Over the course of morning, I continued work on the battery enclosure, starting with an additional vertical support beneath.  Before, I stood on the platform as it was (I’m not small fry) and there was no movement, but even so I decided additional support would be a good safeguard since the rest of the walls of the enclosure would not provide any direct-to-hull support on their own.

The remnants of an old engine foundation provided a natural place for the support to rest, and it took little time to cut a trapezoidal piece of 12mm plywood to a friction fit, after which I installed it with epoxy adhesive and tabbing.  The nature of the old foundation was rough, uneven, and terrible, and the contours even under better circumstances would have made tabbing there a challenge, so since all I needed to do was hold the support in place, I didn’t worry about tabbing the base, relying on the adhesive alone, and saw no reason to go crazy trying to make the area acceptable for tabbing given the requirements.  I tabbed the top to the underside of the platform to secure it, however.

Afterwards, I continued building the remainder of the enclosure above, fitting and installing the three additional facets of the enclosure.  I let these all hang down even with the level of the bottom part of the first piece, which would give a landing point for the cabin sole supports later.  I secured each section with epoxy adhesive wherever possible, e.g. along the angled seams with the previous section, and where the panels met the 1″ thick edge of the platform itself.  I used screws into the platform edge and little glue blocks as needed to hold the pieces in proper position and alignment.  The final section, where I’d clipped the corner to avoid the mast step, met the inboard edge of the main bulkhead at a 45 degree angle to close off the box.

Next, I cut two layers of tabbing to secure the sides to the platform, much as I’d done with the two sides adjacent to the main bulkhead and port settee earlier, and added a single layer of tabbing at each of the vertical seams to tie everything together with great strength.  Then, preparing for next time, I measured all the sides and cut pieces of cleat stock to fit so they’d be ready for installation once the enclosure was cured.

With the time left in the way, I worked on the new cockpit access hatch, to be located forward of the propane box on the port side.  The shipping box provided a cutout template on the side, which I carefully cut out and then used to lay out the hatch’s position on the cockpit seat after first making a couple reference marks off the hatch itself to determine its best alignment, specifically so the forward support from the hinged wooden lid would miss the forward end of the hatch.

With the position determined and the template marked, I cut out the opening and dry-fit the hatch.  I held off on final installation for now because I had to first make some modifications to the hinged seat so the supports could clear the hatch, as well as the hatch for the propane locker.  There wasn’t enough time left in the day for this now, but I’d be continuing work as time allowed between some of the larger ongoing projects over the remainder of the week.

 

I started with some quick rounds of light sanding:  the head and forward cabin areas I’d primed several days before, and the mahogany ceiling strips from the forward cabin.  Getting this sanding out of the way would ensure it’d be straightforward for the next coats whenever time made itself available.  For now, I didn’t bother cleaning or re-laying out the ceiling strips as I knew I’d be making some dust in the boat later.  I also gave a quick sand and first coat of finish paint to the lonely refrigerator panel I’d been working on.

I spent most of the day working on the battery box, which would become part of the port settee in the main cabin.  I’d previously built the 1″ thick laminated platform to hold the batteries.  Now, I prepared the main cabin by removing the cabin sole in way of the battery location.  This happened to be a separate section of sole and came out by hand without any effort, including the cross beams.  I cleaned up the dust and detritus that had made its way beneath the sole during other parts of the project so far.

At the forward corner, the hull took a sharp upward turn, and this point dictated the level of the entire battery box.  To help lower the platform as much as possible, I eased the underside of the forward corner, allowing the base panel to fit into the space nearly an inch lower.  I did some preparatory sanding to remove paint from places I planned to use epoxy or other adhesive and then, after some basic layout to level the platform in both directions, secured support cleats on the two sides where possible.  I temporarily secured the platform to the cleats with screws to check its fit and level in both directions.  At the forward inboard edge, I made a mark to pare off that corner as well, lest it interfere with the mast step.  With the platform in its final position, there was ample height for the batteries and all appurtenances, as shown with the plywood template leaning against the forward bulkhead; the template, as shown, included the height of the terminal fuse blocks as well as the batteries themselves.

