Electronics and Final Pictures

[Tim]

Since the Daysailor will be delivered to her new owner on January 23rd, I thought I might take an opportunity to detail just a few of the final items that have occurred since the main work was completed in August.

In addition to the Raymarine ST-60 sailing instruments, I also installed for the new owner a Garmin GPSMAP 172C color chartplotter, and an ICOM VHF radio.

First, though, I had to deal with the back side of the 3.5" holes left from the instruments' installation. There needed to be access should servicing be required, but basically I wanted the installation to disappear.

I decided to build a simple cover out of more of the painted beadboard used elsewhere in the cabin. After cutting the plywood to fit the space, I glued some mahogany cleats to the back side of the piece to space it away from the existing bulkhead so as to clear the various wires behind. After primer and 2 coats of semi-gloss enamel, I installed it with some bronze screws. It blended in quite nicely.

(The beads actually do line up with those on the bulkhead; thanks to the camera angle, it appears here that they do not. But they do.)



I installed the GPS on a swing-arm bracket so that it could be conveniently viewed from the cockpit. I mounted the antenna at the transom, on a stainless steel 4" antenna mount.

I installed the VHF directly to the bulkhead beneath the GPS. I didn't bother trying to hide the wiring to the electronics and instruments, but did bundle the wires neatly. I ran the wires straight down, through the settee platform, and then to wherever they needed to go (electric panel, transom, transducers, mast step, etc.).



Some of the interior work was incomplete when I launched the boat, and when updates to the website ended. Therefore, I thought I would post a few final pictures here.

This shows the hinged backrests I made to cover the openings in the settee backs. They are 1/4" plywood covered with foam, with more of the cushion fabric stapled over the foam (with stainless staples). They're installed with simple non-mortise hinges at the bottom, and to hold the tops I used canvas-type snaps that I screwed to both pieces. It works great, and is very simple.



Here are a couple more photos of the interior.

[dasein668]

It's almost sad to see her go after all this time.

Almost.

Congrats!

[Allen]

Looks great Tim. I predict a very enjoyable summer for you in '06! :)

[Peter]

Awesome workmanship ... I love the curved wooden beams.
Nice GPS swing-out bracket, too. Can you share the details on that one?

[Tim]

It's almost sad to see her go after all this time.

Almost.

Congrats!

It'll be weird not having her around. She's been a fixture around here for over 3 years.

Let's hope her new owner is a good steward on her behalf. I'm pleased to see her go, but of course a little melancholy too.

Nice GPS swing-out bracket, too. Can you share the details on that one?

It's the "Small Swing Mount", item #316226 from West Marine. Ridiculously overpriced, but nice nonetheless.

[Figment]

(The beads actually do line up with those on the bulkhead; thanks to the camera angle, it appears here that they do not. But they do.)

You do know that you're the only guy who'd fret over such a detail, right? :)

Congrats on the milestone. I don't want you to jinx yourself by posting details before the check clears, but I hope you have an appropriate celebration in mind.

[wstokes]

Tim, awesome pictures and great workmanship on everything. What type of panelling did you use for the deckhead and hull sides?

[dasein668]

I don't want you to jinx yourself by posting details before the check clears, but I hope you have an appropriate celebration in mind.

Something along the lines of the party held for the launching of Antonisia would be about right, I think... Two 60 foot buffet tables groaning with roast chicken, steak, mucho salads, 'taters of many preparations, veggies of every description, oysters and shrimp, artisnal breads... and an open bar.

Open to the public, of course.

[Peter]

Tim wrote:

It's the "Small Swing Mount", item #316226 from West Marine. Ridiculously overpriced, but nice nonetheless.

'Nice' is forever, whereas cost can easily be forgotten :-)
I have a 'Ram' mount for my GPS and am looking for something similar for my old Humminbird LCR400 fish finder.

[Tim]

I don't want you to jinx yourself by posting details before the check clears, but I hope you have an appropriate celebration in mind.

Something along the lines of the party held for the launching of Antonisia would be about right, I think... Two 60 foot buffet tables groaning with roast chicken, steak, mucho salads, 'taters of many preparations, veggies of every description, oysters and shrimp, artisnal breads... and an open bar.

Open to the public, of course.

Thing is, those celebrations are put on by the boat's owner, not the builder!

And FWIW, it was a wire transfer, not a check, and it's all cleared. Frankly, the "final" sale was sort of an anticlimax; the excitement came when the boat went under contract in October.

[Tim]

'Nice' is forever, whereas cost can easily be forgotten :-)

Well said! Of course I completely agree.

[Tim]

Tim, awesome pictures and great workmanship on everything. What type of panelling did you use for the deckhead and hull sides?

The overhead paneling and bulkheads are fir beadboard/plywood, available everywhere. I don't recommend it: obtaining a decent finish was a lot of work.

