Heater Kit
Pic of a Wabasto TLS17 Hydronic heating system purchased from Greatwest Kenworth out of Calgary, Alberta, Canada (beer inserted for scale purposes only).

Now, grab yourself a beverage of your choice, sit back, relax, 'cuz I gotta bit of a rant on this topic...

As boat owners, we've become pretty accustom to getting the shaft when it comes to purchasing marine products to maintain, repair, or refit our boats. Most of the items that fetch these high prices are marine specific, which leaves us little alternative in the non-marine world. Every once in awhile however, you'll find marine outfitters repackaging non-marine items, and attempting to pass it off to us unaware consumers at 4x the price. Diesel fired hydronic, or forced air marine heating systems are Exhibit 'A' of this. Let me explain...

Perhaps like you, I will typically attempt to purchase most big ticket items online, so is the case here. My initial internet research on this subject  found two companies who appeared to be established in diesel fired hydronic or forced air marine heating systems (amongst others). One located in Minneapolis, and one located in my own back yard here in Seattle (they will remain nameless to protect the innocent). To heat my 35 foot boat, both companies quoted DIY systems for around $4000. WHAT??....$4000???....REALLY????

Something just wasn't right. I continued my research, and stumbled across their dirty little secret; these aren't marine heaters at all, they're nothing more than diesel engine block, or cab heaters designed for heavy equipment and trucks. In fact, the marine guys will buy these kits, disassemble all the components, and sell them back to you individually at 4x the price. Broken down, the stuff you see pictured above, would have run me about $2800 from the marine guys, along with a bunch of crap you don't really need.  I got everything you see here from Greatwest Kenworth for $850. You will still need the fan heaters, some hose, and some miscellaneous components, for which I'll discuss in the next couple pics, but none of this will even come close to the $4000 the marine guys want.

Heater Fans
A hydronic system will require heater fans, which are nothing more than small heat exchangers fitted with a supper efficient desktop computer fan. They come in different BTU ratings, and must be sized for your boat. These are two 8,000 BTU units. I purchased the fan units and the rest of what you see here directly from MSR Marine for about $350.

Misc. Items
Balance of major components needed to do the job.

On the left is 50 ft. of 3/4" hi-temp heater hose I purchased through Amazon.com for about $65. Also on the left, you'll need a plastic thu hull for the air intake hose, $10. And a copper reducer (air hose to heating unit), $3.

Unfortunately, you'll have to get the rest of the components pictured on the right from the marine heating guys. You'll need an exhaust thru hull, $110 (I made mine myself, as it is nothing more than a $20 SS thru hull, a $5 piece of 1/2" SS pipe, and a $1.25 SS washer). Also on the right, is the mounting bracket for the heating unit itself, $16.

Add about another $100 of who knows what to all this, and you just put together your own package for about $1500. A $2500 savings over the marine guys. Now, I don't mind somebody pulling a decent profit, but GIMME_A_FREAKING_BREAK!

Stay tuned for the install...

Before
Here's a pic of the old cabin sole. The reason we decided to replace it was twofold; A) It was just beat-up in general, and B) a previous owner had applied (with the exception of the dinette area) a non-skid epoxy coating over every other teak stripe, which was impossible to clean, and nearly impossible to remove without taking the veneer with it. I'll give-up some traction control for a little more esthetics.

Here I have tagged each piece for future reference and duplication.

Everything is Rounded Up


Gluing-up The Panels
Here I have applied the contact glue and layed down wooden dowels. This technique will hold the laminate off the plywood until it is positioned, and then one by one the dowels are removed and the laminate bonded to the plywood, then rolled.

Finished Panel
Although plastic laminate flooring is durable, easy to work with, and in this case inexpensive ($170/sheet delivered to your door) compared to real cherry and holly flooring, this particular product lacks consistency with regards to the repetitive cherry and holly pattern. Extra care must be used when matching individual floor panels end to end. This pattern inconsistency results in lousing material optimization, so about two and a half sheets were needed to refit the floor in my P35, when two would have been otherwise adequate.

Cutting The Panels
Here the floor panels are cut to a rough size. I say "rough size", because there wasn't a FREAKING square floor panel on the boat. And since table saws are designed to make parallel cuts, a secondary routing process was required.

Secondary Routing
Here a straight edge is clamped in place awaiting the router to flush trim.

A few words on this particular refit...
IT WAS A PITA!

