Working on the Bedroom

Well I'm working on the bedroom... for those of you who are not familiar with sailboats, it's actually called the V-Berth and is in the very front of the boat.

The first thing I had to do was add a step. If you've followed this blog for long you know that I am trying to make this boat "Old Dog" friendly. The old dog is not me, (though I probably qualify), but rather my eleven year old buddy, my best friend, my dog Fuji. I've modified the companionway steps to allow him easy ingress and egress, now he needs steps to get up into the V-Berth. I've added one and will probably add one more toward the top that will fold away when not needed.

Now for the headliner... first, the 1x3's that will provide a means to secure the Wainscott vinyl panels, (the old strips have been removed), then, the reflective bubble insulation, then, the panels themselves. Then, the big job...the side planks to the V-Berth.

The previous owner or someone in the past, (and I can't believe it was P&M Worldwide), glassed in ribs to the hull with no rhyme or reason: No equaled or measured spacing, some ribs are half ribs, no mold resistant paint barrier, and the existing wood strips I think are some type of Cedar and not long enough to stretch the length of the berth. IT MUST ALL COME OUT! INCLUDING THE RIBS! Of course, that means removing the glassed-in ribs, (itchy itchy... scratchy scratchy), and new fiberglass work.

But it's got to be done... but I'm saving it for last.

Fair seas and God bless!

AC!

The AC is in, on, and waterproof!

If you're going to live aboard... in South Florida... in the Summer... you probably will need AC. I realize there are some die-hard sailors out there who disagree, but since I already had the carry-on AC, and since my dock electric is a set monthly rate regardless how much electricity I use, and since I'm a wuss when it comes to heat, and since it's MY boat... THE AC IS IN AND ON! (It's also waterproof... it rained this evening and not a drop got in).

The trimwork for the new companionway is finished. The painting is done and a long delayed project is finished, (a door for the galley sink cabinet).

This weekend, I'll finish the trim in the main cabin, then I will begin the headliner for midship and tackle the whole v-berth refit.

Fair seas and God bless!

Full Speed Ahead!

This week I was able to take a few days vacation and man, did I get some work done! The new sole is in, the new water tanks are in and secured, and I invented new companionway stairs that afford my eleven year old buddy, Fuji, the ability to easily enter and exit the boat.

The mat for the cabin sole has been cut to fit... installed, but is not laying down. I'm not really happy with it at this point from an aesthetic point of view, but perhaps it will lay down after a few more days of not being rolled up for weeks.

The water tanks are secure, but not plumbed yet... that's the next major job... maybe... probably... soon...

I tried to modify the companionway ladder a while back to help my old friend Fuji to gain entry and exit but the angle was still too steep for him. Going down was OK, but getting up and out was too hard for him, (being eleven and weighing 108 lbs). This problem had to be solved; he's my best friend!

After hours on the internet searching for something that would work and finding nothing, I decided to just start from scratch. The angle of ascent and descent must extend far beyond a normal companionway ladder to make entry and exit possible for an old dog, (am I talking about my pet or myself... hmmm?). The problem is that such an extension blocks off the Galley. The solution I came up with was a two part entryway. The top two steps are set and the second step slides in when I'm using the Galley and out when Galley access is not required, (the second step is also removable to allow Engine Room access).

The bottom half of the stairs easily move out of the way, allowing access to the Galley and the Engine Room.

I have to do some more trim work and I ran out of indoor/outdoor carpet to provide traction, (back to The Depot), but all in all, the stairs are strong enough for both myself and my best friend and provide both of us easy ingress and egress.

More pics at Annie's Facebook page.

Fair seas and God bless!

Working on My Sole!

When I was leaving the boat today I forgot to remove my knee-pads and I ran into the man who lives on his boat next to mine. He asked me what I was working on and I told him, "My sole." He looked at me... looked at my knee-pads, smiled and said, "I guess when a man is working on his soul, he should be on his knees." (I'm pretty sure he knows I am a Minister). I smiled and told him my prayer life had doubled ever since I started refitting my boat!

The sole should be finished tomorrow. Even adding 3/4" hardwood plywood atop the existing sole still was not enough to clear the forward restraining strap for the new forward tank. I still  had to carve out the hatch for it to shut flush!

Here's a few pictures: BTW, there are many more pics posted on Annie's Facebook page...  https://www.facebook.com/sv.dreamboat.annie.

Fair seas and God bless!

One Job Leads to Another...

If you've ever refit a sailboat, you quickly learn that one job will most likely expose the need for another job(s) and often demand it/them. Thus, it has been so with my new water tanks.  The new water tanks are ever so slightly taller than my old water tanks, (keep in mind, my "Westsail 32" is one of the last ten made and was built by P&M Worldwide - not by Westsail Corp.), so I don't know if P&M just made their bilge more shallow or what, but my forward tank was riding up a 1/4 inch too high and the hatch was riding atop of the forward tank: not to mention there was NO ROOM for plumbing the tanks.

Hence, I had three choices: lower the bilge, raise the floor, or send back the tanks and try to locate smaller ones. Lowering the bilge was/is out of the question and as far as I am concerned, sending the tanks back to California, paying shipping, packing, eating the shipping cost, etc... was/is way too much trouble. That left me with raising the floor.

Annie had sunk on the hard at one time and the original sole had been exposed to water for an extended period of time. The original plywood sole, (not fiberglass as "real" Westsail 32's made by Westsail Corp.), weathered the sinking well... but... my thoughts are a new 3/4" hardwood epoxy sealed sole screwed and fiber-glassed atop the old sole will solve my tank height problem and reinforce an old sole that has had a rough life.

Therefore, one job led to another; all tank and plumbing jobs are therefore suspended and a fresh hardwood sole is now the job on the table.

I took roofing felt and used it to cut and fashion a pattern for the sole, (roofing felt works so much better than paper). I divided the pattern into three sections: Companionway/Galley, Main Cabin, and Fore-ship.

I have decided that since Annie is going to be a cruising boat/live-aboard and not a showboat, (not to mention I'm not a rich guy - two grand plus for a Teak and Holly sole), I will epoxy the three joints of the new sole together, paint with a waterproof mold resistant paint and then cut a rubber mat material used in garages to provide more water proofing and slip resistance.

The rubber matting will be divided into three sections as above and will cover hatches. Access to the hatches will be allowed by simply rolling the rubber mat back.

It may not be as pretty as before but it is economical and practical, (actually I think it will look OK).

Fair seas and God bless!