Monday

The sealant securing the new acrylic lenses in place had cured sufficiently over the weekend, so my first task was to trim the excess from the back sides of the frames, where the sealant had spread a bit onto the raised mating/bolting flange of the frames.  This was straightforward and quick.

I chose to leave the outer side of the frames alone for now, leaving the squeezeout for removal after installation so that the protective paper would remain intact.  Plus, I didn’t want to take the time to remove it now, since it didn’t affect installation and frankly I just wanted to get these in, after which I could clean up at leisure.

Next, I dry-fit each inside frame to its respective mate and used the frame as a guide to trim the paper on the inside of the lenses.

With preparations complete, and the rest of the installation gear still arranged on the port side, now I could get back to the final installation after last week’s setback.  I started with the port forward frame.  For each frame, I first dry-fit the frame with the braces to check its security and to choose the right brace lengths.  Then, I applied sealant to the back of the frame and braced it for the final installation. This worked well to position and hold the outer frame tightly, allowing me to go below and install the inside frame with screws.  Then, I could go back out and clean up the excess sealant from the outside of the frame.

I continued with the port aft deadlight.  In this case, I found a need to use a shorter, 3/8″ screw (versus 1/2″ as the working length elsewhere) in one location on the frame since the longer screw there was bottoming out and  pushing the outer frame away.

With both port frames installed and the new sealant cleaned up, now I could remove the cured squeezeout from the lens on the outside and pull off the paper from both sides, revealing the new windows in all their glory.

Moving my operations to the starboard side, I started with the forward deadlight frame and went through all the processes.  On this frame, a couple of the dead end threaded holes in the frame seemed to be somewhat stripped, and while the bronze fixing screws would seem to grab at first, ultimately I couldn’t get them to pull tightly.  At these two locations, I ended using a couple of my longer bolt and nut assemblies to pull the frames together, and also needed a single short screw at one of the top locations.  Late in the week, if possible and once the sealant cured enough, I hoped to replace these with the proper screws.

With great fanfare, I finished up with the starboard aft frame.  This one required a third brace since the shape of the cabin trunk here was preventing the aft part of the frame from being pushed in tightly with just the lower brace.  When all was said and done, this frame required a 3/8″ screw at the top, followed by a 5/8″ screw just below, and the rest the stock 1/2″.

I finished up by removing the paper and excess cured sealant from the frames on this side.

I had a few items to do later in the week, part of a short extra list the owner requested since we had a few days’ bonus time before the boat departed on Friday, but for the moment I was awaiting new materials that I’d ordered, so I finished up the day with another quick coat of white paint on portions of the new shelf supports, mainly above the supports where the dark laminate was shadowing through the first coat.  Then I removed the masking tape to complete this task.

Total time billed on this job today:  4 hours 

0600 Weather Observation:  50°, cloudy with a sprinkle.   Forecast for the day:   Chance of showers, gradual clearing, 64°

Friday

Awaiting delivery of the new acrylic for the deadlights later in the day, I took care of a couple lingering projects to offset the waiting period, starting with the foot pump for the galley sink.  The eventual companionway ladder (analogued for now by the rough construction ladder I was using) stood in the way of some of the logical locations for the pump, but there was just enough room in the settee face forward of the ladder, while still keeping the pump behind a solid portion of the face (there were numerous old cutouts in the face).   After ensuring there was sufficient room given the shape of the hull behind, I used a template I’d made some years earlier to lay out the slot and fixing holes for the pump, then installed it with three bolts through the face of the bulkhead.  When the new ladder was built, a modicum of planning would keep full access to the foot pump for use without interfering with the ladder.

These foot pumps are highly useful, and I like them, but I really hate installing them because the pump bodies are a constellation of weird shapes, hard edges, and odd fastening locations.  I’d long ago adapted my method for installing them by pre-modifying the molded screw holes to accept bolts through the bulkhead face, then using washers and nuts behind, as the intended installation method apparently required good, clear access from behind–great for production-floor installation but just about inapplicable in the real world of existing boat improvement.

