I spent yesterday and today installing additions to the partial bulkhead that forms the aft end of the chart table and the forward end of the quarter-berth. I basically scarfed two piece of 1/2" Okume ply on to the original bulkhead. The original bulkhead was only about 18" above the cabin sole. This top edge went all the way to the hull and then went vertical to the under side of the deck. the vertical part was only about 8" wide. You couldn't do much with it. The original chart table in the Far Reach was laid out just like every production boat of similar size that I have ever seen. You sat on the head of the quarter-berth facing forward with your legs underneath the chart table. Between your knees and the bulkhead supporting the forward side of the chart table was a narrow vertical set of three drawers. The top of the chart table lifted for chart storage underneath--about 2" deep. There was no back to lean against. If someone was sleeping in the quarter-berth then you would have to stand with the chart table gently sloping aft to your right . . . or sit on their head. I guess this arrangement is OK but it seemed a big waste of space to me.
I decided it would be an improvement to turn the sitting chart table/nav station into a standing chart table. The top will be 30" wide and about 43" deep. I would like to have made it wider but that would require the quarter berth to be too short. There will be a 12" deep book shelf on the deep end (against the hull) that will be set slightly above the chart table so one end of a folded chart can slide under the book shelf. We've thought about installing a couple of drawers underneath the chart table top to hold more charts but out current plan is to install the ice box underneath the chart table and stow the charts under the forward double berth. This moves the ice box completely away from the engine compartment and the stove/oven. The old layout had the icebox on the portside between the engine and the gimbaled stove/oven. Call me silly, but that doesn't make a bit of sense to me. Why would you put the thing you are trying to keep cold next to the two things that generate heat? We also plan for the chart table to have a hinged top. After you lift the top up and it hooks on a self-catching latch, you will then lift the "plug" to gain access to the icebox. This provides a completely smooth surface for the chart table. Also, when you want to get access to the icebox, you don't have to remove the chart, just lift the top.
I could have cut the old bulkhead out and replaced it. And knowing what I know now I would have. But, when I started the rebuild I was not all that confident about my bulkhead installation skills. So, here is what I did. I measured and then cut the two pieces of ply I wanted to add to the existing bulkhead from 1/2" okume plywood. I test fit them to make sure they fit properly. Then I used my router with a 1/8" slot cutter set 3/8" deep and cut a slot across the top of horizontal part of the bulkhead. I did the same for the vertical part. Next, I cut matching slots in the plywood additions. I cut 1/8" x 3/4" splines out of scrap 3/4" marine plywood. I tested everything to check the fit. It looked good. Next, I used my power planer to plan down a 2" wide strip on each side of the joint line where the plywood would join together. I planed the forward and aft sides as well. This allowed me to lay a 4" wide strip of biaxial in the recessed rabbet. Again, I checked for fit. I precut the biaxial strips and the foam wedge for the top against the underside of the deck. That completed the first day.
Today, with every thing pre cut and ready to install the work went quick. I vacuumed and performed a thorough acetone wash down of the appropriate surfaces. Then, I brushed epoxy on the splines and slots and installed the plywood additions. Then, I wet out the plywood along the recessed rabbet. I wet out the biaxial and laid it on smoothing it out to remove any air bubbles. Next, I mixed up some more epoxy slightly thickened with 407 medium density filler. I trowled it on and worked it into the previously installed and sill wet biaxial tape filling in any gaps around the edges. This will ensure I have a flush surface for paint or mahogany staving as the situation requires.
The top edge of the bulkhead/divider addition is not perfectly horizontal. I knew that when I test fit it and thus I made it a little taller than it needed to be. I will use a guide bar tomorrow with a flush cut router bit and trim it level. It will be 35 1/4" high. The 3/4" thick solid ash chart table surface will close down on top of the aft bulkhead. The forward bulkhead will rise above the chart table and match the height of the portside bulkhead that divides the saloon from the galley.
