In the absence of a camera....

I don't have access to a camera right now; though I should by the end of the calendar year.  Here are listed some recent developments.
 
Wiring typically doesn't show well; so it may not be worth a photo or two anyway.  I have routed most of the interior wiring into 'finished' position by now.  I suppose it is typical of me to over-complicate the issue; but one of my favorite parts of working on boats is 12-volt DC electrical systems.  Also, I consider it simple to add convenience by providing adequate outlets, lights, and options for future as well. Currently Diana's electrical system includes the following:

Three standard duplex outlets, 115VAC, residential grade.  No boat ever sunk from slowly-corroding household-quality 115VAC outlets.  These are wired with high-wuality marine-spec tinned-copper wire and sealed in heat-shrink connectors.  If one should go bad, only the oulet-- available for $0.79 at Lowe's-- would have to be replaced; and that's a simple matter of two little mounting screws and three terminal screws.

Battery charger, from ProSport, 12-amp, for two separate banks.  One bank is (at present) two size-24 house batteries; the other is one size-24 starting battery for the outboard.  I have recently decided to the be add a third house battery,.the better to mount it on the port side, which is currently opposite the heavier side of the boat.  In fact I will position the first two house batteries in the two port-side battery boxes, leaving the starboard one till later (probably at the first battery replacement in 3-4 years) and to see how the boat balances side-to-side.  The battery charger is hard-wired into the 115VAC master panel; the three outlets, into one of which the microwave gets wired, are farther forward.

Several 12VDC switch panels, into which the appropriate toggle/paddle switches get mounted.  I am making these out of a sheet of black-white-black laminated guitar-pickguard material, so that they will resemble residential-type 3-gang switch panels except on a smaller scale.  Four of these will be dispersed throughout the boat's interior, in the head, in the saloon, and in the overhead panels above the galley and quarter berth.  Into these go the switches for interior footlights, deck outlet, instrument lights, cabin fans, and other stuff.

All the red-and-white interior dome lights are getting wired in two circuits, one for red and one for white.  The red and white functions are controlled by a rotary 2-position switch, at the main breaker panel, labelled .Night/Day'.  On 'Day' mode only the white sides of the dome lights will work.  On 'Night' mode only the red sides will work.  This is to prevent casual crew from switching on a white light whilst someone else is trying to navigate in the dark.  Needless to say the bulkhead lights are on a separate breaker and would remain switched off during navigation operations after dark.

In the openings vacated by the removal of the hull-mounted red vigation ligand green navigation lights, I decided that retaining the holes would allow plenty of light into the forepeak.  So I am fitting dark Plexiglas windows over these eye-like holes and then mounting a pair of blue LED lights inside that will represent Diana's eyes.  These are wired to a separate switch, independent of navigation or deck lights, so that they may be illuminated under any conditions, even at rest or at anchor.  So, apparently, Diana is a true Nordic princess then... for she has the blue eyes for the part. [wink]

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Cockpit-seat lockers

These are some older photos that never got posted under any specific topic.  In most cases there has been much progress since these were taken.

1. Here is a view into the port side locker, what used to be the fuel-tank locker.  As I have said before, this area was so soggy when I acquired the boat that I removed the bulkhead and shelf with bare hands-- really; no tools needed!  The bulkhead was formerly under the drip rail to the right.  I made a new bulkhead about 8 inches farther aft, to make the quarter berth about 6'4" or 6'5"; the foot of it is under this shelf, which, with a fiddle installed, will hold winch handles and the like.

In this photo the shelf is holding a plastic bulkhead vent fitting which I may end up not using and a length of SS angle intended for the backstay's backing plates (since substituted with aluminum).

Outboard is a little box/shelf I made to hold quart cans of paint, solvent, 2-stroke oil, and whatever.  It drains into the area farther inboard.

I really hate black 5200-- it always looks unclean and messy somehow.  But it's what I had; and this will all be painted in white Bilgekote.

The port-side battery's breather tube comes up through the box/shelf and extends up like a snorkel to within a few inches of the underside of the coaming (the PVC coupling seen on the shelf is for that).  The battery is under the main-cabin settee.