Since access was tight to the plumbing connections, I pre-installed lengths of 1/2″ hose for both the outlet to the sink (which I connected via an adapter to the 5/8″ hose I’d previously pre-installed on the faucet) and another length for the inlet, which could later be connected to a line from the water tank with a splice.

Next, after minor surface preparations, I applied a coat of semi-gloss white enamel over the primer on the new shelf support work and surrounding areas.

Later, in the afternoon once my new material arrived, I got back to work on the deadlights.  Using my pattern, I traced the outline on each sheet of 1/4″ clear acrylic, then cut out the shape with a jigsaw, testing each piece in a frame till I had all four successfully sized (two of the frames were slightly smaller within their channels and required me to cut the plastic slightly differently).

To prepare for installation, with the paper-covered acrylic in place in each frame, I carefully cut through the paper along the edge of the bronze frame, then removed the paper from the bonding area, leaving the main part of the new deadlight covered for protection.

Finally, I applied a good bead of adhesive sealant to the frame channels, and pressed the new lenses into place, holding them securely with cross braces and clamps as needed and ensuring good squeezeout all around.  I planned to leave these in the clamps through the weekend.

Total time billed on this job today:  2.5 hours 

0600 Weather Observation:  34°, clear.    Forecast for the day:   Sunny, 61°

Thursday

Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, I got right to work on the deadlight installation, starting with the port forward unit.  No greater motivator exists than the tantalizing thought of being done with deadlight installation.  I applied sealant around the outer edge of the frame, then carefully inserted it in the opening and braced it tightly in place.

Inside, I installed the interior frame, which went well and quickly.  I got all the screws started first, and I was careful as I went and maintained as even pressure as possible on the various screws as I tightened things down.  The good news was that the bracing system worked well, and I had no trouble starting all the screws with the outer frame and glass held in position thus.

Then the day went downhill:  The glass cracked at the forward lower corner, all on its own.  And also at a spot at the top of the glass.

Was was worse, and all the more troubling, about this was that the outer frame wasn’t yet even tightly pulled in at that forward corner:  I could still move it in and out with fairly light pressure.

This was devastating.  This was a known potential all along, but I’d removed (and later reinstalled) glass deadlights in a sistership many years before, so when the owner had the glass lenses made I thought it would work, with cautions and care.   It didn’t.  These lenses today were 1/4″ laminated glass; the glass in the previous iteration was tempered safety glass.  I’d had a problem with laminated glass on an Alberg 30 many years earlier too, which ultimately led to replacement with acrylic.

But there was nothing for it but to remove the frame, and regroup.  There was no sense trying any of the other frames because they were doomed to failure.  I couldn’t leave this one in place because the cracking was catastrophic, and the way laminated glass works any cracks tend to grow with time, pressure, heat and cold, and movement.

With the boat scheduled to leave the shop just 5 days hence, two of which were weekend days, I couldn’t waste any time.  I ordered enough 1/4″ cast acrylic for the job as soon as I’d been in touch with the owner about the setback.   I needed to get the new lenses installed as soon as they arrived Friday, giving them two days over the weekend to cure in place, then do the final installation on Monday.  (Fortunately, the owner was later able to reschedule the transport a little later in the week, giving me some breathing room.)

Next, I removed the frames without issue and cleaned up the sealant.  In the process, the smaller crack at the top of the lens grew through the whole plate.

The problem with glass lenses in cases like this is the frame and glass have to bend slightly to conform to the shape of the cabin trunk, and, worse, the way the frames pin the lens between them, along with the inconsistent clearance and cabin thickness on these boats, even moderate screw pressure creates uneven hard spots on the glass, which then leads to the cracks.  There’s no way to cushion this or add soft gasketing because of the nature of the frames and the minimal clearances.

