Rambling repair post...

[SailingUphill]

More starboard work... instrumentation...
without covers...

distance view of all the work...

[SailingUphill]

By the way laid down first layer of chopped strand mat, forgot to take a picture (probably would ruin my phone if I did my hands were all sticky)... it was drying quickly because I had it pretty warm in there, probably 55-60 cockpit temp.

Also I put in all LEDs... Dr. LED nav lights for the perkos 31mm festoons.. here's a not so telling shot of the bow ligths...


I also replaced all the cabin lights with drop in replacement LEDs.

My VHF/GPS is coming tomorrow or the next day, as is my new tiller pilot. I race some, I sail solo A LOT!

[SailingUphill]

More toys arrived... Now I REALLY have to get cracking on wiring.
Oh yeah, I done did it.


No worries, this still won't have been my most expensive winter refit... I think though buying 2 sails in 1 winter season put that other project over the budget top... That was also the most labor intensive (yeah believe it or not)... it involved a complete bottom job, topside painting, and also tons of projects like this. I must be insane.

[Stef]

I don't know where you find all this time!

[dave]

Some people like big projects. I have a good friend here in Little Rock who is NEVER without at least 2-3 boat projects at a time, along with others of a non nautical nature. He is retired, but he has been this way since I met him in 1977 or thereabouts!

[SailingUphill]

@Stef - some of us aren't running our own growing business.. dude you are busier than a 1 armed paper hanger!
@Dave - nope not retired, and I wouldn't say I "like" big projects. I just have them... My wife and I are into maximizing our available time on this earth doing things we love... work is just a means to pay for it all I'd make a lousy business owner. I suppose I want each boat I own to be slightly better than the last. I bought this one knowing it wasn't, but I saw potential in it getting there.

As an IT Manager that is on call 24x7x365, I'm huge into preventative maintenance to keep my free time, um, free. That being said I still put in about 2-3 hours work on Christmas day (plant was down for the holiday), migrating a server from physical to virtual using the VMWare converter (VMWare is sweet stuff).. anyway, it went smoothly and wasn't a small server, it was our file server. Fortunately most of my work can be done from nearly anywhere... but I have my home network jacked in directly to work with a pinned up VPN (including my desk phone).. Did I mention that my wife is our Senior Software Developer? Her software runs on 80% of the computers at work. She's on call as much as I am.

As for my weekend/weekday time, I don't like sitting around much... I alternate weekends with my ex for time with my daughter, and when she's here nothing gets done, its all about her... when she's not, I feel better keeping busy. It was a pretty hard decision to leave my ex, not because the marriage wasn't a failure, but because I knew that meant I wouldn't have as much time with my daughter as I'd like. You can bust my hump if you like, but you know from the day she was born she was "Daddy's girl." She's older now, at 11, and I know the teenage years will likely change what she wants to do and will want to spend more time with friends and stuff... Question is will she ever get to a point where she wants to truly learn to sail? Hard to say... but she's not happy now unless the rail is buried and we're beating to windward at hull speed.

PS: I just came in (this is New Years Day), from 2 hours of splitting wood. I'm older now, so I used a hydraulic splitter (yep about 15 years ago I used to do it all the old fashioned way). I'm hoping burning some of our trees from the land we're clearing for our horses will help offset the cost of home heating oil this winter. Could save me close to $1500. It looks like it's already saved us about $500. Gotta do something to make up for the $$ spent on the boat.

[SailingUphill]

Crap... hey you guys are supposed to point out my screw ups!!! what do I pay you for? Wait nevermind...

Just realized I have to splice into my beautiful SimNET transducer cable for wind, cause us crazy folk with trailerables actually take our masts down from time to time... Did some research and found out that "SimNET" is actually a true NMEA 2000 wire, meaning its a 5 wire deal. The network for Simrad is actually 4 active wires and a shield... basically 2 are power, 2 are data. By contrast to the stuff I am used to working with, simnet is not twisted pair or really high frequency at all, so you could technically use any M/F termination pair, but they (NMEA group) strongly recommend you use a NMEA 2000 compatible set of terminators (cause they are kind of designed for this)...

