This weekend allowed for some time on the boat. Last weekend I only had time for sanding on the boat which doesn't allow for very interesting reading or viewing. However I sanded all of the teak cockpit hatch seats that could be removed from the boat. Then i sanded all of the teak cockpit combings. They will require another final sanding before stain and varnish. I also this weekend discovered by chance how to remove the hatch so I plan on taking the hatch and doors off the sand and varnish with the seats. I ordered enough varnish to start the job. probably not enough to finish it all.
The other big news was the order of all the electrical wire came in. So now I have two completely different jobs at hand. One is dirty and outside. The other is clean and inside. The electrical required some prep before I was ready to begin the install. I had installed the battery boxes with the straps provided. They were junk. Cheap plastic with difficult buckles and poor mounting. I made new straps from commercial tie downs. I cut off the hooks on the ends and melted in some screw holes with a hot nail. These I attached with SS screws and washers to the backer boards and now have a very strong, positive locking tie down that I know won't come loose in a sea way. I had an extra one so I made an additional tie down for the forward water tank. The rear of the tank is secure under a support beam but the front is technically loose. My only flaw is this will work it's way forward and slip off so I need to add another strap to keep it tied back.
I created a lateral path through the starboard side of the boat under the settees and through all of the bulkheads. I used 1-1/2" PVC tubes cut in 3" sections to create a channel that would support and guide the main wire bundle. They were screwed onto support pieces that were already laminated to the hull and epoxied into place when penetrating a bulkhead. The edges of the tube were sanded down to minimize any chafe. With the left over epoxy I adhered the two 10 gang pos. and neg. busses to the exterior hull. I ran the battery positives and the main negative last night. I will label them tonight and continue to run the additional wires as needed before beginning the job of crimping and soldering the ends. I still need heat shrink tube and solder. I also need to understand what size post will come on the batteries. I don't want to pick up the batteries till the end of the job so they are not sitting around aging.
This weekend allowed for some time on the boat. Last weekend I only had time for sanding on the boat which doesn't allow for very interesting reading or viewing. However I sanded all of the teak cockpit hatch seats that could be removed from the boat. Then i sanded all of the teak cockpit combings. They will require another final sanding before stain and varnish. I also this weekend discovered by chance how to remove the hatch so I plan on taking the hatch and doors off the sand and varnish with the seats. I ordered enough varnish to start the job. probably not enough to finish it all.
The other big news was the order of all the electrical wire came in. So now I have two completely different jobs at hand. One is dirty and outside. The other is clean and inside. The electrical required some prep before I was ready to begin the install. I had installed the battery boxes with the straps provided. They were junk. Cheap plastic with difficult buckles and poor mounting. I made new straps from commercial tie downs. I cut off the hooks on the ends and melted in some screw holes with a hot nail. These I attached with SS screws and washers to the backer boards and now have a very strong, positive locking tie down that I know won't come loose in a sea way. I had an extra one so I made an additional tie down for the forward water tank. The rear of the tank is secure under a support beam but the front is technically loose. My only flaw is this will work it's way forward and slip off so I need to add another strap to keep it tied back.
I created a lateral path through the starboard side of the boat under the settees and through all of the bulkheads. I used 1-1/2" PVC tubes cut in 3" sections to create a channel that would support and guide the main wire bundle. They were screwed onto support pieces that were already laminated to the hull and epoxied into place when penetrating a bulkhead. The edges of the tube were sanded down to minimize any chafe. With the left over epoxy I adhered the two 10 gang pos. and neg. busses to the exterior hull. I ran the battery positives and the main negative last night. I will label them tonight and continue to run the additional wires as needed before beginning the job of crimping and soldering the ends. I still need heat shrink tube and solder. I also need to understand what size post will come on the batteries. I don't want to pick up the batteries till the end of the job so they are not sitting around aging.
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