On the middle section of the console, I laid out the position for the flush-mount VHF, using the template included with the unit, then cut out the opening in the cover panel and structural panel to fit.  I didn’t yet have the flush-mount securing brackets, so I didn’t proceed with installation–but I wanted to get all the cutting done.

Similarly, I laid out and cut an opening to fit a bilge pump switch, the standard type allowing automatic or momentary manual operation.  I knew by now that the boat wasn’t wired for this switch at the moment–there was only a wire pair leading to the console, whereas the manual/automatic switch ultimately required four–ground, main power supply, manual pump and automatic pump (float switch).  Fortunately, there was a spare 14/2 wire pair already led through the conduit to the stern, leftover from a now-defunct livewell pump, so once the new panel switch was done I removed the existing wiring and connections from the bilge pump and switch (I’d rewired it according to how I’d removed the wires originally) and made up the connections as needed for the 3-way operation, using the spare wires to complete the new circuits required.

 

A simple task was to install the new battery mounting bases in the aft port compartment.  Final installation would wait till the bitter end to maintain ample room to finish up the bilge pump hoses (when the through hull arrived) and battery switch and related wiring.

I scraped and solvent-washed the lip beneath the livewell hatch, removing the last vestiges of the old gasket, then installed a new self-adhesive gasket around the perimeter.

Mid-day, I had another boat arrive at the shop, taking my attention for a time, but later, behind the helm console, I started work on the final wiring connections, beginning by making up the bilge pump connections as needed to the new panel.  For the moment, since I was lacking enough installed wire mounts (awaiting new adhesive), I led the wires through several temporary wire-securing locations in a rough estimate of the final wiring path, which allowed me to continue working even while I awaited the final materials required.  During the afternoon, I got a good start on the wiring, installing a new dual buss bar for positive and negative and making up several connections of existing and new wiring.  There’d be more to come and the situation was still a bit of a mess, but would come together nicely once I could install the proper number and location of wire mounts.  All to come in coming days once I get some deliveries.  I count on having most things I need for this sort of job on hand, so it’s frustrating when I find that my supplies are lacking or, in the case of tye adhesive for the wire tie mounts, unexpectedly unusable.

I got started with the installation of the new GPS/plotter unit on its bracket, mounted on the dashboard near centerline.  The display was too large to fit comfortably as a flush-mount anywhere in the console, so during an earlier meeting the owner and I had determined this general location instead.  For now I just mounted the unit; I’d finish up the wiring later, once I had the panel in place in the console.  I’d hoped also to lay out and install the new VHF radio, but found that (of course) it didn’t include the flush-mounting hardware, which I had to order now.  (Expressions of displeasure reserved.)

Preparing to install the bilge pump through hull, I started from inside the boat, in way of the old hole that I’d filled from outside before painting, and drilled a pilot hole through the hull, then finished the 1″ hole for the fitting from the outside.  I also removed, with a larger hole saw, a section of the molded interior liner to make room for the through hull nut and access.  Unfortunately, I discovered that the SS through hull I’d purchased was not long enough to fit through the extra-thick transom construction, so this stymied progress while I found and ordered something suitable.  For now, I had to content myself with epoxy-coating the exposed coring within the new cutout.  All in all the morning hadn’t gotten off to a stellar start so far.

My canvas contractor arrived with a new frame to set up and make a pattern for the new top.  He chose to mount the new frame on the inside of the windshield, secured to the fiberglass molding, as he wasn’t a fan of using the shaky aluminum windshield as a mount for the frame.  With the new frame properly positioned and mounted temporarily on its brackets (I’d finish the installation later with backing blocks for added strength), Jason proceeded to pattern the top and front of the new enclosure, leaving the side panels for later, once the top was complete.

During the afternoon, I laid out and installed the new switch panel, along with an accessory outlet and wiper switch, on the port side of the main console panel, adjacent to the helm.  I removed the black cosmetic panel and made the cuts there first, then transferred the openings to the console itself to finish things off before installing the new components permanently.

