Building A Westsail 42

V-Berth In, Final Power Distribution, Forward Head

2017-06-24T18:21:00.001-07:00

Some long overdue updates...

V-Berth is IN!

Though there are some remaining trim bits left to do when the adjacent head compartment nears completion.

The design is an "over-under" bunk layout. Strips of African mahogany clad the hull sides. The "door" on the forward bulkhead conceals a water tight "slam hatch" that provides access to the anchor locker. The overhead is vinyl covering the one inch thermal insulation.

This area is not likely to be used as a berth at all. It will likely be the garage for storage of things like sails, or anything we just want to "get out of the way".

Power Distribution

The remaining power distribution modules have been installed and wired. The boat now has 24VDC distribution to all "corners". Individual switch loads will run to their closest distribution module.

Engine room distribution. 12VDC and 24VDC.

Aft cabin distribution (temporary mount).

Forward Starboard

Forward Port

Forward Head

Design and construction of the forward head compartment is underway. One of the first things is the modeling and molding of the shower pan. Not perfect, but with some fairing compound and a spray of gelcoat, it should do nicely.

Construction of the mold.

Shower pan, removed from mold

Dryfit in place.

Also constructed is the shower sump, that will be attached under the shower pan. Made from bits of coosa board, with a couple layers of glass on the inside. It will be sprayed with gelcoat along with the shower pan.

Shower sump

As for the head plumbing, we are awaiting an order for the waste holding tank that will be installed against the hull, up under the side deck.

Testing placement for plumbing and tank (white thing mocked up on the right).

Slackin' and V-Berth Update

2017-04-25T06:27:00.000-07:00

Wow, I have really been slackin' on posting blog updates. I will make a concerted effort here to catch up on the various paralell projects in the next few posts.

The v-berth, aka "the garage" is mostly trimmed in. As per the last post, we decided to clad the hull sides with strips of hardwood, a somewhat traditional style. We originally set out to "keep the v-berth quick, easy and simple", since we expected it to act as the garage to store stuff. But tastes got in the way and the direction took a more "finished" and "detailed" direction. After having planed, ripped, planed, routed, fitted, and varnished each individual strip, I realized the v-berth may very well end up the compartment with the most labor hours spent. So much for quick and simple.

A few more trim bits are still being fitted where the v-berth meets the forward head.

November Update

2016-11-27T07:20:00.001-08:00

With the cold wet weather upon us, focus shifts back to the interior. This time starting with the v-berth and forward head.

The V-berth is being planned as more of a "garage" for storage of stuff (sails, fenders, etc.). Stuff that could be wet and dirty. With that in mind, primary features are that it is well lit (to find stuff) and easy to clean. Does not need to be fancy and ornate. The first attempt was to put up plastic laminate on the bulkheads and cover the foam insulated hull sides and under-foredeck with a good quality vinyl. Then trim with hardwood.

V-berth before vinyl

V-berth after vinyl, some hardwood trim dry fitted.

Well, besides difficulties on laying up the vinyl in some areas, the compartment was looking like a sea of beige. The overwhelming color and given the vinyl was telegraphing every slight deformity of insulation on the hull sides, we have decided to go a bit traditional and clad the sides with strips of hardwood.

Which brings up the topic of tools. The current table top saw is just not big enough (size and power) to rip one and a half inch thick planks of hardwood. The most recent black friday gave an opportunity to remedy this with a new 3HP 220v table saw. which should see much use immediately.

New table saw replaces old table top saw

On to the forward head The base for the toilet has been constructed and fitted allowing plenty of room for plumbing runs. The shower sump is under design with a planned plywood mockup. Actual construction material may be G10 fiberglass sheet and Coosa with a gelcoat finish. Interior finish is undetermined, but we are leaning to some sort of plastic laminate.

Final position of head. Space for shower sump shown.

That is all for now!

