The upper panels for the settee lockers were ready to go, but for now I held off installation to allow the paint a bit more time to cure (it was still a bit tacky), and I also planned to install the aft lower chainplates (at least) before the lockers were complete; although access would be possible and even easy afterwards, it was still easier now.  But I’d ordered the wrong size bolts for the chainplates, delaying their installation a bit till the proper size arrived.  In any event, not installing the settee panels wasn’t holding anything else up at the moment, so there was no harm in waiting.

Back at the quarterberth, I cleaned the surfaces and installed a series of wire mount bases along the gunwale, eventually to hold the wire bundle leading aft that had been beneath the old platform.  I cleaned up this bundle and removed the old wooden supports from the aft end, which had fallen off the hull earlier, then temporarily secured it near the forward end to hold it as much out of the way as possible while I painted the locker, from the aft end to the fuel tank.  I left the forward end as is for now pending some decisions and installations in the galley.  Once the paint was dry, and the adhesive securing the wire mounts had had adequate cure time, I could secure the wiring up along the gunwale out of the way, leaving the locker clear for the new propane locker and cockpit access, and for finishing off the galley at the forward end.

Speaking of the galley, it made sense now to paint most of the locker on the starboard side, aft of the stove and beneath the sink area, leaving a bit of it unpainted near the forward edge and in way of the new stove bulkhead where I would soon be installing the remaining bulkhead across to the port side.

On the port side, I removed the two panels forming the refer compartment so I could attend to some small details and prime and paint these panels.  This gave me a chance to re-secure an AC terminal block and junction box cover to the inside vertical panel of the space; this box had originally been installed on the forward bulkhead, and had been loose and awaiting a final home since.  I added a support cleat to the lower edge of the back (vertical) panel to help support the floor panel, and another cleat on the inside edge of the inboard panel for the same purpose.  All these panels would remain removable if needed, but worked together for mutual support.  At the inboard edge of the floor panel, I installed some small cleats that would provide support for a to-be-built front panel that would enclose the space.

Next, I added a vertical cleat to the aft end of the space, this cleat needed to capture the eventual front panel, and also to help support the countertop and lid for the space.  Eventually, through several steps that made themselves clear as each additional piece came into being, this cleat assembly grew to include a horizontal support for the aft end of the lid to the refer compartment, with an additional cleat behind for the fixed portion of the countertop, and all designed to be removable in a single piece for access to the fuel tank should it be needed.   I also wanted to leave the aft bulkhead at least partially open to promote additional ventilation for the refrigerator.

I glued what I could, including the 90° joint at the inboard corner, which I also secured with a through bolt for strength.  Once I’d built this support, I removed it again for the moment, to allow for some painting and to keep it out of the way till I was done in the quarterberth, but before I did I made a quick plywood template for the enclosure panel along the inboard edge, to be built soon and which would eventually incorporate additional open ventilation, plus a support system for the remainder of the galley/engine room construction.

This would be an at least partially visible, “finished” space (though the refrigerator would take up most of the space), and as such I planned to paint everything with the white paint intended for other parts of the cabin.  To begin, I applied white primer to the bulkheads as needed, then to the floor and back panels as well as the aft support cleat  I’d continue with a couple coats of semi-gloss white to finish these up before reinstallation.  This process would also give me time to finish up a couple wiring reinstallations through the space before I buttoned it up (though again, these components were designed to be removable for access with as minimal effort as possible).

I began by installing the cleats I’d cut for the starboard upper compartments–3 per compartment.

To support the upper edge of these cabinets, I cut and installed four additional cleats with epoxy (with dabs of hot glue to secure the pieces while the epoxy cured).