I made a template of the lens now, since I didn’t think there was any chance of the lenses coming out of the frames intact.  There wasn’t room to trace around the exposed side of the lens if I laid it on top of the template material, so instead I made a rubbing of the edge from above.

Satisfied with the template–and the owner had previously told me that all four lenses were cut the same by the glass shop, so a single template should do the job–I removed the offending lens, using heat to soften the adhesive, heavy gloves, and my favorite prying/scraping 5-in-1 tool.  With one corner already compromised, it was pretty easy in this case to get the blade started, and once I got it inserted between the frame and the glass it was pretty easy to remove the whole thing in short order.  This one maintained its overall shape well enough (with only the broken forward corner, which was still held together by the clear fabric in the center of the lamination) that I could use it to make a second, traced template (which ended up corresponding well with the original).

I repeated the process with the remaining three units.  None of the other lenses came out without suffering numerous breakages, since it was tough to get the prying tool started beneath the glass–the glass sits in a recessed area, with a raised section just outside (which contained the threaded holes for the fixing screws), so there was no easy way to just slide beneath the glass.  Laminated glass holds together pretty well when shattered, but when the broken bits come away from the center lamination they are sharp, deadly, and minute.  I cleaned up carefully between each removal.

Afterwards, I was left with a pile of frames ready for the new acrylic, and one intact lens that I kept pending arrival and shaping of the new material.

With nothing more I could do about the deadlights for now, I moved on to the newly-glassed shelf supports in the cabin, which now required the usual light water wash and then a light sanding to prepare for primer.  With such fresh epoxy, I chose as usual a two-part epoxy-based primer as a sort of tie coat, since sometimes one-part products won’t cure properly over fresh epoxy.  (Sometimes they do.)  Once this cured, during the rest of the day and overnight, I could continue with the final products to finish off the new work.

Total time billed on this job today:  4.5 hours 

0600 Weather Observation:  45°, cloudy.    Forecast for the day:   Cloudy, then becoming partly sunny, 59°

Wednesday

After prep and a light sanding, I epoxy-coated the new foam shelf supports and the hull on either side, both to prime the surfaces for fiberglass and, by allowing the epoxy to tack up slightly, to help the tabbing adhere to the surfaces and corners.

While I let that tack up for a little while, I cut lengths of 8″ wide biaxial tabbing to fit as needed.  Then, after other final preparations, I wet out and installed the tabbing on both supports.

Later in the day, once the fiberglass had tacked up enough that I could be sure there’d be no resin drips or runs to come, I removed the masking tape and plastic–easier while the epoxy was still green than when fully cured.

The sealant securing the lenses in the deadlight frames was cured enough now that during the afternoon, I could trim the excess from both sides, the first step towards final installation.

To install these alone, I needed to work out a way to hold and brace the frames from outside, so I could go inside and fight with the fixing screws.  To this end, I used scrap lumber to build a bracing wall that rested against the stanchions on either side of the deadlight area.  This panel would allow me to use short strips of strapping to press the frames tightly into position as needed.  I mocked up the two port frames so I could measure for some rough lengths for the braces, but ultimately ended up cutting two of each size from 13″ to about 10″, in half-inch increments, which would give me ready options at hand for each specific frame.  To allow me space to work, I set up staging on each side; it was a tight fit against the wall to starboard, but it would do the job.  There was no way I could do this from on deck, particularly with the bracing situation.

With those basic preparations complete, I dry-fit the port forward frame with the braces to check out the setup.  I’d take these one at a time and work my way through.  I’d done a fair number of installations of this type of frame, and they tended always to have some fun surprises in store along the way, so all I could do was take those lessons learned and be as prepared as possible.

