While the epoxy cured I started in on the wiring for the windlass. I cut a hole in the deck for the footswitch, mounted it, the solenoid and the big manual switch and started running cable and wiring things together. While grubbing around in the engine room I also did some futile wrestling with the stuck seacocks for the cockpit drains. By the end of the day, I was tired but not exhausted. I'm beginning to feel like I'm entering the second half of the initial phase of the restoration... a good feeling!
March 28, 2010
Another beautiful day in Napa. I sanded and faired the new windlass mount into the deck. I had built a tool to hold the sandpaper in a round shape for sanding the fillets that worked well. It was just a short length of half inch pvc pipe screwed to the edge of a short piece of 1 by 3 lumber, but it did the job. With the sanding out of the way, I mixed up some more microballoons/epoxy filler and completed what I hope will be the final filling needed. While the epoxy cured I started in on the wiring for the windlass. I cut a hole in the deck for the footswitch, mounted it, the solenoid and the big manual switch and started running cable and wiring things together. While grubbing around in the engine room I also did some futile wrestling with the stuck seacocks for the cockpit drains. By the end of the day, I was tired but not exhausted. I'm beginning to feel like I'm entering the second half of the initial phase of the restoration... a good feeling!
While the epoxy cured I started in on the wiring for the windlass. I cut a hole in the deck for the footswitch, mounted it, the solenoid and the big manual switch and started running cable and wiring things together. While grubbing around in the engine room I also did some futile wrestling with the stuck seacocks for the cockpit drains. By the end of the day, I was tired but not exhausted. I'm beginning to feel like I'm entering the second half of the initial phase of the restoration... a good feeling!
March 26, 2010
I spent most of the week catching up with the chores of ordinary life after Carol's departure, so I didn't get a lot done this week. I ordered the StaLok fittings to replace the ones lost in transit and finished varnishing the aft the cabin locker door that had been damaged. Sanding and varnishing all those louvers multiple times was time-consuming and tedious, and I still have another door to do! But in the end, the results are worth it!
March 19, 2010
Today was the big day for restepping the mast. Carol was up from LA for a visit and was bribed to photograph the process with the promise of some wine-tasting when we were done. I had conscripted my friend Jim to help with only the promise of lunch. His wife Cathy came as well, not only to see Circadian, but to do some work on their own boat that was also in Napa marina and to meet Carol. She and Carol hit it off from the get-go as I knew they would, and enjoyed talking and getting to know one another. I have to confess I'm a bit nervous that I may get in some trouble as consequence, though!
The young and strong crane operator offered to haul the heavy new windlass up the ladder by hand instead of using the crane. (I think he was hungry and wanted to go to lunch.) He did it, but it wasn't easy, even for him. As soon as we had standing rigging in place and tight enough to hold the mast up securely, the crane left and we all went for a nice lunch at cuttings wharf.
We started lifting the mast about 11 am, and the whole process took a bit over an hour. There were no problems or mishaps. The only glitch was the unfortunate discovery that two turnbuckles and one fork were missing, apparently having vibrated off when the boat was trucked across the country. Fortunately, they were only for the lower shrouds, so we could get the mast secure enough to stand in place without them connected. It doesn't sound like a big deal, but being StaLok fittings, the tab for replacement is going to be about $175. Ouch! The good news: the inner forestay did indeed connect to the chainplate on the front of the cabin as I had deduced, so I had made the right call in removing the old fitting from the foredeck.
The young and strong crane operator offered to haul the heavy new windlass up the ladder by hand instead of using the crane. (I think he was hungry and wanted to go to lunch.) He did it, but it wasn't easy, even for him. As soon as we had standing rigging in place and tight enough to hold the mast up securely, the crane left and we all went for a nice lunch at cuttings wharf.After lunch, Jim was kind enough to stick around and help me get the boom, mainsail and cover in place. By the time we had finished and cleaned up, it was getting pretty late in the afternoon. I knew I'd be in deep kimchee if I didn't make good on my promise to Carol, so we bid good by to Jim and Cathy who wanted to keep working on their boat, and I took Carol to Domaine Carneros to taste champagne and enjoy the lovely view from the chateau's veranda. The flight of three varieties was yummy, and we got an extra treat: we were given some of their very expensive premium sparkling wine to try. The perfect ending to a special day. Cheers!
