Day 285 Flo Curved floor &
heater vent
Once again an attempt is made on the aft flooring above the web. In the photo it looks flat, but there is a fair curve to it, then a twist. A 3/4" chunk would have been impossible without seriously slotting it up.  Even 3/8 was a fight to get in.
The whole idea of it having a tight fit and being solid is to prevent any tearing of the carpet over it.

Even with a strong backing, carpet can tear by the forces of flexing plywood. I once lived in a poorly constructed shack and after having seen this for so long, it's a phobia!

The photo to right shows the tub in place. Wow does it look small! It's big enough to sit in comfortably.

Gena screwed the piece on securely, then glued panel on to the face of the berth, amongst other things.

  
The main plan for sailing at present is to go somewhere warmer than here! But we don't want to be limited to only those regions, having seen photos of the northern islands of Canada and the southern areas of South America etc.  Our Dickinson Heater is one of the comforts we just couldn't do without. As we won't be using propane, and electrical is out of the question, the only heat source is the engine and the diesel heater. Diesel is a cheap fuel ( we use it at work and at home ) but can be somewhat messy.

 

 
 

Collars with nuts welded on
A stack of sorts is required to keep the soot off of the boat. Some chimneys are quite ugly and extend fairly high. On a sailboat, we find this to be even uglier. I came up with the idea to use a scoop dorade type of vent as a chimney. It is made of stainless so if it is too short, then it can be easily modified to be longer!
 As it is removable ( threaded on ) and has a cap for when not in use, it was the perfect solution. The original idea was to use the mounting plate to mount it on the side of the pilothouse, then have a stack that could be flipped down when not in use. The specifications of the stove warned not to put any 90º turns in the pipe so that ended that idea!

This project was fraught with problems though. Firstly, the hole in the cabin top needs to be a bit oversize because of heat concerns. This meant making a ring and welding nuts on as the holes are very close to the edge. (Above photo)

Then adapting a collar so the 3" pipe from the heater can mate without any leaks. ( Above left )
 After I made the collar, which just barely fit on to the ring, Gena pointed out the thing must be smaller than 3" diameter so it can slide inside the stove pipe. Duh!! I wasted an afternoon bending the plate into a circle and getting it all precise for nothing!

 		  In a fit of rage, I cut the thing off and threw it on to the cabin top, marching off in a huff. To add insult to injury, I managed to get a small bit of spatter on the threads. This will need to be removed with a fine dremel wheel.

To compensate for this misfortune, I began welding the stanchion mounts on, and continued well into the night. ( Photo left )

We're very used to feeling we have accomplished something in a day, and that's enough to work 10 hours on it!
The second ring is for an engine vent that will be discussed later on. The object is to have two of them, one on each side for the looks!
 

 

 

Day 285:
10 hours :
Made/destroyed vent mount, paneled berth face, welded on a couple of stanchion mounts


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Commercial VHF, LOW $$
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