I had enough #10 x 1/2″ screws on hand to theoretically secure the frames, but knew there might be a need for other lengths.  I couldn’t find my supply of #10 bronze machine screws–the bin was either staring me in the face, or misplaced somewhere, but either way I couldn’t put my hands on it–so earlier I’d ordered a range of lengths, which I thought would be here on the morrow.  But even with various screw lengths, I knew I’d probably need longer bolts with nuts on the inside to help align and pull the frames together initially:  By threading the bolt in till it bottomed out, and tightening the nut, I could pull the frames together regardless of actual screw length, then change the fasteners later.  So I made up a few of these assemblies to be ready.

Total time billed on this job today:  4 hours 

0600 Weather Observation:  48°, cloudy.    Forecast for the day:   Showers, AKA periods of rain, 49°

Tuesday

The deadlights required more cure time (as expected), so it would still be a couple days till I could install them, but I still had two small opening ports on hand ready for installation on the starboard side, in the head and forward cabin.  Installation was straightforward enough.  The old-style port in the head had an odd trim ring that was shaped and substantially thicker on the ends of the oval than on the top and bottom, and therefore required different length screws at each location.  The screw holes penetrated completely through into the (for now empty) gasket slot within, so at least I could use longer screws to start, then change them on the top and bottom for shorter versions that didn’t interfere with the gasket slot.

The forwardmost port, in the forward cabin, was another of the newer style that had clearly been replaced some other time earlier in the boat’s life.  With a pretty thin laminate on the cabin side at this location, this port required 3/8″ screws all around.

Next I cleaned up the remaining raw openings to prepare for the deadlight installation and the remaining two opening ports.  The deadlights, which had been removed before the boat came to me, had been installed earlier with silicone sealant, which as usual was difficult to remove, all the more so because the aggressive process threatened the surrounding paint.  Fortunately, the boat was due to return here after the season for a proper deck refinish, so if the preparation wasn’t as ideal as I’d like, I’d have a chance to do it better in a little while.  For now, good enough was good enough.

With port operations behind me for the moment, I turned to some interior supports the owner had asked me to install to ease future installation of settee shelving and cabinets forward of the galley.  These supports would extend along the hull at the same height as the existing galley countertops, which would integrate the port side with its future electrical box (planned for just forward of the galley) and whatever additional cabinetry the owner chose for both sides when the time came.

To begin, I roughed out the approximate location on each side, using a level to make some marks on the painted hull.  Then, I marked 4″ above and below and applied masking tape to mark the extent of the area I needed to prepare.

Next, I ground off the paint between the marks to expose raw laminate for proper bonding.  While I waited for the dust to settle so I could clean up, I milled my foam blank into a pair of 1-1/2″ square lengths, and rounded the outer edge on each side with a 1/2″ bit to create a broad radius for fiberglassing.

After cleaning up and preparing the installation area, I cut the blanks to length and dry-fit each side in place against the hull, flush with the bottoms of the existing countertops and running forward level with the settees.  I made a layout mark on the hull, and also marked the foam and hull in several places where I planned to use hot glue to secure the foam while the epoxy cured.  I’d already tested the foam with the glue to ensure it didn’t melt with the intense heat of the glue (it didn’t).

I installed the foam on each side with a thickened epoxy adhesive and spots of hot glue where marked, cleaning up excess and forming fillets as needed where the foam met the hull.  I left the new assemblies to cure overnight, and next time would finish up by installing tabbing to secure and encapsulate the supports.

Total time billed on this job today:  6 hours 

0600 Weather Observation:  45°, mainly cloudy.    Forecast for the day:   Mostly cloudy, 58°

Monday

Since last time, in the background, I’d continued work on the trim/fiddle for the engine room countertop.  With a coat of varnish on all parts of the trim, I glued it to the leading edge of the countertop, avoiding screws here since there was only the edge of the 1/2″ plywood to accept fasteners.

Once the glue had set up, over a few days I applied three additional base coats of gloss varnish, followed by a final coat of satin varnish.  In addition to finishing off the forward edge of the countertop (the owner would later install additional pieces to complete the trim from the stock I’d milled), the new fiddle provided a handy handle for pulling out and removing the top of the engine room.

