 |
| Blue sea marine switches |
 |
| Stainless Bollard Windlass and Anchor Roller |
 |
| Thru hull exhaust |
 |
| 4 Inch Stainless exhaust |
 |
| Engine bearers |
 |
| Mercruiser stainless gear cooler |
 |
| Stainless Exhaust |
 |
| Sterndrive |
 |
| Anchorlift anchor roller |
 |
| Triple axle trailer |
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Boat photos
Saturday, May 4, 2013
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,
l
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,
l
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Steady Progress February
 |
| 7 Compartments gelcoated |
 |
| 4th Bulkhead |
 |
| Dashboard installed |
 |
| Front windows cut out |
 |
| Lots of light now, |
 |
| Plenty of help |
 |
| Engine cut out |
 |
| Laminating wheelhouse wall |
 |
| Wheelhouse wall |
 |
| Wheelhouse wall inside |
 |
| Boris at work |
 |
| Sylvo at work |
 |
| Site meeting |
 |
| Prep for the windlass cutout |
 |
| Positioning of bollords and cleats |
 |
| Deck down |
 |
| Deck down for measurement only |
 |
| Nidaplas bunks up ahead |
 |
| Starboard bunk |
 |
| Chain locker |
4th stage of the build
So nearly 2 months have passed since my last update and we are also into a new year as well,
Hello 2013 !! and a Happy new year too.
December saw us finish the bulkheads under deck and making our way into the wheelhouse,
We now have nine compartments under deck including two water tight compartments one third of
the way back from the bow as requested by the Dept of Marine spec's.
The plan for January was to laminate the Nidaplas wheelhouse floor with 3 layers of 900gm matting each side and that piece consumed no less than 40 litres of resin,
Construct the wheelhouse rear wall also from 25mm thick Nidaplas and 3 layers of 900gm chopped strand
matting each side and finished off with a layer of tissue paper matting and about 30 liters of resin went in to that job also,
Seems at the moment I'm on to AS Composites in Sligo every other week to order more and more resin,
Well with the major components now completed that is coming to and end too and I won't miss it either,
Boris the boat builder did extremely well in completing the above and he also managed to construct the two bunks from Nidaplas in the shape of Procharters cushions and install the chain locker in the V in the bow,
He used up every single piece of Nidaplas without any waste at all,
I have to say he has been working hammer and tongs over the last two months and is right on track,
Fair play to ya Boris!!
Everything under deck is now flow coated and looking really great in battleship grey,
The gel coating gives everything a nice wash down and completed look,
I ordered 2 Whale manual bilge pumps and 10 meters of heavy duty 38mm bilge hose and 2
divertor valves that will allow me to pump out from 4 compartments with only 2 manual pumps, at the
flick of the lever from left to right,
I also got 2 small Rule 1100 GPH fully automatic bilge pumps and 28mm bilge hose to fit them,
They came in last week from a UK supplier and are ready to be fitted before the decks go down,
The 4 inch stainless steel exhaust arrived from the US in January and the stainless steel thru hull
skin fittings in 38mm and 28mm polished stainless arrived too,
Myself and Alan from Procharter did a deal for some cushions for the bunks up ahead in the wheelhouse and a stainless steel bathing platform for the transom which should look really nice when fitted with the inch teak boards that I had custom made by Higgins of Shantalla,
Another fine piece of engineering is the anchor roller which I sourced from Anchorlift in Norway
Its a 24 inch 316 stainless steel highly polished piece of art and should look absolutely stunning ahead of the shiney polished stainless Lewmar windlass which I bought on Ebay in January,
For the boat electrics I opted for as much Blue sea stuff as I could afford switch panel, fuse board, heavy duty battery isolator switch, bilge pump switches as well as as other Blue Sea switches should have the dash board looking excellent, All I need now are my engine gauges which are still on route( will they ever arrive)
I also got some LED navigation lights, rear spreader lights LED's of course and some small led lights for around the engine bay and in the underdeck compartments all geared up around low power consumption,
I'm now looking around for a good deal on steering set up and contemplating which system I should go with
It's a toss up between hydraulic or rotary, My Mercruiser D4.2 has power steering so I may go hydraulic to hydraulic and get real smooth steering with such a set up,