March 15, 2010
Yesterday was a beautiful day in Napa, and I took advantage of it to do more glass work on the new windlass base and remove a stainless fitting that was in the way of where the new chain-stopper needed to be mounted. I removed as much of the masking tape as I could from around the windlass base and carefully ground off the rest. I then ground down the imperfections and excess around the mount in preparation for filling with epoxy and microballoons. But before I did the filling, however, I needed to drill the 17/32nds bolt holes and 2-inch motor shaft hole through the deck. Using the holes I had previously drilled through the new base as a guide, it was a pretty straightforward operation to drill the bolt holes through the deck.
The larger motor shaft hole proved more difficult. First, the center drill bit that guided the hole saw turned out to be bent. I had a spare, so I was able to start cutting. About two inches through the old windlass base and deck, a layer of glass separated from the plywood core of the old windlass base and I pulled out the holesaw to remove the plug from the saw bit. Of course it was wedged in pretty tight, so went over the yard's big vice to pound it out with a screwdriver. I got it out, but for some reason the center drill bit broke in the process. I had no more spares, so I wouldn't be able to complete drilling the hole until I went into town and got another bit.
It wasn't quite lunch time yet, so I decided to remove the fitting on the foredeck. Since the rig was down and I'd never seen the inner forestay rigged, I wasn't sure if the fitting was to secure the inner forestay to the deck or if it secured the inboard end of an anchor snubber. Using my string line, I determined it was aligned with the bow roller and not the centerline of the boat, so I was pretty sure it was for the anchor snubber. This theory was reinforced by the new chainplate that had been installed on the front of the trunk cabin. I won't know for sure if I'm right until the rig is back up, but I'm not worried. Only four bolts needed to be removed to get the fitting off, so it would be no big deal. Ha, ha! Two of the extra-long bolts came right out, no problem. The other two had damaged threads and/or epoxy on the treads, so I could only get the nut about 1/2" to 1" down the bolt. I didn't want to try recutting threads while doing contortions inside the chain locker, so it was grinder time. I pounded the bolts up through the deck from below, ground off the heads, and pounded the bolt shafts back down and out through the deck. Lunch time.
With the new center drill bit for the hole saw, I finished cutting the hole for the motor shaft. Now I could measure the total thickness of deck and new mounting base where the motor shaft passed through. It was a very impressive 4 inches...solid glass with the exception of 3/4" of plywood core (still in good shape) in the original windlass base. With the rubber mounting gasket for the windlass, I had measured 4 1/4 inches of clearance available for mounting the motor, so it would be tight, but adequate. There was only 1 inch of clearance between the motor shaft hole and the outside of the square hardwood chain pipe that led the chain from the deck to the locker under the v-berth and it would take at least 2 inches to clear the motor. I decided to try to remove the chain pipe so I could bring it home to do the required surgery, since at home I could use the table saw and conveniently test fit it on the windlass.
It was both screwed and glued in place, so it was not a simple or tidy job. Where finesse proved inadequate, brut force was applied. I ultimately got the sucker out with minimal damage. The upper end required removal of about 10 corroded bronze screws and then breaking the glue joints on the trim that held the pipe in place. The lower end was glued into the plywood of the v-berth. With the top end now freed, I was able to break it loose at the bottom by using the pipe as a big lever. In the process, it broke out a square chunk of the plywood, revealing that at some point in the past the base of the pipe had been located in a slightly different position, leaving a square hole that had been patched. With the pipe out, I was once again impressed with the boat's first class construction: it was built of solid 3/4 inch hardwood, not cheezy plywood veneer!
Now that all the sundry appurtenances had been gotten out of the way, it was time to do some epoxy work before it started getting cold and damp. I mixed up a small batch of epoxy with high density filler to fill the bolt holes left over from removing the foredeck fitting. I taped and filled the holes (after protecting the chain below with plastic), and tried to duplicate the texture of the deck in the smooth area that had been under the fitting.
Next I mixed up another batch of epoxy that turned out to be much too much for the amount of microballoons I had available to mix with it. While a lot of the liquid epoxy went to waste as a consequence, I still ended up with enough microballoon putty to fill and filet around the windlass mount.
While I waited for the goo to cure enough to cover it with the protective plastic tarp, I took break, had a beer and started cleaning up and putting things away. It had been a beautiful day, and I had gotten done what I had to. But by the time I had gotten everything cleaned up and buttoned up, I was feeling the aches and pains from the days exertions.
The larger motor shaft hole proved more difficult. First, the center drill bit that guided the hole saw turned out to be bent. I had a spare, so I was able to start cutting. About two inches through the old windlass base and deck, a layer of glass separated from the plywood core of the old windlass base and I pulled out the holesaw to remove the plug from the saw bit. Of course it was wedged in pretty tight, so went over the yard's big vice to pound it out with a screwdriver. I got it out, but for some reason the center drill bit broke in the process. I had no more spares, so I wouldn't be able to complete drilling the hole until I went into town and got another bit.