Giving the epoxy a bit of time to cure gave me a window of time to check out some teak bulkhead corner handles the owner had hoped to use on the two galley bulkheads.  I’d ordered the pieces to have on hand and check if they could work, which I suspected they would.  Working on the port side, I checked the concept, then, having confirmed the function, snuck up on the final 45° cut required on the bulkhead to allow the handle to fit as intended.  I’d have to figure out how these would interact with the bulkhead staving on one side, but all in the fullness of time.  I repeated the process on the starboard bulkhead, which went more quickly as I could transfer some basic positioning and measurements from the opposite side.  For now, I set the teak handles aside for installation later in the project.

With some rough measurements, I prepared four cheap plywood template blanks for the upper settee cabinets, then held them in place for marking and scribing as necessary against the underside of the deck, and at the bulkhead ends.

I transferred the patterns to the final plywood and cut out the blanks, leaving them to run wild past the upper dividers so I could mark them in place for trimming.  For some reason, I don’t have photos of the two after panels after final trimming.

I made some reference marks to indicate the position of the locker openings in the backrests below, which, down on the bench, I used to to lay out and eventually cut the locker openings for the uppers.  I chose to make these openings the same width as their lower counterparts, and positioned the lower edge of the cutouts 3″ above the base of the panel to provide plenty of support for whatever cabinet contents there might be.  This allowed for a 6″ x 18″ opening.

Finally, I performed ritual final cleaning and preparation and painted the insides of these four lockers, as well as the chainplate knees forward of the main bulkhead.  The open center portions of the settees would later be painted white to match the remaining cabinetry.

When I’d demo’d most of the rest of the interior of the boat and done my bulk surface prep and sanding early in the project, the narrow quarterberth had been inaccessible to me, behind a tall bulkhead at the aft end of the then-nav station.  So I’d left that area for some other time, and in the meantime, it’d been mocking me in its undone-ness, fairly defying me to put it off any longer.   Despite this, I managed to pretend it wasn’t there for quite some time.  But with new construction progressing, it was getting harder and harder to ignore the last vestige of peeling paint and despair, and now, with a short day on tap thanks to an afternoon commitment, I decided the time was nigh to get the job done.

I’d not been looking forward to getting in there, and I came close to putting it off for another time, but eventually I buckled down and got it done as I’d planned all week.  As it happened, it turned out to go more quickly and less messily than I’d feared (it’d been making a humongous mess that had been the most dreadful part as I imagined the job), as most of the residual dust ended up staying pretty trapped in the small compartment thanks to my own effectiveness as a dust-blocker by virtue of simply being in the space and bodily taking up most of the opening.  This space was to be utility only going forward–with a to-be-built propane locker located in the after portion, and storage (hopefully accessed from the cockpit) in the forward section–so the surface prep needed only to remove loose and flaking paint and generally clean up the space to be ready for bilge and locker paint, at best.  So as with many things in life, the anticipation ended up being worse than the work itself, and once I’d cleaned up I was happy to have the job behind me.  Sometime later (soon), I’d get in there and install some new wire mounts and relocate the wire bundle up along the gunwale somewhere out of the way.

For the remainder of the morning, I focused back on the settee upper lockers, starting with a light (hand) sanding of the new tabbing securing the dividers.

Next, I measured, cut, and began to install the support cleats required for the upper cabinets on each end.  Cleats can be time-consuming, especially when most of them, as in this case, required a 10° angle on their edges to match the angle formed between the main bulkheads and shelf, and these angles required notations first so I’d remember which orientation the cleat for each place had to be, since they were different on each side of the boat and often depending on which side of the dividers they were placed on–impossible to reconcile on the fly when making the cuts down in the woodshop.  The forwardmost vertical cleat, located on the main bulkhead just outboard of the chainplates, required an additional cleat thickness since I planned to hold the forward panel just aft of the bulkhead to allow chainplate clearance (which gap would later be covered by teak trim).

In the event, it took the remainder of the morning to install most of the cleats on the port side (excepting the two overhead cleats), and while I had the cleats cut for the starboard side, their installation would have to wait till next time.

