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Wednesday

The teak rudder cheeks, which held the tiller, were well-weathered, but were still sound, with no rot or punkiness detectable.  The tiller was in similar condition, and the owner chose to replace both.  To to begin the day, I removed the rudder cheeks, which were secured to the top of the rudder with four through-bolts hidden behind large bungs.  With a drill, I bored through the bungs, and dug out the remains with an awl and chisel as needed so I could access the bolts and nuts for removal.  With the cheeks removed and down on the bench, I disassembled the two sections from the spacer in the middle, so I could pattern and measure the pieces as needed.

Back in the boat, I spent some time cleaning up and assessing the fuel tank and fuel situation.  Though the tank initially looked nasty, I found that it cleaned up well, and the tank itself was in excellent condition.

The owner was rightfully concerned about running  old or dirty fuel through the new engine, so I removed the fill hose (and the vent, which was in the way and which I found (fortunately) was not clamped to its vent fitting up in the cockpit coaming, so I could easily replace that particular hose.

With the fill hose removed from the tank, I could get a decent look inside.  The fuel looked clear and clean (and nearly full), and I could see the bottom of the tank easily, with what minimal signs of any dirt or debris in the tank.  In short, I thought it looked good.  I did my best to show this in a photo, and though the view isn’t great, it shows the clean, clear fuel and the bottom of the tank as well.

 

This was all good news, as past experience and the overall measurements of the tank and its permanent fittings meant that tank removal or replacement would be time-consuming and challenging, given the not-quite large-enough locker opening to remove the tank.  So I was happy to recommend leaving things as is, and with a good new fuel filter arrangement planned for the new engine, I saw no cause for concern.

I found I could work around the tank well enough to continue work in the locker, and I removed the control cables from the existing throttle control in the cockpit, as I’d be replacing these for the new engine (but keeping the control).

I had hand (but not visual) access to the fuel fill hose, as well as the waste pumpout hose.  I wanted to replace the fuel hose (the light-colored one), but the waste hose, which ran through the engine room and forward to a tank beneath the cabin sole, was in good condition throughout (you’ll see why I know this in a moment) and I saw no need to replace it.

Happy with the positive news on the fuel tank situation, and with the control cables and some stray wiring now out of the way, I cleaned up the rest of the starboard locker with some cleaner; the original gelcoat-painted surface cleaned up well.  Continuing aft, I removed–with effort–the little stub of exhaust hose from the gooseneck fitting at the transom (I had to use a saw to cut through the hose and wires), and cleaned up the locker surfaces there as well, and continued with the process into the port cockpit locker.  One can see how misaligned the gooseneck arrangement is, which is why the hose was such a tight fit against the hull at the lower end.  I doubted I’d have any luck (or leverage) to crank that leg another 1/8 turn and straighten it out, but perhaps I’d try later.

The waste pumpout hose was already disconnected from the waste tank, for whatever reason, so I pulled it through and out of the engine room to get it out of the way for now, cleaning it of dirt, oil, and greasy debris as I went.  This allowed for a through inspection as well, which revealed the hose was in good condition.

With the bilge as free and clear as it ever would be, I spent a couple hours cleaning it and the engine room as much as possible, removing various detritus and lost tools from the depths (including my 3/8″ wrench that I dropped down there when I removed the old engine back in September), and using long tools to dry out and clean the surfaces in the bottom, where I couldn’t actually reach.  I continued the process with the rest of the space, removing dirt, belt residue, oily black exhaust staining, and generally making the space habitable.

Now I could work in there without getting myself filthy every time.

The existing through hulls (8 total) were in fair condition with bronze through hull fittings, to which were screwed ball valves of indeterminate type.  All the valves operated when tested, some easily, some less so.  In order as shown, these are the head intake and discharge; the galley sink drain; cockpit scuppers; bilge pumps (these two above the waterline); and engine intake.  I hadn’t yet addressed the waste hoses (they were in decent condition and the waste system was outside of the scope of the project for now), but later I removed the drain hose from the galley sink, as the existing hose was ill-suited to its task.  None of the installations was what I would do, but they were all functional and essentially sound as is.  We’d be deciding soon how to proceed.