With the dry fit and support in place, I removed everything and, after final preparations, resecured the two cleats with screws and epoxy adhesive, then installed the platform with more epoxy adhesive in the forward outboard corner and on all the faying surfaces and screws into the cleats to secure it.  Then, I installed two layers of heavy tabbing to secure the platform to the nearby bulkheads.  This coincided with lunch, so it was a good time to let the epoxy tack up briefly before continuing.

In the afternoon, I worked on the after bulkhead to define and support the platform and storage box further.  I’d left space for, and now installed, a vertical support cleat at the aft end of the platform, then cut and scribed a slightly-oversized piece of plywood to fit, eventually trimming it to the correct height and width, with a 22.5° angle at the inboard corner where the box would continue to wrap around the platform.  Eventually, with the fit complete, I made the installation permanent with a support cleat beneath the platform (marked in place and installed down in the woodshop), and installed the new aft panel with epoxy adhesive on all possible faying surfaces, finishing up with two layers of tabbing where the bulkhead met the hull (beneath the platform).  This part of the platform formed the main basis of support for its entire eventual weight; I’d not yet determined whether the remaining sides would sit atop the new cabin sole or form the support for the sole itself, but in either event I wasn’t counting on these sides being critical structural support for the weight of the batteries.  Ultimately, I also planned to fiberglass all the inside seams of the box, once complete, so the entire structure would work together for increased strength.

I thought I’d probably install a longitudinal support beneath the platform, generally on top of the old engine foundation that ran beneath, but that would be a job for next time as the day was running short, and before I left I wanted to get the propane box painted inside and out.

 

After a day away on unrelated business, I was looking forward to the final installation of the new propane locker.  As a first step, I did a rough installation of the solenoid inside the locker to test the concept and pre-drill and thread the holes to make installation easier once up in the boat.  I awaited final installation of the solenoid now because I wanted first to paint the inside of the locker, but this would also wait till after the locker was permanently installed.

After final cleanup to prepare the bonding surfaces, I applied polyurethane adhesive sealant (5200 fast cure) liberally to the support cleat, and both faying surfaces on the box.  Then I messily pressed it into place and wedged it tightly with a pre-cut support stick before final alignment and clamping all around the opening in the deck above, with good contact and squeezeout all around.  I cleaned up excess sealant where necessary.

For a final reference check before I located and installed the vent/drain through hull, I measured, from inside the starboard locker, the position of the old vent using the interior of the hull/deck joint as a reference, then transferred this measurement to the inside of the port locker (top mark).  Then, with a level, I marked across from the vent fitting in the bottom of the propane locker:  about 1″ below the reference mark.  This still gave the vent ample clearance above the waterline, as the old starboard fitting was 6-7″ above the DWL according to the paint.  Boats are never perfectly symmetrical, but this was as good a check as any.

From there, I drilled a small pilot hole from inside at my chosen through hull location, to mark it on the outside so I could make the final hole with a 7/8″ hole saw.  In the closeup photo of the hole, one can see the blur of the black vent fitting nipple on the propane box inside the boat. I installed a 1/2″ Marelon through hull with plenty of sealant, secured from inside with the fixing nut, then installed 1/2″ vent hose to complete the installation.

After receiving a delivery of five more sheet of plywood with which to complete the various remaining new construction in the cabin, I spent the afternoon on some smaller tasks that would help advance several other portions of the project, and because I didn’t want to get into the battery locker construction this late in the day and week–that would be my fresh start next week.  So with the ceiling strips from the forward cabin all laid out and prepared for this sort of eventuality, I applied a base coat of gloss varnish to the 26 pieces.  I hoped to do the single gloss base coat, and then a coat of the final finish of rubbed-effect satin varnish.  As there were a few old coats of varnish already on these strips, and given their overall condition, I didn’t see the need for more than this as long as I was happy with how the base coat turned out.  This was in any case a nice change of pace from the past weeks of work.

Though I still had new work to complete in the forward cabin, mainly the new water tank installation (tank was now complete, and I planned on picking it up in the next few days) and new platform, I could go ahead and paint out many areas of the space now, including the hull (to be hidden behind those ceiling strips) above the general location of the new berth platform, and portions of the hull beneath it on the port side, where the holding tank was already in place.  As always, painting out these spaces makes an immediate and significant impact on the feel of things and the sense of progress.  Before painting, I installed some wire mounts along the upper port side to secure those wires leading forward later, and some additional ones to help secure some of the wiring led through beneath the berth platform too.