Hull/Deck Joint Glassed, Too Late for Paint, Forward Head

2016-10-01T06:54:00.000-07:00

Well, it looks like we missed our weather window for hull paint. Temperatures are too cold. Not a big deal as it seemed most of the summer was a bit humid anyway (not rainy, but a bit sticky). Oh well, with the semi-permanent scaffolds and new stairs built around the boat, we are ready for paint next year as soon as weather permits.

We did manage to glass the hull to deck joint. After removing the failed PlasTEAK caprail (experiment?) we decided to glass over the joint to improve strength and resistance to leaks. I wont bore you with the technical details, but will say the job goes smoother by wetting out glass first then laying on the joint, instead of laying out dry glass and wetting it in place. The latter tends to be more messy if you are not careful (epoxy drips over the side).

Starboard side. Wetted first, then laid down.

Port side. Laid down dry, then wetted. Shown with sacrifical paint.

View from the hull side showing the rough cut edges

So for now we will leave the glassed-over caprail in place, unfaired and rough on the edges until the time comes to finish the deck. Until then, the caprail will get a sacrificial coat of paint to protected it from UV.

Forward Head

With the cool weather upon us, time to focus back on the interior. Specifically, the forward head, which, until now, has been completely empty. So far we have roughed in cabinet faces and approximated the 'settee height' for the toilet. Current thoughts are to build a equal height settee around the toilet. The picture shows a temporary plywood cutout as a rough approximation.

Testing settee and bowl placement

Vanity and sink will go here

Earlier in this blog you saw me write about the Dometic VacuFlush system for head plumbing. Well I have changed my mind in favor of something simpler. Specifically, the Raritan SeaEra macerating toilet. Reason for decision: I would rather not deal with complex repairs of the VacuFlush in my old age! We have a Raritan head on the small boat and have never had a problem in 20 years. I am hoping the SeaEra will perform as well. We have one on order, should be here in a week or so.

More when it happens.

Prepping for Paint: Various Tasks

2016-08-01T07:21:00.001-07:00

The big task this summer will be hull paint, if everything goes smoothly and weather cooperates. Numerous tasks for preparation:

Sacrificial Coat of Paint for the Deck

The original cracking gelcoat nonskid has been stripped off. This leaves the underlying laminate exposed to the sun/UV. One doesn't want to leave this exposed for long periods as the UV will breakdown and weaken the laminate. Probably not an issue on this boat given the thick laminate schedule, but I just assume avoid it. The solution is a single sacrificial coat of white paint. Just a basic exterior enamel. This will provide protection from UV until we are ready to finish the deck (maybe next spring). Then the paint will be sanded off as part of preparation. The white color also makes for a cooler deck in the summer, yet makes for slippery conditions when wet. Ultimate care is required when moving around on deck.

Caprail Material Failure Removal

A couple years ago, I installed a plastic teak substitute (PlasTeak) for the caprail. Now, it is an ultimate failure. While it installed easily and looked great, after a year of hot/cold cycles, the edges began to split where there was more than a slight bend. I had originally intended to paint around it, but the failure requires removal entirely. This will make painting all that much easier as I don't have to worry about taping the caprail.

As a result I have decided to glass over the hull/deck joint for strength and maximize resistance to water intrusion.

New Boarding Stairs

The original, narrow, weakening boarding stairs when up along the port side right against the hull blocking access to a large area. A new set of boarding stairs have been built at the stern, starboard side, with a landing where the upper section of the stairs can be pulled away from the boat to provide access to the hull surface. The new stairs are wider and sturdier and should well serve the remainder of this project. Removal of the old stairs will finally give me access to finish the port side deck drain which is still in a temporary state.

Removal of the old stairs will allow completion of the perimeter scaffold that gives easy access to the hull side during painting.

More later...

Deck Grinding, Repair, and Prep for Hull Paint

2016-06-26T07:09:00.000-07:00

The thick old waffle pattern non-skid that was molded into the original gelcoat from the factory, has all been ground off. The vacuum attachment of the PaintShaver Pro tool, that was used for the grinding, collected %99 of the material. When emptying the shop-vac, I estimate twenty to thirty pounds of ground up gelcoat/fiberglass. That should make the boat faster, right?

