Progress has been made steadily and we have tidied up some jobs that will allow me to proceed when Bill is not here. We added the wood trim and the ply headliner in the walkway, so I can finish all the outstanding painting forward of the engine room bulkhead. We also sprayed the head counter top and the companionway shelf and that came up well.
I fitted the Chatfield Marine Blue Water Shaft Seal, the picture shows the old prop shaft sitting in place through the Vesconite cutless bearing. The Vesconite bearings were very simple to fit, I just put them in the freezer overnight and they just tapped into place.
The engine is sitting down on the modified beds again, it looks like it will line up well this time. I have now removed the rusty old RSJ from the boat and it looks a little less industrial.
The additional scuppers have been cut and I have sealed them in preparation for the PVC pipes that will be epoxied in. As we have come to expect, there were large voids in the hull/deck join, I have poured in quantities of thin epoxy glue so I hope it will all stick together. I am less surprised as time goes on, with regards to the amount of movement in the boat prior to refitting. Hopefully we will not hear any large cracking sounds when we float! The stanchion bases are all fitted now and we are ready to glue the rubbing strake on when the time is right.
The shower is getting closer to completion, we have nearly finished fairing the coachroof. We decided to simply use epoxy fairing compound as there will be no possibility of any rot in this wet area.
Lisa and I have finally woken up and smelled the coffee regarding our cruising plans,
making the decision last week to postpone our cruising until our son Will has left the nest. He starts secondary school next year and is heavily involved in team sports, playing cricket in summer and soccer in winter. He has achieved rep status in both sports and still maintains his dream of being a professional sportsman, so who are we to argue! Making the decision now means we can spend a bit of time fixing our house up so it is livable, and we will have the boat finished by Christmas in readiness for a summer cruise. Then I'll have to find something to do...
Geoff the electrician has joined the crew and it is amazing what is visible after only a couple of days on the boat. I hope that all the effort we (well mostly Geoff) put in with the design work pays off as the actual implementation goes ahead. So far so good, only a couple of questions that we have had to make up answers for as we progress. The whole thrust of the electrical install is simplicity, with no main switch panel and only a couple of minor distribution panels. I have taken delivery of the second alternator which will be attached to the main engine. This is 150A which matches the generator output and has made the system design easier. I will get an electronic version of the wiring diagram at some stage, I need to convert from Autocad to PDF.
Elsewhere, Bill has finished the gas bottle/storage locker on the aft deck, it looks very cool - photo doesn't do it justice. He has also built all the doors and has fitted the first one in the forepeak, unfortunately I wasn't quick enough to snap a photo before it was removed for painting. It is very weird, after all this time, to see a door at the forward end of the saloon!
Engineering work has slowed as I have been occupied in helping Geoff, but we are pretty close to being finished in the engine room. The main engine needs a fuel return, but once that is connected - and the fuel tank filled - it should be a runner. The generator is nearly there too, just fuel to and fro and the rest of the exhaust connected. Watermaker plumbing has progressed as well, the next stage there is to plumb in the RO filters and connect it all to the paner.
So, Bill has started on the gas locker and very exciting that is too. We will build the surround from foam and glass, the lid will be 12mm ply, glassed over for strength and hopefully stability. I have not had any experience with building with foam but it seems quite good, at least Bill makes it look easy!
Otherwise, when not in bed recovering from the early winter round of flu, I have been punishing myself with plumbing in the generator and main engine. I took this photo a few days ago, every day I try and get something added, although by the time I have a) worked out what I need to do, b) shopped for the parts and c) taken them all back at least once and got the right size, progress can be a little uneven.
The scuppers are all in and glassed, not a major job but interrupted by Christmas so it is great to have them all finished off. They look excellent and will look perfect when painted. Bill also tidied up the 2 original ones as they had not been done that well - who would have thought!