The sink had also had plenty of cure time, so I could remove the clamps and weight to complete the installation.

My first and main focus for the week and the balance of my time on this job was to install the ports and deadlights, which the owner had been cleaning up, replacing glass, and repairing.  With these freshly delivered to the shop (minus two of the small ports for now that he hadn’t finished yet), I got started with the deadlights, which required some pre-work before actual installation.

To make installation somewhat easier (read:  possible), I liked to pre-install the lenses (new 1/4″ laminated glass in this case) to the outer frames, to hold those pieces together during the installation process.  I used a sumptuous bead of Sikaflex to secure the glass to the rabbeted channel in the outer bronze frame, pressing the glass in securely (through the clear glass it was easy to see the sealant spread) and then, more to hold things in place than to provide real pressure, clamped the glass beneath a strip of wood.

I repeated this with all four frames.

Those would sit in the clamps for a couple days to allow the bedding to fully cure, so now I turned to the small, opening ports.  The owner had found two of the later-model Pearson opening ports to replace the older ones in the forward face of the saloon, so the original openings were too small and required modification.

I made a cardboard template of the new ports so I could create accurate cutouts for the spigot and fixing ears cast into the port body.  I centered the pattern over the old openings–this looked best and made the most sense here–and cut to the new line so the new ports would fit.

Satisfied with the dry-fit (I had to enlarge the first one I cut–the port side–as the template was a bit tight; I adapted for the starboard side and had a good fit the first time), I finished the installation with sealant and new screws, beginning on the port side.  I applied sealant around the inside edge of the spigot, and also around the perimeter of the frame (and out beneath the trim ring) once I had the body positioned in the opening.

The owner had provided new 8 x 1/2″ bronze screws for the job, but the cabin trunk here in particular was much thicker at the bottom than at the top–as in 3/16″ at the top and over 1/2″ at the bottom, so these screws were too long at the top and too short at the bottom.  Fortunately, this wasn’t my first Triton rodeo, and although it had been more than 10 years since I last installed these types of ports, I had on hand a full selection of lengths of #8 bronze machine screws, running the gamut from 1/4″ to 3/4″ (and beyond, though the longer ones weren’t applicable here).

On this port, I elected not to remove the opening portion (secured to the body with two screws), and this greatly complicated the installation, at one point early on nearly causing the whole unit to drop out the back before I had any screws started.  I saved it by reaching through the gooey opening, but recovery efforts were long and tiresome, and I was sure to gravely note the lessons learned so I could apply them to the next installation.

I ended up using a variety of lengths from 3/8″ t0 5/8″ on the port port, using a clamp as needed to help pull the frame tightly to the inside of the cabin so I could get screws started through the trim ring.  With the first installation eventually complete, I cleaned up the excess (and overly messy, thanks to my drop-out port) sealant.

Wiser, I continued with the installation on the starboard side where, thanks to the port side lessons, the installation took a fraction of the time.  Here, I removed the opening part of the port, making the body much easier to handle.  And I was far better prepared with the screw lengths that I needed and were likely to work (on this side, I needed the tiny 1/4″ length for the top screws).

With dwindling time on the day, I finished up with some advance preparations for the installations of the next two (and, for now, final two) opening ports, which would both go on the starboard side forward (head and v-berth).  These ports were also mis-matched, with one of the old Pearson style, and one of the newer style like the pair I’d just installed.  In any event, now I cleaned up the remnants of the old sealant on the cabin sides and made other preparations to streamline the installation next time.

This left me just enough time to remove the protective paper from the forward hatch, since I was there and it was almost time for the boat to depart.

Total time billed on this job today:  5.25 hours 

0600 Weather Observation:  45°, mainly cloudy.    Forecast for the day:   Cloudy, chance of sun, 58°

Wednesday

The adhesive securing the countertop had sufficient cure time overnight, so I removed the wedges and weights in order to continue work on the countertop.

