August 6, 2011

While my focus was still on the house this past week, I realized that I need to start getting Circadian in shape to be virtually living aboard, since I will be spending minimum time at the house once it's on the market. So I headed down to the Delta with a boatload of stuff. It was a relatively cool morning, so there were occasional patches of wispy low clouds and fog along the way, making for nice Delta scenery.

My punch list for the day included putting the final touches on the propane system for the new cabin heater and getting the new berth extension in place and making a pattern for new cushions, as well as straightening up and cleaning both on and below deck. I decided to tackle the tasks that required me to be on deck first, so I could do them while it was still relatively cool.

My use of silicone sealant last week to form a filler gasket for the propane supply hose where it passed through the vapor-tight fitting worked beautifully, and all I had to to do was snug down the nut to finish it off. I adjusted the regulator plumbing on the propane tank, tightened it all, and that project was complete.

Next, I needed to move and re-secure the anchors I had tied down on the cabin top because they were fouling the genoa sheets and I wanted to be able to secure my kayak there. I rearranged things and got everything secured. The kayak does reduce visibility forward a bit, but because it's relatively narrow, it just means moving around a bit more to survey everything forward. Everything is a comprise. I'm sure I'll continue to make adjustments as things get dialed in with time and experience.

Things were really starting to warm up, so I was glad I could retreat to the shade of the cockpit to cut the notch in the new berth extension so it would fit in place. Not surprisingly, it turned out I also needed to cut a couple off a couple of inches from a supporting cleat and chisel a notch out of a trim board before the extension would lie in place properly. As I had planned, the stowage on one side of the v-berth was still easily accessible, while the other side required lifting up the extension.

With the berth extension in place, I made a paper pattern for new cushions that an upholsterer can use to fabricate them.

By this time it was really getting hot and muggy, so I spent the remainder of the afternoon in and out of the cabin, with the funky air conditioner running, cleaning up the mess from last week, putting things away, and loading the gear I had brought - including the new WH autopilot that arrived during the week. Like the Lighthouse windlass, you can see why it costs what it does. It's massively and ruggedly built (40 lbs!). Unlike the windlass, however, it isn't very pretty. It radiates simple purposefulness and ruggedness. It's functional, not stylish. Just what those Northwest commercial fisherman demand. In order to retain the three-year warranty, though, I must complete installation and testing within 30 days, which will be a bit of a push, since installation is a good 3 full days. Wish me luck!

July 12, 2011

I worked hard all week on preparing the house to go on the market, so Circadian had to take a back seat. I did manage to finish varnishing the berth extension side board and assemble it, though. I brought it to the boat today (Tuesday) to test fit it and do some other projects, since it finally cooled down a bit. Like everything else on a boat, the extension didn't quite fit the first time. I need to cut a little notch out of the bottom edge of the side board, and of course I had every type of saw at hand except the one I needed to make that cut. Next trip.

The new L.E.D. red and white chart table dome light arrived during the week, so I wired it up and mounted it on the new ceiling panel. Very nice and draws tiny amounts of current.

The major project of the day was working on the installation of the new Dickinson propane heater/fireplace. A lot of time was spent carefully measuring and remeasuring to make sure I had proper clearances and that the chimney holes through the ceiling and dash board would line up with the heater so that the chimney was vertical and straight. I finally cut the three-inch holes for the chimney and checked things out. Everything lined up, but I had to cut about 4 inches off the intake/chimney pipes. (The unit is a very clever design in which the hot exhaust gases exit through a smaller pipe inside a larger pipe which is the intake for combustion air. Keeps the outside of the chimney cool, and doesn't use up oxygen from the cabin.) It was a bit tricky cutting the flexible pipe, but following Dickinson's recommendations, it worked out fine. I mounted the fireplace on the bulkhead, installed the chimney and cap, and started on the wiring for the circulation fan. To complete the installation, I need to install an inline fuse and hook up the wiring to power and install the propane supply. I also anticipate adding a guard of some sort to prevent accidentally grabbing the hot chimney cap that is conveniently next to the companionway. But it's still summer, so there's lots of time and I'm happy that at least I got one big box of gear out of the aft cabin. And I didn't need to cut an opening in the front of the cabinet below the heater as I had feared; the top lid still opens enough to provide access for all but larger objects. (I rejoice in small victories!).

But I'm definitely hurting now with all this constant work on house and boat and no recovery time sitting in the office. It's gonna be a three winebuprofin night.