It is my firm belief that the crappiest job at the Wauquiez yard had to be the guy who fit the cabin sole. Why? Because I don't think the bulkhead and furniture installers knew what the hell a framing square was. Every piece was a irregular quadrilateral. And even though I had the old panels as templates, they too were a mediocre fit at best. And without having my wood shop set up right next to the boat, the process took a minimum of a dozen round trips back and forth to get them right.

Finger Pulls
I got tired of loosing small items to the bilge via the finger pull "holes" in the old panels. Here I'm adding flush style finger pulls to the new panels.

Installed Finger Pull


Fab Work Complete


After
Going into this, I didn't think this particular refit would make that much of a cosmetic impact, but if you click the "forward" button once again, you'll see a pretty decent improvement.

Galley -Before
As you can see, our galley had already been upgraded with new tile, and although a great improvement (IMO) over the OEM brown tile, it had seen better days. It was time for a change.

Head -Before
I'm sorry, but Henri's choice for the mixer faucet in the head was an absolute aberration in design. On top of that (and this includes the galley fixtures too), the brass finish was a PITA to maintain. Believe it or not, just one year ago I had polished these up to a semi brilliant shine, but it doesn't take long for the environment inside a boat to turn them like this. For those of you who have the powdercoated versions, consider yourself lucky.

Demo 1.0
I'll start the demo in the galley first.

You'll find that the plywood countertop substructure is pin-nailed from the top down to the cabinet sides. Once the old fiddle was removed, I carefully pried the top off the cabinet. Since I won't be reusing any of the old components, demolition went fairly fast.

Demo 2.0
Old countertops removed.

Demo 3.0
The demolition is complete. Time to start building stuff...

Components
Everything is rounded-up.

A word about solid surface materials...
It was only until recently (five or so years ago) that solid surface materials were made available to the DIY'r. Prior to that, only licensed and trained installers were allowed to purchase and install the product...a tight knit clique to say the least. However, due to recent flood of natural stone products available at similar cost, solid surface had kinda taken a back seat, and they were forced to cut their losses and release it to the public. Unfortunately they were too late in reacting, so the DIY market place never really took off.

One primary source to get it however is SolidSurface.com. There you will find all that is needed to complete your project. With standard woodworking tools, and a little help from YouTube, you'll be able to fab a counter top like the pro's. It's not that difficult.

Fiddle Fab 1.0
The work starts with cutting the parts to size on the table saw, this includes the narrow strips that will be used for the fiddles. This pic shows the half-round bit used to profile the fiddle's top edge.

Fiddle Fab 2.0


Fiddle Fab 3.0
The next step is to rabbit the bottom edge of the fiddle where it will be epoxied to the counter top.


Fiddle Fab 4.0


Fiddle Fab 5.0
This stuff is truly great to work with. Here, using a heat gun and a lot of patience, I have bent the fiddle around a wooden jig.

Fiddle Fab 6.0
Here the fiddle is marked for trim. Also in this pic, I'm planning the sink layout and associated fixtures.

For those interested, the color we chose for the countertop in the galley is Wilsonart's Gibraltar "Frosty White Mirage" ("White Beach Sand" would'a been a better description). I was able to pick up a 1/2" thick x 22" x 124" remnant piece at SolidSurface.com for about $250. A 40% discount over new. And, if you buy 40 s.f. or more (which we did including the head countertop material), shipping is free!

Cutting The Solid Surface
Once again, standard woodworking tools are all that's needed to fab solid surface, albeit like working with Ironwood.

Routing Solid Surface
Truing up the rough cut-outs with the router.

Sanding Solid Surface
Blending in the corners on the router table, which has been outfitted with a sanding drum.

Routing Template For Sink
Due to the complex shape of the galley sink, a router template was used to trim-out the opening.

Sink Cut-out Complete
Here the sink cut-out has been finished-off with a quarter round edge detail.


Solid Surface Finishing
The raw sheet material comes with a pretty decent matte finish applied to one surface, so very little touch-up was required.

Dry Storage Hatch
Fitting the hatch for the dry storage cubby.

Solid Surface Epoxy
Although I was able to buy a relatively inexpensive remnant piece of material from SolidSurface.com (once again, remnants are a big part of their business), you're stuck with paying full retail for the colored epoxies needed to glue the stuff. Here you're looking at a $50 cartridge of glue, and the proprietary $80 gun needed to dispense it.

Gluing-up The Fiddle


Completed Unit
Completed forward countertop ready for the undermount sink.

Fastening Sink
The sink is mounted using a combination of fasteners and silicone sealant. Pre-alignment is critical for an undermount sink.

Sink Installed


Fixtures Installed


Fiddle Attachment
Fiddles ready to be glued to the aft counter top.