Exposed laminate from non-skid removal

With the old white gelcoat removed, the fiberglass laminate was exposed to reveal numerous areas delamination from the plywood core. Some areas were quite large. Who knows how long these existed. But since the boat has been sitting for thirty years, the delmination is certainly not from stresses and strains on the boat. If anything the cause originates from the factory where the plywood core was not primed/prepped properly (to be fair, way back then in the 70s, boat builders just did not think, or even know of delamination problems).

The internal voids, created by the delamination, were repaired by strategically drilling holes in the deck down to the plywood core, at the site. Epoxy was then injected with a plastic syringe. In total about one to two quarts of epoxy was injected, which seems like a lot. The worst section was the cockpit floor where top of the entire removable rectangular section had separated from the core.

Clean(er) after thorough pressure wash.

Logistical conditions this summer are such that now is an ideal time to paint the hull. This will require a perimeter scaffold to quickly and easily move around the boat during the application process. It will also require removal and relocation of the original boarding stairs, which will finally give me access to properly finish the port side deck drain.

Beginnings of perimeter scaffold

...that is somewhat hacked, but should suffice.

Goodbye Nonskid

2016-06-05T06:03:00.001-07:00

Finished grinding off the thick "waffle pattern" nonskid from the deck. Much of the delamination on the cabin top has been repaired. There are a few silver dollar size spots but I am not sure it is worth the work to fill those.

But with the non skid now stripped from the side decks, larger areas of delamination have appeared. I will be spending the next week filling in those 'new' areas.

The plan is to install one of the fake teak decking material. With the non skid removed, the revealed darkened laminate sorta gives an idea of what that deck material would look like.

Delamination Repair Recipe

2016-04-16T18:56:00.002-07:00

Ingredients and Utensils

epoxy with slow catalyst
plastic mix cups
mixing sticks
syringes
plenty of rags
cheap masking tape
cordless drill with bit slightly bigger than syringe tip
torpedo level
small ballpeen hammer
black sharpie

Take the hammer and tap the deck to identify the extent of the delaminated area. Try and find the center and move out in various directions. Mark the edges with the sharpie.
Using the torpedo level, identify the 'low' and the 'high' side of the delaminated area. Two holes must be drilled. One to inject the syringe, one to let the air escape (displaced by the epoxy). The epoxy will flow to the low side due to gravity.
Mix up some epoxy and inject in the hole on the low side. Once epoxy exits from the high side, the void should be pretty much filled.
When confident the void has been filled, wipe off excess epoxy and tape the holes with masking tape to keep epoxy from oozing out.

Epoxy injection

Light "splotches" within the dark areas of the cabin top are delaminated areas.

The areas near the port side turn of the cabin top (lower "strip" in the picture) were quite large. The aft part of the area took about 600cc of epoxy.

Delamination!

2016-04-01T07:00:00.002-07:00

No foolin. Stripping away the thick gelcoat non-skid from the top of the cabin trunk has revealed large spots of delamination.

Delamination is something no (fiberglass) boat owner wants to discover. It is a condition where the fiberglass laminate has separated from the core material to produce small voids in between. When a professional marine surveyor taps on your boat's deck with a small plastic ballpeen hammer, delmination is what they are looking for. The impact results in a long 'thud' instead of a sharp 'tap' indicating a void in the laminate.

In this case, no tapping with a hammer was required as the voids can clearly bee seen manifesting as lighter color "splotches" instead of a dark consistent color. Modern sandwich boat construction use special composite cores designed to maximize adhesion. The Westsail factory, back in the day, used plywood as a core material, not unlike CDX grade plywood. The problem with plywood is that there is no end-grain on the face thus minimizing absorption of resin by the wood during the layup, creating a weak bond between the plywood core and fiberglass. The bond could have been improved by cutting numerous grooves in the plywood and priming it with resin before layup. But, if the replaced core at the main mast step is any indication, it appears this preparation was not done at the factory.