Apparently (as is our favorite word these days in NE PA, http://youtu.be/rz5TGN7eUcM yeah that's our brilliant local news crew handing over the news to a 5 yo), Maretron makes the Micro Field replaceable connectors... available at my favorite place to waste money, Defender.

I'm gearing up for a sailboat repair weekend... wish me luck.

[SailingUphill]

Stef called it, bushings were going on my rudder... I got a pair from him to replace them when I picked up the tracks for the hatch. Here you can see old and new.

[SailingUphill]

Here's my crappy 1st layer chopped strand matte... applied.. before sanding.

After sanding... Ok perhaps it wasn't as bad as I thought.


Ok just noted the forum rules prevent quick posting after myself... so I'll stack them here..
here's my start on the plywood backer plate. I considered making it steel, and alum.. but I think honestly plywood will be fine.. but I needed to coat it first. I clearcoated it with 2 coats poly... but I think once it's mounted I'll epoxy it. Anyway here's the backer...

Here I am sizing it before I coated it...

2 trips to the hardware store, 2.5" stainless 1/4" bolts should hold this nicely, all 9 of them...
here is the only good shot I could get of the backer in place, bolts through..

By the way I epoxied the holes through the transom... overdrilled and epoxied, then I applied 3M 4200 on the base of the ladder, and bolted through, to washers, and nuts on the opposite side of the backer, tightening caused some squeeze out of 4200, as it was drying (perfect seal)...

I've been pretty happy with the result, and YES the ladder holds my fat keester.

[SailingUphill]

Oh yeah, I put a quick coat of bottom paint on the rudder. Before I left the pole barn I added a 2nd coat.

Yeah I know you folks are probably reeling from the pictures by now... but you know you don't have to look! heheheh.


Honestly the ladder was a HUGE deal to me. I consider it a requirement for safety (MOB and all). I am extremely happy its done (you know except a coating of epoxy. Someone weigh in if you think I should glass it in... I can (now that everything is likely dried in place now), fiberglass it to if it looks like it needs it. I was PARANOID about drilling 9 holes in the transom especially since these boats get waterlogged if you look at it crooked. Hence the overdrilling and filling.

[dave]

What type of epoxy are you using?

[SailingUphill]

Sorry it's laminating resin.

[dave]

Polyester? With that you get a twofer: the repair and the stone!!!

[SailingUphill]

Not sure I take your meaning... I guess you mean it's hard as a rock? So far the stuff dries hard as hell, and is relatively easy to sand (with 60 grit)... but its laying up well. My biggest gripe is my own fault... it takes a couple days to fully dry... cause it gets cold after I leave and turn the heat off... it tacks up in like 10-15 minutes...

Dave to make you happy, here's a shot of the becksons without the saber saw marks...

hole cut, to add some weight to the boat...

tight fit from the opposite side...

mounted

I think I am going to extend the microphone for the bluetooth out to the helm seat.. will look for a socket to mount for audio plug... wish me luck...
Mounted speakers to the becksons... yep 4200 seal on that as well.

Installed.


In the category of unintended consequences... I got a huge "bonus" for mounting the speakers there... A) the "cabinet" is nearly unlimited volume (lazarette)... to provide a marked amount of bass, and B) the direction the speakers face cause a reflection of the audio below... with the bass felt equally below as above, the sound sweet spot below? the HEAD! no kiddin... you can't tell where the sound is coming from, sounds like its from above!

By the way those are 4" kickers 2-way, they are very efficient 4ohm speakers so my 40 watt stereo has plenty of volume I took some hook and loop fastener and setup the remote to stick it to the bulkhead behind the instrumentation... I can control the volume from the remote from the cockpit. The radio has bluetooth, pandora compatiblity, and USB input/charging port. I fixed the electrical connection to the panel, and will have a nice solid ground for the VHF, instruments, and tiller pilot... I'm pretty impressed with the original electrical panel, it was very cleanly done, trying to keep my work as clean.

[dave]

I meant the fumes from polyester. Still not clear on what you're using though.

I wasn't unhappy or any other adjective about tye saber saw marks. Whatever floats your boat!