Aft Counter Top Complete
The next step is to fab the icebox's bi-folding, insulated hatch.

Another Router Template
Here a router template is made to mortise the icebox hatch for finger pulls.

Finger Pull Mortise


Hinge
Here the hinge is mounted to the bi-folding hatch.

Icebox Hatch Insulation Box 1.0


Icebox Hatch Insulation Box 2.0
Here the boxes are mounted to the hatch. They will be filled with foam insulation, and then clad with plastic laminate (the sides have already been done).

Completed Bi-folding Icebox Hatch


Aft Countertop Complete
Aft countertop complete, time to head down to the boat...

After
The Admiral is diggin' it.

After 2.0


After 3.0
Next, I move into the head. Stay tuned...

Head -After
I'll spare everyone the similar fab details on the head countertop, and just cut to the after shot. This top was done in Corian's "Glacier White." I modified the countertop shape a bit (curved inside corner) to maximize as much counter space as possible. Also new, is the combo faucet, sink, towel bar, and white plastic laminate back splash around the back.

This completes the countertop refit. Next, I move to the cabin sole. Stay tuned...

Yard It Out!
The old potable water lines. Old, brittle, and downright nasty.

This project is just a continuation (snowball effect) of the repower: new engine, new engine compartment paint, sound insulation, wiring, bilge discharge lines, and new hot water tank plumbing circuit into the galley -which brings us here.

Yuck
Check out the I.D.

A nice brown coating of......you tell me?

Galley Sink Cabinet
This particular 'space' in our boat has always been kinda an eyesore. But because it was behind closed doors, it was out of site, out of mind. I only wish I would'a taken a pic prior to me gutting it out. It was a menagerie of hoses, fittings, abandoned watermaker lines and filters. Not necessarily a bad thing, just typical of an older boat. The floor in the cabinet had also busted loose from its connection to the hull.

Here I have re-glassed the connection, added a reinforcement angle at the back, and I'm about to re-face the interior with white plastic laminate to clean things up a bit.

Starboard Tank Connection
New Pex line at starboard tank. It was necessary to add a small portion of reinforced PVC hose to make the connection.


Bonus Pic
I figure I'd add this picture, even though it was a refit item from two years ago.

What you're looking at here is my remedy for that oil-can "BANG" when the port water tank attempts to vent. I ran a separate vent line into the port hanging locker and affixed what's called an AAV (Air Admittance Valve). The only drawback in doing this is that the tanks will no longer "cross fill", and since the AVV is only a one-way valve (only lets air in), filling the tank from its port filler neck is a lot more time consuming. But hey, grab a beer, sit back, relax, and let the water dribble in -heck, you're a sailor for cryin' out loud.

Galley Cabinet
Here you see the new plastic laminate facing inside the cabinet -a DRASTIC improvement to say the least. And (obviously), the new Pex lines stubbed into the space. Did I say this stuff is great to work with? And, with blue for cold and red for hot, it just looks cool too.

When completed, there will be a plastic laminate access cover at that area where the hoses pass through.

Next, I start trimming things out.

PEX Art
Here's a close-up pic showing various connections using SharkBite's crimp type fittings. SharkBite also has the fancier push-on type connectors, but they are quite a bit bulkier, and not conducive to plumbing limited access areas like a boat.

Done
Completed plumbing circuitry with all new filtration system. I think I could actually 'drink' the water now. This one's in the books.

Before
The old OEM Nav-5 instrument cluster.

Out of the five functions, only the depth worked faithfully, wind speed intermittently, and the rest not at all.

Furuno
Furuno's FI50 instruments for depth, speed, wind, and data.

Storm Hood Instrument Panel
As was the old instrument cluster, I'll be mounting the new displays on the storm hood. Here's a pic of the new panel I fabricated from 1/4" thick textured ABS plastic sheet.

Displays Dry Fit


Displays Tested And Calibrated
Here I've hooked everything up to test and calibrate prior to being installed.

Next, we head down to the boat...

New Displays Installed
Although the storm hood also required large 3 5/8" clearance holes to accommodate the displays, the new ABS instrument panel trimmed everything out nicely.

The only trouble with mounting the displays at this location, is the routing of the wires into the cabin. The existing plastic flexduit snakes precariously down through the hard lid. Had there not been an OLD wire to act as a pull string, it would have been a seriously difficult fish.

Terminal Blocks At Mast
New mast wiring and terminal blocks. Slowly but surely the boat's getting rewired.

