The final step in this project was finishing up the new canvas installation with the side curtains, which Jason had built over the past several days and now installed permanently.
The final step in this project was finishing up the new canvas installation with the side curtains, which Jason had built over the past several days and now installed permanently.
Before starting on the prep work at the hull-deck joint/rubrail, I removed a tank vent fitting from the port quarter, as the fitting would soon be in the way. The fitting was only hand-tight and easy to remove, and I stuck the vent back in the hose inside the locker for safekeeping.
The black sheer strake was molded so as to be slightly proud of the rest of the hull, approximately 1/8″, but at the ends the protrusion tapered off to nothing a bit below the old rubrail location. To aid in recreating the shape later on, I took the time to make patterns of both the stern and bow on the port side; I could flip these for the starboard side so saw no need to make specific patterns for each corner. I also made a rubbing of the Ericson logo on the quarter in case it needed to be recreated later.
Before continuing, I closed up the companionway and other hatches to keep dust out of the boat as much as possible.
I spent the remainder of the day grinding the out-turned hull and deck flanges flush (or as nearly so as possible) to their adjacent surfaces. At the deck side, I also removed the gelcoat up as far as a molded “character line” in the toerail/deck edge, which logic and practicality dictated would probably be the end point for new tabbing in this instance. More on this later. I brought the flanges as flush as possible with the hull and deck moldings on either side, but had to balance this with removing too much material from the center, where the wooden strip had been and where other structural material, including interior tabbing and some kind of adhesive filler material, needed to remain in place.
Hull and deck moldings rarely, if ever, are perfectly fit and symmetrical all around, so some misalignment is standard; this is one reason manufacturers use external rubrails or trim to cover the seam. I’d make up the differences, where needed, with epoxy filler to bring things flush all over before tabbing over the seam, but essentially and practically speaking I ground the old flanges flush all around. I didn’t use the grinder for anything beyond the minimum required to remove the bulk of the material, and would finish up sanding and surface preparation with less aggressive tools to avoid excess fiberglass removal and maintain the existing contours of the moldings to minimize future fairing work. This all made a bit of a mess, but with more sanding in the immediate future I just gave the hull a quick blow down, leaving the rest of the shop for cleaning later in the week.
Easing into the project, my first order of business was to measure and record the existing positions of the waterline (i.e. the top edge of the bottom paint) and boottop at stem and stern. These references would give me the starting point for restriking these lines later on.
At the stern, I hooked my tape measure on the corner of the transom where it met the counter, and led it down centerline to measure the positions of the top and bottom edges of the boottop, and the waterline. I also noted the position of the visible scum line on the bottom paint and rudder for future reference. The molded boottop lines and bottom paint line drooped as they approached the stern cutwater (Robert Perry calls this the “buttwater”), which positioning I’d correct later on, but nevertheless these were crucial references for later. I noted them all on a meticulously-crafted drawing.
I repeated the process at the stem, using the bottom edge of the headstay chainplate as my reference point.
Amidships, I measured the visual height of the boottop (3″) and, on the port side, the exposed portion of the antifouling paint above the scum line (2″). I did note that the boat appeared to list to starboard, as the scum lines on that side showed the boottop may have been partially at or closer to the actual waterline there.
With these measurements noted, I documented the existing condition of the hull from various positions. The original gelcoat was oxidized and generally affected by wetsanding and years of polish, but mostly sound, with some pinholes, pockmarks, and other minor damage–nothing unusual or unexpected.
Next, I set up staging around the hull to give me access to the topsides and rubrail. Because the owner was still removing deck hardware, and also because in this instance it made sense to me to start from the bottom and work up, I chose to focus first on the hull prep before moving on to the larger project on the decks.
The owners requested that I remove the plastic rubrail assembly, which covered the hull-deck joint and was original in appearance. The rail was missing one of its endcaps, and the insert, which slipped into the hard PVC outer shell, was sun-damaged, cracked, crazed, and broken in some areas. The owners’ plan for me to put into effect was to glass over the exterior of the hull-deck joint, ultimately creating a flush and unadorned surface to replace the original rubrail.
The first step was to remove the insert to gain access to the fixing screws beneath. From the general appearance of the insert, I feared it might have to be removed piecemeal, as it looked hard and brittle, so I was prepared to chip it out as needed with a chisel. To my pleasure and surprise, though, the insert was rubbery and supple and, once I got it started at one end, easy to remove by hand. Once I removed the insert, and the end trim at the bow (the end cap was missing from the port after side), I removed all the screws fixing the rubrail housing to the hull, roughly every 6-8″ on center. Beneath the rail itself was the actual hull-deck joint, which featured slightly outward flanges from hull and deck moldings with a 1″ tall wooden insert between. The owner had prepared me for this possibility during an initial meeting, and I’d done some online research, so I was prepared for the finding. My first glimpses of the wood beneath showed significant water damage and rot, but fortunately I found that the wood was a thin strip only about 1/4″ thick, and wasn’t adhered to the surrounding fiberglass, so it was easy to remove; beneath the wood was solid glass of the tabbing that actually secured the joint from the inside of the boat.