Finally, I applied a coat of primer to the last piece of the refer compartment that hadn’t yet received it–the small after section of the inboard side of the locker.  I also cur off the excess bolt length from the forward stove bracket in the galley, so now that bulkhead would be ready to receive its cosmetic staving.

After the usual prep and light sanding of the fresh fiberglass securing the top on the propane box, I laid out and then cut the access port.

In the cockpit, I worked out the final layout and positioning, then cut a small hole through the molded seat to help me align the box from beneath.  I’d been thinking about the box installation, and decided I could enhance the bonding of the box to the boat if I also bonded the front of the box to the inside of the cockpit as well as the top, so once more I descended upon the quarterberth locker with sander in hand to remove the paint from and prepare the face of the cockpit well from within.  The plywood bulkhead closing off the cockpit from beneath extended all the way up to the top here.

After cleaning up, I test-fit the propane box from beneath.  I found I could prop it up sufficiently from within, then grasp it from above, through the opening, and pull it into position, securing it with clamps.  Once I did this, I made a minor adjustment to the position from beneath till I was satisfied with where it ended up.  I wanted the top opening to be as far aft as possible without it–and its eventual cover hatch–interfering with the structural supports of the wooden hinged cockpit seat above, and also had to ensure there was room for the opening given how the width of the seat  tapered severely aft.

To help support the box, I cut and attached a wooden cleat beneath.  I secured this to the prepared bulkhead with epoxy adhesive, and some hot glue to hold it while the epoxy cured.  While the box was still clamped in place, from above I reached through the opening and traced the outline of the actual access port in the top of the box onto the underside of the cockpit.  Then, after removing the box, I drilled small pilot holes from beneath at each corner, which defined the opening from above and allowed me to make the final cutout.

Down on the bench, I worked to prepare the final details of the box and propane installation, including installing three gas-tight through-box fittings for the pair of propane supply lines (stove and cabin heater) and the wiring for the solenoid.  These would be accessible after the box was installed, so for now I awaited the final installation till the box was in place and I’d finished up any painting.

I also installed the box drain/vent fitting in the bottom, securing it permanently with sealant.  Once the box was in place, I’d locate and install a new through hull to complete the vent system.  On the back (outboard) side of the box, I epoxied in a 1/2″ thick backer block in the area where I planned to secure the solenoid from inside; this block would give the mounting screws somewhere to go without penetrating the box itself.

That was all I could do on the propane installation for now, and with a bit of time left in the day I turned to the head and forward cabin where, after final cleaning, I applied a coat of primer to the overhead and cabin side liners in these spaces; I’d done the masking earlier.  In the forward cabin, I left the flat parts of the liner beneath the foredeck and sidedecks to be prepped and painted later, once the water tank and new berth platform were in place.

Finally, I used up the rest of the day cleaning and laying out the ceiling strips from the forward cabin, which I’d removed and sanded long ago, so that they might be ready for varnish some other day when I had a suitable short period of time between some of the larger jobs.

To begin, I unclamped the countertop, which had had ample cure time.

I thought I might as well wrap up the plumbing work with the sink and related area, as I had everything I needed and there was no time like the present.  I’d purchased some adapters to connect the compression threads on the existing sink supply hoses to the hose nipple (for supply from the tank) on the cold hose, and a plug on the hot water hose.  I also made up a bronze adapter to convert the 1-1/2″ sink drain pipe to the 1″ through hull.  I made up these supply and drain connections in the boat as needed, and also installed a winterizing/flushing adapter on the new engine intake seacock that the owner requested, and finished up its hose as well.

To finish off work in this space, I secured the engine room light to its overhead panel, and test-fit the two removable side panels with their insulation.

Over the weekend, the owner and I discussed the propane locker installation, and by happenstance he received some useful information from the owner of a similar boat.  Now, I could start to look at some of the ideas and how they might work on the boat and within the various requirements and confines of the installation.

The photos below come from the other boatowner, and were useful in helping me determine a feasible way forward.  The main issue complicating the prefabricated box’s installation was the difficult access to the aft end of the quarterberth, and the impossibility of my doing any serious fiberglass work in that environment.  That was why I had originally conceived the top-down installation, which had been the working plan for some time but which ran into some issues when the realities of the installation location forced a change of direction in order to maintain the potential for the owner to have access to the forward part of this otherwise-empty locker.