55 Feet In The Air
You didn't think I'd pass-up an opportunity to post one of these pics, did ya?

My last task in this process was to install the new wind transducer. I was able to pull it off with only two round trips up the stick (one purely exploratory, one purely business). That's gotta be some type of world record -even for me.

For those curious, I used rock climbing gear to ascend a single static line, solo. Given the light snow and 25 kt winds that day, I had numerous marina neighbors (mostly power boaters) witnessing what I'm sure they thought was an absolutely insane event.

Haulout
With the repower, ball valve replacement, and bottom paint, it all starts with this. Courtesy Sean of Hylebos Marina in Tacoma.

Haulout 2.0


Haulout 3.0
Valeroso's home for the next month or two.

Stay tuned...

MD11C
Well, here we go.

This can be a daunting task for the do-it-yourselfer, and it is not for everybody. Projects of this magnitude must be compartmentalized to keep progress flowing in a forward direction. If you do this, you'll keep the project managable and it won't be so overwhelming.

First things first, start disconnecting stuff. Start with the hoses, then work to the wiring. For the wiring, I bought myself a $20 Brothers Label Maker to tag everything for future reference. This is a must, especialy if you plan on upgrading much of the wiring as I am.

Next, move to bolted-on items such as the starter motor, alternator, heat exchanger, etc. The objective here is to reduce the engine in overall size so it can pass through the companionway hatch.

The Big Drag
Once the engine is reduced to little more than the block, it's time to decouple it from the saildrive/gearbox and yank it out into the open for the yard crane. A Come-Along winch strapped to the base of the mast worked perfect.

Down n' Out
I must say, these MD11's were pretty damn simple, and built like a brick shit house. Interestingly, the MD11 has a design weight of 540 lbs. The new D1-30 (its modern replacement) weighs in at only 360 lbs.

Saildrive Removed
The old 120S saildrive.

Foam Removal
Although not in the picture, my Bosch Oscillating tool made short work of this otherwise PITA task. As you can see, there's quite a mess in that engine compartment.

Mess-be-gone
You're looking at two days of solid work, most of which was pulling and tagging wires that ran through the engine compartment. Time to brighten things up a bit...

Sanitized
Although much of this will be covered in Soundown insulation, nuthin' beats a bright white engine room. What was Henry thinking?....Brown???

New 130S Saildrive
Merry X-mas to Rob.....for the next ten years. My new 130S saildrive.

Paint Job
I figured a smart guy would apply some antifoul prior to the install. And once again, there were no smart guys to be found, so I called brother-in-law Jeff.

E Paint's ZO
Given that all the good chemicals have been legislated out of our arsenal of bottom paints, specifically bottom paints design to go on metallic running gear, rumor had it E Paint's ZO was my best option.



Saildrive Installed
I sure hope that ZO paint is some good stuff, cuz it sure was a PITA to apply. It goes on like school glue and flows-out like peanut butter.

Also in the pic is the infamous Pretorien saildrive flapper gasket, or what_ever_the_hell_you_wanna_call_it. Volvo's instructions say to just glue it to the hull with contact cement......Really? That's it??? Yeah right, that's why the damn things flop around in the first place. You can see that I trusted Volvo's idea so much that I fab'd up a 16 ga. SS clamp ring anyway.

Saildrive Installed 2.0
A fairly easy install. The only concern is the correct torquing of the diaphragm clamp ring; too loose, and it will leak. Too tight, and you could damage the seal. Wait a minute....is that snickering I hear coming from the 'shaft drive' guys???

Also in the picture, are the new engine mount adapters. Although Volvo gives you a highly detailed fabrication drawing, you're pretty much on your own with getting them manufactured. Fortunately I still have friends in the fab business (thanks again Gary!), so pulling it off wasn't too big of deal.

Late Model Volvo-Penta D1-30
Merry X-mas to Rob (again) for the next twenty years. The new D1-30 ready to hoist. Note the exhaust outlet is opposite (port vs. starboard) than the old MD11 -just another curve ball I'll have to deal with.

Flying In the D1-30
Although this puny 360 lb. D1-30 is trivial compared to most of what I've witnessed craned into a boat, yard manager Sean has a way with a crane like nobody else.

Engine Bolted Into Place
A much, much smaller compact unit.

Engine Bolted Into Place 2.0
It all fits -YOOOHOOO!

New control panel and wiring harness install is next.

Old Engine Control Panel
I had forgotten my camera the day I demo'd the old control panel, so this crappy pic I cropped from another image will have to suffice.


