fitting) towards from whence its hose would run.  Imagining how the discharge hose from the new cockpit pump might need to lead, I set up the 90° tailpiece for that pump (the smaller valve) facing towards the outside of the hull, so the hose could run easily from the pump around in a semi-circle to the valve.  Because these valves were above the waterline, after a discussion the owner and I had determined it was OK to reinstall new valves on the existing stems despite its being “wrong”.

I took this opportunity to reinstall hoses up forward, connecting the existing head intake and discharge lines to their new fittings.  While I was at it, I also reconnected the water tank fill, and reinstalled the galley stove vent pipe.

Because I’d soon be at the point to start reinstalling many of these systems, I checked existing stock of hose in various required sizes, and ordered whatever I needed for the bilge pumps and engine exhaust.

The laminated tiller was cured, and I unclamped it from the jig so I could finish up the additional laminations required at the butt end.  Had the bend been more severe, I might have left it in the clamps longer, but for this easy curve I’d no concerns after 24 hours.

Ignoring for now most of the mess on the tiller, I cleaned up (sanded) the bonding surface at the butt end where I ‘d be adding new laminations, and, after checking the position and layout with the old tiller and making reference marks, completed final preparations and cleanup before glued the additional six strips in place.

With some new hardware arrivals on hand, I turned to the deck once more, and installed new tank vent fittings in the head, as well as new deck plates aft to accommodate cowl vents.  I left the vents off in safekeeping for now.  I went through all the usual steps for installing the plates; you must know them by now.

It seemed a good time also to install the chainplate deck covers,  At each location, I applied sealant fairly heavily, then pressed the appropriate cover in place.  Because I relied on the sealant itself to secure the plates in place, I left the squeezeout for now, and would clean it up once it cured.  As I pressed down, I could hear the good sound of air pockets popping as the sealant got pressed into the gaps around the chainplate in its slot, just what I wanted.  Once cleaned up, I thought these would look pretty nice.

The next step on the battery box was to actually build the box, or the sides, whatever seems appropriate.  Now, I didn’t really want the box to be any taller than it had to be, since headroom was at a premium, but neither did I want to cut it at all close with the batteries, terminals, terminal fuses, and so forth.  This is when one starts to distrust templates.  Despite having the actual battery measurements on hand, and a template built to those dimensions plus some, I had to look at some past projects to see just how oversized the battery template actually was, mainly to see if I could build the box basically just as high as the template, or if I needed some extra room to be safe.  Eventually I determined that the template was generously sized and allowed plenty of adjustment room as it stood, so I chose to make the sides of the box 11-1/2″ tall, or just barely taller than the template.

With this determined, making the two sides was mainly a matter of cutting rough blanks–first for the outboard side, then for the second side–and fitting them to whatever contours the sides of the locker had to offer–a straightforward, if time-consuming, process of scribing and cutting.  These sides would be for basic protection and shelter only, and would not provide the actual restraint for the batteries within, so I planned to install them with screws and no glue, to keep the whole box removable should better access be required, and to ease installation of the batteries.

At length, I had both pieces in place and screwed together with various hardwood cleats as required.  The cleat on the battery platform along the edge of the after panel would be permanent, and later I planned to epoxy it in place, since this cleat, in addition to holding the aft panel, would also form part of the battery restraint.  All I needed now was a top, and a means of securing the batteries.

Finally, I sanded, cleaned, and revarnished (3rd coat) the new rudder cheeks.  I continued to apply varnish to all sides, including the “down” side, as the additional protection even on these hidden areas would help prolong varnish life on the external parts.  I didn’t worry about mussing the varnish on these back sides where they rested on the sticks because the coating here was just for protection and not appearance.

Total time billed on this job today:  8.25 hours

0600 Weather  Observation:
32°, mostly clear.  Forecast for the day:  chance of showers or thundershowers, high 45° but dropping with a cold front later

< Back to Salty

Thursday

To complete preparations to the laminating jig for the tiller, I installed with dabs of hot glue little sections of plastic on each of the wooden supports, which would prevent the tiller from sticking to the clamping blocks.  I covered the bench with plastic, and prepared all the teak laminations by solvent-washing with acetone.