This series of photos shows a box designed for three of the small tanks, which looked identical in size to the two tanks for which I’d built the fiberglass propane box to fit, and the other elements of the installation were similar as well, including the installation of an opening hatch on the forward side.  Neither the owner nor I wanted to get into the difficulties, and cosmetic requirements, of a “real” hatch, complete with gutters, etc., though this would be the ideal scenario, probably, were time, budget, and access not factors in the choices made.  The box in these photos, made from plywood, featured a full top and then a (in this case) round access hatch to install the tanks within.  The locker hung from the bottom of the cockpit seat above, secured with a series of bolts that were visible in the photos.

In the shop, I made a rough measurement from the aft end of the cockpit locker (from the cockpit) to show the position of the forward end of the locker if it were pushed as far aft as possible, about 20″ forward of the aft end of the space.  That’s the end of the tape measure in the photo.  However, I positioned a mockup of a square access hatch forward of that because, looking at the way the wooden locker lid above is built, and which has to close down on top of whatever I built beneath it, it made sense to choose a position for the locker opening where it interfered with as little of the cockpit lid structure as possible.  These structural supports on the lid can be seen in the photo, as well as marks on the gelcoat of the structural seat where these members bear.  So avoiding the main areas was a goal of the final location in any case.  This location still left room for a 24″ long hatch in the space forward, which fit the dimensions of one of the prefab plastic hatches the owner had brought to my attention and was interested in using.

Now, I measured the angle of the seat and cut the LPG box to the correct angle, then made a plywood mockup of the top, which in the final construction would be made of sheet fiberglass like the rest of the box and fully glassed all around.  This mockup was slightly oversized for the moment.  I cut a rectangular hole to match the plywood template I laid on deck, which was about the practical minimum size of 9-5/8″ square to fit the tanks through and leave a bit of clearance space; the opening could be slightly smaller, but I saw no benefit to that, preferring decent access within.  The tanks fit easily, with ample room inside the box and through the opening for manipulating the propane connection and regulator.  The tank itself is about 9-3/8″ round, as seen in the round template.

For installation, my plan was to secure the box, with its flat top pressed tightly to the underside of the cockpit, with 5200 between the top of the box and the underside of the cockpit.  The owner wanted to avoid bolts visible from the cockpit, so I’d have to come up with a way to hold the box securely while the adhesive cured, but I didn’t conceive of any problem with the adhesion of the polyurethane, particularly with the large bonding surface available.  The adhesive would have to be capable of supporting the weight of the box and two, ten-pound tanks, so 35-40 lb. total for the whole arrangement.  It would be possible to use bolts to augment the adhesive if needed, but the owner hoped that I could avoid that for appearance purposes.

This installation concept, largely thanks to the owner of a sistership who happened to get in touch with the boatowner at an opportune time, seemed feasible, as simple as possible, and workable with what I’d already accomplished with the box, and would leave enough space for the propane through-fittings for the two supply hoses, as well as the regulator, solenoid, wiring and related that would be inside the box.  With the new deck hatch opening just forward, there’d be good access to these hoses for installation and inspection going forward.

With approval of the concept, I continued work on the box, cutting a piece of fiberglass sheeting to fit (slightly oversized), and trimming it down to its final size.  I secured it with some dabs of hot glue so I could ease all the corners to prepare for fiberglass, after which I applied some lightly-thickened epoxy to fill the seam and fair in the existing tabbing for a smoother fit.  I left this initial application of epoxy to tack up briefly.

While that was underway, I prepared the underside of the cockpit seat from inside the quarterberth locker.  By removing the last of the galley supports, I had reasonable access for the task, which I took care of quickly, heavily sanding the laminate to remove unevenness and any coatings.  This area was gelcoated from the factory, so I didn’t have to remove all traces.  Later, I went back and cleaned up the sanding debris.

In between, I went back to the shop and installed tabbing over all the seams to secure the new propane box top in place all around, and make it vapor-and water-tight.  I installed fiberglass in the center portion of the top as well, so that the finished top would be smooth and even for good bonding when the time came.  I’d cut the hatch opening later.