In the future, I'd either use solid wood and mill my own beads, or, if I wanted a panel product, would choose a birch beadboard that is available for approximately 4X the cost of the fir. Having struggled with the fir, and the amount of priming, sanding, painting, and other preparation required to get a decent paint finish, I'd suggest that the birch would be a good investment.

The hull sides forward, aka "ceiling", are cypress strips, individually applied. Here is a link to the process: V-Berth Ceiling

[Figment]

Yeah, but I still hafta think that this is cause for some sort of personal celebration of some kind, just to mark the milestone!

At the very least, go out and have a huge lobster or something, eh?

[dasein668]

Yeah, but I still hafta think that this is cause for some sort of personal celebration of some kind, just to mark the milestone!

At the very least, go out and have a huge lobster or something, eh?

Perhaps one of your most excellent Beef Wellingtons is in order!

[Tim]

Actually, my celebration will happen at the tool store, where I'll be able to find my eagerly-anticipated cabinet saw, sliding compound miter saw, and other fun things for the new shop.

But yes, a little personal celebration was indeed in order, and was handled appropriately!

[Summersdawn]

Tim - your workmanship makes me strive to always do the best work I can, even if the work is hidden, and nobody knows it is there but me.

Nice GPS swing-out bracket, too. Can you share the details on that one?

I built a swing out bracket for my depth sounder/fishfinder. It was made out of some scrap teak/stainless steel. If you are interested, I can snap some photos of it next time I am on the boat. It was easy to construct, and could easily be adapted to whatever material you have laying around.

[Peter]

I built a swing out bracket for my depth sounder/fishfinder. It was made out of some scrap teak/stainless steel. If you are interested, I can snap some photos of it next time I am on the boat. It was easy to construct, and could easily be adapted to whatever material you have laying around.

Rick: I'd like to see some pictures of your bracket. Thanks!

[Tim]

Tim - your workmanship makes me strive to always do the best work I can, even if the work is hidden, and nobody knows it is there but me.

I think it's always worth keeping the hidden work as neat and attractive as possible. Spending the time and ensuring the attention to detail in hidden areas is usually a good sign of an overall quality job. Frankly, I'm more proud of the hidden systems and the like on the Daysailor than I am of the exterior work! Few will ever see these areas, but those who do will almost certainly appreciate them--a sort of hidden treasure for only the most worthy of observers.

[dkall]

The detail behind the work always tells me at what the overall level of the work is. I was on a 750k yacht at the Miami show a couple of years ago. Since I was about to put dorades in I wanted to see where they put the water barrier. I reached in the dorade to feel how it was constructed, cut my hand on a piece of cured resin pregnated cloth hanging down. Just amazing. 750k for a boat that had that kind of left over material. Obviously I didn't buy it. :) But knowing that was there I wondered what else was hidden away.

[Summersdawn]

Rick: I'd like to see some pictures of your bracket. Thanks!

I'll see if I can snap some photos of it this weekend.

[jhenson]

In the future, I'd either use solid wood and mill my own beads, or, if I wanted a panel product, would choose a birch beadboard that is available for approximately 4X the cost of the fir. Having struggled with the fir, and the amount of priming, sanding, painting, and other preparation required to get a decent paint finish, I'd suggest that the birch would be a good investment

.

I have been thinking of doing this with birch plywood for my boat. I'm looking at it in asthetic sense primarily. I would like to experiment with a wider plank width than the beadply panels have (maybe around 4 inches). Also, I think I would like to use maybe a 3/8" bead profile.

I wondering how one would machine a center bead in a sheet of plywood. The router bits I am familiar with are designed to put a bead on the edge of a piece of lumber. I have made center beads in lumber before with a Stanley 45 or center bead molding plane against a piece of hardwood as a quide, but this process would be tough on a wide piece of plywood. Using a a quide with a router, I quess, requires two passes (one on either side of the bead) to complete the profile. Is there a dedicated bit for this? I imagine it would look like a v profile with the bevels rounded toward the center.

The tongue and groove panels look quite beautiful on the daysailor contrasted with mahogany trim so I plan on using them at least down by the cockpit sole.

Joe

[Tim]

Probably a molding cutter made for a table saw would be the best bet to make those center beads. This is a Craftsman product I've shown here, but there are others; this is just for illustration.



Don't forget that in order to use something like a 3/8" bead, you'll probably need a thicker plywood (at least 1/2") to accommodate the depth of the cut required to make the bead. Keep that in mind if you want to use thin plywood for your paneling. The photo above shows a 1/4" beading set.

A good way to hold the plywood flat on the table above the blade, as well as hard against the fence, would be critical for this operation. A solid saw with large table would probably be essential as well, given the potential size of the panels you'd be milling.