Winter Interior

Here is the cockpit of the boat with new cover installed. Today I got some electrical done including the installation of the new Blue Sea AC/DC breaker panel... The electrical stuff is pretty slow going but we are making some progress...

 Shelley Was so sweet today... when she was finished work, she came out to the boat just to bring me some lunch... It was a nice break and a good meal...

I have cut the hole to accommodate the new panel...

Covered For The Winter...

Last weekend I framed the aft of the boat to accommodate a new tarp to make access this winter easier. I hope this holds up and makes getting into the boat easier this winter.

Progress Is Slowing Down

Being back to work and the weather changing has really put a crimp in progress on the boat.  Over the last few weeks I have been pulling out the old wiring and plumbing.  A slow process as I really want to know what I am pulling out....

On Saturday, Shelley and I cleaned up the trailer and brought all the liquids home so they won't freeze over the winter.  We are very sure now that we won't be putting the boat in the water until the spring of 2013... :(

On the bright side, while the progress is slow, we are getting some small steps accomplished.  I have run all new water lines, installed the new inverter/charger, installed the 30 amp mains, and taken apart the 7kw generator that I will be installing to run a scuba compressor.  This is what the generator looks like with all the housing and exhaust system removed.  I am now trying to figure out a way to build a new exhaust system into the boat for this air cooled diesel generator...

Over the next few weeks/months we will be plugging away at the interior jobs that need to get done, leaving any further outside work for next spring and summer...  I have to admit, when I say all of this it gets a little discouraging.  I really am working on some stuff right now that I am not feeling too confident in my abilities to resolve or fix...

Any help or expertise is always appreciated...

Windows & Hatches Are IN!!!!!

Wow! The wait was worth it.... With my father in laws help the 19 windows and hatches are now installed on the boat. They look great. Now we can start to get the boat ready for winter. I am going to cover the foredeck and make some kind of entrance to the pilot house from the transom so deck and windows remain protected from the elements...

Starting the Electrical and Plumbing

The other day I got a good start on the plumbing and electrical....  I have almost all of the old electrical out now and have only left wiring that I might use to pull new wire through...  The batteries are neatly re-wired and I have decided to go with a 3 battery combiner.  This device will allow any battery receiving a charging voltage to share it with all three battery banks on the boat.  In other words, if the alternator is charging the starting battery (the one it is connected to), the combiner will detect that charge and also charge the house bank and the windlass battery...  I will be connecting the charger, solar and wind generator to the house bank, and the same thing will happen except this time the starting bank will get to share the charge...

All of the old copper piping is now gone from the boat and I have replaced it with PEX pipes and fittings.... This stuff is awesome!  The plastic pipe is connected to fittings with a stainless steel band that is crimped into place...  This system looks and works great!  The only real expense would have been the crimping tool, but I got lucky as a good friend from the yacht club had no use for the one he bought and he gave me the tool....

There was one section of the sole (floor) that needed to be cut out to run the wire and pipe...  As I lifted the floorboard I was met with a real treat - Half a bottle of GIN! The plastic bottle is pretty beat up but the contents look to be in fine condition....  Life is Good...

Today Shelley and I went to the glass place and picked up our hatches and windows...  They look GREAT! Tomorrow Ed (my father in law) and I will re-install them making the boat weather resistant...  This is good as fall is now upon us and we really need to get the boat buttoned up for the winter....

Anyone who is reading this blog and has hatches and/or windows to replace needs to know about the amazing work that K-W Glass in Waterloo Ontario does....  They were VERY reasonably priced and were able to produce replacement windows and hatches that look great, work well, and cost us MUCH LESS than it would have been to replace them or to have a "marine" place fix them...  Thank you so much to Rob H. and his crew....  (I will post pictures as soon as the are installed)