To finish up my brief day, I mixed and applied 2-part epoxy primer to the shelf and upper bulkhead tabbing to prepare the areas for locker paint soon.  I only apply this primer as the final thing in any day, or at least if I plan not to be back in the cabin, as the fumes would otherwise drive me out anyway.

After a quick and light sanding of the newest tabbing securing the settee shelf, I was ready to begin layout and construction for the upper cabinets.

With the basic idea of two enclosed cabinets on each side, bookending an open shelf in the center, I studied the specifics of the spaces and ultimately decided that the center, open section should align with the edges of the center lower locker opening, which would make the two enclosed lockers a bit longer (but essentially symmetrical with each other).  The reasons this worked and ruled the day were several.  If I’d divided the space equally into thirds, the upper locker openings on the ends would he hard-pressed to align in a pleasing way with the openings below.  But by keeping the open section (which probably  didn’t need to be as large anyway) just over the center lower opening, this meant the end lockers’ doors could be centered directly over their lower counterparts, which would look the best, and frankly anything else would have seemed odd.

This placement also worked well to avoid–and ultimately hide/enclose–the backing plate and hardware securing one of the stanchions above, with the divider ending up clear of these by an inch or so.  I struck layout lines based off the vertical edges of the locker opening below, and, with a bevel gauge set to the angle between the fore and aft bulkheads and the settee backrest, drew marks on the shelf to indicate the position of the small dividers and supporting cleats.

Next, I cut and dry-installed cleats at each of the four layout locations, offsetting the cleats by the thickness of the plywood (so the edge of the divider would be in line with the locker opening below) and ensuring each was aligned at the correct angle, i.e. ultimately square to the boat’s centerline.  Then, with cheap plywood templates cut roughly to size, I went through the usual process of scribing/marking and cutting the templates to fit, aligning them plumb and installing hot glue blocks as needed to hold them so.

Next, I transferred the shapes to 12mm plywood and checked the fit, leaving the inboard edges wild for marking.  I planned to run the faces of the end cabinets past the edge grain of the dividers at each end, so I marked a 12mm offset from the edge of the shelf, then a plumb line up from there.

I cut the dividers to their finished lengths, each end angled to match the settee, and, satisfied with everything, permanently installed the cleats with glue and screws, and marked the hull and deck on each edge of the plywood for alignment during installation.

I secured the dividers in place with glue and screws against the cleats, and epoxy along the edges where they met the hull and deck, with just a dab of hot glue on the inboard upper corner against the deck to hold the panels in proper vertical alignment.  I formed small cosmetic fillets on the inside edges, which would be exposed in the open portions of the cabinets, and additional fillets on the outer sides, which I then covered with strips of 4″ tabbing to secure these bulkheads in place.

To start the day, I made an early trip to the machine shop to pick up the new chainplates and backing plates.

Over the weekend, the owner and I discussed relocating the fresh water pump from its existing location in the galley, which he said was hard to access, to the forward cabin, where the new water tank would be.  This would also simplify the plumbing, and extending the wiring would be straightforward.  In my mind I remembered enough room for the pump there, so I decided to go ahead first thing and move the pump to its new location.

First, I used a long level to mark the aft bulkhead in the v-berth with the proper level height, as the original had been several inches too low at the aft end.  I transferred the new mark across the bulkhead on each side to give me a reference point for how much room there was available.  There was enough room outboard of the existing washdown pump already located there to mount the fresh water pump, while still staying clear of the eventual berth structure and the other pump and maintaining access for hoses, filter changes, etc.  For now, I mounted the pump and its associated wiring terminal; I’d extend the existing wires forward another time.

Now I turned to the final installation of the settee backrests with glue and screws.

With those permanently in place, I made some basic measurements and cut rough patterns for the top shelves from 3/16″ plywood, then scribed and adjusted these as needed till I was satisfied with the templates.

I transferred the shapes to the 12mm plywood and cut out the shelves, leaving them a bit wide to overhang the backrests for now and making minor adjustments as needed till the shelves fit properly.  I marked the overhangs  for trimming.

