So, to the boat. I have two projects partially completed and 2 that have not yet begun.
First, after waiting for 3 different diesel mechanics to show up over the course of 2 months, I finally sat down and figured out how to get my engine wired up to the new gauge/ignition panel and got the engine running. It required priming the new fuel lines from the new tank and wiring the starter solenoid to the new panel. I used a hand ball pump (remembering my days with outboard motor tanks) to prime the line. It worked a treat. I managed to hook up the right wire to the right terminal and I now have a running engine. I still have to hook up the gauges but I think I will manage that.
When this was done, I needed to build a new engine compartment. The old one had the companionway stairs as the front and was so close to the engine there was a cut out to accommodate the engine coolant tank. So I removed the plywood from the back of the stairs, joined the foot of the stairs to the main steps and cut holes in the sides of the steps to reduce weight (the stairs are hinged at the top and lift from the bottom via rope and pulley). Then I had to move the steps themselves forward by 5 inches to clear the new engine compartment. I made the front of the engine box so it clips inplace and can be removed to inspect the engine without removing any screws. When all this was done, I lined the new box with foil lined foam insulation. The engine is quiet enough to talk over in the cabin now albeit I expect to be in the cockpit and moving if the engine is actually running.
Second: the next project appeared when I found a small patch of rot at the rear supper on the port side. So, using a heat gun, I removed the paint from the whiskey board just below the rub rail, the hull plank nearest the top adjoining the deck and bulwark/toe rail. I went from about 4 feet forward of the transom to the side stays opposite the mast (about 20 feet in length). In doing so I discovered several areas of rot. In the end I determined that these were all caused by the rub rail screws being loose and water getting into the top plank near the scuppers through the back of the loose rub rail. With no real carpentry experience, I did what common sense dictates, cut out the rot and replace it with good wood. So that's what I did. I learned a lot about the hull, the wood, the epoxy resin, etc. Here are the pics of the port side.
Following the plank forward I found other spots that needed the same repair.
That took care of the port side but the starboard has a piece of bulwark that I pushed my thumb straight through so I expect to find the same state when I get to that side.
Now I have the next two projects pending. The wiring in the boat, although I believe was installed by a professional, is now a total mess. I am starting on this project as I have not managed to find a marine electrician that can show up that doesn't want 10 K to rewire the boat. The local guys are just to busy to ever really get to my boat. So I am stuck trying to understand and rewire it myself.
New door panel for electrical panels.
That's it for now. The next project will be described in the next blog post. It is extensive and involves frames, floor timbers, garboard plank, external plank caulking and bottom paint.