This is not as big of a deal as it sounds. With this boat, the fiberglass is too thick to present any structural problems. The main concern is keeping the core dry to avoid any 'soft deck' disease, as once the core is wet, it will never dry. The risk of water intrusion happens when deck hardware is mounted.

Fortunately, the fix for this is simple, if not tedious. Simply drill a couple small holes in the delaminated areas and displace the air in the void by injecting epoxy.

You cant see the delamination in the pictures below, but it is there, in many places.

Last of the LED lighting...

2016-03-13T05:40:00.000-07:00

I know, I keep talking about LED lighting (seems lots of boaters are doing LED light projects these days!). But this is the last string of "planned" LED lighting.

Recall a string was installed in the aft bilge/steering compartment here: http://www.westsail42.com/2015/07/subfloor-lighting-steering-gear-tweaks.html

Well, this string is under the floor of the forward salon. The lighting provides easy views into the mechanical and storage underneath.

Forward Salon sub-floor compartments

In the above picture, compartments are from bottom to top:

fresh water pump and filter, tank valves, raw water pump, distribution manifolds
bilge pump, dry and crash. small storage available above the pumps
main mast compression post with electrical conduit exit port for the mast.
as-of-yet-determined storage

More LED Lighting...

2016-03-06T08:22:00.000-08:00

This time its the aft cabin. This replaces three annoying temporary under-deck cheap fluorescent fixtures along with the cords strung about to power them. As with the main cabin, lights are controlled with a wireless remote (on shelf in last picture).

Stripping Deck Gelcoat Non-Skid with the PaintShaver Pro (Video)

2016-03-01T06:50:00.000-08:00

So here it is. The fastest and easiest method to remove the thick gelcoat non-skid from the deck.

The tools is the "PaintShaver Pro" (http://paintshaver.com/paintshaver-pro/). Originally designed to strip paint from home siding, sold in two versions: original and marine. The difference between the two being the marine version has diamond tipped teeth instead of carbide.

The features:

dust attachment and hose. Connect it to your shop-vac and there is absolutely zero loose dust generated by the tool.
the diamond teeth cuts through the gelcoat quite easily.
no pressure applied, just the weight of the tool is resting on the deck. If anything, a little lift is required to keep the surface smooth
adjustable cutting depth

For this application, after using the Paint Shaver, I "finished" the deck with an angle grinder and 5 inch 36 grit discs. Just light pressure to help level the surface.

The tool does leaves small circular marks in the surface. If one were to paint the decks, further prep such as epoxy coating/filler and/or high build primer followed by finish sanding would be required. We are considering one of the fake teak deck products so a simple strip of the gelcoat should be enough.

Bought new the PaintShaver runs about $1000USD, but used ones appear on eBay regularly for around $600USD.

Total time: less then two hours for the top of the main cabin trunk. And I was taking my time.

Stripped Main Cabin Trunk. Right has been 'finished' with the grinder.

Short video of the process

Gelcoat Removal Tests

2016-02-28T06:30:00.000-08:00

Knowing that the gelcoat non-skid must be removed, we have tested various tools and techniques for removal. Here is a summary of what we have learned.

Angle Grinder

This is the first obvious choice. If you deal with fiberglass/resin construction and repairs, you will likely need to grind the stuff, and already have one. Your typical angle grinder with a 5 inch pad and 36 grit (or coarser) stickit dics can cut into the stuff fairly well. However, when taken to the gelcoat nonskid, expect...

apply fairly significant pressure to get the abrasive to "bite".
a 36 grit disc will be toast (needs changing) after about 2-3 square feet.

In the end, it would take quite a long time as you burn through a large box of abrasive discs. And, your arms will want to drop out of their sockets after just a few square feet due to the pressue you must apply.