I've ordered some transparent foot friendly anti-slip covering I am going to apply to the front deck around the anchor roller area as that can get fairly slippy when wet, I looked at 3M for this but the prices were crazy and they only do 50mm wide tape,
So I went with a company called Covertape based in Cheshire in the UK and surprise surprise they were also only a fraction of the price 3M quoted me,
For my electronics I am going with ICOM 411 for my VHF and Lowerance Elite 5 DSI fish finder and chart plotter combo and looking out for a good second hand Furuno or Raymarine radar at the right price,
I got a Echopilot forward looking sonar also on ebay a few weeks back "Thank God for ebay where would I be without them" That should help at least to avoid any underwater obstacles that may otherwise be difficult to avoid out there in the bay,
I will have to fit a 50mm bronze thru hull skin fitting to take the commercial grade transducer which will remain protruding 50mm under the boat and looking forward as the name implies,
I'm nervous about cutting a two inch hole in the bottom of the boat to fit that gizmo but I have been recommended to build a box out of fiberglass inside the hull around the transducer and leave a transparent round deck hatch for inspection purposes, This way if the transducer breaks off worst case scenario the water won't get any further than that, Echopilot claim they break off flush with the hull if you snag on a rock but I don't want to take any chances,
Adam spent a good few hours compounding the gelcoat with Aqua Buff and machine polishing her with
amazing results, His bodywork experience is certainly standing to him,
I knew he was the man for the job because of his last project in restoring a Ford Capri,
Tender loving care is his motto,
He sanded down any uneven spots around the boat and finished them with 3M 500 and 1000 Hookit discs,
Soon he will be applying no less than 3 coats of marine wax to protect his hard labor and prolong the shine for the future,
Oh Forgot to mention I also ordered the windows from Rex Marine in the UK in January.
8mm toughened glass in aluminium frames in front and 6mm on the sides,
The side windows will be 570mm x 2200mm long with drop down sections each side,
Two panes either side of the door on the rear of the wheelhouse and one on the door,
They take around four weeks to manufacture so I should have them in around 2 weeks from now,
Although it may take a couple of weeks more I have been informed but it will be worth the wait as Rex's
workmanship is excellent I hear,
The dash with door to the front of the wheelhouse is fitted in the wheel house and I have posted some photos and videos on the blog,
The deck was laid for measuring purposes only but you can get a real picture of how she will look when completed,
This months its fitting all the stainless fittings, pulpit rails, pushpit rails, radar arch, grab rails, bollards, cleats, chocks, anchor roller, windlass and skin fittings,
Fitting the D-Fendering and GRP corner pieces.
Wheelhouse floor to go down, bunks to be glassed in
Also the wheelhouse fit out to get through in February
It seems still so much to do and the year is rolling on summers is on the way,
Can't wait till she is going in the water and the moment I turn that key,
Guess I will have to but it will be well worth the wait,
Check in again soon to see the progress,
Hello 2013 !! and a Happy new year too.
December saw us finish the bulkheads under deck and making our way into the wheelhouse,
We now have nine compartments under deck including two water tight compartments one third of
the way back from the bow as requested by the Dept of Marine spec's.
The plan for January was to laminate the Nidaplas wheelhouse floor with 3 layers of 900gm matting each side and that piece consumed no less than 40 litres of resin,
Construct the wheelhouse rear wall also from 25mm thick Nidaplas and 3 layers of 900gm chopped strand
matting each side and finished off with a layer of tissue paper matting and about 30 liters of resin went in to that job also,
Seems at the moment I'm on to AS Composites in Sligo every other week to order more and more resin,
Well with the major components now completed that is coming to and end too and I won't miss it either,
Boris the boat builder did extremely well in completing the above and he also managed to construct the two bunks from Nidaplas in the shape of Procharters cushions and install the chain locker in the V in the bow,
He used up every single piece of Nidaplas without any waste at all,
I have to say he has been working hammer and tongs over the last two months and is right on track,
Fair play to ya Boris!!