Installing the Galley
The galley turned out to be more complicated than anticipated. The measurements are critical if everything is going to fit properly. I found it difficult to accurately measure such a big space. I decided to return to my base line measurement for everything I have installed on the boat--I ran a string down the centerline and started measuring from there. The one thing I could not change was the size of the stove. I pulled my old Seaward stove out. I bought the propane conversion kit a long time ago thinking I would keep it. Though I think it has a lot of miles left in it, for many reasons, it made the most sense to buy a new stove. We knew we wanted the stove to be a fixed mount vice a gimbaled stove. Why? You can survive a lot of injuries . . . bones can be set, lacerations can be sewn up, etc . . . but burns are horrendous. I have seen some bad burns in the Marines and it left a big impression on me. Though I have never done so, I have read that sailors are advised to wear a full length rubber apron when cooking while sailing off-shore with a gimbaled stove. And, with children on the boat we are more willing to go to the extra effort to reduce the potential for burns. We think installing a fixed mount stove that is oriented fore-and-aft should reduce the likelihood for the a pot of hot something being dumped on a member of the crew. There are some tradeoffs. Access to some cabinet space is more difficult. We will have to use deeper pots and perhaps not push the boat as hard as we might otherwise while meals are being prepared. We might need to carry a small removable one burner gimbaled burner we can also mount fore-and-aft when we need it. All-in-all we think it's worth it . . . at least we hope so.
So, I decided on the Force 10 Model 15331, fixed mount propane stove. This particular stove is only being made for a few more months. Soon, Force 10 will only make a gimbaled stove. If you want to fix mount it you'll have to buy an optional fixed mount accessory kit. But the oven and burner top will be about an inch narrower for the same box sized space. Last year they changed the design of the stove to put the big single burner up front and the two smaller burners to the rear. This makes a lot of sense. It looked odd to me when I first saw it. The main course meal is often in a single large pot and it is easier to tend up front. Also, it's easier, and safer, to lift one big pot to the front burner vice to the back of the stove. This is also a pretty good looking stove. In the picture below it is still protected by the plastic sheeting but it's all SS--no black face plate under the knobs or wooden handle. The fit and finish are very good. The nicest part was the cost. I don't normally buy from West Marine, but I was able to get this stove for about 40 percent off. It was too good a deal to pass up.
With the stove measurements on hand, I was able to determine where things needed to go. I built the template and installed the cabinet face panel for the base of the main galley cabinet. Because we wanted as much of the stove as possible over the flat cabin sole we cut back the landing under the companionway ladder to move the stove inboard another inch. This also allows us to create a one inch gap between the stove and the main galley cabinet base to incorporate a sliding door to access the under counter storage areas. I think it will be much easier to use a sliding door in the U shaped galley than to fight with swinging cabinet doors while underway. Most of the sink is over flat cabin sole and with a toe kick it should be much more comfortable to use than the original Cape Dory set up.
Next, I built a mock up of the stove and sink basin to check the ergonomics. Gayle spent some time there going through the motions of being in the galley to see if it would work to her liking. She gave it a thumbs up with some minor adjustments. We picked out a sink so we know how big the cabinet base for the sink needs to be. Then, today I cut the plywood panel for the starboard (inboard) side of the stove but did not install it. I decided that I need to complete the bracing for the galley cabinet face panel before I install the stove panel to make sure the measurements are consistent. So I finished off the day by building templates for the bracing system.
Image:
Today I took the patterns for the divider supports for the galley cabinets, that I made yesterday, and traced them on the remainder of the 1/2" ply left over from building the the fore and aft support for port side of the stove. I made the patterns with strips of doorskin that I cut 1 1/2" wide on the table saw. Then, I glued them together with a hot glue gun to create the shape to properly fit between the cabinet base panel and the hull. After tracing them on the plywood I used a sliding bevel gauge to determine the angle of the hull against the 90 degree oriented divider. I used my Bosch jig saw to cut out the pattern. I cut an eight degree bevel on the curved portion of the divider to mirror the shape of the hull where the divider will be positioned. Next, I positioned the "divider" and used a compass to scribe it for a tighter fit. I used the jig saw to trim away the marked portion. Once I was satisfied with the fit, I used the compass to mark off 3/8" back from the curved edge of the divider to accommodate the 3/8" closed cell foam wedge that I like to fit between the divider and the hull. I test fit them again to make sure they fit properly.
