Engine Installation on the Far Reach

[John Stone]

A gorgeous day in eastern NC. First coat of Interlux Red Micron CSC.

[John Stone]

While I work my way through applying bottom paint I decided to remove, sand, and apply a couple more coats of varnish to the forward cabin ash ceiling.

[John Stone]

Never walk when you can ride; never stand when you can sit; Never sit when you can...zzzz....

Third coat of paint. Pulled the tape. Paint the areas under the jack stands and keel blocks this week.

[Jim Walsh]

Pulling the masking tape off is always satisfying. I don’t know how you have resisted mounting the prop.

[John Stone]

Pulling the masking tape off is always satisfying. I don’t know how you have resisted mounting the prop.

You.

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Mean.

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Like this?

[John Stone]

Moved jack stands and applied two layers of barrier coat to the bare spots on the hull. Two more coats tomorrow plus first layer of black bottom paint.

Reinstalled the ash ceiling. In the photo you can see the insulation we used through out the boat behind the ash ceiling from deck to waterline. A sandwich of a inner and outer layer of reflectix with a layer of 1/4” blue board sealed in between. Then, another layer of 1/4” blue board on top. That’s one inch of insulation nearly all the way around the boat. The overhead has 1/2” of closed cell Armaflex AP foam then the overhead paneling. The 1/2” balsa core deck also adds some insulating value. The insulation which is not difficult to install has made a huge difference in keeping the boat cool in the summer and warm in the winter. On a 35°F degree day the boat is over 70° inside with the kerosene Reflex heater running in the lowest setting.

In the second photo you can see the sunbrella bag that contains all the line for the second bower. The bag is secured to eye pads I epoxied to the hull. The bower line does not lay directly on the hull. The bag captures mud and what not and keeps the boat clean. Because the forward locker is open air moves through the boat and dries the line out. Aft of the line bag you can just see a black stamoid (heavy rubber) bag that lines the chain locker. Same approach as the line bag. The chain never makes contact with the hull. There is a small 3/8” grommet in the bottom to let water through should it find its way down the spurling pipe into the bag. The chain dries quickly in the open air.

We have a stamoid curtain we can put up to close off cold air from the uninsulated forward hull. I guess we could insulate it and add ash ceiling up there too but it’s never been much of an issue. So I never bothered. Opening that bulkhead up makes the boat feel bigger and smell better. A simple mod anyone can make to their boat.

[John Stone]

Finished the bottom paint except at the keel blocks. The boatyard will reblock Monday then we can barrier coat and paint those last spots. We took the cover off today for the last time and took it home. I would have installed the prop but I didn’t have any grease. I thought it was on the boat....

Tomorrow we will clean the inside of the boat again and install the cushions. I’ll rig the lazy jacks and running back stays. Probably bend on sails and running rigging Sunday. Might be able to launch by end of the week. Get her home and in her slip before all the nuts take to the water over memorial day weekend. I could see getting delayed till after Memorial Day but we will have to see what is in the art of the possible.

[JD-MDR]

Looks great John.. One question. Did you remove the teak board at the stern over the transom. Mine is all broken and splitting. I wonder if I could just remove it and finish the fiberglass nicl=ely and leav it . I guess I would have to make blocks for the stern rail etc., I think it would be nice to have a clear surface over the stern. Maybe I have too much stuff: stern lite, windvane struts pulpit stanchions, chocks ...

[John Stone]

Looks great John.. One question. Did you remove the teak board at the stern over the transom. Mine is all broken and splitting. I wonder if I could just remove it and finish the fiberglass nicl=ely and leav it . I guess I would have to make blocks for the stern rail etc., I think it would be nice to have a clear surface over the stern. Maybe I have too much stuff: stern lite, windvane struts pulpit stanchions, chocks ...

John, I texted you a couple pictures. No wood there. I removed and glassed over the hull
deck joint. Same all the way around the boat.

[John Stone]

Climbed the mast this morning and installed the lazy jacks and the runners. Cleaned the inside of the boat. I think tomorrow we can install the cushions. Installed the folding prop today...greased the shaft. Thread locker on set screw. Removed the outboard engine mounts from the boat a few days ago as I have a buyer for the outboard bracket. Only part I could not take off was part of the bronze support we made to reinforce the plate that supported the engine. I ground it back a little with high speed grinder. There are two carriage bolts securing it to the hull. When we repaint the topsides again I’ll remove the small bracket and fill the holes. In the meantime, it is almost not noticeable. I might be able to add a small plate to it to support my taffrail log spinner. Perfect location.

The bad news is I’m not convinced we are going to get launched this week—should be set to launch as early as Monday but that’s not what is going to happen. I am aggravated...grrrr. Not going into details just at the end of the whip so....

Will have to see what happens Monday. I don’t want to be in a rush and end up out on the water Friday Memorial Day weekend with a new engine and an experimental prop shaft and propeller design.

The good news is we are so close to sailing again I can taste it.

[billsimmeth]

I know she's not in the water yet, but it looks like it's soup to me. So, I want to thank you for this epic thread. It's wonderful to see how other's plan and execute their projects -- especially at his level of excellence. I also want to say that shot of the finished and painted prop shaft tube/log is pretty much internet p@rn. Beautiful. Enjoy your time on the water!

[John Stone]

I know she's not in the water yet, but it looks like it's soup to me. So, I want to thank you for this epic thread. It's wonderful to see how other's plan and execute their projects -- especially at his level of excellence. I also want to say that shot of the finished and painted prop shaft tube/log is pretty much internet p@rn. Beautiful. Enjoy your time on the water!

Bill, thanks very much for the kind words. It’s appreciated. I am glad you found enjoyment out of it. It’s been a long slog. But it was fun to document. Now if we can just get her in the water....

[John Stone]

reinstalled the cushions. She is starting to feel like a boat again.

Got the small cockpit sun shade up. Spent some time figuring out how to get salt scaling off the awlgrip under the stern counter. It looks a little like blisters in the paint but it’s not. Over the past week i tried some soap and water. Acetone. Kerosene, which awlgrip says is OK to use. But nothing worked. I began to question what it was in the paint. Then, I noticed way down in the Awlgrip care instructions it mentioned using hot water and distilled vinegar for salt scaling. Hmmmm. So I boiled some water on the stove and poured it into a small bucket. Added about 30 percent distilled vinegar and some Awl-wash soap—I had a kind of soapy vinegar water solution. Wiped it on the topside under the stern counter with a sponge and darned if the scaling didn’t come right off. That made me happy.

Tomorrow I’ll wash the topsides and get a couple coats of Awl-Care polymer sealer on the hull. It does a good job of keeping the tannins in the Neuse River/Pamlico Sound from staining the paint.

[Jim Walsh]

Looking good.....would never have imagined some vinegar and hot water would dissolve something on which acetone had no effect.
I also get some staining, a moustache in this neck of the woods, but it’s only pronounced in certain harbors. In Watch Hill, Rhode Island it can appear overnight......

[John Stone]

Late yesterday afternoon, just before I left the boatyard, I noticed the light had come around to the port side. The boat looked different. The sun was gettin low...it was about 1800. I found a ladder to get a little more elevation. So I took a couple pictures. It’s interesting how the light and slight change in angle can change the subject so much. Of course painters and photographers have always understood the key role light plays in composing their chosen medium.

I posted one of the photos for comparison.