Power Planer

Yes like woodworkers use. Should work, right? I mean we are 'planing' off the non skid, just as one planes off bumps on a wood surface? Well, no. These planers are for removing thin strips. We are talking nearly an eighth inch of gelcoat to remove. Taking a planer to this stuff does work, but the tool is hard to control and you need to make your 'pass' just right to take on the next one. Of course, the gelcoat trashes the carbide planer blades almost instantly.

Gel Plane

http://www.gelplane.co.uk/ This is a tool often used to peel gelcoat and fiberglass from hulls, below the waterline, to repair blisters. We did not specifically try this on the deck, but have used this to peel the bottom of our small boat that suffered a case of 'small pox'. This tool should remove the nonskid with no problem. However, locating the tool is an issue. New units cost nearly $3000USD. Used ones appear on eBay VERY rarely and fetch $1500USD or more. If your local boat yard has one to borrow, or knows someone that could do it for an hourly rate, it is worth a try.

We have found another tool that works well. Next post will be a full report...

How To Strip Gelcoat?

2016-02-21T06:35:00.000-08:00

The deck needs some attention this summer. Particularly the top of the main cabin trunk where a permanent design/solution is needed for the companionway slide and door. This will involve some fiberglass work moulding parts and glassing them to the deck.

This brings up the topic of the nonskid pattern found on decks of Westsails...

If your Westail does not have teak planked decks, then it has the bare original gelcoat "under foot" (unless it has been painted). These boats had a nonskid "waffle" pattern integrated into the deck surface as part of the original deck moulds. The manufacturing process went something like...

clean and wax the mould
spray the mould with polyester gelcoat, white, followed by a blue flag coat
lay up the fiberglass with polyester resin and plywood cores
once cured, pop the deck from the mould
presto! you have a nice shiny white deck!

But indications are the gelcoat was likely applied a bit thick. And with the deep nonskid waffle pattern, it certainly is thick in those areas. Gelcoat is usually applied thin to give the boat color, and protect the fiberglass laminate, it is not meant to be structural. Polyester gelcoat shrinks when cured and any thick areas will be in tension. Add 30 years of UV exposure, with no care and maintenance, and the surface develops many cracks.

So, unless you meticulously cared for and/or painted the deck of your boat, it now looks something like this...

The prep for fiberglass work (or paint for that matter) requires stripping this cracked white stuff (if painted as is, existing cracks would telegraph through the final finish). And with the nonskid so thick, sanding and/or grinding will take forever.

So, what is the easiest method to remove this stuff?

stay tuned...

More Ice Box

2016-01-15T06:55:00.000-08:00

I finally fit the first layer of foam to the ice box cabinet. However, I am pausing here for the moment. A bit more research has suggested that, despite some extra cost, using vacuum insulation panels for the inner main box will not only improve insulation, but also simplify construction (compared to what I had originally planned). More later as I get more information.

In the meantime, the cabinet is temporarily closed up and I have regained work surface area.

First layer of foam fitted

Plywood top

Temporary MDF countertops

Now, on to other things...

Ice Box "Cabinet" Install

2016-01-10T19:43:00.000-08:00

Well, I was hoping to get further this weekend, but when the outside temperature is in the 30s, EVERYTHING must wait for epoxy cure, even when using "fast" catalyst.

So the ice box cabinet is "in", that is, "secured in place". Final permanent installation of the foam insulation will come later this week. Anyway, here is what happened...

Final foam fitment.

At this point there is 3.5 inches of foam insulation in the outer layer of the cabinet, which is an R-value of about 18.

Cabinet Base

The cabinet base sits between the bottom of the cabinet and the galley floor. It provides for a three inch kick space for all sides that face the interior.

Ice Box floor "section". Holes are ventilation. Starboard water tank underneath.