The after bulkhead replaces the one that was there holding up the fuel-tank shelf.  The 3" hole will accommodate a ventilation tube leading from the Dorade box (after of the tiller head) to the foot of the quarter berth.  This will be PVC, as it should be rigid to keep from being damaged when stuff gets dropped or thrown into this locker.

You can see the bodged-up job the PO did in increasing the size of the openings in the hatch's drip rail.  The real reason he had such leaks is because he had cut out the drip rail itself along the outboard side of the hatch to accommodate overly-big hinge bolts.  I patched this, not prettily, but adequately to lend it strength.  This will get sanded and reshaped prior to paint.


2. This is a look straight down at the starboard-side locker.  At one time the fresh-water tank was under a platform at the forward end of this space.  It was not there when I acquired the boat.  My new fresh-water tanks go under the main-cabin settees.  I fitted this shelf in here to lend stiffness to the hull the way the quarter berth does on the other side.  All major flats and verticals should be structurally bonded to the hull-- they all help.

For access under this shelf I made two lift-out panels.  I really cannot think of what I would put down there, as the top of this shelf will be full of things like life jackets, mooring line, fenders and a folding bike.  The inboard opening without a cover (left side of the pic) is for the engine-starting battery.  A standard-sized battery box fits into here with its ear handles holding it from sinking all the way through.  Of course this will get screwed in place-- and a strap fitted over the cover when the battery is installed-- as well.

The little block of mahogany is a step I made on top of the edge of the stiffening rib so that, for the many times I have climbed down this hole for access under the cockpit and aft, there is something to step and lean upon that is more substantial than the knife-edge of a piece of 3/8" plywood.  (My back is grateful for this!)

Under the cockpit at the lower edge of the photo you see the black plastic (Tempo) fuel tank, which is 11.5 or 12 gallons.  It sits on a plywood shelf, the edge of which protrudes a bit this side.  As it is located, the tank is about one inch off center but otherwise fits perfectly, with all access points at the after end for vent, sender, feed and fill.

The openings in this hatch's drip rail were enlarged too but not as clumsily as the ones on the port side; I filled and faired these as well.

3. This is a look from inside the starboard-side locker, looking forward.  You see the two lift-outs and the hole for the battery box.  All of this has received one coat of Interlux Bilgekote; it'll get another coat before it's done.

The things in the forward corner are a brass tube, which will be installed in that bulkhead, down by the hull, to admit bilge water from this compartment to where the bilge pump is, and the ends of the PVC tubes that lead to the electric and manual bilge-pump pickups.  I made this section of them in PVC because it would be nightmarish to thread any replacement hose through this route once the boat is done.  PVC can be assembled in pieces, in place, so even in the unlikely event that the PVC might fail it too can be replaced after being hacksawed out.  From this point hose, with check valves to avoid backfill, will lead towards the transom outlets.  The vertical PVC tube mounted on the plywood block is the starboard-side battery's breather which extends up to within a few inches of the underside of the deck.  The battery is located under the settee berth.

The wooden bulkhead is the back side of the teak plywood bonded to the inside of the cabin back.  It extends down below the galley counter back here and provides a surface to which to fasten wiring and other stuff.  In this plywood will be fitted the on-off switch for the engine-starting battery, so one can reach down to the galley from the main hatch and switch it on or off.  Also the wine lockers will be mounted in this bulkhead (more on that later).

The long skinny shelf along the side of the cockpit (to left in the photo) will get a varnished-mahogany fiddle to hold stuff (mainly because I have plenty of countertop-fiddle stock).  This shelf was installed to seal the under-cockpit locker from potential fuel fumes (the tank is out of view just to the left of the camera).  This whole compartment gets vented via a Rule #140 blower and a hose leading to the Dorade box.

Just forward of the drip rail (angled feature at top left in photo) in the cockpit side will be mounted the throttle and shift for the motor; so those cables will run straight towards where I was holding the camera here.  Also the Whale manual bilge pump gets mounted in the cockpit side just to the left of the camera.


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