It wasn't quite lunch time yet, so I decided to remove the fitting on the foredeck. Since the rig was down and I'd never seen the inner forestay rigged, I wasn't sure if the fitting was to secure the inner forestay to the deck or if it secured the inboard end of an anchor snubber. Using my string line, I determined it was aligned with the bow roller and not the centerline of the boat, so I was pretty sure it was for the anchor snubber. This theory was reinforced by the new chainplate that had been installed on the front of the trunk cabin. I won't know for sure if I'm right until the rig is back up, but I'm not worried. Only four bolts needed to be removed to get the fitting off, so it would be no big deal. Ha, ha! Two of the extra-long bolts came right out, no problem. The other two had damaged threads and/or epoxy on the treads, so I could only get the nut about 1/2" to 1" down the bolt. I didn't want to try recutting threads while doing contortions inside the chain locker, so it was grinder time. I pounded the bolts up through the deck from below, ground off the heads, and pounded the bolt shafts back down and out through the deck. Lunch time.
With the new center drill bit for the hole saw, I finished cutting the hole for the motor shaft. Now I could measure the total thickness of deck and new mounting base where the motor shaft passed through. It was a very impressive 4 inches...solid glass with the exception of 3/4" of plywood core (still in good shape) in the original windlass base. With the rubber mounting gasket for the windlass, I had measured 4 1/4 inches of clearance available for mounting the motor, so it would be tight, but adequate. There was only 1 inch of clearance between the motor shaft hole and the outside of the square hardwood chain pipe that led the chain from the deck to the locker under the v-berth and it would take at least 2 inches to clear the motor. I decided to try to remove the chain pipe so I could bring it home to do the required surgery, since at home I could use the table saw and conveniently test fit it on the windlass.
It was both screwed and glued in place, so it was not a simple or tidy job. Where finesse proved inadequate, brut force was applied. I ultimately got the sucker out with minimal damage. The upper end required removal of about 10 corroded bronze screws and then breaking the glue joints on the trim that held the pipe in place. The lower end was glued into the plywood of the v-berth. With the top end now freed, I was able to break it loose at the bottom by using the pipe as a big lever. In the process, it broke out a square chunk of the plywood, revealing that at some point in the past the base of the pipe had been located in a slightly different position, leaving a square hole that had been patched. With the pipe out, I was once again impressed with the boat's first class construction: it was built of solid 3/4 inch hardwood, not cheezy plywood veneer!
Now that all the sundry appurtenances had been gotten out of the way, it was time to do some epoxy work before it started getting cold and damp. I mixed up a small batch of epoxy with high density filler to fill the bolt holes left over from removing the foredeck fitting. I taped and filled the holes (after protecting the chain below with plastic), and tried to duplicate the texture of the deck in the smooth area that had been under the fitting.
Next I mixed up another batch of epoxy that turned out to be much too much for the amount of microballoons I had available to mix with it. While a lot of the liquid epoxy went to waste as a consequence, I still ended up with enough microballoon putty to fill and filet around the windlass mount.
While I waited for the goo to cure enough to cover it with the protective plastic tarp, I took break, had a beer and started cleaning up and putting things away. It had been a beautiful day, and I had gotten done what I had to. But by the time I had gotten everything cleaned up and buttoned up, I was feeling the aches and pains from the days exertions.
March 7, 2010
With the sun shining, I would be able to touch up the paint on the mast and do the epoxy/glass work needed to bond the new windlass platform to the deck. My good luck continued as I test fit the platform to the deck and old platform using a cardboard tube to ensure alignment of the new chain pipe hole with the existing chain pipe. The tube fit perfectly inside the holes...by chance. It turned out that one edge of the new platform lined up perfectly with the edge of the old one...again purely by chance. Moreover, I needed to fill a gap of about only 1/4 of an inch between the new platform and the deck in the area beyond the old platform, greatly simplifying the operation because I wouldn't need to construct a form to contain the epoxy/glass. I could get away with using high density filler and simply doing a fillet to finish the edge.
I carefully masked off the area around the new platform and covered the surrounding deck with plastic to protect it from the inevitable drips and spills. I covered the cardboard tube with wax paper so it could be easily removed after the epoxy cured, and then inserted it into the existing chain pipe hole in the deck. The plan was to the slather the deck, old windlass platform and the bottom of the new platform with a mixture of epoxy and high density/high strength filler that had the consistency of peanut butter, then slide the new platform down the cardboard tube, align everything, and press it into position. After everything cured, I would need to drill out the new bolt holes and motor shaft hole, and sand, fill, and fair the new platform and surrounding deck area.