Next, I marked the outline of the portion to be cut out from the center of the divider. Normally I would not do this but I need to be able to access into those compartment from the center sliding door. It's a little awkward but it would be even more difficult to only be able to access into the bottom for these lockers from a small "hatch" in the counter top. After cutting out the center section I routered the inside edge with a 1/8" round-over bit to give them a more finished appearance. To compensate for any loss of strength of the divider I will bolt on a 1 1/4" X 2" beam along the top edge of the divider which will have a half lap joint tied into the vertical cleat already glued and screwed to the cabinet face panel. You can see the vertical cleat in the photos to the right. The curved part of the plywood is 4" wide and will be epoxy taped with 1708 biaxial on each side of the divider. Later, I will epoxy tape in a narrow 3/4" okume horizontal shelf to the hull laying across these supports where they are epoxied to the hull. The ply will essentially act as reinforcing stringer. The 3/4" ash counters will butt up to the plywood shelf. Cabinets built over the counters will conceal the plywood "shelf."
Tomorrow I will tape in the "dividers," cut and fit the horizontal beams (cleats) that will be screwed and glued to the top edge of the dividers, and make final preparations for installing the fore and aft panel that will support the port side of the stove. Once that is complete I will turn my attention to installing a small amount of black walnut to the hull in the galley and across the floor beams over which the sink-cabinet will be built.
Templates made from strips of doorskin and a hot glue gun.
Test fitting the dividers. Note the foam wedge and the limber holes to allow any water that gets into the locker to drain forward and pass through another limber hole to the bilge sump area. I routered the inside edge of the cut-out with a 1/8" round-over bit.
If I wasn't convinced before, I am now . . . I think it would be a lot easier to build an interior in a bare hull vice reengineer, modify, and install a new interior in an old boat. Note to self: If I had to do it over, I would remove all the bulkheads in the boat to include the ones under the cockpit. Then start fresh. I made the mistake of leaving all the existing sound bulkheads in the boat and worked my interior plans around them. As much work as it would have been to install all new bulkheads I don't think it would have been as difficult as what I have had to deal with--endless grinding, constant modification, and head numbing math. As my Granddaddy used to say, "It's just one damn thing after another." Of course it would have been easier if I reinstalled a new interior based on the original layout but, for reasons explained elsewhere on this site, the original layout would not have worked for us.
Today I tabbed in the plywood vertical panel that will support the starboard side of the stove/oven. I cut the support from a 1/2" sheet of Okume ply several days ago but decided to install the dividers for the vertical galley cabinet panel before I installed the support for the stove. I planed a rabbet on both sides of the top edge that fit under the bridge deck so the biaxial would lay flush. I tabbed the bottom edges with two layers of biaxial--6" wide and 4" wide--because I wanted it to be extra strong given that it supports an 80 lb stove. The aft edge has a 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" cleat glued and screwed to the ply to help stiffen the panel. I will epoxy in a piece of ply to fill the open slot that you can see at the back of the compartment later.
The stove compartment has been difficult to install due to our desire to incorporate a sliding door on the vertical galley cabinet base between the sink and the stove. The door will slide back between the stove and the galley cabinet base. The measurements are critical and having never built one I have had to spend a lot of extra time diagramming out how I plan to construct it.
30 Dec 11 Yesterday, I applied three coats of West Epoxy with 207 hardener to the plywood panel that will cover the hull in the galley area, which you can see in the photo. It was the first time I have used 207 hardener, which has some UV protection and is a low blush formula. I wanted to make sure there were no bubbles in the surface so I used a technique the West Systems tech rep recommended. After rolling the epoxy on, I tipped it out with a foam brush. Then I lit off a small propane torch and ran the tip of the flame across the surface back and fourth very quickly. I was instructed to cover a foot or 18" every second. Just a single pass every inch in width after each coat. It worked well.
