May madness

So May has arrived and where are we at ?

Well we are nearly finished under deck with all the plumbing of the bilge pumps in four compartments complete with Gusher Titan manual and Rule 1100 automatic pumps all round,
We have diverter valves to allow pumping from two different compartments with one pump and non return valves to stop back flow of water into any compartment,

I opted for stainless steel 38mm and 28mm thru hull skin fittings which look really well on the hull,
We fitted a 4 inch stainless exhaust tail pipe just above the waterline and used two halyard 90 degree bends which we got from Paul at Coastal rides, They allowed us to put the exhaust on the extreme starboard side
where it doesn't look too cramped,
We used heavy duty marine exhaust hose and Mikalor stainless steel hose clamps to install everything securely,
I also intend to install a probe in the exhaust system to warn if the temperature rises in event of poor water flow should the water pump impeller need replacing or it the water intake scoop get blocked and reduces the  cooling water  intake,
This warning system will have a siren and led light up at the helm where I can spot it easily if one of those incidents occurs,
At the stern we have the stainless bathing platform fitted, the trim tabs, the exhaust and the stainless thru hull fittings, outdrive in also on with brand new trim senders, bellows, rubber seals and everything is greased up and watertight,
We took great care in fitting the outdrive and used the alignment too from Mercruiser and the tool slipped in and out of the engine coupler like butter like it should so we bolted everything up and torqued all the bolts and fitted the mercruiser gear cooler,

In March we fitted the front pulpit railings, Radar rail and roof rails we also fitted along with the anchor roller and stainless steel bollards,
Those stainless fittings along with the lewmar windlass really set the boat off and she is looking really fine now,
The 76mm D-fendering is on with GRP corner pieces from Wilkes rubber and we are running a second 4.5 meter length a foot lower than the first run which will protect the sides of the boat,

I also bought the nav lights last month going for Aqua Signal series 40 with are nice commercial standard lights and look great,

Seastar Steering gear is also fitted, Teleflex soft grip 16" steering wheel with hydraulic helm pump and hydraulic to hydraulic steering rams at the stern,

I also have much of the 12 volt wiring complete under deck, I ordered the Mercruiser instrument and wiring harness from Paul and Coastal rides and got a tilt and trim harness and switch from a marine supplies store in the U.S,
Thats all wired up with the bilge pumps and bilge blower wiring brought up as far as the helm,

I used 35mm sq power cable rated 240 Ah for my main power feed,
I also have the engine harnesses fed through waterproof thru hull glands all the way back to the engine,
I also fed the throttle cables and engine stop cables through glands to maintain water tight compartments up in 30% of the boat to comply with regulations,

In the wheelhouse Boris has the floor down and has fitted the helm box for the helm seat which I purchased  recently, Its an air suspension seat with arm rests and headrest,
We installed it on a slider so you can also stand at the helm to steer while standing,
Boris is now working on seating to the left of the wheelhouse,
The bunks are also glassed in and everything up ahead in the wheelhouse is flow coated in grey,

We will be fitting 3 x 500mm aluminium deck hatches on the rear deck for under deck access which I am ordering from A.S.A.P in the UK,

Myself and Adam waxed the boat with 3 coats of marine wax and all over and the applied 1 coat of Jotun antifoul primer and 2 coats of Jotun antifoul and she is starting to look the part now,

So down to the wiring- at the moment I'm wiring the windlass and fitting a 35 amp circuit breaker and relay as I have a toggle switch fitted in the wheelhouse and  up and down foot switches fitted on the fore deck,
We fitted non slip coating around the front bollard up at the fore deck for a safe footing where the windlass switches are located,
After carefully planning what gauge wire to use and what size batteries I am going with, I drew out the wiring diagram and set about ordering up some nice Blue sea switches buss bars and fuse board,
Should be finished with the wiring in a week or two all going well,
I have opted for two 140 Ah batteries back at the engine for starting and another 140Ah Gel at the helm for the electrics,
We have all the instrument dials fitted and I got  Blue sea digital ammeter and voltmeter to keep and eye on the condition of the batteries,

I am came across a nice triple axle trailer also last month and its now sitting in my warehouse,
Its galvanised steel and has a standard hitch so I will be able to pull it with my jeep,

We take a look at the photos for more views on the progress and touch base again soon,

Hope to have her in the water some time in the summer with the help of God,




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