Before I did that all that, however, I had to fill the bolt holes from the old windlass and lay out a chalk line from the bow roller to the chain pipe hole to make sure the new windlass aligned with the chain's path correctly. I went below to seal off the bottom of the old bolt holes with tape, mixed up a small batch of epoxy with chopped glass, and filled the holes. Unfortunately, it turned out that just enough liquid epoxy had seaped through to glue down the access lid to the chain locker under the v-berth. Fortunately, I caught the problem before the epoxy had fully cured and was able to free things up.
I took a guess at how much of the epoxy/filler mix I would need to mount the platform, figuring I'd shoot for more than necessary since throwing away the excess might be economically unpalatable, but wouldn't be the real problem that not having sufficient fill would be. Again, I was lucky and it turned out I had just about the right amount, with minimal waste. I did everything as I had planned, and it went as well as it could. There was the usual gloppy messiness, but I kept everything reasonably under control. The time was right to go to lunch while the mix cured.
When I got back, I found the cure was not complete enough to do any more that day, so I did a bit of minor clean-up on board, and lugged the 20lbs of 2/0 electrical cable for the windlass up the ladder and stowed it on board.
A final policing of the area, and I was headed home.
I carefully masked off the area around the new platform and covered the surrounding deck with plastic to protect it from the inevitable drips and spills. I covered the cardboard tube with wax paper so it could be easily removed after the epoxy cured, and then inserted it into the existing chain pipe hole in the deck. The plan was to the slather the deck, old windlass platform and the bottom of the new platform with a mixture of epoxy and high density/high strength filler that had the consistency of peanut butter, then slide the new platform down the cardboard tube, align everything, and press it into position. After everything cured, I would need to drill out the new bolt holes and motor shaft hole, and sand, fill, and fair the new platform and surrounding deck area.
Before I did that all that, however, I had to fill the bolt holes from the old windlass and lay out a chalk line from the bow roller to the chain pipe hole to make sure the new windlass aligned with the chain's path correctly. I went below to seal off the bottom of the old bolt holes with tape, mixed up a small batch of epoxy with chopped glass, and filled the holes. Unfortunately, it turned out that just enough liquid epoxy had seaped through to glue down the access lid to the chain locker under the v-berth. Fortunately, I caught the problem before the epoxy had fully cured and was able to free things up.
I took a guess at how much of the epoxy/filler mix I would need to mount the platform, figuring I'd shoot for more than necessary since throwing away the excess might be economically unpalatable, but wouldn't be the real problem that not having sufficient fill would be. Again, I was lucky and it turned out I had just about the right amount, with minimal waste. I did everything as I had planned, and it went as well as it could. There was the usual gloppy messiness, but I kept everything reasonably under control. The time was right to go to lunch while the mix cured.
When I got back, I found the cure was not complete enough to do any more that day, so I did a bit of minor clean-up on board, and lugged the 20lbs of 2/0 electrical cable for the windlass up the ladder and stowed it on board.
A final policing of the area, and I was headed home.
March 1, 2010
During the week I worked on drilling out the mounting holes for the new windlass in the new fiberglass base I had fabricated earlier. Naturally, I had every drill and hole saw size imaginable...except the two I needed. So, I drove around to several places until I found the sizes I needed. Amortizing the cost of the new drill and hole saws, the holes cost about six bucks each. If only you could just buy holes!
Because the thick windlass base will become the jig to guide the drilling of the holes through the deck, and because all the holes must align precisely (within 1/32 of an inch) with the holes in the stainless steel windlass base, the drilling operation had to be done carefully. I used the thick rubber base gasket that came with windlass as a guide. The bolt holes could be marked and started by carefully drilling a small centering dimple in the base with an electric hand drill using the gasket's holes to place and center the bit. I finished drilling the holes through the base using the drill press to insure that the holes were perpendicular to the base. I had to recall some long-dormant geometry memories to figure out how to find the center for the hole saw to drill the 2-inch holes that needed to line up with the middle of the windlass's rectangular hawse pipe opening and the round hole for the motor shaft. While the chain pipe hole could be a little off, the motor shaft hole couldn't. With my little benchtop drill press it took a while to get through the 1 1/2 inches of fiberglass, and I burned through 3 hole saws in the process. But I finally got her done. The big test: would the motor shaft and all the bolts go through the windlass mounting plate and fiberglass base cleanly and straight?