A "corner" of the floor was cut and secured to where the ice box will sit. The base mentioned above will rest on this piece. It was cut about a quarter inch shy on the perimeter which allows the final galley floorboard to "joint in" underneath the ice box base for a nice flush secure fit. Floor boards can be removed without messing with the ice box.

Underneath the base: drain plumbing (left), lower securing bracket (right)

Plumbed underneath the ice box bottom, inside the base, is the plumbing for the ice box drain, which is 1/2 inch PVC. A fiberglass angle bracket secures the bottom of the cabinet to the 1-1/2 inch coosa board floor supports, using 5/16 bolts. Otherwise would be exposed plywood is painted (Bilgekote white) to get some sort of sealed coating on it (not for looking 'nice').

Final assembly inside the boat. Not much room to work with!

The plywood panels were lined with radiant reflective mylar in the shop (I just cut up some of those cheap emergency heat blankets). I then moved them into the boat where they were "glued and screwed" in the final assembly.

Cabinet secured in place

In addition to the angle bracket underneath, the cabinet is secured to the boat by way of five 5/16 inch bolts through the 1-1/2 inch coosa board bulkhead immediately forward of the box. The bolts are recessed in a counterbore from the forward side of the bulkhead into tee nuts previously set into the cabinet panel during construction.

Ice Box Dry Assembly

2016-01-03T18:09:00.000-08:00

The ice box cabinet is assembled for the most part. Some foam still needs fitting. The "top" will be fitted when the galley countertops are installed. The side face will be fitted with whatever hardwood ply is decided. Dis-assembly and reassembly for permanent installation in the boat will begin later this week. Inner box and liner will be constructed/installed after this base cabinet is in.

Things came together like this...

Bottom and Back panel pieces

Reinforcing "ribs" add strength and help things keep shape while under construction

Cutting and fitting rigid foam insulation

Starboard side panels, this is the side that faces the hull

more cutting and fitting of foam

Still more foam

Ice Box Design

2016-01-01T10:19:00.000-08:00

What better activity for a freezing new years day...

After revisiting some of my older thoughts on ice box features, I have made some changes, most in the interest of reducing complication, cost and build time.

One or Two?

At one point, as the ice box cabinet would have such large capacity, the plan was one half would be a separate icebox, the other half a side opening all-in-one refrigeration unit. Two separate units would provide redundancy. The new plan is to have one large ice box with adjustable internal dividers. At least one evaporative plate on one side for refrigeration, and a freezer holding plate on the other. The freezer plate provides redundancy should the other fail, and vice-versa. Compressor units would be located in a nearby separate locker.

Insulation Materials/Construction

Past research has discovered many high-tech insulation materials such as vacuum panels, various foams, etc. If one really wanted to push the envelope on R-value and maximize volume, these materials would do it. But they also maximize cost and complicates construction. Therefore, after browsing other boater's DIY ice box construction (even recommendations from the Gougeon/West System people), I have settled for "keep it simple" and "good enough".

Construction will be a plywood carcase with the insides layered, from out to in:

Mylar radiant reflective sheeting
2 inch foam insulation (like the blue stuff you get at home improvement stores)
1 inch foam insulation (similar, optional depending on final volume)
half inch plywood, the "internal" box
quarter inch food grade UHMW or PVC liner with welded joints
drain port with hose into bilge

Now, the assembled cabinet cannot fit though the companionway, therefore, it must be cut and "dry fitted" in the shop, disassembled, with final construction performed in the boat "in situ".

General sketch of the ice box

Westsail Project Christmas

2015-12-30T17:37:00.000-08:00

Many thanks to the admiral who jump started the Westsail project with a few new tools.

A digital thickness planer gauge! A bit more accurate than the scale supplied with the DeWalt thickness planer, it should eliminate the need to check plank thinkness with the digital calipers.

Honing tools! These are used to sharpen hand plane blades and chisels. Made by Veritas which are the bees knees when it comes to woodworking tools.