Afterwards, I applied epoxy adhesive to the strips and clamped them securely in the jig, using a mallet to ensure they were flat and even on the jig surface.  I scraped off most of the epoxy squeezeout and left the assembly to cure.

Before moving on, I lightly sanded and varnished again the new rudder cheeks.

I’d been waiting for a while for two missing and critical parts for the through hull installation–the flange bases for the cockpit scuppers. Eventually, I located two at another supplier and ordered them, as their absence was holding me up.  So with these due later in the day, I turned to the through hull preparations, starting with a dry fit of all the bronze through hull fittings so I could cut the stems to the required length in each case.  Since I had one of the three 1-1/2″ bases that I needed, I could cut all the stems now.  Inserting the through hulls from outside, I taped them in place to hold them while  I worked inside.

At each fitting, I marked where the stem came through the hull and backing block, then tested how far I could thread on the flange base.  Any gap between the two would require that I cut off some excess length in order to tightly thread the assembly together.  All of the fittings would require modification, though the three 3/4″ fittings almost might have worked as is, but I wasn’t about to chance it.  In this way I marked each through hull in turn.  In order to fully thread the stem into the bases, plus a little extra to ensure that I didn’t come close to bottoming out, I needed to remove about 3/4″ on each of the larger through hull stems, and about 1/4″ – 3/8″ on the smaller ones, just to be safe.

Threading on the through hull nuts, which I’d use to clean up the cut threads, I marked each fitting and cut off the excess with a cutting wheel.  I tried to grind a small bevel at the top of the cut, and I cleaned up the threads with the through hull nut and a little sandpaper as needed till I could easily thread on the base, which ensured that it would work as planned when I was actually installing the fittings.  I’d already marked each through hull as to its location.

Now I taped the newly-shortened through hulls back in place–this time just on the four that I planned to install right away, while awaiting my final two bases–and, from inside, threaded on the bases tightly enough so I could align the base and drill the bolt holes through the hull.  I drilled one hole, inserted a temporary bolt, and then the next, ensuring that the alignment would all work out later:  one does not want to find that there’s a slight misalignment once the fitting is gooped up.  I did this for each fitting.  Then, outside the boat, I milled countersinks at each hole to allow the machine screw head to sit flush with the hull.

While preparing the bolt holes, I’d noted where I wanted the valve handles to be to allow for access and clearance, so down on the bench I pre-assembled the valves onto the bases for each of these four fittings (head intake and discharge; sink drain; engine intake).   Access was tight enough in several of the locations that I didn’t want to have to use unwieldy wrenches to try and spin these valves on tightly and into the correct orientation in place.  Only one of the valves required a 90° tailpiece, and I’d noted the correct orientation of this as well so I could pre-install it in the direction it needed to be to match up with its existing hose, for the head discharge.

After final preparations and cleanup, I installed the four fittings, following the same procedure for each one, but I didn’t try to document each step on each fitting because the job was time-sensitive and messy.  But the photos below show the basic sequence, though they may not all show the same exact fitting.

For each fitting, I heavily applied adhesive sealant to the through hull flange and neck, and pressed it into the hole.  The sealant was fairly stiff, but still required some tape to ensure the fitting wouldn’t fall out when I started the threads inside.    Now, inside the boat, I applied more sealant around the through hull neck and the perimeter of the mounting flange area, including around the bolt holes, and carefully threaded on the flange base (with valves pre-attached in this case).  I threaded the base on till it was nearly tight, then aligned it properly with the bolt holes and installed temporary bolts from inside, to hold the alignment.

Back outside, I gooped up the necks and heads of the 5/16″ bronze flathead machine screws, and inserted them into the bolt holes, pushing out the temporary bolts on the inside in the process.  Once I had all three bolts installed, I used a special tool (not shown here) to tighten the through hull securely into the flange within, and tightly against the hull on the outside.

Scampering back into the boat, I installed washers and nuts on the through bolts, and tightened them before cleaning up excess sealant from around the flange and, finally, continuing back outside where I cleaned up excess sealant there as well.

With all four fittings installed (the two new bases arrived, but too late in the day to install), I cut off the excess bolt length inside, and the job was done.  The thinner removed a little of the gray paint in a few areas while I was cleaning up sealant, revealing a bit of the white primer beneath, so that’s what the white streaks are.

