Catwalk/Ladder

This September marks the seventh year of this boat building obsession.  I had to knock off for a while as I was seeing double and could not recognize people across the room.  March was the month for me to not renew my driver's license and from then on I mostly walked to places as needed.  My vision issues continued until July when I got patched up by cataract surgery.  My dusty shop was not the place to be after such surgery.  Thankfully, I had a friend who travels to Belize City once a week and he conveyed me to the eye clinic a number of times. 

Above is the 2022 Great Wall Motors (GWM), Cannon Poer, pickup truck.  I'll leave it to my readers to determine the country of origin.  This is the vehicle that transported me to Belize City for fun with eyes.  I was impressed with the fit and finish, how quiet it is, the comfortable ride, the multitude of features and the great acceleration.  My friend upgrades his vehicles at two year intervals and he planned to buy a new Cannon pickup.  My vintage Chevrolet S10 pickup has been problematic and suffers a rain water leak that wets the seats, dashboard wiring and floor boards.  Attachment to the S10 never developed, but it served the purpose of not appearing flashy or affluent.  The Cannon was offered at a great price providing a leap frog upgrade for me.  The flashy and affluent appearance thing may have gone out the window.

I likely, may never become a truck guy and this truck exceeds my truck needs.  It is powered by a two liter, four cylinder, turbocharged diesel coupled to an eight speed automatic transmission providing the great acceleration.  I'm now riding in air conditioned comfort.  The Cannon is the top of the pickup line equipped with lane keeping, bird's eye view and backup cameras, four wheel drive, keyless start/entry and many other features I'm still exploring and learning to use.  The key fob expanded my key wad by one third and resulted in inadvertent horn honking as other keys pressed against the fob.  I now carry the fob in a separate pocket to avoid the startling horn episodes.  GWM offers fully featured pickups at a price and value that U.S. producers do not match.  Interestingly, the GWM dealership is owned by the progressive Mennonites from Spanish Lookout.

 The boat build continues with cutting into the last full plywood sheet and using up all of the fiberglass fabric (more needed).  Is the project end near?  Much remains to be done and my latest efforts have focused on building a catwalk aft of the cockpit and extending to the aft most crossbeam.  I intend to install a barbecue on the aft most crossbeam.  But wait, there's more!

 The catwalk is also a boarding ladder!  This will greatly ease the process of removing one's self from the water.  This image also shows the beams, to either side of the ladder, that will support the aft trampoline(s).  The beams are not shown in the previous image as additional fitment is required in the catwalk configuration.  Additional hardware is on the way so that pulling on a line will retract the catwalk or releasing the line will deploy the ladder.  It might be that a partially deployed ladder will make a great seat for barbecue activities.

This is the raw stack of parts that must be assembled, sheathed in fiberglass, repeatedly sanded and painted.  The eagle eyed will notice that the finished product has one less tread than shown here.  Somehow I made a mistake, but lucked out where the dimensions are such that one less tread fits the installed position.  

Fixtures were made to epoxy together the treads.  The fixtures hold everything square during the curing process.  The treads pivot on 1/2" fiberglass rods that extend into holes drilled through the side rails.  The rods are epoxied only to the side rails to hold the whole assembly together.   

There is much painting ahead. High temperature and high humidity are not desirable conditions for this activity.  A used portable air conditioner was purchased to reduce the temperature and humidity in the shop.  The air conditioner is too small to cool the whole shop, but it is located adjacent to my work area.  A downside is that I have to keep all the metal window louvers closed while the AC is running.  The light and the views are so much better with open louvers.   An upside is I don't have to run around opening and closing the 21 louvers each day.  I collect the AC water condensate in a five gallon bucket.  I could have enough drinking water to last me a week by running the AC a few hours.  It seems to be working!  

Progress in Many Directions

Cockpit Changes

 Above is the cockpit state from the last episode.  Locker lids and cockpit to hull gap fillers are lacking.

The locker lids feature a strong box finger joint construction.

This is the join between segments of the hull to cockpit gap fillers.  Plywood fingers epoxied to the undersides assure the segments present a flush surface.  Locker lids (not shown above) are hinged to the gap fillers that are in turn bolted to the locker's inner combing.  The gap fillers are segmented to make them easier to handle and less fragile when assembled with individual lids.  All new components are given a single coat of white primer to protect the epoxy coatings from UV damage.

This is much more presentable cockpit with the lids and gap fillers in place.  The gap fillers form a convenient sunken shelf next to the seats.  Now the cockpit is established and has wiring runs all around the perimeter, it is time to install the electrical system.

