Parfait's voyage back from Hell

[Sea Hunt Video]

Matt:

That is just some amazing finish carpentry work. I would give a lot to have just 1/2 of your skills. Parfait is a lucky sailboat

[mashenden]

Thank you, SHV. Much appreciated.

Russell, you make a good point - I did not go with burmese teak. The recent picture is after using a bichromate of potash treatment, a chemical that ages some woods quickly. While it helped get it to where it is now, the yellow hue is still too prominent. I'll try some stain with a orange tint (maybe Gunstock) to see if that does any better. I shuda gone with the right stuff.

Yep, it is a gloss finish, possibly too much but as long as the last coat is the right sheen I should be OK. I suspect my interior (good, bad, or indifferent) is not satin because until you mentioned the shine, it had not jumped out at me as being shinier than the rest (BTW the wood in the picture around the companionway has not been finished at all, yet, since I am still trying to get the burnt layers off).

Thanks for mentioning it, though, since now is the time to get it right before the panels are more permanently mounted. A gloss interior may be a bit much but if that is what I have, I'll probably stick with that for now. I'll have to look when I'm next down there.

I too have used Interlux Interprime Wood Sealer to help even finishes out. It is good for keeping the grain from getting notably darker than the rest. Since my teak is too yellow, I doubt it would have solved that.

[Russell]

If you want something a tad shiney, but not full high gloss, the Epiphanes version of the interior satin varnish has always struck me as having a tad more gloss then the others, might want to give it a try and see how it matches. But yeah, so long as the last coat is the satin, you can do as many base coats as you want in gloss, in fact a professional varnisher recommended that to me, since the high gloss has much greater UV protection, building up base coats with it (especially areas that will get exposed to light via the companionway, hatches or ports) then finishing with a coat of satin will make the finish last longer.

[mashenden]

Here's a good tip. If you have an Icom radio with the ever common gnarly cord that has the insulation falling off, I found that they are standing behind their products and replacing the cord at no charge (other than postage one way). Very impressive.

From what I can tell, the Icom IC-M402 VHF unit with the remote mic is a good system. I really like the full function remote mic and the intercom function between the remote mic and the main unit. The only bad thing was the cord, and now that was made good.

If you have one in a similar situation, you should give Customer Service a call (not Parts - they will sell you a $45 cord that you have to install)

Heres my mic with its new cord:

[mashenden]

Good news/Bad news...

I am sitting here basking in the fact that the AC power is working again (using the vessel's wiring rather than everything connected to an extention cord) and the galley cleaned up to the point that it is uasble, when it dawned on me that my excuse to eat at the Trawler Door is now notably weaker. DOH!!!!

(Mental note to self - Do NOT bring coffee maker down otherwise my morning trek to the Bean will also be less justifiable).

[Russell]

(Mental note to self - Do NOT bring coffee maker down otherwise my morning trek to the Bean will also be less justifiable).

You can have coffee on board and make an afternoon trek to the bean for ice cream instead!

[mashenden]

(Mental note to self - Do NOT bring coffee maker down otherwise my morning trek to the Bean will also be less justifiable).

You can have coffee on board and make an afternoon trek to the bean for ice cream instead!

Good point

[mashenden]

We made great progress this weekend with some greatly appreciated help from my Daughter and her Boyfriend (same Daughter as the one pictured in my avatar to the left, sailing our wooden sloop back in the mid nineties - all grown up and out of college now )

Here are some things completed since the last post:

• 100% of the DC wiring now identified (tricky when there are no pre-existing terminations to follow due to the fire), 40% wired to the new panel.
• Bottom painted w Bluewater CSX copper base w algae inhibitors.
• Ceiling sanded in preparation for painting.
• Bilge pump installed to include a hydro air switch. Tested with a water hose - very cool.
• Spliced the clasp onto the new yankee jib halyard and pulled into place.

Whew, TGIM.

[mashenden]

The cabin ceiling is now painted – that made a HUGE difference. Thank you, Mariah (thats her to the left sailing our first boat in the mid '90s).

Also, all wiring is now complete except for the engine harness and connecting up the new gauges.

The list is getting shorter. I can almost feel the wind in my few remaining hairs.

[mashenden]

How about this for good luck...

I needed a piece of SS tubing with an offset bent into it to serve as a wire conduit for the instrument pod that I'm putting in. This pod mounts between the wheel and the pedestal and will be used for engine gauges etc at the steering pedestal.



Attempts to bend my own ended up looking... well, crappy. Then I stopped by the used marine parts store on 55 in Oriental. I was looking over a few stanchions with the idea of trying to perfect my bending abilities using packed sand and/or heat, when low and behold there was the exact piece I needed, with bends and everything. I grabbed it up so fast, as if every person in the place were also looking for the same thing.

$10 later this project was a lot closer to done.

[mashenden]

Progress made this weekend:

• Pan seared flounder on mashed potatoes w several cold beers @ the Trawler Door
• Shrimp and Oyster Po' Boy and fries @ the Trawler Door
• Several beers @ the Tiki Bar
• Low Country Boil w some quantity of Rum Punch drinks @ the Toucan Grill
• R&R @ Neuse River Suites (the kids claimed the boat)
• Ferry ride on trip to Atlantic Beach
• Shrimp Burger on a Hawaiian bread bun and draft Miller Lites @ Mollys on the ocean
• A couple of trips to the Bean for coffee and some fufu drinks that were reported as "great"
• Pool and foosball @ the Steamer (kids, the adults crashed instead)
• Relocation of Gusher bilge pump (I'm clearing the area below the aft part of the cockpit so the propane closet can be recessed into that area, but still vented overboard)
• Halyards and main sheet installed

My Wife and I as well as our Daughter and her Boyfriend had a good time spending the Labor Day weekend in Oriental, despite minimal boat progress.

Shawna (my wife) does not share the same obsession for boats as I, but she did confirm that it was indeed a boat. Alrighty then. One win - no smokey or holding tank smells detected. I'll take it!

Launch is scheduled for 09/09. Still need to wire the instruments, test engine wiring, and wrap up a few other "50% completed" projects.

[Astronomertoo]

Your plans for the control console/station are pretty ambitious, and I wish you good luck.
Are you not worried about the 12V DC power cables affecting your magnetic compass?

[Oswego John]

About a week or so ago I mentioned that when running pos. and neg. dc conductors in close proximity to magnetive or nav. susceptical equipment, twist both conductors together in the run to help negate any stray EMF forces. Both right hand and left hand rules apply.

Also, if you think it necessary, shield the DC power supply.

O J

[mashenden]

Your plans for the control console/station are pretty ambitious, and I wish you good luck.
Are you not worried about the 12V DC power cables affecting your magnetic compass?

I wasn't but should have been. It's a very valid point. I will pull the DC lines out and twist them now that I'ill have thought about it.

Thank you. I am sure you saved me some navigational problems.

[mashenden]

We launched today - WAHOO!!! All of the water stayed on the outside of the hull.

The blue boot strip looks really nice with the red bottom and white hull. No time for a top strip, but it will happen one day.

Most of the wiring is now done. Still need to do the gauges. I wired the fat wires today because I wanted to make sure the engine would turn over. Well, with just a bump, it started... And I had not wired the kill switch yet!! Too cool.

We also made progress on the propane conversion. The line to the galley as well as the propane vent are now in place.