To better access the tight space beneath the galley, I removed the sink, which was secured with sealant and four screws from the top.

With the removal of the stereo from the hanging locker panel, the owner requested that I enlarge and make symmetrical the existing opening, which would also remove the old stereo hole.  To make this easier, I removed the whole panel, which was secured with screws from inside.  It’d be simpler to make the changes down on the bench.  This would also improve access to the space for wiring or other needs.

With most dismantling and systems removal now complete, and the spaces mainly cleaned up, it would soon be time to begin new installations and rebuilding.

Total time billed on this job today:  7 hours

0600 Weather Report:
33°, rain, coating of snow and sleet overnight rapidly turning to slush.  Forecast for the day:  rain, high in the 40s, then clearing and temperature dropping through the 20s and teens overnight.

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Tuesday

To access the wiring for removal, I had to remove several interior panels and cover plates to expose the wiring along the underside of the deck and, in the head, behind vertical interior panels.  These panels were easily removable.  The port wire chase cover in the forward cabin was already missing when I started, but there were no wires in that area anyway.  In the head, I also removed the bifold door to improve access throughout the process, and some additional trim pieces that covered the wiring in the passageway and at the mast step.

In the main cabin, I removed the padded backrests from the tops of the side cabinets, which improved access and would prevent any damage to these pieces during the work.  They were secured with three screws from above and were easy to remove.

With access now available everywhere, I methodically removed all the existing wiring and wire tie mounts, most of which had been installed in pre-fabricated wiring harnesses at the factor and before the hull and deck had been mated.  One wire tie mount in the forward cabin was attached to the now-inaccessible side of the deck molding, without even a fingertip’s room outside of the screw head now that the molding wasn’t conveniently upside down on some shop floor.  That screw was destined to be there in perpetuity.

At the after ends of the wiring runs, at the twin panels on each side of the cabin, I removed the old panels and then most of the nearby wiring, leaving a few things in place that would remain intact for now, namely the wiring for the depthsounder and knotmeter on the port side, and compass light to starboard.  Where wires ran from the engine room into each of these panel areas, I led in messenger lines when I pulled out the old wiring, as this would make running something new easier through the tight wire chases located in gaps behind or within the interior liner.  Eventually, I removed most of the wiring, including battery cables and related components, all of which made a fair-sized pile.

At first I’d been unclear whether or not to remove an existing (and fairly modern) stereo, located in the port hanging locker, and speakers, but with clarification from the owner I went ahead and removed these.

I worked my way aft through the engine room, removing the old engine mounts, fuel filter, fuel pump, fuel lines, and wiring harness and panel.  This cleared enough space for me to continue with the exhaust system, which I removed mostly intact.  The connection at the transom was through a stick-built galvanized pipe riser/gooseneck, and access was tight, particularly since the hose was pressed tightly against the hull as the gooseneck provided virtually no clearance.  With old, heat-welded, wire-reinforced hose, I had to cut the hose with difficulty below the gooseneck, leaving a bit of the hose still stuck in place for now  (I’d have to remove that later, but broader strokes for now).  While I was in there, I removed the old and cracked scupper hoses and anything else I could.

This mostly cleaned out the engine room, exposing the stuffing box, which I removed next.  The hose must have rotated at some point, because the three clamps had ended up in about the most challenging orientation for removal (and even casual factory installation wouldn’t have done this for any reason).  Once I had the clamps loose, which wasn’t too difficult despite the awkward orientation (fortunately), I found that the hose was impossible to twist off the stern tube, and I had to saw through it with a sharp knife, exposing the wire reinforcements that I could then cut one at a time to finally allow me to remove the hose.  The bronze packing box was in good condition, and even the old rings of packing were generally sound within, though it would be replaced with new packing regardless.

Meanwhile, I removed the suction and discharge hoses for a manual bilge pump, as well as an abandoned discharge from a nonexistent electric pump (the switch had been in place, but no signs of the pump or wiring in the bilge).  These photos obviously show the plumbing before removal.

