Day 210 Aft-Entry Coal Tarrin'
Gena was hard at work below finishing up the coal tarring of the keel area forward, around the battery box, and up the webs. The webs, we have decided, will be foam insulated. We have read that any bare steel connected in close proximity to the outer hull below the water line will sweat.  
Granted, coaltar epoxy has a small R-value insulation wise, and one can feel the difference when touching it vs. straight primed steel on a cool day, but it's likely only 5 - 10 º difference max. This wouldn't be enough to offset the difference between sea temperature and air temperature in the tropics on a hot humid day. Neither in Vancouver BC on a winter day with the heater going inside and cooking with alcohol water vapours filling the cabin.

It's going to add substantially to the cost of foaming, but will be worth it!

Below is the "sonar box" housing freshly coated ( looking down from the hatch above)
I doubt we'll be foaming in here as it would become cumbersome and make the nuts difficult to access in the event of a failure of one of the sonar devices. The whole thing will be pretty sealed anyway!
The new shop-vac does a great job in the hands of a professional haha!

This is out 4th shop vac. They just don't build 'em like they used to, but then, what do you expect for $39.95?
My job for the day was to cut out our cockpit entry-way and finish it with stainless bar. It was much like doing the hatches so I was all set up for it already.

We won't be incorperating a slide track garage style of hatch, as is the fashion, but a flip up on hinges forward.

The lid will have "glass" in it so it doesn't obstruct vision from outside when it is up. It'll have to flip up higher than 45º we think, just to allow headroom while entering.

I have plans of perhaps putting on SS snaps to attach a dodger if we so choose to. Better to plan ahead! We will have some sort of wind dodger because even though we have protection inside the pilothouse; who wants to sit inside on a hot and sunny but very windy day while beating close-hauled into the waves?
To the left is the other anchor roller assembly sitting pretty! What a beautiful thing! Now if it can be welded on and stay that way, things will be good.

I plan on using the masking tape again to stop spatter from sticking on to the polished SS finish. It'll burn off, but it leaves a goopy residue the spatter just can't seem to stick to!
I am pretty nervouse about the whole thing actually. It's a lot of work making these. I wouldn't want to marr the finish because it'll be impossible to refinish after they are sandwiched together on the bow.
B-log:
We deal with a lot of truckers at work and get to see the inside of the truck in many cases. Some guys really love chrome in the truck! In their travels they pick up chrome gauge covers, light bezel covers, switch plates, panels, dash trim, shift heads, knobs, switch handles, floor plates, radio cases and even chrome girlie-silhoets. Some are like totally addicted to chrome. I have felt the bug myself while polishing these up! Now I must resist the temptation to do our boats dash out in chrome paraphenalia, hehe!!
Thank god we love wood finish so much, those little chome bits are expensive!
Here is a view of the mainsail track I have bent into a curve. It seems that the curve is functional on boats but really I think it's more for looks than anything!

Unfortunately, I couldn't get much more out of it with out risking deformation to the "X" shape of it. I wanted to be even with the seat back but no way!

This'll have to do I guess. We have decided to bolt it directly on, using a bedding compound in the open area under it
( silly design if you ask me! ) and have large SS washers then nuts underneath in the coaming, which is easily accessable.

The intake fan can be seen to the left. See? Old furnaces are good for something hey?

It was a gr8 day, barring the sudden invasion of mosquitoes, and we worshipped the sun gods in hope of more to come :)

 


Day 210:
7 hours - Made aft entry, coal tarred, bent main track


To DAY 209		 Hard trance/dance/techno-pop?
         
 

Yes!
My Christmas album is being
re-released this year!
*remixed, remastered*
avail. Nov 11, 2004

  
         

www.freshnelly.com
To DAY 211+