I’d finish up the two cockpit scupper fittings next time.

Total time billed on this job today:  7.25 hours

0600 Weather Report:
Drizzle and fog, 35°.  Forecast for the day:  partial clearing, high in the 50s, chance of a thunderstorm

< Back to Salty

Wednesday

During the morning, I went through all the my preparation steps–layout, drill, tap, mask, sealant–to reinstall various hardware, including the water fill deck plate, cookstove vent, bow cleats, access ports, and anchor locker hinges, plus the new locker lid latch.

I lightly sanded the primer on the new chainplate covers, then applied a few coats of satin black paint to complete them, just like Jerry Maguire.

To allow access, battery installation, and construction, the battery box that would surround the batteries on their new shelf had to be at least partially removable, and as such would be mainly for protection, not necessarily self-containment:  that is, the batteries would rely on other means to hold them in place, not specifically the box itself.   I figured the outboard side of the box would mainly remain in place semi-permanently, though the ability to remove it could be helpful someday should access be required beyond it, but the aft side would be removed as needed to install or remove the batteries from the box.  The fit for the batteries, as well as the requirement to install cables, increasingly made it look like top-only access might be unnecessarily hard.

So after the usual water wash and light sanding, I laid out several hardwood support cleats that would give me places to secure the two external sides of the battery box, and installed the cleats with epoxy adhesive, screws where possible, and clamps.  The cleats left enough room (where needed) for the side panels and additional cleats as well as the battery footprints.  I left the cleats and epoxy to cure.

I received the new teak required to build the replacement rudder cheeks, and it seemed as good a time as any to get right into their construction.  Starting with a rough board a bit wider and longer than the ultimate amount required, I first planed it smooth and dimensioned it to the same thickness as the original cheeks–or, more specifically, the center spacer piece, which truly dictated the final thickness since this matched the thickness of the fiberglass rudder itself.

Through a series of sawing operations, I cut out the three new pieces required, using the originals as exact patterns.  With the blanks cut to size, I milled the chamfers at the bottom edges to match the originals (not shown here).

Securely clamping the old piece atop the new, I used the old bolt holes as guides to drill the holes in the new cheeks, one side at a time.  Then, I clamped the cheeks together with the central spacer, aligning them where they needed to be, and drilled the bolt holes through the spacer, before sanding the top surfaces of the assembly smooth and flush with one another.

With the segments separated once more, I sanded the surfaces as required to smooth and prepare them for a sealer coat of varnish, which I applied to all sides.  These new cheeks would be installed a little differently than originally, as I planned to use exposed hardware (rather than countersunk and bunged) to allow the cheeks to be readily removed for future maintenance.  So I didn’t create any counterbores for the new fasteners.  I ordered threaded rod and cap nuts to be on hand when I was ready to install the cheeks.

Total time billed on this job today:  8.5 hours

0600 Weather Report:
35°, clouds and drizzle.  Forecast for the day:  improving conditions, highs through the 40s.

< Back to Salty

Tuesday

To begin, I reinstalled the two mainsheet U-bolts at the aft end of the cockpit, with new sealant, nuts, and washers.

After marking the outline of the new opening with a pattern, I enlarged the old engine panel opening to accommodate the new panel, which I held in place temporarily with a couple screws for illustrative purposes only; I’d do the final installation a little later on, as it was too soon to put the panel in harm’s way.

Next door, I laid out the position of a new bilge pump, which would operate through the cockpit wall, and drilled the large hole and four fastener holes required.  The cover plate, when installed, would align with the bottom of the engine panel next to it.  I’d await installation on the pump till a bit later, to maintain good access in the locker to finish up some other installations first.

Now that the chainplates were back in place, I could reinstall the bulkheads and get things edging towards normal once again.  After cleaning the installation areas once more, I checked the fit of one of the bulkheads to see if I could trim some of the excess material that interfered with access to the middle chainplates on both sides.   I didn’t want to take out any material that might be important from a structural standpoint, but I found that the small tabs that extended into the narrow openings near the chainplate knees didn’t serve any such purpose.  The structural liner, which formed the main interior cabinets and structures, was well-tabbed just aft of this position, inside the lockers above the galley.  All the bulkhead fixing screws were well inboard of that area, and the bulkhead didn’t even contact the hull or molded overhead consistently in these slots, so I saw no reason why I could trim a bit in the hopes of providing someone better access in the future.