I repeated the removal on the starboard side, which exhibited similar overall conditions except there was a 6′ or so section of the wooden insert that required an extra minute or two to remove, which was only notable since most of the rest of the boat just sort of fell out almost on its own.
With the wooden insert removed, there remained roughly 1/4″ protruding flanges, with a box-shaped recess between and solid fiberglass behind. Grinding the flanges flush with the hull and deck moldings would basically bring the whole seam flush and ready for external tabbing to cover the whole area, with the exception of the last few inches of the port side near the transom, where the deck appeared to be just slightly wider than the hull and might require a bit more work to bring flush.
The next step would be to grind the flanges flush and otherwise prepare the adjacent areas for the new work ahead.
From the inception of the project the owners had agreed to undertake the deck hardware removal and installation themselves, and true to form, they worked over the weekend to remove nearly all of the deck hardware. This series of photos shows the results, and also documents the condition of the decks at the onset of the project.
Wrapping up a couple final tasks on my list, I began with the two pedestal seats at the helm. These were straightforward to reinstall in their original locations (they’d been removed before the boat came to the shop) with new fasteners and sealant. The helm chair to starboard was missing its plastic bushing, so I ordered a replacement.
Afterwards, I masked off and painted the bottom. The owner selected green bottom paint, and this finished off the boat’s new appearance nicely. The blue plastic on the port quarter is there because the passageway there is narrow and frequently transited, so this simply provides some protection for the hull paint for now.
Later, Jason the canvas contractor was back with the new top, which he’d patterned earlier in the week. The top included a zippered panel over the helm station to allow the operator to poke their head through the canvas if standing was desired. With the top fitted, Jason could make the patterns for the side curtains, which he finished in my absence as I had to leave on other business. He anticipated having the new panels complete in the near future.
With that, the only task remaining on my list was to fabricate some trim for the top edge of the new outboard well (forward end), which I’d take care of sometime over the coming days.
In a short afternoon at the shop, I finished up the final wiring tasks beneath the helm console, including permanent installation of the VHF radio, and secured the wire bundles as neatly as possible. I corrected a minor wiring issue with the bilge pump switch to activate the pump properly. Earlier, I’d failed to test the USB outlet pair in the accessory outlet, so now I grabbed the only thing I could quickly find with a USB power plug–my battery jump pack–and plugged it in to ensure the outlets were powered correctly.
With everything functional and now secured, I finished up work at the console by installing the original helm unit once more.
Earlier, I removed the port scupper hose, which led directly across the battery location and would interfere with the new battery trays. Of course in the process of removing the hose the fitting on the cockpit end broke, so I ordered a replacement Marelon fitting, which was now on hand. I modified the mushroom head as needed to fit flush against the molded channel where it was to be placed, then installed the fitting with sealant. Afterwards, I installed a new drain hose, intentionally leaving an oxbow bend in the hose to help clear the stud in the battery tray system.
With a new long bronze through hull fitting on hand now for the bilge outlet, I finished up that installation, installing the mushroom fitting with sealant and its fixing nut, then threading on a collar and pipe-hose connector to make up the final connection for the bilge pump.
From prefab stock, I made 1/2″ thick backing plates for the new bimini top framework, then replaced the pair of temporary screws on each side with four proper machine screws, threaded through the deck molding and backing plates. I thought the extra reinforcement was necessary given the generally flimsy nature of the coaming molding. Later, I’d perhaps add washers and nuts to the back side, though these weren’t really necessary here.
With the scupper and bilge hoses now complete, I could finish up the battery switch installation and related wiring to the batteries.
I spent most of the rest of the day making up the final connections beneath the console as needed. For the moment, I still had only temporary means of securing and organizing the wires, but late in the day, with the arrival of my new adhesive, I was able to install new wire mounts throughout, which I’d use later to clean up the wiring runs and finalize the installation. With the batteries now connected, I could test all the final wiring connections and functionality of the installed components. I still awaited the brackets for the VHF, so I’d not yet fully installed it.
Finally, with the work done in the aft compartments, I went ahead and reinstalled the locker lids/seats.
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.
Further arrived at the shop in the late morning. I’d cleared out the shop in advance, so it was ready for her to go right in. The project would begin in earnest soon.
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.