 

Job one was to install the large section of countertop, including the sink and faucet.  After final preparations, including making sure the various supporting cleats were clean and ready for bonding, I set the countertop in place dry.  I determined that I could move it enough to apply adhesive to the cleats for installation, then, with the countertop dry, I installed the faucet, working through the engine room from underneath.    It would have been more fun to install the faucet down on the bench, but it worked out fine and access even with the countertop in final position wasn’t bad.

One small issue was with the braided supply hoses I’d purchased and installed on the faucet before installation.  These hoses adapted between the compression threads on the sink supply lines and NPT threads at the other end, which I needed to connect to a hose nipple and thence to the water supply hose from the tank (eventually) (and a plug in the hot water line).  However, when I tried to install the fixing nut and washers over these lines, along with the long sink hose that supplied the water to the pull-out faucet itself, I found that the total bulk was too large to all fit through the center of the fixing nut.  It would have been far too fussy to try and install these hoses to the short ends of the supply lines extending from the faucet body in the space and with the access I had, so instead I removed the faucet and replaced the hoses I’d sourced with the original braided hoses that came with the faucet, which were smaller diameter with smaller ends.  The minor down side was that I’d now have to go on a quest for the correct adaptation between the female compression end of the hose and the threads I needed, but I could take care of that later.  I had a large supply of various plumbing fittings on hand but, as usual, I didn’t have what I actually needed now.  The supply hoses hung down enough that I could reach the exposed ends easily for later connections.  The smaller original hoses are shown in the boxed photo of the faucet below; the ones I had hoped to use are in the second faucet photo.

Plumbing thread frustration aside, the counter was now ready for final installation, so I moved it a bit as needed and applied adhesive sealant to all the faying surfaces of the cleats, using a generous amount and then chocking and clamping the countertop securely into position.

I realized I’d forgotten to Formicate the small section of countertop that extended across the back of the stove; I’d stored that small piece in a different pile and it had escaped notice till now.  So I took care of installing the laminate on this piece, then installed it in its final position with sealant and clamps to hold it securely.

I needed to give the countertop plenty of time to cure–this would happen over the weekend–and in the meantime there was little else I could do in the galley.  So I spent the remainder of the day on several smaller chores, starting with cleaning up the excess sealant (now cured) from the chainplates’ installation.  Afterwards, I cleaned up the boat a bit and reorganized the cockpit to give me access to the port side locker, where I would soon be working on the propane locker installation.  I also applied the second coat of finish paint on the back side of the refer locker front panel, completing that work.

I lightly sanded the interior tabbing I’d installed on the propane locker earlier, then made a quick plywood template of the box–including a 1-1/2″ wide flange around the edges to simulate the minimum flange I wanted to hang the box in place from the top–so I could check the fit on the now-accessible port cockpit locker.  The hope had been to keep this locker as far aft as possible (the space tapered severely from forward to aft), but I was disappointed and surprised to find that even the minimally-dimensioned box, kept as small as practicable to hold the two small tanks, ended up further forward than expected.  And the reality was that the opening would actually have to be a bit larger to allow the box to fit through at an angle.

This was disappointing because the owner had hoped–and I had expected–there to be space forward of the propane locker for a new top access to the large space beneath, formerly known as the quarterberth, but now it looked like this wouldn’t be possible after all.    There might be space aft of the propane, but any potential opening there would be necessarily much smaller and less useful.

This was surprising because early in the project, after the owner suggested using the existing small pair of tanks rather than a new horizontal tank (which we had first considered), I had thought that given their seemingly diminutive size it seemed like they would have fit further aft in the space.  But this proved not to be the case.    At issue here really was an access problem:  while there was technically space for the tanks and locker further aft, there was no way to install it from above, given the space limitations, and the nature of the space from beneath was such that installing the box from below, with a smaller access lid atop, simply wasn’t practicable.  It was a tight and contortive space that would not afford the access required to do the work from beneath.  This is why I’d always planned a top-only approach.  I spent some time now re-evaluating this, but came to the same conclusion:  there just wasn’t space to try and do this work from beneath.  I could barely work in the old quarterberth space to paint and secure the old wiring, never mind messy and complicated glasswork above, around the bulk of the propane locker hanging down in the midst.

I’d actually hoped to begin the installation work by cutting out the cockpit seat as needed, but couldn’t proceed as is until I’d had a chance to discuss the findings with the owner.

