Day 408
 Exhaust sys / pilot seat
What's that in the picture? Looks like a car seat out of a 1989 New Yorker, one of the most comfortable seats ever made in the history of man, or woman for that matter. Looks like the car is missing...

Well maybe the car is falling apart, but we managed to keep the interior pristine (especially my side ha ha! ) The plan has long been to use a seat from the car in the boat. After I tore it free from it's landlocked, sure to be doomed life on the way to the scrap yard, it wasn't as heavy as we thought it would be. 50 lbs at most. I even managed to carry it up onto the boat myself. This baby has everything, recline, neck support, arm rest, power forward/back/tilt and a plush neutral finish to boot.

 
We looked into boat seats and besides the fact I'd still have to build a box to get them to the height of a stool, they are uncomfortable. Maybe not at first, but after 4 or 5 hours they are. We know these seats are comfortable as we have done 12 hour trips in them without the need for a chiropractor and physio staff at the other end. We have read many a time that a comfortable seat in the pilothouse is as important as any other health aspect. Especially during heavy weather. Do I have you sold yet? If not, then wait until you see how it looks up in the boat! Not today though, the box  and "hump" for the foot rest still needs to be built.

That is what I am trying to achieve in the photo to the right, with all of my available carpentry prowess.
In the 3d dashboard draft ( day 407 ) the "hump" over the steering pump was level. I have since decided to angle it making the seated foot position closer to that of a car. Who am I to argue with 75 years of automotive interior design?

 Afterwards, the top will have a plush soft feel to it, perhaps carpet to match the pilot house floor, not sure yet.
 


  

 

The box under the seat allows placement of a very large drawer. Ideal for storing charts. The back is to cordon off the somewhat less than spacious navigation table area, (that's another story!) as well as  hide the back and ugly underside of the seat.

I started to put routed oak trim on the edges but ran out of time. The bottom angles in as such to allow room for the starboard side giant hatch to the engine room to open.

 While I wasn't looking, Gena snuck the whole exhaust system by me. This explains why I have photos of the bits and pieces before they were welded all together, then suddenly everything's done!

The muffler ( I may have mentioned this before) is a "hospital grade" muffler. This means that if sick people were sleeping next to it, they wouldn't wake up. At all. I trust this isn't just a brand name because to me, the engine is already the devil. Better a quiet monster under there than a loud scary one.

           
It's really big so it should be quiet. Gena welded on some mounting tabs so it can connect to the edges of the hole on a non-vibration/ heat transferring way. She is so talented in these matters. I just watch in awe.

After helping her position the muffler for marking for the brackets and crushing her hand in the process during a signal mix, (no that's not her hand on under there, just a glove! ) she was able to make the exact measurements to cut and line up the pipe.

Welding together 3 90º elbows made the shape to point the manifolds out to the exhaust pipes in. The cool looking braided pipe is an expansion/vibration damper.


Testing muffler position..
Hopefully the home-built valve Gena made in the end of the pipe will stop most of the sea water from getting in. It must first travel up 2 feet of flex pipe before it can find it's way down to a low point. A lot of people tend to use a drain valve in the lowest point to evacuate salt water from time to time but we're pretty confident the valve will work. We just must remember to open it before starting the engine!

Next the muffler was wrapped in, you heard it here, kiln insulation. This is the same stuff that is used in 3500º kilns for melting glass onto pottery, thus called glazing.

The whole exhaust was wrapped, taped with fiberglass tape, then covered in aluminum expandable pipe (pretty fun stuff to play with haha!) and furnace sheeting so it won't get wet. Wow!

Muffler covered in high heat insulation to protect everything from the heat

Day 408: 13 hours-Installed the whole exhaust sys, started seat mount  in pilot house.