Armed with a battery and test leads, I went through the various wires remaining in place to determine what was what, hooking each pair up in turn to see what turned on or lit up, then marking the wires as needed.    Then, preparing for the final wiring connections to come,  I installed a few wire mounts below the console before discovering that most of the tube of adhesive I was using was in fact semi-cured and unusable, so I didn’t get as far with these preparations as I’d hoped either.  In any event, the end of the day was nigh and  I bid a fond farewell till next time.

I was away from the shop for part of the morning on other business.  When I returned, I began by installing the new battery platform in the port aft locker, though as of this writing I seemed to have no photos of this.

Next, I got to work on the livewell hatch installation, starting with drilling a 2″ hole for the latching hardware; I’d installed solid fiberglass in this area during the repairs.  I installed the latch with new fasteners and butyl sealant.  Afterwards, I installed the hatch in the boat and reinstalled the hinges, drilling and tapping for #10 machine screws in each location, with more butyl sealant.  I had new gasket material for the hatch opening on order and would install it upon arrival.

With the hatch reinstalled, I continued with the large cooler/pushmi-pullyu seat, located just forward of the hatch.  This was a different unit than had originally been installed, but ’twas of little matter as I’d filled the old fastener holes before, and the new seat fit in more or less the same space and covered the old location entirely.  After aligning the seat as desired, I installed it with new fasteners and butyl sealant.  There were two pedestal-mount seats to be mounted behind the helm and console, but I planned to wait on these installations till I’d finished the wiring and other work at the helm.

With another boat arriving in a few days, and requiring the “real” side of the workshop, I took advantage of a nice afternoon to reposition the Holby in the other side of the shop, where I could continue working on the various remaining tasks on my list over the coming days and before the boat had to leave for the outboard dealer where the new powerplant would be rigged.

With the afternoon courier delivery of the new panel for the last section of the console, I finished up the day cutting and installing the final section.  There’d be additional work on the console to install the switch panel and a flush-mount radio, both of which were now also on hand, and I looked forward to finishing up that work in the immediate future.

I finished up the basic bilge pump wiring by bundling and securing the wire harness to the newly-installed wire mounts beneath the deck.  I also took the opportunity to run the main power cable leading to the console (which I’d had coiled and secured in a nearby locker) across to the port side battery locker, where it would eventually be connected to the battery switch once installed.  I secured the siphon break to its new support, and attached the hose from the bilge pump (left of photo) and an extra length of hose that I’d connect to the through hull once I installed it.

Next, I turned to the console, using my previously-made templates to prepare the new black textured UV-stabilized polyethylene surface for the three facets of the console.  I found to my dismay and disbelief that the lower, largest section was too large for any dimension of the product I’d ordered weeks before, so alas, I had to await its completion till I ordered a larger piece suitable for the dimensional requirements.  But I cut and installed the two upper sections, including installing the compass back in its original location.

I removed the masking from the nonskid on the livewell hatch, completing the paint work there.

The owner provided two new battery hold-down trays for the two batteries, to be installed in the port aft locker.  The style of tray and the dynamics of the locker required that I build a simple plywood platform to support the battery trays and allow them to be properly secured within the locker.  Once the new platform was cut to fit satisfactorily, I applied a couple coats of epoxy over the remainder of the day, which coating would help protect the plywood from moisture in the locker.  It looked to be a tight fit against the scupper drain hose for the inboardmost battery clamp, so I thought I might have to replace that hose with one slightly longer that I could bow out of the way in the center.

At this point most of the remaining tasks on my list required materials and parts not yet on hand (but on the way), so to wrap up the work for now I installed the inspection ports in the outboard well.  The fastener holes projected through the epoxy-filled edges of the holes, so installation was a straightforward matter of drilling, tapping, and installing the plastic units with sealant and machine screws.

