Making Snow Part 2: Learning

It had been raining on and off, and a pang of Radar Love sent me back down to check on Pylasteki after three days. The tape that was over the port deck drain had come loose... and the cockpit drains seacock was not open all the way. The bilge was almost overflowing.

The past few days were spent grinding, glassing, and experimenting with other varieties of west systems epoxy. Finished glassing over the bilge blower vent and power outlet holes as well as the shifter... though the fairing is not yet complete.

The wind blew all the water out of the creek, which combined with a full moon made the tides a bit interesting, she took to the ground in her slip while I was on board... about four feet from the dock, and standing on deck about eye level to it. Lunch break was a can of tuna and a few crackers sitting on the high side of that starboard tack... much to the amusement of others in the yard.

The temperature was varying between mid 30's and the lower 60's. I had a gallon of resin and a little can of hardener that had been refilled so many times they were one uniform color... sawdust. After a few days of working with this stuff I made a run up to the hardware store and bought 12 ounces of 407 filler, as the cabosil was slumping a bit on the sides of the cockpit and I was hopeful it would stay put. Beside the 407 was a can of "Fast Hardener" eureka!

No pictures this time either, I need to replace some plywood in the galley before I have a sink to wash up to keep the camera from looking like the can of resin!

Making Snow.

This weekend was productive.
The electrical system has been cleaned up further, a few pounds of excess wire have been removed. The electrical panel needs to be rewired, as the last guy used 18gauge for everything and didn't crimp the connections to withstand a light tug, the wire pulls out of the crimp. (The battery is disconnected.)

The cracked fiberglass cockpit drains were cut out. I used a hole saw and cut through the top to avoid having to hacksaw at odd angles. The holes were then filled with West Systems epoxy/cabosil mixture and relocated slightly inboard for the flanges of the new "Through-hulls" that are acting as drains. After coring the cockpit sole, they will be flush. The radiator hose that was in place, has been replaced with Shieldflex exhaust hose.

The instrument cluster has been ground down and the new glass cut out and prepared for wetting out, but rain and thunderstorms cut the trip short.

I picked up a Henderson Mark V pump to use as a bilge pump and have been studying mounting locations. The existing hoses (3/4) and outlets are not large enough to fit the pump (1 1/2) which will be remedied on the next trip.

Pictures next time! To much dust and rain to bring out the camera.

Zach

Brrr! Winter Wonderland.

Went down to check on Pylasteki and pump out the bilge.
Snow flurries and cold rain meant no work outside, though inside some more solid copper wire came out and so did the old bilge blower. Strangely enough some of the bare wire was not corroded and shiny as new... though the insulation was ancient. I must say that access to the blower is much easier with the ice box out of the way. The last attempt was made through the cockpit locker, which involved emptying its contents... and sliding by 200lb 6 foot tall frame in feet first. Its a tight space!

A little re-arranging, and noting that bilge pump replacement is inevitable, as the piston pump pumped its last pump today. Its passing will be mourned, but a larger capacity diaphragm style is in the future! Do any of you guys and gals have recommendations for placement, so it can be operated with a hand on the tiller?

No pictures for today, as she is in dire need of a bath. Though a wash down on a day like today would have made both the boat and me into icicles!

Merry Christmas!

Lately no work has been done to Pylasteki. The bilge has been pumped out, and the lines checked... but no real progress has been made since the icebox removal. Varnish was bought and forgotten, tillers are still in need of work.

I'm seeking ideas for hard dinghy's, hopefully plans for one that would fit on top of a triton's cabin top. I'd really like to build a stitch and glue starting around the new year.

Stay warm! Merry Christmas!

Zach

Progress Update: Galley, be gone!

She's sitting like a 70's muscle car. Tail end way up high, front end way down low...






The galley was in the space shown in the left picture, and the terrarium (icebox) in the right. aft.

This weekend gave some progress. Slowly but surely her inners are piling up in the forepeak. Its amazing how many parts go into the making of a boat, spread out on the dock its a shocking they all fit.