Down on the bench, I trimmed the overhangs and enlarged somewhat the openings around the chainplate knees to allow room for the chainplates and bolting access, then installed the shelves permanently with glue and screws on all the support cleats I’d previously installed, and epoxy along the hull edge.  Then, I installed a strip of 4″ tabbing to help secure the shelf all along the hull.

This brought things to the end of the day; I’d continue next time with the upper cabinets.

In a short work session, I painted the lockers behind the settee backrests to prepare for the final installation (and additional construction) next time.

I’d hoped to make my first task painting the lockers behind the settees, the last task remaining before I could think about permanently installing the backrests and continuing the construction.  However, the primer I’d applied late in the day last time was still a bit tacky and was not yet ready for overcoating.  So I left it to cure the rest of the day and planned instead to come in over the weekend to do the painting, since I had to be out of the shop Friday.

In the galley, I wanted to provide a shelf beneath the countertop to provide some storage that would be accessible through a hatch in the back corner of the countertop to help make use of this otherwise-inaccessible and wasted space.  The shelf had to clear a discharge hose and skin fitting, and couldn’t be too far down lest it be too deep for the access provided.

I started with some support cleats on both bulkheads, an appropriate distance down.  Next, with a rough plywood template, I patterned the shelf, and cut the final shelf from 12mm marine plywood.  I added a fairly tall plywood fillet at the inboard edge, to hold whatever shelf contents there would be, and left space for the hose to run on its course.  Finally, I installed the shelf with glue and screws on the support cleats, and a strip of tabbing to secure it to the hull in the usual way.

I continued with some additional cleats to support the countertop, including one along the aft bulkhead, and one on the new stove bulkhead, which I kept short at this point since there’d be a support beam running across the boat that I needed to tie in with and secure to the aft side of the bulkhead.  I leveled the countertop line across the stove and reference cleat from the forward bulkhead, and checked its position with a long level run across to the port side of the galley, where the countertop height had originally been set earlier in the project.

Next, while the access was good and I was thinking about it, I installed some wire mounts in the space to help me start cleaning up the existing wiring that I’d removed from its original mountings in the old galley.

I’d considered adding an access hatch to the short bulkhead at the inboard edge of the stove compartment, but the opening would have been so small as to be nearly worthless, so instead I decided to make the whole panel removable for access behind if necessary, much like its counterparts on the port side.  I installed a support cleat along the top edge of the panel to help support the stove platform above, and secured the panel with screws.  I’d remove this later for finishing when the time came.

The final odd in a day of odds and ends was to glue-laminate several support beams for the galley structure, including a horizontal beam, vertical support, and a couple interim countertop support pieces.  I glued these from the poplar that I’d cut earlier, using waterproof wood glue and clamping securely till cured.

My first task, as is the usual way of things, was to lightly sand the new tabbing securing the settee backrest divider bulkheads.

I installed some pre-cut cleat stock to the upper back edges of the two plywood settee backrests with glue and screws, and set these aside to give the glue a chance to set up.

I’d used up all my cleat stock, so I took a few minutes to mill a new supply, as well as milling some wider pieces that I planned to use for support beams in the galley.

Now I brought the two backrests up into the boat for a dry fit.  The pieces fit well, with just a bit of minor, final reshaping on the starboard side.  I secured the backrests with several screws to hold them tightly to the support cleats for the next process, which was to fit and determine the positions of several additional support cleats:  one on each divider bulkhead; plus four per side along the top edges of the dividers and fore and aft bulkheads to support the horizontal shelf above.  I measured and cut these cleats to the sizes required, then, for the divider cleats, held them in place so they were tight to the backrest and marked the bulkheads accordingly.  For the short horizontal shelf-support cleats, I used a level and the cleats themselves to mark lines on the bulkheads for their final positions.

I removed the backrests for clear access, then installed all the support cleats–six per side–with glue and screws, aligning them to the marks.