I slipped the base over the motor shaft and gingerly inserted the bolts through the holes one at a time. As I slid in the last bolt, I sighed a great sigh, composed of equal parts relief and satisfaction, when everything mated perfectly.
The weather cooperated over the weekend for once, and so I headed to Napa to the yard at o-dark-thirty Sunday morning. My goals were to rotate the mast so I could remount the spreaders, remove all the protective bubblewrap, mount the spreaders, attach the wire shrouds, and sand and prime damaged paint. If I had time, I also wanted to see how the new windlass would mount on deck now that I had holes in the new base to align with the existing chain pipe hole. I knew that rotating the mast would be tough: like everything else on this boat, it's VERY heavy. After struggling in vane to try to find a way to do it with the help of the truck or winches on the boat, I knew I would just have to try to muscle it. I found wood wedges to use to hold it in allignment should I actually be able to rotate it. Of course there was no way I could be in one place to be able to get some leverage on the mast and place the wedges. I conscripted another hapless boat owner to place the wedges while I heaved mightily on the mast. It was a tough battle, but the mast finally gave way just seconds before my back did, and the mast was rotated 90 degrees, held in place ever so tenuously by the wedges. Despite several new aches in places I had forgotten I had, I scrambled quickly to get some more reliable bracing to hold the mast in place. I definitely didn't want to have to repeat that struggle! In comparison, the rest of the jobs on the day's punch list were pretty straightforward.
I accomplished all my goals, and in addition, polished the rusty mast steps, cleaned up the aft cabin a bit, and removed the old hawse pipe which was in the way of the new windlass base. It even appeared that mounting the new base to the deck would be a bit easier than I had anticipated. As the sun set, I headed home a bit gimpy and exhausted, but satisfied.
Because the thick windlass base will become the jig to guide the drilling of the holes through the deck, and because all the holes must align precisely (within 1/32 of an inch) with the holes in the stainless steel windlass base, the drilling operation had to be done carefully. I used the thick rubber base gasket that came with windlass as a guide. The bolt holes could be marked and started by carefully drilling a small centering dimple in the base with an electric hand drill using the gasket's holes to place and center the bit. I finished drilling the holes through the base using the drill press to insure that the holes were perpendicular to the base. I had to recall some long-dormant geometry memories to figure out how to find the center for the hole saw to drill the 2-inch holes that needed to line up with the middle of the windlass's rectangular hawse pipe opening and the round hole for the motor shaft. While the chain pipe hole could be a little off, the motor shaft hole couldn't. With my little benchtop drill press it took a while to get through the 1 1/2 inches of fiberglass, and I burned through 3 hole saws in the process. But I finally got her done. The big test: would the motor shaft and all the bolts go through the windlass mounting plate and fiberglass base cleanly and straight?
I slipped the base over the motor shaft and gingerly inserted the bolts through the holes one at a time. As I slid in the last bolt, I sighed a great sigh, composed of equal parts relief and satisfaction, when everything mated perfectly.The weather cooperated over the weekend for once, and so I headed to Napa to the yard at o-dark-thirty Sunday morning. My goals were to rotate the mast so I could remount the spreaders, remove all the protective bubblewrap, mount the spreaders, attach the wire shrouds, and sand and prime damaged paint. If I had time, I also wanted to see how the new windlass would mount on deck now that I had holes in the new base to align with the existing chain pipe hole. I knew that rotating the mast would be tough: like everything else on this boat, it's VERY heavy. After struggling in vane to try to find a way to do it with the help of the truck or winches on the boat, I knew I would just have to try to muscle it. I found wood wedges to use to hold it in allignment should I actually be able to rotate it. Of course there was no way I could be in one place to be able to get some leverage on the mast and place the wedges. I conscripted another hapless boat owner to place the wedges while I heaved mightily on the mast. It was a tough battle, but the mast finally gave way just seconds before my back did, and the mast was rotated 90 degrees, held in place ever so tenuously by the wedges. Despite several new aches in places I had forgotten I had, I scrambled quickly to get some more reliable bracing to hold the mast in place. I definitely didn't want to have to repeat that struggle! In comparison, the rest of the jobs on the day's punch list were pretty straightforward.
I accomplished all my goals, and in addition, polished the rusty mast steps, cleaned up the aft cabin a bit, and removed the old hawse pipe which was in the way of the new windlass base. It even appeared that mounting the new base to the deck would be a bit easier than I had anticipated. As the sun set, I headed home a bit gimpy and exhausted, but satisfied.
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