Cabinet Face Frames, Doors and Hardware

2015-12-20T19:00:00.000-08:00

Here is the latest on cabinet face frame experiments. This is port side of the forward salon.

The main panel is khaya veneered plywood with maple horizontal inlays above and below the cabinet doors. The cabinet doors are inset with fully concealed hinges. Latches are push button locking types.

This idea includes a grille spanning from above the cabinet doors to the underside of the side decks. The grille is not just decorative as it provides ventilation from behind the cabinet (non-ventilated spaces are always to be avoided on a boat if possible). In the case of the port side, the most forward end of the grille is also the exhaust duct for the future air conditioning system. The grille can be removed to gain access to electrical running along the deck underside.

Mistakes were made with this construction. The main panel cutouts went pretty well, except that, in order to keep the plywood grain vertical, the face panels had to be cut as two pieces, as the length is greater than 48 inches. With most plywood, the grain runs along the longest edge. The final construction will be a one piece cutout, which requires special ordered plywood, with grain running parallel to the short side.

Back side of grille machined from maple. Lots of little tear-out "whiskers" in there.

The grille construction was disastrous as I did not have fences setup correctly on the router table. But that didn't matter as in the end the maple had lots of tear-out, even with new sharp bits. I suppose this is a characteristic of soft maple. It just does not machine well.

So this rules out maple as a contrasting wood, leaving alder as the next (and last?) choice. Alder has a somewhat similar color and grain to that of maple.

Next experiment is to machine a grille from alder, followed by some finish varnish (may try a few more brands).

Face frame without doors or grille

Face frame with doors, no grille

Cabinet Face Experiment #2

2015-12-12T12:55:00.000-08:00

Second cabinet face experiment. Using square cornered doors and sample horizontal inlays at the top and bottom of the door. Just testing construction technique and design. Not really a test of wood species and look as this is a scrap of plain sande marine ply (kinda dirty) and the khaya inlay doesn't really contrast.

Use the machine to cut the back hinge and latch pockets.

Front with door cut still tabbed into frame

Upper and Lower horizontal inlays

Gluing the inlays in place

Planed with hardware installed

Full open position

I think we will try this on the full frame test coming up next...

Wood Species Comparisons

2015-12-11T07:14:00.000-08:00

For the next experiment we will be trying out khaya veneered plywood. Here is a sample of the plywood with various wood inlays. The ideas for the interior include contrasting accent trim. Probably a lighter color wood.

In the above picture, from top to bottom we have: maple, beech, alder, cherry, teak, sapele. The smartphone picture doesn't capture the real colors very well. The last three are out. Either the colors clash or not enough contrast. Of the top three, maple and alder look good, with maple having the nicer grain. I'm not fond of beech's speckled grain (similar to oak, which I don't care for either).

This next picture demonstrates differences in finish. On the left: two coats of Epiphanes rubbed-effect varnish. On the right: two coats of Z-Spar satin varnish. Both are intended for a "less glossy" finish. But as you can see, the Epiphanes shows much more gloss than Z-Spar. For the interior, minimizing reflection and glare is preferred. Z-Spar seems the best of these two finishes.

Re-gaining Momentum on the Interior

2015-12-06T06:38:00.000-08:00

With continuing tweaks and adjustments happening with the new shop, the setup is now ready for pushing forward with the "wood" related aspects of finishing the boat interior.

Before the new shop, we were in need of a wood species. Of the few samples under consideration, the choice has been narrowed to sapele or khaya. Both are an african mahogany, available as a plywood, at a relatively affordable cost. Sepele, while similar to teak in color and darkness, might make the cabin interior too dark for the admiral's taste. Khaya, though lighter is, can be a bit reddish/orange depending on what oil/varnish is used for finish. So, with that, comes a few more experiments...

The experiments are focused on the upper cabinet faces in the forward salon. Not just for selecting the wood species, but also what hardware and construction techniques can be used. Whatever design/construction we decide, it must also work throughout the rest of the boat, with little variation.

