'nick of time

Hurricane Sandy just flew past and Jenny was put to bed just in the nick of time.

The tarp was tied down just as the rains started.  We had some strong winds but the cover survived just fine.  This new boatyard is a 'normal' yard where the boats are absolutely crammed in. I miss my old yard already.

Boats are buried three rows deep and they are still coming in.  Good thing for me I am not looking for an early launch as I am back in the first row against the outer fence.  Too many generic looking power boats around Jenny for my liking to.  Oh well. It is only for this season.

This month has been mostly about working on other-peoples-boats.  There was a natural convergence of my recent change of status to 'unemployed'  and the needs of a few friends of mine hustling to get work done on their boats before they headed south for the winter.  I guess it was a good thing but Jenny was neglected this month.

Now with my friends safely along their way I shouldn't have many distractions until I find other gainful employment again.

I did manage to get the stove cabinet finished and ready for varnish.  Waiting for varnishing weather or a place to varnish in an indoor environment is holding that project up.The final panels that go  behind the galley countertop are cut and ready for varnish as well.

The boat cover is pretty much the same as what I had last year.  A pair of tripods to support a ridgepole.  Two side braces at the front edge of the cockpit and slats every three feet to keep the tarp from sagging too much. I assembled the same frame around the bottom to tie the tarp down with.  It is a little tight for working inside but it was quick and easy and works.  It passed the hurricane Sandy test just fine.

I have a box full of plumbing fittings for the sink and fresh water systems so I think that will be my next focus.  I also need to figure out how to mount my propane tanks.  I am thinking of hanging them off of the windvane.  I need to check out what sort of clamps and hardware I can find for that. 

If the first one is good...

... then the second one will be even better.

Being admittedly dimensionally challenged.  I didn't have a perfect plan in my head when I started building the stovetop 'cabinet'.  I just figured it out as I was going along.  In retrospect.  I probably would have been better served if I had made a fully functional mockup because I ran into a snag just before completing the project.

The stovetop has a non moveable fitting for the propane line at the side of the unit.

When I built the tight fitting pieces that the stove rests upon I didn't take that little fitting into consideration.

My initial solution was to make a cut out to allow for the fiting.

The stopping point came when I realized I had no idea how to make the cabinet blend into the surrounding structure without this awkward hole and exposed propane line.  It was just ugly.

 

So, the solution was to do it over again and this time shift the stove outboard an inch to accomodate the fitting.  If I had used different joinery I might have been able to take the pieces apart and just replace the end but since I used a generous supply of waterproof glue on all the joints there was no way it was going to come apart easily.  The easiest and best solution was to do it over again.

So now I have version two.  One thought I had was to fill the gap on the left end with a capping piece that would also go over the edge of the stove and lock that end down.  Then I realized the flame from the stove was going to run right past that cap and setting the cabinet on fire probably wouldn't result in anything good.  Instead, I glued a filler piece into the space on the left hand side.

Other boat activities involved doing a thorough review of what was left before I could hook up the water tanks to the pumps and the pumps to the faucet and sink drain overboard.  I have a bunch of bits and pieces to order for that but the actually installation should go easily enough.  At first I was planning on putting salt and fresh water pumps on the starboard side which is the side with the sink.  This puts the forward most foot pump lever in a great location for snagging an ankle so I have decided to move one of the pumps to the port side opposite the other.  This way both pump levers are just forward of the first step and almost underneath the step where it is much less likely to cause harm.  My only question is which side should pump which water source; salt or fresh.  Minor details I know.

In order to install the foot pumps I made a template with some left over stock from my first failed attempt at an engine instrument panel.

The three mounting holes are non concentric (scattered around) and the template also allows me to cut the hole for the level acurately.

And that's it.  As always, I had intentions of getting more done but with my new found lack of employment all my local friends have been asking me to help them with various projects.  Looking for my next big career also takes a fair bit of time out of my schedule.  The weather has also been iffy.  On that note, I think a winter cover is moving up the priority list.  I really want to finish the interior panels so I can spend the winter making storage bins around the  galley area.  That could happen over a weekend plus a few days of varnishing.

It is always good to have a plan.

Until next time, keep the dirty side down.  ;-)