Electrical System

Wire runs are provided in both hulls so that none of the wiring is exposed.  Previous provisions made for electrical wiring to enter/exit the hulls were not high enough on the hulls to reach the cockpit.  New holes were required on the shelf, the cabin side and the cockpit.  The large black cable is a number 6 conductor that carries all the negative current for distribution throughout the cockpit. 

Notice the upward sloping box shaped wire runs between the cockpit and the hull .......

Lashings join the hulls to the crossbeams so that mating parts can flex and relieve stress.  Components must accommodate flexing in adjoining structures.  The box shaped wire runs, imaged above, mount between the hull and the cockpit with a 1/4" clearance between the inner and outer box structures, thereby allowing flexing between components.  The small box shape mounts lower against the hull than the larger box shape mounted on the cockpit.  Any water splashed up into the gap must go up hill to be stopped by an inside lip on the large box opening.  The water then drains out the gap it entered from below.  That is my fine theory of how these flexible wire conduits will exclude interior water and hopefully, no plan B will come into play here. 

Here we are in the aft starboard cockpit locker where the power is distributed.  At the top is the negative bus bar, below that is the positive termination panel for the switched loads and solar panel inputs. The electrical system will distribute auxiliary solar power, port solar power, port hull power, depth sounder, navigation/anchor lights and cockpit outlet loads.  The black box to the left is a depth sounder that connects to my tablet based navigation software by blue tooth.  All circuits are given numbers and number labels are applied to all terminations for a given circuit.  This will prove helpful should trouble shooting be necessary in the future.  A plexiglass guard for this area will be a good idea before power is applied.

New holes require new covers.  

I haven't had a look behind these panels for a while.  To the left are visible the three blue solar charge controllers.  On the backside of the right panel is where switched/fused circuits will terminate.

Motor Controller

The electric outboard motor control panel has suffered a major change of concept.  The initial plan was to mount the controller and display inside the starboard hull, but it was intrusive, not very useful when operating from the cockpit and would require hull and cockpit penetrations for the cabling.  

Plan B is to mount the controller and display on a box that can be attached and removed from the locker lid.  The throttles are very stiff to operate so that the controller box must be soundly attached to the operating surface.  The details for this remain open.  The cockpit lids inner and outer combings must be modified to allow passage of the control cables from the motors to the controller box.  The controller box is stored in the locker when not in use.

New Locker

Can you name this assemblage?

Here it is in a more completed form.

Here we have a top view of the anchor locker.  The shape of trampolines between the hulls and the anchor locker can now be visualized.  I'm considering a black web mesh for the trampolines.  The half inch wide webs are spaced a half inch apart, the small mesh dimensions should make for a very comfortable surface and very sexy looking trampolines.

A double hinged lid provides full access to the locker.  The anchor locker will be held to the crossbeams by three lashings.

Banjo Cases

Above is a start on the cockpit.  The material is honeycomb core fiberglass 4' x 8' panels.  Two panels were joined together with a mahogany spline to form the cockpit floor.  The floor was cut to finished dimensions of 77" x 96".  The sides are epoxied in place while clamped to keep everything square and straight. 

I don't enjoy working with this material as it has given me a case of fiberglass itch for the first time in this project.  Wearing flip flops and short sleeve shirts, while cutting this fiberglass material on a table saw says I was asking for a case of itch.

The panels came coated with white paint that did not stick well to epoxy so the paint had to be removed with a new belt sander.  The paint was removed where joins are made.  The paint was very difficult to remove, it must have been some great paint.

Cutting the panels slices through the honeycomb cells leaving voids in the cut surfaces.  The exposed cut surfaces can be filled with thicken epoxy to create a finished edge.

A person could look at the image above and wrongly ask, "Why the built-in banjo cases?"  I might look at the inquisitor askew and wonder how it is I come across as so hillbilly.

A pair of electric outboards will retract and fill the banjo cases.  There will be no visible indication that outboards are on board when retracted.  The battery placement is controlled by the power cord length extending from the outboard shaft.  I feel very lucky that the outboard equipment could be modified to suit my purposes.

A removable cover provides access to the retracted propeller in the event the anode needs changing, or the propeller needs to be cleared.  With the propeller lowered into the water and an improvised seat, this opening could serve as a backup to the composting toilet (may the day never come to pass).

These simple parts may not seem like much, but many concepts were conceived, rejected and iterated on to distill into the above parts.  These parts will mount the motor batteries and a motor control connector.

To the right is the underside of the battery case.  Battery case slots engage with the two smaller mounts to prevent fore and aft movement.

The single aft mount lifts the battery end 1.5 inches so that the motor lead exits the battery in a more horizontal position to better accommodate the limited vertical space,

The motor mounting screws are positioned about midway through the cockpit floor thickness.  The motor mount gives the motor a downward thrust of five degrees and retracts the propeller to a position too high for the available space.  The motor mount, above, overcomes these obstacles.

