Day

279

 More hand rails, exhaust pipe
The final welding on the pilot house was done today. Not much more needs to be done before the last area of the boat gets some foam insulation.  
Every good thing must come to an end, but there will be some SS welding making the companionway doors and the stanchion mounts on to the bolwark, then of course the bow sprit.

It's just the usual mad rush to get everything buttoned up for winter. This time we are truly ready, let it snow!

To the right are photos of one of the hand holds out on to the coaming, ( also good for a drink holder to clip on! ) and some side rails along the steps to the forward deck. The  standard toe rails wouldn't work too well here because they use up so much room. We plan to bolt on a large cleat as well making it "look" functional!

Below is the now not to be used air intake frame that I rushed to get under way today. It was one of those change our minds at the last minute things.


The "would have been" air intake		 Too bad, I have had it planned for weeks. It was going to have stainless louvers controlled by a solenoid activated by the engine starting, and it's own dorade.  The air now will circulate from within the pilothouse near the pilot seat, under the floor over the fuel tank and into the fan.

That's ok by me. One less hole in the boat!

It's just a waste of (expensive) stainless. I can't even think of an alternate use for it.
 



Step rail welded in place

Welding on exhaust pipe flange		 The engine also needs a way to expel the exhaust. This has been a really drawn out topic between us and I had a preference toward below the waterline.

The system wouldn't need a muffler, wouldn't pollute adjacent boats in the marina, and doesn't seem as obnoxious. ( Except to the fish! )
The disadvantages include problems with paint peeling below the waterline, water condensing inside the pipe higher up and rusting, and possibly damaging the engine because of water shooting back up, and another hole below the waterline to worry about.

Above the waterline condensation can still happen on a lesser scale and will leave nasty rust stains down the hull if not drained before starting the engine. The heat becomes a problem and burns the paint off although again this is more of a cosmetic problem above the waterline. A muffler needs to be carefully inserted and extra framing at the exit point to stop "drumming" of the involved plate.

Gena has decided to go above the waterline and add a flange to dissipate heat as well as isolate the engine from the hull. Electric isolation is important even here. A high-heat gasket will need to be used as well as small tubes for the bolts in the over sized holes.

A heavy "flange" made of stainless also is seated into the hull. This way is paint starts peeling, it will have a couple inches of stainless to peel off of first.

How complicated! The ultimate solution would be to remove the engine! Unfortunately, it may be needed in accordance to regulations at certain ports of call. ( So we have heard! ) Of course the way fuel prices are climbing, maybe they would give us a sympathetic ear...

In the photo (right ) one can see the position of the exhaust outlet. It's not to hard to imagine the way the exhaust pipe will go. Up under the deck then loop back down below the floor framing and over to the manifold and it's flex pipe. Perhaps putting a dip in the pipe like a 'P' trap in a sink would work with a small/slow drain tap. Gena is the expert on that so we'll see what she does!
Gena welds the exhaust pipe mount


 
I just kept with the simple stuff top sides! The photo to the right shows how nicely this air vent fits into the hole I plazzed out. This is no ordinary vent. It will be the heater ( I call it a fire place because it looks like a tiny one! ) exhaust vent. We're not sure how well this will work but we have 2, and it's worth a try. A rather short stack, but it can be unscrewed, capped, and best of all, modified easily.

The one opposite this one is for part of the  engine room hot air exhaust system. The duct leading to this will have a manual damper so air can be circulated back into the boat. It will help replace some of the air the engine is drawing off.
( They use a lot of air engines do! ) At least some moisture will be drawn off of the interior as well while the engine is running.
 



Exterior view of the exhaust

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Day 279:
8 hours - Final exterior stainless attachments welded on, including lock hook, exhaust pipe mount


To DAY 278		 We've remixed him, he's remixed us,
Top pick:
"Be A M4ChiN3"
free/get it!		 IDK remix contest
results coming soon!
July 5th 2005 deadline

Now he has an awesome new album!!
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To DAY 280+