To round out the day, I filled what little time was left with some prep and masking work in the head and forward cabin, preparing the overhead and liners there for primer and paint in the near future.

Working towards the goal of installing the large, fixed section of countertop, there were several tasks I had to complete first, beginning with installing the sink.  With the layout already done and the hole previously cut, now I aligned the sink with the marks I’d made on the bottom of the countertop, and installed it with the eight metal brackets supplied with the sink.  I secured the brackets with screws driven into the underside of the countertop, and these brackets pinned the sink tightly against the plywood.  Later, I’d apply some sealant to the exposed seam between sink and countertop inside the opening, but for now I moved on.  I noted the position of three of the support brackets as they’d require some relief in the galley structural members on which the countertop would sit.

I worked on layout for positioning the faucet.  I found that the overflow drain arrangement I’d assembled earlier was extending further out (aft of) from the sink than was desirable, as its current position was forcing the faucet further from the sink than I wanted or had planned in order for the faucet body to clear the drain.    With all this in position now, I could see that I should have shortened the horizontal leg of the drain setup when I originally installed it, and fortunately this was straightforward to deal with now, as the ball joint connection point came apart with surprising ease when I tried.  I shortened the leg and repositioned the whole assembly as close to the sink now as possible, which allowed me to move the faucet significantly closer to the sink where it belonged–nearly a full body diameter, as seen in the circular marks on the plywood.  The closer circle is the final faucet position.

Next, I drilled for and test-fit the faucet, then drilled and installed the push-button, cable-driven actuator for the drain nearby.  I’ll admit I don’t really understand this feature, but it was part of the setup.

For convenience purposes, I had hoped to pre-install the faucet on the bench, before slipping the countertop into position in the boat, but with the depth of the sink, including the drain assembly, I didn’t think there’d be clearance for all this.  To check, I brought the countertop into the boat for a dry fit.   It was clear there was no way the faucet would be able to be pre-installed, but the good news was that with the countertop partially in place, as shown, I had reasonable access to the underside so I could finish the faucet installation before the countertop was in its final position.  The dry fit also highlighted a clearance issue with the bottom part of the little bulkhead still supporting one of the battery switch panels, which I’d left in place because reconfiguring all that wiring would be difficult and time-consuming, but fortunately this was an easy fix since the lower part of the bulkhead didn’t need to be there anyway, and I could (and did) cut it away to increase clearance for the countertop.

Removing the counter back down to the bench, I went ahead and marked and chiseled out the three sections of support beams where clearance was required for the sink brackets.  I also prepared and installed a plywood bracket to support the galvanic isolator, which had originally been mounted on the underside of the old countertop.  The engine room light fixture would be remounted beneath the countertop, and I had a plan for that too.

Because I planned sound insulation wherever I could in the engine room–this meant the overhead, the two removable side panels, and the front access panel–I needed to provide a mounting surface for the light fixture.  I’d marked the approximate position on the underside of the counter where the wiring would allow the fixture to go, and now I prepared a 1/4″ plywood panel to fit, and installed mounting studs to the plywood that would penetrate the sound insulation and give me a secure mount for the plywood, and thus the fixture.  These studs were designed to work with the 2-part adhesive used to secure wire mounts.  Once the adhesive had cured enough, I made a pattern for the sound insulation, then cut out and installed the self-adhesive insulation, securing the plywood panel over top to finish off the installation.  I was pleasantly surprised how well the adhesive back of the insulation worked; I’d expected to need to augment it with mechanical fasteners, but it seemed to really work as is.  While in the process, I also installed insulation on the other panels as applicable, covering all the edges with foil tape for as clean an appearance as possible.

I would have liked to install the countertop, but I was awaiting delivery of some braided water hoses I needed to connect to, and adapt from, the sink faucet to the fittings required to connect to onboard water plumbing.  These parts eventually arrived, but by then it was too late in the day to get going on the final countertop installation.  So in the meantime, I worked on some loose-endy wiring and related projects in the starboard settee, making up a terminal block connection for the propane heater power source, which I’d needed to extend from the original length, and running in a length of potable water hose to service the galley from the new water pump (and tank) location forward, then securing all the wires, the water hose, and the propane line to service the propane heater.  This meant that I could also reinstall the base panel beneath the stove, now fully painted to match, and the settee locker covers.