Here the motor mounts are seen in profile with wedges added on the aft (right) face.  The wedges assure that the motor shaft is 90° to the cockpit floor.  The mounts are epoxied to the underside edge of a cut out in the cockpit floor to form a shallow pan below the cockpit.

The finial cockpit form emerges with the addition of the inner locker walls.  The motors and batteries are contained in the lockers below the cockpit seats.  The width required for outboard installation and the adjacent batteries compelled a 22 inch width to the cockpit seats.  The seat width is too much for comfortable sitting but is better for laying down on.  The wide seat might be the perfect spot for a comfortable bean bag chair.

Fillets and fiberglass are applied along the length to the joined panels.  Gaining access to the joined surfaces is much easier with the cockpit resting on its' side.  

The inner combings (walls to block water from entering lockers) complete the cockpit's major construction.  Notice that fore and aft are square sections spanning between the right and left lockers.  The square sections carry wiring around the entire cockpit perimeter.  This wiring will provide for the following:

- anchor and navigation lights

- outboard motor control signals

- fore and aft 12V DC and USB outlets

- transfer solar and battery power between hulls

- depth sounder output and power

 

A coat of primer and the cockpit will be ready for fitting.

Possibly you recognize the person in the picture who is about to board his vessel for the first time.

A friend helped with the cockpit install, the images and celebration.  Regular readers may recall the four wheeled single axel dolly used to move the hulls.  Two 2"x4"s repurposed the dolly into a rickshaw like device to hold the cockpit at the correct elevation to rest on and between the crossbeams.  Clearance between the hulls and cockpit is about 1/2 of an inch.  I was rather astonished at how well this contrivance worked; I'm thereby encouraged to try any wild ideas that may occur to me.  

Looks like wanta be boater boy is pleased with the new perch.  Shortly after this picture, about 10:00 am, was the occasion for the first ever cockpit cocktails.  It turned into a pleasant cockpit day with a constant breeze, shade and new surroundings to contemplate.  

A contribution slot to Davey Jones locker exists between the cockpit and the hulls.  Anything on board is sure to fall through these slots.

The cockpit/hull gap is characterized with a template.

This filler plate should limit Davey Jones's take and block or reduce water splashing up between the hulls and the cockpit.  The locker lids will mount to the filler plate bolted to the inner combings.

Idling Too Long

September 2023 marks the sixth year of the boat build.  I can only claim progress for 3/4 of a year this September due to a lack of materials.  Materials ordered in July didn't arrive until the last of September as the result of ongoing shipping issues.  Having nowhere to go, no one to see and nothing to do I spent way too much time on a YouTube addiction.  My ship has just arrived so my normal boat building days can resume.

Two 70 watt solar panels have arrived.  Both panels will be installed on forward locker lids as shown above.  The combined output of 140 watts is not likely to provide enough power for much more than a day sail.  Provisions are made for a future larger solar panel accommodated on the aft trampoline for extended cruising.

Painting is in my future.

The anchor, bow rollers, and anchor rode (anchor chain and line) will not be in service for a while but are necessary to size, design and build an anchor locker.

Above are two of the four 4' by 8' sheets of honeycomb core fiberglass panels.  The cockpit will be built with these panels.  Two panels will be joined with a spline and cut to size to form the cockpit floor. 

I manage to make some progress in July before the lack of materials idled me.  Above is the top of one of the two electric outboards.  Normally the battery latches into the black battery mount.  The mount is composed of two halves that clamp around a tube preventing the shaft and lower propeller end from falling into the sea.  The normal arrangement is too tall to fit under the cockpit seats, so modifications are necessary to separate the battery mount from the clamp.

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A dull hacksaw blade and persistence managed to separate the mount and clamp.  What do you suppose this operation would do to my warranty?  In any event the warranty will be expired before the outboards will see any action.

 The outboard is significantly shorter without the battery and mount attached.

A washboard closes up the hull entrance.  A plate, on top of the washboard, covers the raw wood groove in the image above.  Water enters the gaps between the plate and the opening to flow towards the interior due to the slope.  The groove slopes in the opposite direction to drain the water outside.  Rain initially proved this arrangement was not effective.  Reworking the groove has removed all concerns that water can enter the interior this way.  All passengers may sleep well and dry.

 The aft trampoline crossbeam is nearing completion.  On the right is a template used to cut out the plywood that is installed in its' place.  A batten, small sticks and a hot glue gun will build a template easy and quick.

The completed raw aft trampoline crossbeam is shown in its' place.  In time it will receive the same color scheme as the other crossbeams.  This crossbeam will not only support the trampoline, but a retractable boarding ladder as well.