Pearson performed marvels of engineering on these boats. The icebox slid out the companionway (after the removal of the channel for the drop boards) with hardly any room to spare. (Drop me a message if you need the Icebox for your Triton. I'll wait awhile before taking it apart for measurements, and planning for the redesign.)

Exhausted.

Well, I heard about some theft of copper air conditioning unit today... and would like to reflect on the heft of the jacketed exhaust system of a Triton. 37 pounds worth of heft. I bet that air conditioner is somewhere in the same scrap yard...

With the sudden windfall, I was swayed for a moment to put the proceeds towards a water lift muffler on the atomic four... snapped out of it when I realized I'd have to climb back inside the cockpit locker to fit it.

Claustrophobic moments are caused by places like the cockpit lockers of Pylasteki. I wedged myself in an attempt to remove the crusty bilge blower with snipped wiring. The beverage terrarium (its not an ice box!) will have to be removed before the fasteners are accessible.

Thanksgiving will prevent any work from getting done on board, but I'm still scheming up interior designs. Focusing on ventilation and cost effective ways to install a water tight forward hatch. Bomar and other extruded aluminum hatches are beautiful, but out of the question from a cost standpoint. The original teak and plexiglass leaks, and does not inspire confidence under foot. The sharp lip bruises ribs when the deck is plunging up and down during sail changes. Offshore I wish for the confidence that anything on deck can withstand breaking seas, so as Pylasteki is refit, she is refit with long distance in mind.

School is keeping me busy, as well as a few other projects... Thanks for all the comments, I'm glad to know Pylasteki has a loyal following and the correct pronunciation of her name! She won't stray far from her racing roots... where parts can be made lighter, they will. I do need to sell the 170% Carbon Fiber Genoa! It's a physically big sail that doesn't stow well.

The wonderfull world of ideas and new parts.

So... I've got a week before I can make it down to do any more hands on work on Pylasteki.

I've been working hot and heavy on a new interior layout. While I'm not a giant, the length of the berth allows my head... and feet, to be in contact with wood grain laminate. Its not that I hate wood grain laminate, though it is a bit faded, the ability to stretch and lounge to the fullest is what will make Pylasteki a floating home.

I've decided that the ice box will give way to the port side berth. I'll build a new ice box on the forward end, similar to the layout Dan Spurr suggests in "Spurr's Guide to Upgrading Your Cruising Sailboat." On the aft facing side of the icebox, a small countertop will extend over the berth with a canvas pouch for navigation tools and to the center a chart table will hinge. With any luck a somewhat usable table will come forth, without requiring the door to remain. (My shoulders wedge between the door jams, the trim is incredibly wide at almost two inches! I've removed the forward trim, and can now navigate through without leaping with my arms stretched out in front of me.....)

The galley countertop will be extended, full width across the boat giving a cubby for a sleeping bag... I haven’t figured out why so few boats are designed without a locker for bedding! A duplicate shelf will mirror the galley cupboard for symmetry. Currently the radio, and electrical panels are in the galley cupboard... My momma always told me not to play with plumbing and electricity at the same time... so the electrons will flow from the other side of the boat.

New Parts:

A new water tank will go under the cockpit sole and the area where the area where the engine once sat will be converted to stores. I’m trying to decide whether or not to glass in the deck plate in the cockpit sole. I'm following the K.I.S.S. principle, that the fewer holes there are, the less deck leaks I can have! The prop shaft is coming out, along with the the infernal stuffing box... maybe the threaded scar on my arm will go away with time... I am going to glass the propeller aperture and fair it into the hull, in hopes of some drag reduction. My outboard can be hoisted clear of the water, and that alone is worth a few tenths of a knot! Pylasteki is a sail boat!

If I can build an easily worked water tight deck hatch for a locker in the cockpit sole, I will. With cushions in the cockpit, reefing a sail or dropping sail before docking… it is difficult to manage. Dock lines and sail gaskets need a home that can be reached without turning your back to the tiller. The lazarette access will be glassed over, and a water tight hatch will go on the aft deck.

Going back down the hatch, I’ve got a hankering to place a bulkhead compass above the new icebox so it can be seen from the port berth, or observed by the galley slave. (I am the galley slave, though I am accepting resumes.)