Next, I installed the faucet, sealing the base with butyl tape to prevent any stray water on the countertop from seeping through the mounting hole and securing the faucet tightly with its fixing nut.

Though there was reasonable access to the underside of the faucet from the locker just behind it, I thought it’d be nicer to pre-install a length of water hose while access was wide open.  The foot pump, and standard size for water fittings in boats of this sort, was for 1/2″ hose, but the faucet had a hose connection designed for either 5/8″ or, further up, 3/4″ hose, which I discovered when I tried to install the 1/2″ hose.  So instead, I installed a shorter length of 5/8″ hose, which would have to be reduced down to 1/2″ for the pump and the water tank outlet itself.  I didn’t have a reducing adapter on hand, so that would have to wait.

The the nearby bulkhead beneath the faucet pinched the hose more than I liked, so I created another relief cut in the bulkhead to allow the hose to run freely down from the faucet connection.

Next, I installed the sink in a heavy bed of sealant, which would secure and seal the sink in place.  Before doing so, I cut the drain hose to the proper length, secured the lower end to the hull outlet, and, while installing the sink, aligned and installed the upper end at the sink drain.  I filled the sink with heavy things and, needing some additional pressure to flatten and secure the flange, made up a clamping block that pulled things down as needed.  All but the final photo in this series show the sink before final sealant cleanup; somehow I have only the single photo after cleaning up the squeezeout completely.

To help overcome my error on the engine room countertop, I volunteered to make up some trim to cover that edge, and, at the same time, for the remainder of the galley as well.  After agreeing with the owner on a profile for the trim, I milled 8/4 sipo into two planks 3″ wide and just over 3/4″ thick, then planed them down to their final 3/4″ thickness.  To create the fiddle profile, I rabbetted out a 1″ wide by 3/8″ deep section at the bottom of the trim, which would overlap the countertop and hang down the front edge to cover the plywood, then milled a roundover on the remaining three edges.  For the engine room countertop itself, I cut off a 2′ long section, then slightly shortened the overhang at the front edge so the trim just covered the plywood, or about 9/16″ rather than the 1″ overhang on the remaining pieces.

Afterwards, I sanded the new trim smooth, and cut the engine room piece to the proper length, with angled corners since this countertop piece would be removable and the trim couldn’t properly conjoin its counterparts on the sides, once fitted.  Then, I applied a sealer coat of varnish to all sides of all pieces.  The owner would later do the final fitting and finishing of the fiddles on the fixed countertop sections, though I planned to complete the engine room piece myself.

One of the “if there’s time” projects on my dwindling list was to install shelf supports running forward from the galley on each side of the hull, much like the old, original shelf supports further up the hull (now obsolete).  Since I’d be away from the shop for the last couple days of this week, and with only a few work days remaining for me on the project (a couple of which would be dedicated to reinstalling the ports and deadlights that the owner had been cleaning up and preparing), I thought I still might have time to install the supports, so to that end I made up a core blank from some scrap 48″ x 6″ x 3/4″ Corecell foam I had on hand, overlapping pieces and seams, and gluing them together with epoxy and temporary screws to create an oversized blank roughly 6″ wide and 1-1/2″ thick, and 7′ in length.  From this, I planned to mill the roughly square pieces required to form the supports (and thereafter glassed over).    To complete this project, I’d need to lay out the rough position of the supports, grind off the paint on the hull, mill the cores to size and shape, epoxy them to the hull, then glass over to fully secure.

Later in the afternoon, the ring pulls I’d ordered for the galley hatches arrived, so I could finish that up.  These ring pulls required a round recess, which was more straightforward to create than a square one, particularly in high-pressure laminate.