Leaving a full inch of overlap where this portion of the bulkhead passed over the last section of the molded interior liner, I trimmed the excess portion on each of the two bulkheads.

Next, I reinstalled the bulkheads.  The shortened tabs did help with access to the chainplate bolts, though on the starboard side this was still going to be a challenge, but in any event access was now as good as it could be while the bulkheads were in place.  I’d reinstall the cookstove vent and its cover once I’d reinstalled the deck fitting, which I’d only recently removed for rebedding.

Working now in the port cockpit locker, I did some final layout for the new battery platform, double-checking some measurements from my early mockup, and confirming that the boat was still level from side to side.  Then, I made some level marks inside the locker, on both the forward (transverse) bulkhead and side (longitudinal) bulkhead, which lines I used to measure and install a pair of teak (from the scrap bin) cleats to support those two sides of the new platform.  Once I had their positions set, I removed the gelcoat from the bonding surfaces, and secured the new cleats with epoxy and bolts through the bulkheads.

With these firm footings, I created a simple cardboard template of the space as needed, following the curvature of the hull outboard and the shape of the inner corners of the area.  With my battery footprint mockup, and allowing extra room for cleats and so forth, I determined the final size and shape of the platform, and transferred the template to two pieces of 9mm plywood I had on hand; I planned to laminate the two pieces to make a suitably thick base.  This design left good access beneath for locker drainage, and for access to a hole required for the bilge pump hose.

Satisfied with the shape of the platform, I prepared the bonding surfaces of the two sheets of thinner plywood, and epoxied them together, holding it secure with several screws as well.  I scribed and cut a support cleat from additional teak to hold the after corner of the platform securely, and marked the bonding area on the hull during a dry fit, so I could remove the locker gelcoat from this area for the best bonding surface.  I double-checked the fit of the “batteries” with my oversized plywood mockup, the height of which included ample room to account for the battery terminal height, so the fit appears closer than it actually is.

Preparations complete, I secured the platform with epoxy adhesive and screws to the cleats, and additional epoxy fillets where it met the hull at the outer corners, and beneath the teak “leg”.  I finished up with a layer of biaxial tabbing to secure the platform to the hull, and epoxy-coated the top of the platform as well.  The fillet got a little warm at its thickest point during curing, causing the change in color seen.

To round out the day, I built six fiberglass covers for the chainplates, each custom-fit to its respective location, as they were all just a bit different.  Because the chainplates were so close to the short raised bulwark, there was not room for traditional deck plates to slip over the tops of the chainplates, so from a strip of 1/4″ x 1-1/2″ fiberglass I milled pieces with central slots that closely fit the chainplate width without binding, leaving them open at one end, and cut the length to leave a consistent reveal at the inboard edge.  I beveled the lower edges where they met the bulwark as required to allow for a tight fit there.

With the basic fit complete, I lightly beveled the exposed corners for better appearance and coating retention, and on the insides of the slots I formed a small bevel to hold more sealant near the chainplate itself.  Then, I sprayed on some primer to begin the coating process.  I’d complete the installation once the covers were all painted.

Total time billed on this job today:  7.5 hours

0600 Weather Report:
35°, light rain.  Forecast for the day:  on and off rain and showers, high 45°

< Back to Salty

Monday

Back on hardware duty, I started by reinstalling the stern pulpit.  With the pulpit dry-fit in place, I marked all the fastener holes (and masked around the two after bases), then drilled and tapped the holes for machine screw fasteners.  Afterwards, I applied plenty of sealant and fastened the pulpit back in place.  The outermost fasteners on the two after mounts were beyond the extent of my reach through the lazarette hatch–I could barely touch the screw, but couldn’t get a washer and nut started–but fortunately I could manage it if I put my hand through the nearby vent hole.

I continued with the stern cleat…

…and then the diesel fuel fill and waste pumpout deck plates.  I reconnected the waste hose with a new clamp, but left the diesel fill hose for later, since access to the rear side of the engine controls was easier without the hose in place.