Everything under deck is now flow coated and looking really great in battleship grey,
The gel coating gives everything a nice wash down and completed look,
I ordered 2 Whale manual bilge pumps and 10 meters of heavy duty 38mm bilge hose and 2
divertor valves that will allow me to pump out from 4 compartments with only 2 manual pumps, at the
flick of the lever from left to right,
I also got 2 small Rule 1100 GPH fully automatic bilge pumps and 28mm bilge hose to fit them,
They came in last week from a UK supplier and are ready to be fitted before the decks go down,
The 4 inch stainless steel exhaust arrived from the US in January and the stainless steel thru hull
skin fittings in 38mm and 28mm polished stainless arrived too,
Myself and Alan from Procharter did a deal for some cushions for the bunks up ahead in the wheelhouse and a stainless steel bathing platform for the transom which should look really nice when fitted with the inch teak boards that I had custom made by Higgins of Shantalla,
Another fine piece of engineering is the anchor roller which I sourced from Anchorlift in Norway
Its a 24 inch 316 stainless steel highly polished piece of art and should look absolutely stunning ahead of the shiney polished stainless Lewmar windlass which I bought on Ebay in January,
For the boat electrics I opted for as much Blue sea stuff as I could afford switch panel, fuse board, heavy duty battery isolator switch, bilge pump switches as well as as other Blue Sea switches should have the dash board looking excellent, All I need now are my engine gauges which are still on route( will they ever arrive)
I also got some LED navigation lights, rear spreader lights LED's of course and some small led lights for around the engine bay and in the underdeck compartments all geared up around low power consumption,
I'm now looking around for a good deal on steering set up and contemplating which system I should go with
It's a toss up between hydraulic or rotary, My Mercruiser D4.2 has power steering so I may go hydraulic to hydraulic and get real smooth steering with such a set up,
I've ordered some transparent foot friendly anti-slip covering I am going to apply to the front deck around the anchor roller area as that can get fairly slippy when wet, I looked at 3M for this but the prices were crazy and they only do 50mm wide tape,
So I went with a company called Covertape based in Cheshire in the UK and surprise surprise they were also only a fraction of the price 3M quoted me,
For my electronics I am going with ICOM 411 for my VHF and Lowerance Elite 5 DSI fish finder and chart plotter combo and looking out for a good second hand Furuno or Raymarine radar at the right price,
I got a Echopilot forward looking sonar also on ebay a few weeks back "Thank God for ebay where would I be without them" That should help at least to avoid any underwater obstacles that may otherwise be difficult to avoid out there in the bay,
I will have to fit a 50mm bronze thru hull skin fitting to take the commercial grade transducer which will remain protruding 50mm under the boat and looking forward as the name implies,
I'm nervous about cutting a two inch hole in the bottom of the boat to fit that gizmo but I have been recommended to build a box out of fiberglass inside the hull around the transducer and leave a transparent round deck hatch for inspection purposes, This way if the transducer breaks off worst case scenario the water won't get any further than that, Echopilot claim they break off flush with the hull if you snag on a rock but I don't want to take any chances,
Adam spent a good few hours compounding the gelcoat with Aqua Buff and machine polishing her with
amazing results, His bodywork experience is certainly standing to him,
I knew he was the man for the job because of his last project in restoring a Ford Capri,
Tender loving care is his motto,
He sanded down any uneven spots around the boat and finished them with 3M 500 and 1000 Hookit discs,
Soon he will be applying no less than 3 coats of marine wax to protect his hard labor and prolong the shine for the future,
Oh Forgot to mention I also ordered the windows from Rex Marine in the UK in January.
8mm toughened glass in aluminium frames in front and 6mm on the sides,
The side windows will be 570mm x 2200mm long with drop down sections each side,
Two panes either side of the door on the rear of the wheelhouse and one on the door,
They take around four weeks to manufacture so I should have them in around 2 weeks from now,
Although it may take a couple of weeks more I have been informed but it will be worth the wait as Rex's
workmanship is excellent I hear,
The dash with door to the front of the wheelhouse is fitted in the wheel house and I have posted some photos and videos on the blog,
The deck was laid for measuring purposes only but you can get a real picture of how she will look when completed,
This months its fitting all the stainless fittings, pulpit rails, pushpit rails, radar arch, grab rails, bollards, cleats, chocks, anchor roller, windlass and skin fittings,
Fitting the D-Fendering and GRP corner pieces.
Wheelhouse floor to go down, bunks to be glassed in
Also the wheelhouse fit out to get through in February
It seems still so much to do and the year is rolling on summers is on the way,
Can't wait till she is going in the water and the moment I turn that key,
Guess I will have to but it will be well worth the wait,
Check in again soon to see the progress,
Monday, December 17, 2012
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)