Total time billed on this job today:  3.25 hours (plus 2.25 unbilled hours)

0600 Weather Observation:  42°, mainly cloudy    Forecast for the day:   Partly sunny, chance of showers, 64°

Tuesday

I spent a surprisingly long day working on the countertops, starting with the two larger sections for which I’d already cut the laminate sheets to rough size.  Now, I prepared a work station with a soft cloth to help protect the laminate surface, then, after cleaning both pieces of laminate and the two plywood countertops, applied contact cement to both pieces. I’d previously aligned the plywood with the wavy pattern on the laminate itself, and traced the outlines on the back of the laminate, so I’d be able to align things properly once the contact cement was in place.

Once the first coat had dried on the plywood, I applied a second coat to the porous material to ensure good coverage.

I milled up some scrap plywood into narrow strips that I used to position the plywood above the laminate before removing them one by one to press the plywood into position accurately against the outline marks I’d made earlier.  Then I rolled the laminate tightly into position from both sides.

Afterwards, I trimmed the excess laminate with a router, leaving the sink and access holes for now.

Hoping to do my best to align the laminate pattern between the two main countertop panels and the center, removable engine room panel, I’d waited on laying that one out till the first ones were complete.  Now I used the port countertop to help align the laminate on the engine room panel and, with the laminate clamped in place, overturned the panel and traced its outline on the back of the laminate before going through the contact cement application and installation as before.  When I trimmed the excess laminate with my router, I had an issue at the front of the panel.  I’d purchased a new trim router for this job since my old one had died, and as this was my first time using the new tool, at first I thought the adjustment had been off, allowing the bit to cut into the front of the panel.  This was an annoying error, but minor enough that the inevitable trim piece or fiddle required for the front of the engine panel would cover it.

Meanwhile, I continued work on the two larger countertops, first using the router and trim bit to open up the various openings (access hatches and sinks), then using small pieces of the laminate over the three access hatches to align the pattern so the hatches would match their surrounds.  With slightly oversized pieces of scrap or offcut, I could move the laminate around till it aligned with the wavy pattern, then carefully remove the hatch and laminate together, without moving things, and mark the outline of the hatch for later alignment.

Afterwards, I applied contact cement and, when appropriate, installed and rolled the laminate onto the hatches, then trimmed the excess.  Here again, my router had an issue and flubbed up one of the hatches, badly enough that I had to cut a new hatch from leftover plywood and go through the laminate process again (not included in the day’s total).  This time, I figured out what was happening with my as-yet unfamiliar router:  The bit hadn’t been properly tightened in the collet and was slipping out while in use, eventually to the point that the guide bearing dipped below the edge of the plywood, causing the error.  Fortunately this mistake, though it happened twice, happened only in recoverable areas, and taught me something about the router too.

I test-fit the sink, and the owner and I consulted on the location for a large brass hand faucet he wanted to use (to be connected to a foot pump or electric pump, not used with the hand pump).  The owner chose the corner location, which looked good and worked well with the access hatch behind, so with this confirmed I cut the hole required for the faucet. The faucet neck and fixing nut cleared the nearby hatch support cleat.

Then, I test-fit the countertop in the boat.  Both port and starboard sections were a good fit with their new laminate–I’d built in extra space beneath the plywood aft bulkhead to allow for the thickness of the laminate.  The engine hatch fit well, and the patterns were aligned enough on both sides.

But I discovered that the faucet hole ended up right over the little divider bulkhead beneath the starboard counter, something I’d not thought about.  That said, this was going to be the case regardless of its position:  it’s simply where it ended up based on the size of the sink and the predetermined position of the bulkhead.  This was a straightforward fix:  I cut out a portion of the bulkhead to provide generous room for the faucet and hose connection.