Repower Curve Ball #17
Here's a pic showing the old panel and misc. gauges removed and ready for new. Unfortunately Volvo Penta no longer manufactures an all-in-one engine control panel typical of what was in there before, and what most other makes have to offer. Instead, Volvo gives you a separate tach and a power switch, and you're on your own if you want a temp gauge. So, what does all this mean? Well, if you wanna cover up that big 'ol ugly square cutout, you better fab up your own panel (curve ball #17).

New (custom) Engine Control Panel
The new panel is made from 1/4" thick textured ABS plastic sheet. The gauges are gasketed, the panel is gasketed, and was water tested with a garden hose for ten minutes.

Back Side of Panel
I do like the modern wiring harnesses of today. Volvo's new EVC system is user friendly and NMEA 2000 net-workable.

Next, it's time to attack the engine compartment sound insulation.

Soundown
For those of you unfamiliar with Soundown insulation, it's a sandwich composite consisting of a reinforced heavy duty foil face, with a mass-loaded vinyl inner layer, sandwiched by foam. Although available in different thicknesses, the 1" thick stuff you see here runs about $4.25 s/f online delivered. Not cheap.

Spray 90
I used 3M's Spray 90 to glue the stuff in the engine compartment. Three coats are required on both the insulation and engine compartment walls.

Sound Insulation Complete
Not in this pic, are all the access panels which were also covered in Soundown.

Next, I start rewiring stuff.

New Access Hole for Cross-over Wiring
In this pic, I'm drilling out the insulation to accommodate a new access hole into the qtr berth for the cross-over wiring (misc. wiring that runs port to starboard through the engine compartment) . The hole had to be relocated a bit more forward due to the configuration of the new engine.

Spacer
Previously, my engine compartment had egg-crate sound insulation, and all the engine compartment accessories were just bolted over the top of it. My new Soundown insulation is not user friendly in this regard, so spacers must be used if one is to keep things looking decent. Here, I've cut a spacer ring from plastic ABS drain pipe to accommodate a plastic junction box I wanna use.

Port Junction Box
Rather than just having the cross-over wiring protrude through a hole in the bulkhead as before, I've incorporated some modified plastic J-boxes and some corrugated wire loom to keep things looking tidy.

Port Junction Box 2.0
Box mounted and wires pulled.

Port Junction Box 3.0


Starboard Juction Box


New Cross-Over Wiring
A view of the cross-over wiring from the starboard access cover. Also in the pic is my new engine compartment light fixture.

Next, I start bolting stuff back into the compartment, like the manual bilge pump (already done), fuel filter, raw water strainer, etc.

Stuff Complete
Probably the biggest 'time sponge' in doing something like this, is just doing it right.

Note the new Pex plumbing circuit to the hot water tank (red and blue tube). I've never used it before, but I gotta tell ya, the stuff is the frickin' cat's meow. It's simple, cost effective, perennial, and available at your local home improvement box store. You can pay four times as much for the Whale or SeaTech marine equivalent, but why?

Next, I tackle the 12 ft. snake of wet exhaust hose and install the fuel tank. I'm gettin' close. Stay tuned...

Almost Done
Last to go in was the fuel tank, fuel filler hose, exhaust hose, and control cables. With the super flexible Shields hose, and the swiveling waterlock inlet, the port discharge off the exhaust manifold did not pose as big as problem as I thought.

Also in the pic, is my custom fabricated shifter cable mount bracket. The supplied version (which was similar in configuration) only allowed for aft or port directional mounting. Not an option with a fuel tank or bulkhead in the way.

Not installed (but unrelated to the repower), is the hot water tank. That will get installed next, but back at my slip.

Done
The next step is to fire her up. An added benefit when you buy a package deal from Volvo-Penta, is that they cough-up 2 hrs. of service time to come out and double check your install. Some nice 'piece of mind' for the DIY'r.

...and, it started-up on the first click and ran beautifully -YOOHOO!!

Well, it's been a long ride, but the Mother Of All Refits is COMPLETE!!!

Bzzzzzzz....
Yeah, I know....who hasn't done this? I'm primarily posting these pics to 1) segue into the next frame and more significant topic, and 2) prove to everybody that Denise truly does work on this thing too.

Keel to Hull Joint
Bolted-on keels will sometimes develop a hairline crack at the keel to hull joint connection. This is a fairly common occurrence -as long as it remains HAIRLINE. But, it still (for lack of a better term) bugs the hell outta me. 

Here I'm trying a technique which involves grinding a 1/4" deep x 3/8" wide trough along the problem area, filling it with a concave fillet of 5200, and then skim coating it over with a flexible epoxy filler. I'll get back to you in three or four years to let you know how it worked out.