The fuel tank, located in the starboard cockpit locker, prohibited access to a waste pumpout hose, as well as its own fill and vent hose, which were located in the deck above and were impossible to see or easily reach (other than by remotely-held camera).  The condition of the fuel in the tank was of concern given the installation of a new engine, and I’d be assessing options and alternatives for what to do with the tank and fuel in the days to come.  Recalling the challenges in removal from a project years back on another Contessa 26, I was not enthused at the prospect of removing this tank either, but more on this later.  For now, all I did was document the beginning condition of things, and I’d soon be delving into this in more detail.

Total time billed on this job today:  7.5 hours

0600 Weather Report:
20°, clear, breezy.  Forecast for the day:  Sunny, 33°

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Monday

During the weekend, I moved the most recently-completed project out of the shop to make way for Salty.  I left the winter cover in place till she was indoors, but later I removed and stored the cover, and removed the wooden frame to prepare for the project ahead.

I began by leveling the boat from side to side.

The hull was in good condition overall, and at this time no significant cosmetic work was planned.  The surface appeared to be factory gelcoat, but it was in good condition and appeared to have been generally well-maintained.

The decks, also in original gelcoat and molded nonskid, were in good condition, with the usual collection of dirt and oxidation.  Again, no major cosmetic work was planned at this time.

The interior was also in  overall good condition, and once more cosmetic concerns were not part of the project at this time.  Instead, most of the work would focus on the boat’s systems and equipment sides, which, as we will see, required more attention.  After documenting the starting condition of the boat, I removed excess gear from the cabin and elsewhere to prepare for the work ahead.

Next, I set up staging around the boat at deck height.  Because the boat was narrow, with tight sidedecks, I could reach most parts of the deck from the comfort of the staging, and work would be easier there for whatever deck-related work was required.

The boat’s previous owner had installed a Wallas 1500 cabin heater in an awkward location in the narrow passageway, right below deck level, a necessary compromise for this sort of unit in a small boat like this.  However, the new owner planned to revamp the interior heating situation with a special add-on blower lid for the cookstove (more on this later), so the old heater was now obsolete, and I made it my first priority to remove it and clear the way.

Removal was fairly straightforward.  The heater was plumbed to a portable fuel jug inside the locker, and it was easy to remove the fuel lines and electrical service.  Then, the heating unit itself came off its mounting bracket with ease, and the bracket itself was simply screwed to the bulkhead.  With the heater out of the way, I could remove the Charlie Noble fitting from the deck; this was secured with four bolts.  Fortunately, the nuts came off without spinning the bolts, as I couldn’t easily figure out how to remove the top of the vent fitting to access the screw heads on deck, even though I researched the part briefly first.  As it happened it was a non-issue, and soon all that was left was a neat hole in the deck, which I’d patch in due course.

The galley was equipped with a Wallas 85DP cooktop, also fueled with a small fuel jug beneath.  The stove itself was not permanently installed, and with the anticipated modification to install a Wallas blower lid–which, when lowered, allowed the cooktop to act as a hot-air cabin heater–I decided to remove the stove to make the modification easier.  The blower lid was a neat idea since it made efficient use of limited space in the cabin, and would surely provide ample heating power for such a small boat.  I’d work on that installation presently.

One of the main tasks on the work list for this project was to revamp the entire electrical system, with new wiring and various fixtures, along with new LED interior lighting.  To that end, I began disassembly, removing the interior lamps and unscrewing the electrical panels to get a look at the existing wiring situation and plan for the work ahead.  Removal of the remaining wiring and such would continue in the days ahead.

The other major project that formed the core of the job was installing a new diesel and revamping all related systems, as well as other plumbing systems on board.  In the time since I removed the old diesel several months earlier, the owner had decided to replace it with a new engine rather than continue to pursue rebuilding options, and this work would consume most of the time and resources allotted to this project.  So in the near future, I’d remove extraneous and outdated equipment from the engine room, and soon the boat would be down to a clean slate for the new installations to come.

Total time billed on this job today:  8.75 hours

0600 Weather Report:
20°, mostly clear.  Forecast for the day:  sunny, then chance of showers later, high in the 50s.