Now that the construction and painting was complete, I turned to some of the hardware reinstallation–or new installation, in some cases.  I started with some specifications and ordering to replace some of the older electrical items from the console, including a new circuit breaker switch panel and VHF radio that I’d flush-mount in the console.  Afterwards, I got to work on the boat with the new bronze garboard drain fitting.  I marked, drilled, and tapped the fastener locations and dry-fit the piece with temporary screws before installing it permanently with plenty of sealant and bronze screws.

I installed new stainless steel end caps to finish off the rubrail at the transom.

Next, I reinstalled the original transom U-bolts.

I installed four sets of scupper flaps over the cockpit scupper openings (secured with screws to the exposed ends of the plastic through hull fittings) and over the outboard well drains (secured to the hull with sealant and screws).

Next, I turned to the bilge pump.  When I removed the relatively new pump at the beginning of the project, I’d labeled its various wires, so now I reinstalled the pump base platform on the little raised wooden support in the bilge (leftover from before), then cleaned up and rewired the pump according to the original wire positions.  Preparing ahead to secure the wire harness to the boat well above the level of future bilge water, I sanded away the paint from a couple spots inside the bilge area, then installed wire tie mounts with an acrylic adhesive, leaving these to cure overnight before securing the wires.

I attached a new outlet hose to the pump and led it into the port aft locker, beneath the seat.  The original pump had included a siphon break loop, which I planned to reinstall.  I didn’t want to fasten this through the bulkhead as it had been before (when the now-open outboard well was part of an enclosed engine room), so to prepare for mounting the siphon break I epoxied a fiberglass block, into which I’d drilled and tapped fastener holes for the hardware, to the side wall of the locker, leaving this to cure overnight.  I also ordered a new through hull fitting for the pump outlet to replace the old, damaged one that I’d removed at the beginning of the project.

Finally, I lightly sanded the paint on the field area of the livewell hatch, masked off the borders as needed, and applied nonskid in the same color, with a flattening agent added along with the nonskid particles, to finish off the work on the hatch refurbishment.

I spent the day removing all the masking from the boat, and otherwise cleaning up and getting the shop back to normal, stowing paint and equipment and so forth.  The unmasking was straightforward but rather time-consuming and fussy on deck, where the paint was still fresh and tape removal required some extra care, exacerbated by the sheer volume of masking and the tight quarters in some areas.

It was nice to see the whole project exposed for the first time since painting began, and I worked on a relatively short list of tasks remaining to complete the work required before calling the job complete.

After an overnight cure, I took a little time on Thanksgiving morning to unmask around the new boottop, leaving the rest of the masking in place to cover the hull.  I also removed most of the plastic and other masking covering the deck areas in the stern (mainly the outboard well area) to expose it for preparation and painting.

To be sure there was no chance of overspray damaging the previously-painted areas, I added a strip of masking paper to cover the just-uncovered boottop, and masked as needed around the transom cutout to prepare for the off-white paint in the interior.  The cockpit was otherwise already ready for paint, as the masking from the primer was still in place.

That was all I had time for at that moment, but it streamlined the process for the return to work after the weekend when, after final preparations, and over the course of several hours, I spray-applied three coats of gloss topcoat in oyster white, the closest stock match (at least as determined by the owner and me) to the existing gelcoat on the decks.  I left the fresh paint to cure overnight in the warm shop.

 

With 45 hours’ cure time on the hull paint, I was now well past the safe point for overmasking, so to get started on the boottop I first covered the whole of the hull with paper and tape for protection against overspray, then masked to the existing line for the boottop.  I masked in this order so that I could remove the tape immediately adjacent to the boottop paint after an overnight cure, but wanted to leave all the hull masking paper in place so the hull would be covered when I sprayed the cockpit and outboard well from above, which would be the next and final stage of painting for this project.

Afterwards, I solvent-washed the stripe and tacked off before beginning paint mixing.

I applied three coats of snow white gloss topcoat to the boottop, and left the boat to cure overnight before continuing.

The day after is literally a paint-dry day, so there was little I could do other than to remove the masking from the boottop and some of the hull hardware, after which (and after admiring the fresh paint) I settled down to wait till I could overmask next time.