This is a fully functioning cabinet door mock-up, made from a scrap piece of plywood for testing cabinet hardware and construction. There are a pair of fully concealed inset hinges behind. Turns out the rounded corners, with these hinges, prevent the door from fully opening, not even to 90 degrees. The corners will have to be square if we use these hinges. The latch is a push button locking latch. The reveal gap is 3/16 of an inch, which still seems a bit wide. Will try 1/8 inch next time.

This freshly milled hardwood sample is khaya african mahogany. Strips have been ripped to see how this wood inlays and behaves in the router.

More experiments to come...

Any Colour You Like

2015-11-29T07:08:00.001-08:00

The final "ambient" lighting for the main and forward salon has been installed. These are two five meter LED strips that run along the underside of the side decks illuminating downward. These strips have 60 LEDs per meter that provides a fairly continuous "glow". The lighting is not "direct" enough to be used as work lighting, but it illuminates the cabin such that you can find your way around when its dark.

These new lights enable the removal of some temporary "tack up" under shelf florescent lights I had been using, and with that, the annoying AC cords strung about to power them.

The wireless controller allows for custom dimmable color selection as can be seen in the pictures below.

There is even an animated "disco" mode. Maybe I will post a video of that later.

What Was I Thinking?

2015-11-16T18:33:00.000-08:00

Over the last a few weeks, two events occurred revealing two flaws in my electrical wiring design and implementation. One AC and one DC kind...

AC wiring flaw

It is close to winter again. Which means space heaters get run when I am inside the boat. Large power tool operation inside the boat is happening more often these days. While I put careful thought to ensure there would always be an AC outlet nearby(I hate running extension cords throughout the boat), I clearly wasn't thinking when I wired them all through ONE 15 amp breaker.

The problem? Run a power tool while the space heater is on HIGH, or better yet, run TWO space heaters (fore and aft), and the breaker will trip. Climb back to the engine room and reset the switch. Repeat a few minutes later. Grrr.

Solution: add a second breaker for the AC outlets. Since all wiring runs are homed to the engine room, re-configuring this is not a problem. Now, there are two AC outlet circuits: port and starboard. Each run through their own GFCI outlet mounted on the engine room electrical panel. All fixed.

DC wiring flaw

Recall we have FOUR electric bilge pumps. Two in each sump, fore and aft. In each pair, one is a "Crash" pump (expensive, high capacity for that time when you have a really BIG leak, hopefully never), the other is a "Dry" pump (cheaper, low capacity, for keeping the bilges dry). They are mounted such that, the dry pumps start first, and then, if water ingress is overpowering for the dry pumps, the crash pumps kick in.

My original wiring had all pumps powered through one 24 volt buss, which in turn was powered through one Mastervolt channel.

Well, a few weeks ago, something happened to the forward "dry" bilge pump causing it to overload the circuit (stuck impeller or something). This caused an overcurrent condition in the Mastervolt system which, in response, shut down the circuit. Now the 24 volt buss has no power, along with all the other pumps connected. I think you can see the flaw.

If one were in a real emergency, where the boat was taking on water, the last thing you want is one of the cheap low capacity pumps to fail, and take out the rest of the pumps with it.

Furthermore, as handy and fancy as the Mastervolt system is, I don't feel comfortable having it be the SOLE source of power for the bilge pumps. Some sort of electrical bypass is necessary in case the Mastervolt system goes down.

The solution is to wire all four pumps into the Mastervolt system, each with their own channel. Between the channel output and the (physical) pump switch, each tap into the positive side of one circuit of a multi-circuit fuse block. The entire fuse block, in turn is powered directly from the battery terminals, through an override switch.

The result is that, should the Mastervolt system shut down, turning on the one override switch will energize the fuse block, bringing all pumps back on-line.

Pretty easy huh? Like I said, "What was I Thinking?" when I originally wired this thing. Oh well, best catching this now instead of waiting for a true emergency situation.