Project Log: Sunday, December 30, 2012
Now that the templates for the forward cabin overhead
were complete, my next step was to transfer them to
marine plywood and cut out the two pieces required.
I test-fit both pieces, and was generally pleased with
the fit; the gap at the forward edge of each piece where
they met the boat's centerline was larger than I liked,
but the panels were unsupported there and the gap shrunk
when I pressed the panels upward, so I planned to add a
support cleat there so I could better secure the panels
during final installation. Other minor gaps at the
edges would later be covered with trim. |
 |
I wasn't sure how the final trim around the opening
hatch would be configured, but the molded opening
beneath the hatch itself was much larger than it needed
to be, and I knew there'd be significant trim here, as
well as to extend up to the hatch itself. The new
overhead extended as far out as the edges of my support
cleats, which I'd placed right at the edge of the
oversized molded opening. Originally, there'd been
a massive molded, gelcoated thing that had covered this
area from inside, but I'd no plans to reuse that.
So for now, I'd just made a 45° angle cut at each corner
of the overhead, which I might cut back later depending
on final details. |
 |
The last remaining sections of overhead were in the
pilothouse. Before I could begin templating, I had
to cut through the support cleats in several areas to
allow passage of various wires (VHF antenna, overhead
lights) through the overhead; I'd done the same thing
down in the main cabin before. Earlier, I'd
installed wire tie mounts in the desired route
locations, so it was a straightforward matter to remove
small sections of the cleats in way of the wire runs
before stringing the wires accordingly. |
|
At the forward corners, a few wires would have to pass
through the pilothouse roof to reach their intended
destinations: sidelights, and a pair of GPS
antennas (one for the main system, the other for the AIS
unit). So I figured out where I wanted these to
go, and drilled the holes through the pilothouse roof so
I could get the wires out of the way for the moment, and
so that when it was time to install the overhead I'd be
ready. I'd come back later and treat the raw holes
properly with epoxy to seal the core, but for now I'd
done what I needed to. |
 |
For the remainder of the day, I worked on the overhead
templates. I planned to build the overhead in four
sections for convenience and ease of installation,
having learned well my lessons from earlier sections.
To this end, I planned ahead and allowed for the panels'
seam on one of the transverse support cleats, so I'd end
up with four separate templates built in place. I
completed the two after sections, leaving the forward
sections for next time. |
 |
|
Total Time Today: 3.75 hours
|
<
Previous |
Next > |
|
|
