Mike Tinder
Member II
Sven,
I have got to get on my computer more so I can give updates, just no time in my life for the computer, but I need to make time. Attached is some pictures of projects that have been done over the years. You may or may not want to use one of them, but thought I better post them. I do not have anymore changes that I want to make to the boat to make it function better. We have lived aboard for over 5 years now and the changes I have made work really well for us. Our goal is to not be camping out, as much as possible that is.
I took out the galley from the counter top up. I glassed in two small/verticle bulkheads and attached everything from there. The two drawers that we added for silverware and what not and extremely handy. I had two set of drawer slides welded together to make the drawers come out past the locker above them. The locker above the drawers holds all our plates, bowels, glasses and a few other items. The one above the microwave folds down and comes in handy for extra counter space when needed. All the lockers are insulated with close cell foam, but I still have to cut some kind of fancy looking ventilation into them. I also cut that square hole into the counter top in front of the two drawers. Man what a absolutely huge hole there was under there. I put a flat bottom in it and it holds a ton of stuff, our cereal, chips, crackers etc..... Then I took the area below the sink and made one huge drawer for pots and pans. Very, Very handy drawer, easy access. That brown piece of pipe you see beside the kitchen faucet is the vent for the fresh water tank. Just did not water our water tank to vent outside. I also cut the counter top above the stove in two pieces and installed hinges. Now you can just fold it in half and use the two front burners and still have counter space behind you. When you want to use the back burner it still slides into the hull like before but it only slides down to the hinges in the center of the counter top. Now the piece that did not slide down into the hull folds up verticle in front of the back burner, I put stainlees steel sheet metal the piece on counter that does not slide into the hull, so now you have a stainless steel back splash when using the back burner. When we get to head out to blue water one of these days the microwave will go away and I will install a 8" to 12" high fiddle on the counter top and make that a storage area for whatever, probally fruit and vegatables.
I took the drawers in the aft stateroom that were so small and did not serve much purpose for us into a laundry bin, plus they were basically part of the engine room. You can see from the picture what I did and you can see where the thin plywood drawer bottoms use to go into the drawer fronts, I did not bother trying to hide these and they are inside the laundry bin. It holds two loads of dirty laundry, hinges are mounted at the bottom so it swings out and you drop in the dirty laundry. We feel very, very lucky to have a place like this on a 39' sailboat to put our dirty laundry. Very, Very handy.
Above that laundry bin I installed book shelves.
The nav station we use and will use more in the future. I love the huge stand up nav station. I can wedge myself beteween it and the laundry bin and do all I need to do. I added a shelf and put the electrical panel back there. The shelf only has a vhf on it now, but more gear will be added some day. I also made a very unique tool storage area. It holds 96, yes 96 of the tools I use the most ofton. Below each tool is closed cell foam to keep them verticle. The boat would have to be upside down for them to come out.
I have a piece of plywood that I place on the nav station when I need to use it as a work bench. I have to say the tool bin is one of the best changes to a boat I have ever made, I do not have to leave the tool lying on a counter to be in my way, I take them in and out as needed. I use one drawer on the left side of the nav station for my bigger hand tools.
I cut holes in the cabin sole a few years ago and installed access plates to the fuel and water tank. My fuel tank was a mess inside. I have access plates on both sides of the fuel tank baffle plates and can clean both sides of the fuel tank by just putting my arm in them. Plus this allowed me to inspect other areas of the boat under the cabin sole. Those have been there for 5 years now. I am going to take the small access plate you see in the picture which is at the bottom of the companionway and make a grate that fits it there, attach a aluminum plate under the grate with a hose pointed towards the bilge and now I have a 10" x 10" drain at the foot of the companionway for water to go into. I can pop it in when needed and take it out when not needed. But that is a project for latter.
We also made doors for all the v-berth cubby holes, hull and overhead in them are also completely insulated, but I will want to cut some fancy ventilation holes in them some day for the tropics.
Our Freezer is under the Nav Station, top of nav station open up to expose the freezer. We have had that for 7 years now, we used it on our E-32 also. Anyway we are trying not to camp out as you know. So that is a 40 quart freezer and I will go bigger one of these days. I am thinking about putting in insulatiion and making a built in freezer under the nav station. But I do not know yet.
I still have to make a companion way door, and a new sliding hatch for above it and I am going to install a dodger. We made a bimini and cockpit table.
We have two heads and my wife would not have it any other way. Anyway I installed that locker in the aft head (see picture), also cut a oval hole in the plywood below it for my storage and we also cut a hole below the toilet, (closet on your boat) installed a small door like you did for another storage area.
I have spent my life on the water, seen hundreds of boats, and I feel with the set up we have on our beautiful ocean going E-39B that I am on a much bigger boat. Being stick built the way they are has allowed for some changes to be made that you only have on much, much bigger boats. Hope you make it to the Northwest so my wife and I can come meet you. You have a wonderful boat, your doing great work and I look forward to reading your adventures.