Today, I focused on the galley sink cabinet. It took a ridiculously long time to come up with the right plan. After sorting out exactly where the plywood will be positioned (I will epoxy mahogany staving to the plywood) I cut the panels from some left over 1/2" okume 1088 ply. I clamped them in place and made up some simple cardboard templates for possible cabinet doors. The larger of the two doors is intended to slide back between the stove and the counter cabinet. The cabinet door on the sink cabinet will be hinged. Once the galley is sorted out, the panels are cut, and the cleats and panels are installed, I'll be ready to install the last of the staving. I thought I would be able to use my old "Gusher" foot pump for fresh water but I don't think is enough room. I'd like the toe kick to be at least three inches deep.
I clamped the parts together to see how they fit. The toe kick will extend through the fore and aft vertical panel.
31 Dec 11 I spent most of day on the road so I did not get to the boat till late in the afternoon. With the little time I had I marked and cut the toe kick under the galley sink cabinet. The original cabinet base did not have a toe-kick. I think a toe-kick under any cabinet, boat or home, is essential. It allows you to get your body close to the counter top and keep your center of balance without having to strain your back. It's not hard to make so I don't know why they are not standard on every boat. I also lowered the top edge of the right vertical panel of the sink cabinet. Lowering it makes it look a little less boxy. It also makes a "revel" with the back top edge. By that I mean that you intentionally off set the edge height since it can be very difficult making the corner trims match exactly. It is visually better to have them obviously off-set then very close but not perfect. I made a template and cut a piece of 1/4" ply for a template for the counter top for the sink cabinet to see how everything lined up. We discussed the location of the galley sink--centered in the cabinet or off set to the right so it is centered where you stand just to the right of the sloping hull. I think off-set may be best. I'll decide tomorrow or Monday. No boat work tomorrow . . . or at least very little.
Cut the toe-kick, lowered the top edge of the right side panel, and fit a counter top mock-up.
1 Jan 11 I was only able to devote about two hours to the boat today. My plan is to installed "inset," raised panel, cabinet doors. They are more difficult to build and to install correctly. The tolerances are much smaller than for overlay doors. They are certainly not necessary but to my eye it is a more elegant look which is part of the vision for the rebuild. So, I made a final decision on the size of the door. I then removed the front panel for the galley sink cabinet. If I were building "overlay doors, I could cut the opening out of the panel with a jig saw. But, the opening for inset doors has to be exact and square. Therefore, decided build what you might call rails and styles out of the plywood panel--though not really since those terms really refer to the door itself.
Test fitting the plywood frame.
Biscuit joining complete.
My plan is to build the plywood backing (or frame) to which the mahogany staving is epoxied--just like the bulkheads. With the staving epoxied over/around a square opening I will be able to use a straight cut router bit with a guide bearing to trim the staving to a perfect match (I use the word "perfect" with fear") to the square opening in the plywood frame. If all goes well, I should be able to make a square raised panel door (with proper rails and stiles) which will then fit exactly. Of course all the parts are varnished otherwise the swelling of the wood would jam the doors in the frame. I have made a number of inset doors over the years and they have not been difficult . . . you just have to be more precise. Of course all this takes more time and any errors are plainly visible and more difficult to address. After cutting the plywood "rails and stiles" I cut slot for biscuits. After test fitting, I epoxied them together with slightly thickened West Systems epoxy. I double checked to make sure they were square before I let them cure overnight.
2 Jan 11 Today I cut the hole for the opening to the portside galley cabinet base. Access will be gained via a sliding door that will slide aft between the cabinet and the stove/oven. I cut the hole by tracing around a template I made from 3/16" scrap plywood. Then I cut the ply about 1/8" inside the line with a jig saw. Next I clamped a guide bar I made from scrap 1/2" ply and used a router with a guide bearing between the blade and the jig saw to trim it flush to the line all around. I then temporarily clamped in place the frame I made last night for the galley sink cabinet base. The sink base will have a hinged door. Since I had a mess going I went ahead and trimmed the top of the partial bulkhead that frames the aft side of the chart-table/icebox and cut back the longitudinal bulkhead that separates the Q-berth from the old engine compartment. I spent the rest of the day cleaning up the boat and the shop in preparation for the big freeze coming our way. Temps are supposed to hit 16 degrees here in the next two days which is very cold for coastal NC.