Happy with things, and after convincing myself that there was nothing else needing to be done inside these lockers, I went ahead with the final countertop installation.  I used 5200 fast-cure for this, applying smallish beads to the countertop edges, hull, and hull supports all around:  not too much, as I didn’t want it to squeeze out all over, but more than ample to secure the countertops.  As needed, I used braces, clamps, and weight to press the counters into position tightly.  I put the engine hatch into place in the center to ensure that both sides of the main countertop were in their proper positions as the adhesive cured overnight (after making sure there was no adhesive oozed out into the engine top supports).

Total time billed on this job today:  6 hours

0600 Weather Observation:  37°, clear.    Forecast for the day:   Sunny, 65°

Monday

With my part of the project wrapping up and the boat scheduled to be moved soon, I turned my focus back to the interior and the galley countertop.  The new laminate the owner ordered had arrived, and now I could finish up the countertops and their final installation.

First, though, I needed to cut some access hatches.  Several weeks previously, I’d made some reference marks to show the centers of the battery boxes, for eventual top-access hatches required to remove the battery box lids and, if necessary, service the wiring connections or detach things should the batteries need to be removed.  Now, I laid out what seemed to be a reasonable hatch size, 12″ x 6″–large enough for access, but no larger than necessary either.  I cut out the hatch openings with a jigsaw.

I’d laid out the galley sink cutout earlier as well, and now I made the cut.  Then, I test-fit the starboard countertop in the boat to check the sink location, measure for the drain hose, and confirm that the battery access hatches performed as and provided the access needed.

Satisfied with the fit, I prepared some hardwood blocks to support the countertops where they met the hull on both sides.  I’d previously marked the correct height and prepared the hull by removing the paint in the general area, and now I glued the blocks in place with epoxy and a dab of hot glue to help hold them while the epoxy cured.  There was no need for full-length cleats here, and installing those would have been substantially more effort for no gain.

To finish off the new hatch openings, I milled, cut, and installed with glue and screws hardwood cleats around each opening from the bottom.  The owner and I collaborated on a final hatch in the starboard countertop to afford access to the large storage area outboard of the sink and battery storage areas, which I eventually laid out outboard of the sink, leaving room for a future upper cabinet against the hull.

With the countertops and hatches prepared, next I laid out the laminate for the countertop.    The chosen material had a wavy pattern of faint, but discernable, lines running through, and this pattern meant that I had fewer options in laying out the pieces than I would with a solid color, as the waves had to be consistent from section to section.

There wasn’t enough length to the piece of laminate to allow me to lay out the three sections of countertop (port and starboard, plus the engine room cover) with the pattern running athwartships, which was probably just as well since keeping the pattern aligned between sections would have been tough.  So this meant that the pattern needed to run fore and aft, which have me more options in terms of laying out the countertop sections to maximize use of the available material.  With laminate shears, I cut sections of laminate slightly oversized for each section of countertop, and ensured that I had adequate offcuts/scrap with which to make the three small hatches.  The pattern direction was crucial on the hatches, so I drew on the plywood accordingly.  I expected it would prove to be a challenge to align, at least remotely well, the wavy pattern on the hatches with that of the parent countertop, but that was a problem for a little later.  This all left ample material leftover for a future countertop in the space opposite the head.

At this point I was ready to permanently install the laminate.  Alas, my plans were stymied when I found that both cans of contact cement I had on hand were hardened and dried out.  Rather than waste what was left of the afternoon getting the replacement cement right away–there’d not be time to do the gluing once I returned–I made plans to go after work and instead turned to the final hardware installations I needed to do.

Over the past few days, I’d finished up the varnish on the anchor roller support block (six in all), and now I could finish up the installation.  I prepared a backing place from fiberglass laminate, then installed the roller with sealant and 3/8″ bolts, nuts, and washers.

Finally, I installed the long-awaited chainplate cover for the backstay, applying ample sealant around the opening and pressing the cover in to place.  I’d trim the excess later, once it cured.

Total time billed on this job today:  7 hours

0600 Weather Observation:  35°, partly cloudy.   Forecast for the day:   Mostly sunny and windy, 50°