March 26, 2015

It was a productive week.  I worked hard both padding outriggers and on boat projects, but I've also been enjoying the unseasonably warm weather.  The pictures tell the story of my progress on the overhead in the v-berth.  Bottom line:  I'm very pleased with the results so far. Next week I'll start on the trim.

March 19, 2015

I finished up the final details on the staysail hardware installation and continued work on the forward cabin this week.   As usual, the forward cabin work was planned and executed from the top down.   So, after completing the refinishing of the teak hatch trim and replacing a broken-off bolt for one of the hatch lifters, I started on the preparation for a new overhead above the v-berth.   Because this cabin doubles as a mini home theater, I took acoustics into account and decided to use perforated vinyl backed with foam rather than hard paneling.  To accommodate the installation of new LED reading lights, I needed to build a channel for the wiring and terminal blocks at the top of the aft bulkhead.  The underside of this channel will provide a place to mount the recessed light fixtures as well.  So far, it’s coming along nicely.  Stay tuned to see if my plans for hanging the soft headliner work out….

March 12, 2015

After a rough week last week, I decided to take it easy this week.  A little rain provided a bit of an excuse.  I still accomplished a few little things.  I replaced the overhead battens in the aft cabin that had to be removed to install the new winches and cleat, and I tested the new gear and leads for the staysail with the genoa out as well.  Everything works about as well as it could given the inherent constraints on hardware placement.  Since I have a pretty good supply of spare line in good shape, I figured I could find some double braid that would work for the staysail sheets.  I did, but it wasn't my first choice.  I had wanted to be able to use a single line for both port and starboard so I could avoid bulky knots at the clew.  No luck:  the best prospect was about 10 feet too short.  So I had to use two lines of different colors.  Ah well
I also started on a small project in the forward cabin.  The teak trim around the forward hatch was discolored and in bad shape from a hatch that had leaked prior to my buying the boat.  So, I removed it and began refinishing it.
I still want to do some sailing and loafing over at the islands, but I can't until I get some new stearsmen/women trained for the novice team in my outrigger canoe club.  Hopefully in the next couple of weeks.