Project Log: Saturday, July 28, 2012
I found myself somewhat at loose ends. Overhanging
my head was the need (but unfortunate lack of desire) to
rebuild the cockpit, incorporating new closed-in
lockers, lids, and a proper propane storage area.
I continued to wish I'd done this long ago, but I didn't
do it long ago. It still needed to be done, but I
just didn't feel like it in the summer temperatures,
frankly. So I made the more or less official
decision to put this off for a while longer, and get it
done in the fall so I could paint the boat sometime
before launching. Funnily enough, I noted that I
was whining about this very same project just about a
year earlier on
July 30, 2011, when I'd actually ordered the
materials I needed for the job...amazing that I managed
to put the work off for so long, and still.
While I'd had visions of
painting the hull and deck later in the fall, I decided
realistically that it would be better to do over the
winter, perhaps at a time when I could shift the boat to
the cleaner, more open work bay next door, where things
were better suited for this extended part of the
project. This new idea took some of the pressure
off my initial thoughts and timing, and, more
importantly, opened my mind to focus on other progress,
rather than avoidance of unsavory tasks.
So, with most of the ongoing systems wrapped up to the
extent possible under the current state of the overall
project, I looked for new directions. To begin, I
thought I might get to work on the exhaust and intake
for the diesel boiler, the last components of the
installation other than wiring. Pulling out my box
of parts, I soon realized that the intake fitting I had
was the wrong size. Since the final locations of
exhaust and intake were interdependent to an extent
(both piping runs needed to be roughly the same length,
and the intake had to be 20" or more from the exhaust),
I couldn't very well start these installations till I
had the correct fitting. So I ordered the new
fitting and moved on.
This led to the specification for the engine exhaust
outlet, another hose run I hoped to get over and done
with soon. I spent some time looking at a variety
of fittings, searching for something that would look
nice and also featured a drip edge to hopefully minimize
exhaust staining on the hull. I planned to mount
the outlet somewhere near the transom, and well above
the waterline, unlike the original location right at the
waterline and closer to amidships. Eventually, I
settled on a Vetus 2" stainless fitting incorporating a
built-in flapper (check valve) to close off the outlet
when not in use--not one of those rubber external flaps,
but a slimmer stainless flap built inside the fitting
for a cleaner appearance.
I decided my next focus would be to continue work in the
interior, this time in the forward cabin. I needed
to install ceiling (hull liner) supports and the ceiling
itself, as well as some overhead support strips beneath
the foredeck and sidedeck for cosmetic paneling, as well
as complete the wood trim, and some chainlocker work.
But the immediate goal would be to install at least the
ceiling support strips, so that I could order a mattress
for the area sooner than later.
To this end, I removed various tools and other things
from the v-berth, distributing them elsewhere around the
cabin, to provide a clean workspace. With a new
direction, I looked forward to getting back in the
groove, but with other things to do later in the day I
called it quits for now. |