The cabinets are temporarily clamped together to check for ergonomics.
The opening for the portside galley cabinet.
10 Jan 12 I cleaned up the staving for the galley panels--routered the edges and clamped the panels in place to check for fit. I also routered the staving edges for the aft side of the nav station/ice box. I cut the staving to fit the plywood face panel for the nav station/ice box and sorted some staving for the next installation. Then, the plug gave out on the shop vac I use in the Far Reach. There was an electric arc in the plug when I unplugged the vacuum. This is the second time . . . it might have bee lose prong but I was not sure. The last thing I need is for the shop vac to catch fire. So, I cut the plug off and went to Lowe's to buy a new plug for the 15 year old Sears shop vac. Three hardware stores later, I finally found a two pronged, polarized, plug. I took it home and wired it in to the vacuum cord. It seems to be running fine.
Test fitting the galley panels.
11 Jan 12 Before I can complete the installation of the staving in the galley area I had to finish installing the plywood panel that covers what would otherwise be the exposed fiberglass hull. The photo from yesterday's post clearly shows the plywood that fits between the galley vertical panels and the walnut sole. The problem was that the plywood was just laying on the hull and the hull is not flat so it rocked when you stepped on it. It was time to glass in ribs for the panel to sit on which, if raised, would also allow any water that made its way under the panel to continue on down the hull to the bilge. This project turned out to be more complex than I anticipated. There were various angles to deal with and the Iroko ribs needed to be cut with different tapers to accommodate the changing curve of the hull. After I collected the data I cut the Iroko and test fit them several times. When I was satisfied with the fit, I mixed up thickened epoxy and pressed them into place. I covered the "ribs" with thin plastic and pressed the panel down into position. I left the epoxy to cure and spent some time installing more staving. Later, I lifted the panel and brushed on epoxy to completely seal the ribs.
Glassing in "ribs" to support the plywood that covers the exposed hull.
13 Jan 12 Yesterday I precut the staving for the face of the galley storage cabinet base. I used mostly off-cuts from other staving projects. It required some planning and measuring to ensure the vertical edges of the staving above and below the opening would remain aligned. I also had to cut a compound bevel on the bottom edge of the staving--to match the angle of the hull from forward to aft as well as inboard to outboard. It was not difficult but it needed to be accounted for. It took about an hour to set everything up in the boat (since I have been applying the staving to detachable plywood panels in the woodshop for the last week--and then only about two hours to apply the staving. In the photo, the staving has just been applied. Tomorrow, I will remove the screw-block clamps, drill countersinks, and install wood plugs. After the glue for the plugs has dried, the plugs will be trimmed and then the staving sanded with 120 grit abrasive. I'll then use a jig saw to trim the saving to within about 1/8" of the edge of the plywood. I'll finish off by used a flush cut router with a guide bearing to trim the staving flush to the edge of the plywood.
22 Jan 12 The last week has been all about staving. I started off milling what I hope is the last batch. Afterwards, I installed wood plugs in the galley panels and the quarterberth bulkhead staving. Then, I took some time to get a couple of coats of varnish on the newly installed panels in the forward cabin as well as the two panels for the galley sink cabinet (I was able to remove these two panels and varnish them indoors), and the quarter berth staving. I spent the last couple of days installing the staving around the companionway (photo gallery below has a few pictures). I still need to install staving on the inboard side of the quarterberth compartment. This is slow, boring, tedious work. It takes a lot of determination to keep going. Soon, we should turn the corner and it will start coming together.
No boat work tomorrow.
Image:
11 Mar 12
Yesterday, I applied what may be the final coat of varnish to the cabin sides . . . at least I hope so. It came out OK . . . not great mind you, but good enough. I have to keep going. I also applied another coat to the sink cabinet base due to a "holiday" that occurred during the last coat that I could not live with. Today, I reinstalled the sink cabinet base with the newly varnished toe kick. I am please with the result.