Keel to Hull Joint 2.0
Flexible epoxy filler awaiting my sander.

Masking The Waterline
The Wife was gonna do this, but it would'a been a total ladder job for her 5'-2" framework -and, we were runnin' outta daylight

The Admiral at Work
Everybody's got an opinion about bottom paints -including myself. But I gotta tell ya, and I know the colder waters of the PNW are fairly benign with regards to fouling, but we got four good years outta PPG's Ameron ABC #3, and probably coulda went one more. We're using it again.

Taaadaah!
Beautiful, just beautiful.........of course I'm talking about you, Dear.

Groco Ball Valves
Here's the matrix of what's needed to refit your Pretorien:

1 @ 3/4" in the head for the toilet feed.
1 @ 1 1/4" under the v-berth. Comes off the holding tank to pump overboard (possibly a factory retrofit when adding a holding tank).

And I have one extra 3/4" valve on my boat for a remote raw water intake.


British Standard Pipe Parallel (BSPP) Taps
Re-threading of the new ball valves is mandatory if you plan on retaining your OEM thru-hulls. Here's a pic of the BSPP taps I purchased to do the job ($300), and are available to rent to fellow Wauquiez Group members for the price of a half rack of beer.

Now, it's time to get to work...

Redux
First things first: remove the hot water and fuel tank to access the cockpit scupper valves. Since I've done this once before, it went a little faster this time.....deja_freaking_vu.

Hose Removal
Odds are, your hoses are also old and in need of replacement. If so, don't dick around by trying to remove them from the old valve, just cut them off. This will save you oodles of time.

Hose Removal 2.0
The close proximity of the cockpit scuppers to the bulkheads did not allow for the hacksaw trick, so I had to employ the services of my Dremel tool.

Valve Removal
With the hoses cut, I commenced removal of the cockpit scupper valves with my BFPW (big ******* pipe wrench). Again, this would be NEAR impossible without the fuel tank removed.

Valve Removed


Head Valve Removal
The valves under the sink in the head are equally as difficult to remove. My approach, was to first cut the hose barbs off flush to the valve with an oscillating tool, which would then allow for the use of a BFS (big ******* socket).

Head Valve Removal 2.0
BFS in action.

Cleaning-up The Thru-hulls
Here I'm using my Rotozip outfitted with a small wire wheel to clean the threads on the thru-hulls.


Thru-Hull Test
The thru-hulls in our Pretoriens are glassed into the hull, and manufactured from schedule 80 red brass (bronze) pipe, making them twice as thick as your standard threaded, mushroom head thru-hull. However, they are still 25 years-old, and being bronze, subject to a syndrome called dezincification, making the metal porous and brittle. A layman's test for dezincification is to check the metal's malleability. Here is one of the samples I have cut off a thru-hull, awaiting my hammer.

Thru-Hull Test 2.0
I'm no metallurgist, but I'm satisfied the thru-hulls are still sound.

Nuclear Clamp
For new hose clamps, I opted for the nuclear t-bolt style. No stripping here.

Vew Cockpit Valve
Here's a pic of a new cockpit scupper valve installed. You may have also noted my new engine compartment paint job -part of my repower project.

Cockpit Scupper Valves Complete


Head Valves Complete
Note the abandoned (capped-off) thru-hull for pumping overboard.

Galley Valve


Bonus Picture
Part of this whole ball valve refit also included the installation of a new transducer for my upgraded navigation instrumentation. Here you can see the almost 1" thick lay-up of our Pretorien hulls.

Before
Well, I figured the "Cockpit Teak Replacement" wouldn't really be complete without doing something about this.

Again folks, I love teak, I really do, I'm just BURNT OUT on maintaining it on the exterior of a boat....sorry purists, I'm tappin' out.

"MarinaBoard"
Here's the MarinaBoard I ordered for this project. It's a knockoff version of the King Starboard product, and is also available in an anti-skid, which (in confession) is what I used on the coamings. I buy this stuff online from a company called The Cutting Board Factory. What I like about this outfit is that they will cut and sell you only what you need for your project, rather than requiring you to buy a whole sheet. Talk to Joe, he'll take care of all your needs and he's a super nice guy.

I have opted to use 1" thick MarinaBoard for the athwartship hatch board guides, 3/8" thick for the small adjacent fascia trim, and 3/4" thick for the hatch boards themselves.

Templating
The first step in this project is to template the fixed hatch board guides down at the boat. Here you see the template traced upon some particle board sheet which will be used as both a final check of the shape and a router template.