Another small detail I completed was to install a full-length piano hinge on the two parts of the refrigerator compartment lid/countertop.  I’d previously cut the plywood panel to form a lid and a narrow piece to be permanently affixed, and now I connected the two with a stainless piano hinge.

 

With the painting complete in the main cabin for now, I removed the masking tape.  I planned to avoid masking or covering the fresh paint, and avoid any significant work around it, for a few days to allow a full cure.

For access, it’d be easier to install the stove gimbal mounts before the galley countertop was permanently installed, and there was nothing else standing in the way of this task.  I didn’t plan to install the stove just yet, but the mounts would be ready to go.  When I built the stove surround, I intentionally made it a touch wider than the minimum to ensure there’d be no fitment problems, as it’d be easier and better to build some backing blocks rather than be faced with a space that was too narrow.  So to begin I made an accurate measurement stick from 12mm plywood representing the actual width of the stove gimbal points, working off the stove itself.   The stove mounting points on this stove are just large cheesehead screws attached to the side of the unit; these fit into bearings and machined mounts in the brackets that attach to the bulkheads.

While I had the stove unpackaged and fully available, I took a moment to install the two fittings on the gas supply required to adapt to the standard US hose fitting.  (I’d also been working piecemeal on rebuilding the regulator/solenoid/tank attachment setup with new hoses and new fittings as required–more on this once complete.)

I determined the width between the bulkheads was about 1/2″ wider than it needed to be, so from some scrap teak I built two backing blocks 1/4″ thick and sized slightly larger than the footprint of the full gimbal bracket.  I applied a few coats of satin finish from a spray can, letting this cure through the morning while I worked on the countertops (described below).

Once the backing blocks were ready, I used my plywood stove template and some marks I’d made at the top edges of the bulkheads to relocate the critical center point of the gimbal, helpfully reprsented in the actual brackets with a small hole that made positioning the brackets straightforward with just a single reference point.  I center-punched the sheet metal, then secured each bracket with a temporary screw so I could level the brackets and mark the two bolt holes for drilling.

I punched and drilled the two fixing holes on each bracket, through the sheet metal and bulkheads as needed, then secured the brackets with their teak backing plates with bolts and large washers for support.  On the forward bulkhead, I recessed the washers and nuts so the cosmetic staving would pass over the top without issue; later I’d cut off the protruding length of the threaded bolt.  Now the mounts were ready for final installation of the stove whenever the moment was right.

Throughout the day, and starting in between some of the steps above, I worked to prepare and install plastic laminate on all the galley countertop pieces.  (I call this Formication.)  I cut larger sheets of product to manageable pieces slightly oversized with laminate shears, then coated the mating surfaces with contact cement.  Once the first coat had tacked up, I applied a second coat on the plywood parts to ensure good coverage, since the plywood is more porous than the bottom side of the laminate itself.    Then I assembled the parts, rolling down the laminate securely, and trimmed the edges and openings with a router.

Once the laminate was in place on the main countertop, I masked off the sink opening and coated the exposed plywood grain with epoxy for waterproofing.  Later, I planned to paint this area white to match.

And somehow, that was the day.

I lightly sanded with 320 grit the first coat of finish paint in the interior, then vacuumed, solvent-washed, and tacked off to prepare for the second coat.

Next, I applied a second coat of semi-gloss white enamel to all areas of the interior, as well as the loose panels and hatches underway.

I lightly sanded the propane cylinder box to scuff the new fiberglass and remove any sharp edges, then, after removing the temporary glue blocks from within, installed some lightweight tabbing along the inside seams as well.

With new fasteners on hand, to finish up the day I installed the chainplate deck covers at all six locations, with heavy beads of sealant in the slots, around the chainplate, and along the bases and fastener holes in all cases.  With the adjacent decks protected with masking tape, I left the excess sealant squeezeout to cure for removal later.

I began by lightly sanding the interior primer with 220 grit paper, striving for a flat, smooth, even surface.  Afterwards, I vacuumed and solvent-washed to prepare for the finish coats.

Next, I applied the first of (expected) two coats of semi-gloss white enamel to all areas.

I also applied the finish paint to the settee berth access panels, and other loose panels down in the shop still undergoing treatment.

