November 21, 2013

With the threat of rain looming, I turned my focus inward and continued the work that was a necessary precursor to putting in a new overhead in the main cabin.  I completed the refinishing of the skylight frames, roughed in the wiring for the new overhead lighting, and framed in a hood over the stove.

Spent the weekend at Carol’s.  We visited the LA County Arboretum, so you’ll see a lot of botanicals in the photos this week.  I also took a few shots in Carol’s place.

November 14, 2013

Seems the week flew by!  Finally mounted the teak chocks for the big stainless Danforth.  It was a slow and challenging job mounting the chocks where they held the anchor in the right place while allowing access from below to drive screws through holes in the cabin top into the chocks.  It was a close thing and took an entire day to drive the eight screws, but I did it.  With butyl tape squeezed between the chock and cabin top and a caulk filet around the perimeter, I expect they will be leak free for a long time to come.  Thanks to another tip from shipwright John, I tried Sika Construction Sealant 1A.  He's convinced it is Sikaflex Marine 291 with a different label and has used it successfully for years.  The specs are the same, it's recommended for underwater applications and at 1/3 the price, it's definitely worth trying.  Anyway, the anchor is now securely in place and other than details around the chain, that job is done.

With winter approaching slowly but surely, it's time to shift the focus inward.  Now that all the ports have been installed in the main cabin and the anchor chocks are done, it's time to start working on putting in a new overhead.  Before I can start on the stringers and panels, the trim on the skylights and companionway needs to be refinished and the wiring done for new recessed overhead LED lighting.  I got started on those projects this week.

Carol was up for the weekend and we had a good time visiting a new local winery, trying out new eateries and watching the sunset and old episodes of MI-5 (Carol's an addict!).  I also took Carol to a yarn shop so she could get yarn and needles to make herself some long woolen mittens.  (I used the occasion to put in a request for a hand-knit woolen watch cap.  There's always hope!)

November 7, 2013

I completed the installation of the fourth and final ABI port this week. The process was basically the same as for all the others with a couple of minor wrinkles.  I had to patch the plywood liner on one end and fill a gap between the plywood and the fiberglass cabin side on the other end.  With a total of four large ports in the main cabin now, it's much lighter and more airy  I also reinstalled the port side cockpit seat.

The new project of the week was to get the 55 lb cast stainless steel Danforth anchor off the bow and securely and neatly stowed on the cabin top.  To do that, I needed to design and fabricate some teak brackets and mount them securely.  I completed the first phase this week.  Lots of sawing, grinding, sanding and sawdust. Next week I'll complete the finishing of the brackets and hopefully get them secured to the cabin top.  I hope I'm lucky in terms of where the mounting holes will need to go.  I'll probably need to remove the overhead panel in the head to gain access.  We'll see....

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