Mike
E-39B
s/v Sea Maid
I have got to get on my computer more so I can give updates, just no time in my life for the computer, but I need to make time. Attached is some pictures of projects that have been done over the years. You may or may not want to use one of them, but thought I better post them. I do not have anymore changes that I want to make to the boat to make it function better. We have lived aboard for over 5 years now and the changes I have made work really well for us. Our goal is to not be camping out, as much as possible that is.
I took out the galley from the counter top up. I glassed in two small/verticle bulkheads and attached everything from there. The two drawers that we added for silverware and what not and extremely handy. I had two set of drawer slides welded together to make the drawers come out past the locker above them. The locker above the drawers holds all our plates, bowels, glasses and a few other items. The one above the microwave folds down and comes in handy for extra counter space when needed. All the lockers are insulated with close cell foam, but I still have to cut some kind of fancy looking ventilation into them. I also cut that square hole into the counter top in front of the two drawers. Man what a absolutely huge hole there was under there. I put a flat bottom in it and it holds a ton of stuff, our cereal, chips, crackers etc..... Then I took the area below the sink and made one huge drawer for pots and pans. Very, Very handy drawer, easy access. That brown piece of pipe you see beside the kitchen faucet is the vent for the fresh water tank. Just did not water our water tank to vent outside. I also cut the counter top above the stove in two pieces and installed hinges. Now you can just fold it in half and use the two front burners and still have counter space behind you. When you want to use the back burner it still slides into the hull like before but it only slides down to the hinges in the center of the counter top. Now the piece that did not slide down into the hull folds up verticle in front of the back burner, I put stainlees steel sheet metal the piece on counter that does not slide into the hull, so now you have a stainless steel back splash when using the back burner. When we get to head out to blue water one of these days the microwave will go away and I will install a 8" to 12" high fiddle on the counter top and make that a storage area for whatever, probally fruit and vegatables.
I took the drawers in the aft stateroom that were so small and did not serve much purpose for us into a laundry bin, plus they were basically part of the engine room. You can see from the picture what I did and you can see where the thin plywood drawer bottoms use to go into the drawer fronts, I did not bother trying to hide these and they are inside the laundry bin. It holds two loads of dirty laundry, hinges are mounted at the bottom so it swings out and you drop in the dirty laundry. We feel very, very lucky to have a place like this on a 39' sailboat to put our dirty laundry. Very, Very handy.
Above that laundry bin I installed book shelves.
The nav station we use and will use more in the future. I love the huge stand up nav station. I can wedge myself beteween it and the laundry bin and do all I need to do. I added a shelf and put the electrical panel back there. The shelf only has a vhf on it now, but more gear will be added some day. I also made a very unique tool storage area. It holds 96, yes 96 of the tools I use the most ofton. Below each tool is closed cell foam to keep them verticle. The boat would have to be upside down for them to come out.
I have a piece of plywood that I place on the nav station when I need to use it as a work bench. I have to say the tool bin is one of the best changes to a boat I have ever made, I do not have to leave the tool lying on a counter to be in my way, I take them in and out as needed. I use one drawer on the left side of the nav station for my bigger hand tools.I cut holes in the cabin sole a few years ago and installed access plates to the fuel and water tank. My fuel tank was a mess inside. I have access plates on both sides of the fuel tank baffle plates and can clean both sides of the fuel tank by just putting my arm in them. Plus this allowed me to inspect other areas of the boat under the cabin sole. Those have been there for 5 years now. I am going to take the small access plate you see in the picture which is at the bottom of the companionway and make a grate that fits it there, attach a aluminum plate under the grate with a hose pointed towards the bilge and now I have a 10" x 10" drain at the foot of the companionway for water to go into. I can pop it in when needed and take it out when not needed. But that is a project for latter.
We also made doors for all the v-berth cubby holes, hull and overhead in them are also completely insulated, but I will want to cut some fancy ventilation holes in them some day for the tropics.
Our Freezer is under the Nav Station, top of nav station open up to expose the freezer. We have had that for 7 years now, we used it on our E-32 also. Anyway we are trying not to camp out as you know. So that is a 40 quart freezer and I will go bigger one of these days. I am thinking about putting in insulatiion and making a built in freezer under the nav station. But I do not know yet.
I still have to make a companion way door, and a new sliding hatch for above it and I am going to install a dodger. We made a bimini and cockpit table.
We have two heads and my wife would not have it any other way. Anyway I installed that locker in the aft head (see picture), also cut a oval hole in the plywood below it for my storage and we also cut a hole below the toilet, (closet on your boat) installed a small door like you did for another storage area.
I have spent my life on the water, seen hundreds of boats, and I feel with the set up we have on our beautiful ocean going E-39B that I am on a much bigger boat. Being stick built the way they are has allowed for some changes to be made that you only have on much, much bigger boats. Hope you make it to the Northwest so my wife and I can come meet you. You have a wonderful boat, your doing great work and I look forward to reading your adventures.
Mike
E-39B
s/v Sea Maid