Looking Back and Forth

Looking back on our trip to Bermuda I'd have to say we're fairly satisfied with the work we've done on the boat so far.  There are a few things that need to be improved and we're now working on a list of new projects to take on over the next year.

Improvements mainly have to do with the job that was done in the galley last Winter.  There are a few things we've found that just don't work as well as we thought they would.  The biggest thing is the lids for the fridge and freezer.  We removed the strut that originally held up the single lid thinking we'd get better access with it opening wider.  This looked good on paper but in actuality those lids are now much heavier because of the Corian and they don't open far enough back to stay on their own.  We need to add a latch to hold them up or go back to the struts.  We're also having a clearance problem with the lid seal on the fridge and it's slowly destroying itself every time we close the lid.  The one other thing that didn't work out is the location of the faucet.  They set it back too far from the side of the sink and it needs to be moved about 2" closer.  Fortunately we still have a piece of the Corian counter top and can make an oval piece to cover the hole and give a little more thickness around the new location.  The concern was that the Corian would crack if the faucet was too close to the edge but I think we'll be OK by doubling the thickness.

On our list of new projects, this coming Fall we're planning to have some cabinets made for the aft cabin.  The largest one will be at the head of the bunk along the port side of the hull.  There's a shelf there now that had been previously widened to 10" and that will now serve as the base for the cabinet (in the picture this is where the hat is).  We're also thinking about adding a cabinet on the aft bulkhead between this shelf and the bump-out for the genset (in the picture, the genset is out of the picture to the far left).  The space has already been taken from the bunk because of the genset and a shallow cabinet there would serve well for storing tools.  We also want to add a storage slot in the overhead where we could slide the Eisenglass panels for the cockpit enclosure.  We're making storage pockets for each panel (seven panels total) out of cheap cotton sheets but they need to be stored flat to keep the panels in good shape.  The slot only needs to be about 2" in height but would take up the entire ceiling over one side of the bunk.  This space doesn't have headroom for standing up at the bunk but you can crawl around on it OK.  I don't think the overhead storage slot would take away from that although we are slowly chiseling away at that aft bunk and will eventually get it down from a double to a single.  On the bright side, if there's a couple staying aboard we could still stack 'em up in there pretty well.

In the forward head we have an idea for adding a cabinet for more storage but we're not sure at this point if that'll get done this Fall.  We do have plans to replace the manual pump toilet with an electric one though.  That's pretty high on the priority list.  In fact it's right at the top.  We want to plumb it with fresh water instead of raw water from outside to prevent the hoses from going bad.  Using raw water they get a buildup of calcified crud on the inside that leads to poor flow and eventual stink.  It'd be nice to avoid that if we can.  We've been flushing with fresh water for the most part already so hopefully our hoses are still good, all having been replaced in 2010.  The electric head will be wired up to the leads for the bow thruster since that's located almost directly below the toilet and the wires are beefy enough for the job already.  I seriously doubt anyone will be using the head while we're running the bow thruster.  The noise alone would drive them out of there.  Using fresh water we'll have to change our water pump to a continuous pressure pump instead of the variable one we have now.  It currently runs between 20 and 40 psi and a continuous pressure would be an improvement all around.  The new pump is on order, Whale constant pressure (p/n UF1815), rated at 4.75 gpm and 45 psi.  This project is already moving ahead!

Another project for the forward head is to add better lighting.  There's a 115VAC line under the forward bunk that I could easily tie into and run up the forward bulkhead for an extra outlet at the head of our bed.  It'd be an easy job to take it through the wall to a spot above the mirror for a light fixture in the head.  That line is already GFI protected.  We just need to find a nice light fixture that'll fit in that small space.

Topside we also have a few projects coming up.  We have two 85 watt solar panels currently mounted on the Bimini frame.  I have two 140 watt panels waiting in storage but we need to build a frame to hold all four.  I have a design in mind that would be free-standing instead of using the Bimini frame.  It would be mounted to the toe rail giving it more width and be made of beefier SS tubing than the 1" stuff that's up there now.  We looked into an arch but it's more elaborate than what we need and definitely too expensive.  I think we could have a frame built locally for less and tie it into the existing wind generator mount located at the aft port side corner of the boat.  Maybe even add a second wind generator on the starboard side.  Maybe we could also attach the Bimini frame to this and clean up the clutter in the cockpit a little bit.  Man, this dreamin' can get carried away.

Our cool-man tender derrick is almost complete.  I have the cleats and stuff needed to finish the derrick itself but for storing the tender on deck we need something cooler than a couple of 4x4's.  A really nice cradle, maybe made of teak, would be just the ticket.  I think the cradle would most likely be 6' long boards angled in towards each other just a bit so that the tender could slide onto them from one side or the other.  The boards would support the fiberglass hull of the tender and maybe have a canvass pad for a smooth ride.  The picture kinda shows what I have in mind but mine would would go across the cabin top just behind the mast from port to starboard instead of running fore and aft like that one.  I'm also thinking the cradle would be attached to a stainless steel frame (1.5" tubing) that would attach to the handrails on either side of the cabin top.  It would have to be high enough off the deck so the hatch in the Salon could open a bit for some fresh air but not so high that the dinghy would block the helmsman's view forward.  We'd probably have to come up with a slick cover for the tender too, maybe one that matches the Dodger and Bimini.  Yeah!  Now we're talkin'!  This is gonna be a fun project!

The list is longer but if I write it all out then it get's kinda intimidating.  This is a good start and if we can get this done in the next six months we'll be doing well.  Let's get to it!