Router Templates
Wood router templates cut to size. The next step is double check the shape down at the boat.

Stay tuned...

Transfering The Templates To The MarinaBoard
My wood templates fit pretty well. Time to start making some plastic dust.

Rough Cutting Plastic
Once again, be sure to cut about 1/8" larger than your wood template.

Roughed-out Plastic
Here the shape is ready to be flush trimmed to the template. Note that I have left the "hand grip" area intact. This allows me to attach (screw) additional templates to the part for future routing processes.

Routing Hatch Board Track
The part has been flush trimmed. Next, and as mentioned in the previous frame, here I have affixed a straight edge template to the part to facilitate routing of the hatch board track.

Routing Hatch Board Track 2.0
Here you can see the attached straight edge template, which allows for non-parallel routing of the part.

Hatch Board Track Routing Complete


Adjacent Fascia Board
The original teak hatch board guides have an attached 'fascia' trim which is dado'd and glued. This type of simple dado connection isn't an option given the difficulty in bonding HDPE plastic products, so I decided a 'dovetail' joint connection would be the best way to go.

Here you can see the dovetail bit to be used, and the straight edge template attached again for routing.

Dovetail Joint Complete


Testing Fascia Board Fit
All that's left to do is cut out the hand grip area, route a quarter-round to a few of the edges, and permanently attach the fascia trim with a little HDPE glue (Loctite 3030).

LED Courtesy Light
When entering the boat at night, how many times did you wish those first few steps down the companionway were lit up just a little bit?

I'm solving that problem with some LED courtesy lights I picked up online for about $14 each.

LED Courtesy Light 2.0
Courtesy light and rocker switch installed.

LED Courtesy Light 3.0
View of back side. Access holes in the boat will need to be drilled for routing of the wire feeds.

Completed Guides


Completed Hatchboard
Here you can see a completed hatchboard with its 'rabbeted'  interlocking edge work. I also added a small chamfer to the hatchboard's leading edges to give them that "plank" look when battened-up.

Hatchboards
Here all three hatchboards are interlocked so that they can be marked for final trim.

New Lock


"Finger Grabs"
HDPE marine plastics (MarinaBoard, StarBoard, etc.) weigh approximately two times that of real wood, and they can be slippery. Here I have incorporated a "finger grab" on the back (interior) side of each hatchboard to aid in their removal from the track.

This completes the fabrication of the parts. Next, we head down to the boat for a little demolition work...

Hatchboard Guide Demolition
Once again, the process is started by drilling out the bungs and removing those PITA slot head screws.

Hatchboard Guide Demolition 2.0
After all the screws were removed, I carefully moved my way around the teak with the pry bar.

Hatchboard Guide Demolition 3.0
It took a little coercing, but the teak finally yielded. To my surprise, it was adhered/sealed with silicone rather then 5200.

After removal and clean up of the old adhesive and some simple wiring, the new MarinaBoard parts were ready for install.

After

Before
My plan is to replace both the bench tops and floor grate teak with a composite teak decking material from TimberTech. The coamings will be replaced with King's StarBoard AS (anti skid).

Teak Removal
The teak bench top slats are secured with both screws and a healthy dose of 5200. Although the teak was fastened with wood screws from the underneath side, the screw heads are buried in a 1/4" thick layer of FRP - post attachment??? This of course makes the screws impossible to remove, so a lot of force is required to  break the teak free.

Teak Removal 2.0
Teak removed and ready for clean-up.

Screw Removal
Cutting off the protruding screws using an abrasive blade in my RotoZip.

Adhesive Removal
Removing the old 5200. A razor sharp chisel worked best for this.

Gelcoat Rescue
Once again, and every chance I get when things are stripped down, I attempt to rescue the 25 year-old gelcoat. Here I'm wet sanding with 1000 grit wet-or-dry sandpaper.

Gelcoat Rescue 2.0
Mr. Buffet back at it again.

Aft Lazarette
Aft lazarette ready for the composite teak.

Faux Teak
TimberTech's Earthwood line of Tropical Teak. From five feet away it's hard to distinguish the difference. This 9/16" thick x 12" wide plank of the stuff is their accessory fascia board. I'm about to rip it into the widths required.

Applying Corner Radius
After the parts are all cut to size, I rout a 1/4" corner radius to all the top edges.

Applying Corner Radius 2.0
A completed part.

Completed Parts
Parts cut, routed, and ready to install.