With that, I cleaned up the area and applied epoxy-based 2-part primer over the tabbing inside the settee lockers, and also around the galley stove surround, my extra step to hedge against curing issues with the locker paint.

 

With the plywood blanks I’d pre-cut to the rough shape of the hull, I worked to finalize the four dividers/supports for the settee backrest and lockers.  For each location, I scribed and trimmed the blanks to fit, then held them temporarily with hot glue blocks so I could use a simple jig to mark the 10° angle to match the backrest, and also mark the height of the backrest so I could strike a level line for trimming.   Down on the bench, I trimmed each divider to its final size, keeping the cut lines just inside of the marks so I could make up the final difference later with a support cleat; I didn’t want the plywood to be over-sized at all.

I held the now-trimmed dividers in place with some dabs of hot glue, then applied small epoxy fillets and, finally, strips of 4″ tabbing on each side to secure the bulkheads in place.

During the afternoon, I worked on the final settee backrests, cutting them to match the templates from 12mm okoume plywood.  These would be ready for installation as soon as all the preparatory steps for the insides of the lockers were complete.

The next step for the stove compartment was to cut and fit the three panels to make up its interior.  I began with the base (floor) and the vertical back panel, using basic thin plywood templates to determine the size and shape, then transferring these to the 12mm okoume for the final panels.  I left the ends run wild for later trimming flush with the tops of the bulkheads (back panel), and the short vertical front panel (floor) later.  I secured the plywood panels with four screws each, which is how they’d ultimately be installed when all was said and done.

For the angled center panel, I cut two 6″ wide pieces  from scrap 12mm okoume, each piece slightly narrower than the actual width of the space, then beveled one edge to the angle required to mate with the other panels; the mating angle was greater than 45°, so first I cut the panels on the table saw at the maximum angle, then increased the bevel on the bench with a sander.  I secured each panel tightly with temporary screws, ensuring the beveled ends mated properly with the adjacent horizontal and vertical panels, then secured them together with several hot-glued sticks to hold the orientation and give me the finished length.  I marked the edges in the usual way–a 1″ metal ruler to provide the offset from the bulkhead sides–then cut the final panel from plywood, securing it in place along with the others.

With my stove template secured to each side in turn, I checked the swing clearance, which was fine on both sides.

To finish up the surround for now, I templated and cut the short vertical panel on the inboard side of the enclosure, then cut the base panel flush with the edge of the new panel, and marked and cut the back panel so it was flush and level with the bulkhead.  The sides of the enclosure, plus the three panels I’d just cut, would be faced with stainless steel for heat resistance and to complement the stove itself (24 gauge stainless with a #4 brushed finish), so I removed the panels and measured them (along with the bulkheads on either side) so I could order the sheet metal to complete the enclosure.  Then, I removed each of the support cleats in turn and permanently installed them with glue and additional screws as needed.

With the stove at a natural stopping point, I turned back to the settees, first scribing the plywood templates at the ends so I could make the final panels to fit.  Then, I removed the templates and permanently installed the six support cleats (three per side) with glue and additional screws, cutting the angled backrest cleats to their final lengths in the process.

To support the settee backrest and divide the storage lockers accordingly, I planned two small bulkhead dividers on each side.  Working from the templates and the layout for the locker openings I’d designed, I determined the positions of the bulkheads, and up in the boat I made some basic plywood templates to get me started on the hull shape for the final bulkheads.  At some point I got lost in my labeling of these templates and marked several in the same way–these things happen–so ignore the markings on the four templates.  Each template photo does show a different location, but the markings caused consternation when I was back in the woodshop trying to cut the oversized plywood blanks and every template seemed to say “SF” or “PA”.  We all get our lefts and rights and ports and starboards messed up sometimes.  Eventually I got it worked out and created four bulkhead blanks, each cut roughly to the hull shape at this point and oversized to allow final fitting and cutting to the necessary shape next time.  The angled cuts at the bottom would allow the panels to clear the lower support cleat for the backrest.