In a continuation of the past two seasons of headliner work in the salon and galley, this off-season I pulled the bow headliner down and began prep for the styrofoam insulation, plywood panels and an overhead red/white dome light. When I pulled the vinyl headliner down I found a lot of...
I’ve been studying adding solar for quite a few years and this summer (2020) I finally purchased two 100 watt rigid panels, two MPPT controllers and the necessary wires that connect the panels to the controllers. Along with the modifications to the lifelines to mount the panels I’ve spent about...
When mounting hardware to or through the newly painted overhead panels there are some things to consider. The main lesson about the handrails was that the mounting pads stuck to the primer paint after they were left up for a few days. When removing the rails later, some paint came off and even...
The eight plywood overhead panels are installed (four are from last season but w/final paint) and the four lights are wired. That's all the major work for this season. I still need to figure out the trim to finish it off, including deciding on how to match the rest of the vintage décor stain...
We had gotten used to the dim and cave-like interior that is common of almost any (older?) low-cabin or flush-decked sailboats. As we have grown older, we recognized the need for additional lighting. There are strategically located halogen reading lights and fluorescent fixtures in the underdeck...
Dealing with leaks from cabin and deck mounted hardware should be done first. For me this has been a multi-year effort. Years ago I started with salon and v-berth overhead hatch frames and line organizers on the cabin. Soon after that, the six opening ports were gradually all removed and...
I am recharging on this rainy day after spending all afternoon yesterday working on my "new cabin overhead" project. I basically work until I can't lift my arms above my head anymore and then drive home and drink beer. It is in its second year of progress and while the work I'm doing is...
I replaced an old 1990s(?) vintage Xintex S-2 propane system with the latest (2019) Xintex FIREBOY SYSTEMS P-1BS-R Propane Detector w/Sensor & Valve (single sensor) system. The reason for working on the system was that the propane solenoid valve located at the tank in the cockpit locker had...
Today we had a sunny 43F day at the marina. I scraped a little of last night's snow from the deck near the port opening and scrubbed and scraped the duct tape residue from the edges with mineral spirits. After a quick wipe down with acetone to remove the spirit remnants (cold day slow...
Leaking around the port's glass is a major concern for me. Is there a "permanent" sealing solution that also will allow the next guy to get the frame and glass apart?
The gasket material in my fixed port frames appears to be vinyl and it is still shiny black and flexible. The inside has a lip...
After taking the assembled port around looking for information or expertise and finding not much help (what is "window gimp" again?), I took the frame apart today. It was a very interesting procedure and similar to the descriptions from past threads. There were short sheet metal screws holding...
The forward left fixed port was leaking around the outside of the frame, at both ends, at the corners. Removing the beauty ring on the inside last week was probably not a good idea in my case. I confirmed the leaks when I started removing the rotted interior plywood panel. I've got some plywood...
The rainy days since I started the second dorade box repair and taped it all closed have verified that the leak near the dinette/head bulkhead is probably (mostly) from there. Seven of the eight snap holes around the salon hatch are filled. The last one is a bottomless pit so there must be a...
They're all back together and I've been waiting for the proof that the fix worked. Seattle's rains have returned and now I have some answers.
Repairs and sealing. I glassed in a new floor in the large center section using two small pieces of Coosa board. I also made sure the drains on the aft...
I have a nice old Ample Power Electrical System and Amp Hour Monitor or ESAHM, installed at the nav station of my boat. The Ample Power Company is still in business but apparently does not support this pre-Internet device at all, not even with documentation. I have scanned the Installation and...
Eleven years of light use on my Espar Hydronic D5W diesel heater have been overwhelmingly good. The boiler itself has been trouble-free. When I had it checked out on the bench in 2015 the hours were so low that the technician advised me not to have it cracked open yet.
The reason I had it out...
This project is not going very fast, but it's going ok. It's not near the top of the list, but it needs to get done before the headliner project starts this winter. Over the past few weeks I've cleaned the left and right dorade boxes and then vacuumed them out. I can barely get my hands in far...
The curing of the penetrating epoxy takes a long time, if the cure criteria is that the solvent odor should be gone. After nearly two weeks I can still detect the solvent. I'll have to re-read the directions. I cleaned up the tape residue, which revealed more of the random gelcoat repairs by...
On my 1980 E-38, the forward dorade box incorporates a pair of cowls with a winch handle holder in between and has a wooden bottom. The wood was painted, but apparently not sealed. It seems to have contact with the deck core in that area in front of the mast. While I've repaired holes and...