The old plastic deck plates and cowl vents from the poop deck were salvageable, but were faded and brittle with age, and the owner wished to replace them.  Before I ordered the replacements, however, I wanted to satisfy  a nagging curiosity or concern about the upcoming Monitor windvane installation, which would require two deck mounts for support.  My early perusal of the instructions had left a figure of 15″ spinning around my head, and I thought that was going to land the mounts right where those vent holes were.  I was right about the 15″:  that was the width between the support tubes at the top end.  But the tubes would flare out from a bend, and spread to a deck measurement of about 25″ on center.  I checked this with a tape, and it looked like it would clear the vent holes, so I went ahead with the new purchase.

With the stern pulpit back in place, I figured I’d taken care of the worst part of hardware rebedding, with all the hardest-to-reach installations complete.  But there was still more to do, and I continued now with various prepwork and additional removals.  At the bow, I needed to create access to the underside of the two bow cleats.  The design of the anchor well and interior liner prohibited any access from inside the boat, so the only way in was to cut access holes in the sides of the anchor well, which I’d fill later with screw-in deck plates.  Once I cut the access holes, removing the cleats was straightforward, though the builder used 3″ long fasteners when 1-1/2″ would have been adequate.

Once the cleats were out, I overbored the fastener holes with a 1/2″ bit, removing the core, and did the same with all the other fastener holes around the anchor locker, including the hinges (deck side) and part of the mount for the new latch.

On the side deck, where I’d removed the water fill deck plate earlier, I reamed out the core from within the opening, and overbored the three fastener holes for the deck plate, and masked around the opening to prepare for epoxy.

I removed the vent from the cookstove and prepared the main opening and the surrounding fastener holes for epoxy filling as well.

 

 

Later, I filled all these new holes and voided core with thickened epoxy, removing any masking tape afterwards.

At the stern, I removed two 1/2″ U-bolts for the mainsheet.  I’d worried a bit about removing these, as some photos I’d taken of their undersides (there was no direct visual access through the various openings) showed some ugly rust on the port side, and I’d  run into issues with the same thing on a sistership I worked on years before.  Fortunately, though, the nuts came off easily; the rust turned out to be only from a substandard lock washer that had been in place.

After cleaning out the holes (the footprint of the hardware wasn’t large enough to allow boring them out any larger), I sealed the insides of the holes with epoxy, whatever was in there.  I couldn’t be sure whether there was any plywood in there, or just extra fiberglass in this location, but a little extra epoxy never hurt.

Ironically, the dumbest possible piece of hardware proved to be the most difficult to remove:  one of the vent fittings located in the side of the cabin trunk above the head.  The fitting itself was in fine condition, but the fixing nut on the inside was badly rusted and looked terrible, so replacement of both vents was in order.  Of course removing this rusted nut proved to be a problem, as it was corroded to the threads and spun the whole fitting when I tried to loosen it.  At first I tried to hold the fitting with another pair of pliers from inside, but all this did was crush the end of the brass fitting.  Eventually, I locked a pair of pliers on the nut so it could spin against the overhead, and, from outside, used another pair of locking pliers to turn the fitting, and this eventually loosened the nut so I could remove it.  Then, the nut wouldn’t pass over the crushed end of the fitting so to remove the fitting I had to cut through it with a hacksaw.  (And people wonder why it takes so much time to do anything on a boat.)

 

With new fasteners on hand after the usual afternoon delivery, I got back to work on the chainplates  Installation was straightforward except for the starboard middle chainplate, with its extremely tight access.  The way the knee angled aft just a bit towards the nearby molded/tabbed cabinet made it impossible for me to get a nut started by hand–there just wasn’t room to get nut-holding fingers in there.  So I came up with a way to hold a nut inside a box-end wrench, which I could delicately hold in to the narrow gap and, by turning the bolt head, get the nut started.  Once the washers and nuts were in place, it was no major problem to tighten them.

The port center chainplate had more room, so I could start the nuts by hand.  And all the rest were wide open, relatively, and easy to fix the chainplates in place.  I’d work on some deck covers for bedding the chainplates in the coming days.

Total time billed on this job today:  8 hours

0600 Weather Report:
20°, mostly clear.  Forecast for the day:  clouding up, high around 40