After a trip out in the world to pick up the countertop material, I got to work on the propane cylinder box.  The owner and I had decided some time before that the new propane locker would be mounted in the after part of the port cockpit seat, which featured an angled, molded top beneath a hinged wooden seat platform.  These photos date from some early planning stages back in October 2023 and are for illustration only, as now the cockpit was full of tools from the interior and I couldn’t easily access the area.  To hopefully maintain (and actually create) access to and storage within in the remainder of the locker that was once the quarterberth, the new locker would mount as far aft (to the left in these photos) as possible, leaving whatever space remained for a top-opening locker lid to be constructed later.  The second photo in this series shows that from the inside (lowest) corner of the locker to the location of the existing (now closed off) vent from the old locker on the starboard side was 13″ below this point.  This location, seen in the third photo of the same vintage, was several inches above the waterline, leaving a bit of room for the requirements of the new locker, but not much, as this vent had to remain above the static waterline.

The owner also decided to continue to use the pair of small steel propane tanks he had been using, which were under 12″ tall and were otherwise acceptable.  Originally, we’d discussed using an expensive horizontal tank, the dimensions of which might have taken up more of the valuable space in this locker, but in the end the pair of smaller tanks made good sense to use in the new plans.  With all this information in mind, I’d come up with an idea for the locker and, some time before, had purchased some materials to use in its construction, which had been awaiting the right moment to be assembled.  This was now.  I’d previously prepared the prefabricated fiberglass panels for construction by roughing up the smooth factory finish, so they were ready to cut and assemble as needed.

With the two tanks, I determined the length required for the box (19″), and, to leave some space for the tank-mounted regulator, hoses, and other requirements, kept the width at 12″, the stock measurement of the panels I’d ordered.  Two 12″ x 24″ panels formed the sides, shown here “stitched” to the base with some wire ties, as initially I’d thought of assembling the box with stitch-and-glue, though I decided against it for reasons I’ll describe momentarily.  These side panels, and the back panel that I cut to fit, were substantially taller than they’d need to be, but because of the angle of the cockpit locker (roughed out in pencil for illustration on the final photo in this series), I didn’t know exactly how tall; I planned to figure this out in situ later, but couldn’t do it right now because of the cluttered cockpit and fresh interior paint (which prohibited cutting holes in the boat at the moment).  So I chose to assemble the back three sides of the box with extra height for later trimming.

However, the front (i.e. inboard) side of the box would be dictated by the clearance required for the tanks, all the while striving to keep the locker as shallow as possible in order to maximize the distance between the waterline and the vent fitting, which would run out of the bottom of the locker.  The tanks were 12″ tall, so I cut the front panel to 12-1/2″, which seemed a practical minimum.  Once I could insert the actual box in position through its new cutout in the cockpit, I’d mark the final angle and position and cut the remaining sides accordingly.

I abandoned the idea of stitch and glue in this case because this method would have had me installing epoxy fillets inside the box at all the corners/junctions between panels to secure the parts together, and there frankly wasn’t floor space for these fillets given the design of the tanks, which extended straight all the way to the base with no recess like the well-known 20 lb. BBQ tanks.  So with my goal of keeping the locker as small as possible, I needed a flat floor all the way to the sides.  Plus, there was really no need to assemble the box in this way, as I had other means at my disposal that would secure the pieces together for the initial stages.

Instead, I secured the panels with small glue blocks inside as needed, which held the box together securely and would be easy to remove later for interior finishing.  This method gave me an unencumbered exterior so I could fiberglass the whole thing together easily.  First, though, I rounded all the corners slightly to ease the hard edges and make fiberglassing easier.

After final preparations, I installed strong tabbing over all the seams and joints to permanently secure the box, adding small pieces of fiberglass at the four bottom (i.e. top in these photos) corners so the entire assembly would be gas-tight when complete.  I stopped the long tabbing on the back panel before the “bottom” (aka top) because later I’d be cutting this off somewhere.  I left the fiberglass to cure overnight; later, once the exterior was cured, I planned to tab the inside seams too.  The final installation would have me adding flanges to the top (once cut to the proper height and angles) that would rest upon, and be secured to, the molded cockpit, with a gasketed lid to sit atop this beneath the wooden hinged seat covers, which could be modified slightly as needed to clear the new hatch.  I’d not yet worked out any details for the proposed storage lid forward of this, awaiting the finalization of the critical propane solution first.