Drilling Mountong holes
Here I'm drilling the new mounting holes for the screws, being carefull to shy away from the old buried ones.

Attaching The Slats
Positioning the slats for proper spacing prior to drilling. I've opted to space the new slats with 1/8" gaps rather than the 5/8" OEM  spacing. Figured it might be easier on the ass.

Attaching The Slats 2.0
Once a slat has been clamped into position, it is 'marked' from the back side with the drill.

Attaching The Slats 3.0
Drilling the pilot holes where they were previously marked. Note the drill stop on the bit as to not drill all the way through the face.

Attaching The Slats 4.0
Here I have applied a small amount of Loctite 3030 adhesive around the hole. If you fill the hole with adhesive (which is what most of us like to do), you will cause a 'hydraulic lock' in front of the screw when fastening, and dimple the face (found this out the hard way).

Attaching The Slats 5.0
Fastening the slats with stainless steel truss head screws. Length is critical, one inch long screws worked for me.

Aft Lazarette
Completed aft lazarette. Although not the real (teak) McCoy, the stuff looks pretty damn nice if I don't say so myself, and - DAMN NEAR MAINTENANCE FREE!!!......sorry Purists.

Hinge
When I powder coated the deadlight frames, I also had (amongst other items) the lazarette hinges done.

Time to head down to the boat...


Cockpit Floor Grates
Oops, forgot about this pic.

Cockpit Gelcoat Rescue
Given the fact that I rescued the gelcoat on the laz tops, I figured it would be wise to do the same in the cockpit.

I spent TWO WHOLE DAYS in every nook and cranny, sanding, buffing, buffing, sanding to bring the gelcoat back to life. Let it be KNOWN, - I will most certainly SCUTTLE the boat before I EVER, EVER do that again! I'm talkin' WORK the a capital 'W', and my fingers have been wore raw from the 800 and 1000 grit sandpaper. Never again.

It did turn out nice though.



Attacking the 'Fake' Lazarette
Four out of the five lazarette tops were removable, which allowed me to refurbish them at home, and more importantly, fasten the composite teak from the underside. The fifth one however (the 'fake' laz top) must be done on the boat, and either fastened with screws through the face, or rely on glue only. I decided to put my faith in the Loctite 3030 only

Attacking the 'Fake' Lazarette 2.0
Here I have applied duct tape to hold everything aligned.

Attacking the 'Fake' Lazarette 3.0
Two five gallon pails full of water clamp everything down.

Composite Teak Install Complete
Phase One of this project is complete. Now on to those lovely teak coamings, which I made EVEN MORE beautiful when I removed the masking tape (masked during the gelcoat rescue stage) and pulled-off much of the Cetol finish. Wouldn't of cared so much, but the King StarBoard AS that I'll be using on the coamings is still two weeks out.

Composite Teak Install Complete 2.0
A closer shot showing a cubby with the King Starboard, powder coated hinges, re-polished vent cover.

Templating The Coamings
Here I have utilized small strips of wood, a few finish nails, and some Cyanoacrylate (SuperGlue) glue to fashion simple perimeter patterns of the teak coamings.

Partical Board Routing Pattern
Back at home, I have transferred the stick pattern to a piece of 3/8" thick particle board. After this new particle board pattern is cut, it will serve as both a 'final check' of the coaming shape, and as a routing template.

Particle Board Pattern 2.0
Starboard particle board pattern cut and sanded to shape. Note the large round cut-out down at the far end. This will allow me to slip the pattern over the primary winch so I can double check the shape down at the boat.

Rough-cutting The King Starboard AS Plastic Sheet
Here I am using a jig saw to rough-cut the 1/2" thick plastic sheet to the required shape, being careful to stay at least 1/8" away from the wood pattern.

Rough-cutting The King Starboard AS Plastic Sheet 2.0
Here the plastic sheet is cut and ready to rout to the shape of the wood pattern.

Pattern Cutting Router Bit
A pic of a 'pattern cutting' router bit. It is similar to a 'flush cut' bit, with the difference being that the ball bearing is on the shank end, allowing it to ride along the pattern's edge, duplicating the shape of the pattern. Using this technique produces a uniform, glassy smooth finished edge on King Starboard sheet.

Flush-cut To The Pattern
A pic showing the plastic flush cut to the pattern.

Cut To Shape
A pic showing the coaming routed to shape. The next step is to add a quarter-round radius to the top edge to finish it off.

Quarter-rounded Edge
A close-up pic showing the quarter-rounded edge which is also done with a router.

Adding Adhesion Plates
Attempting to glue King's Starboard (which is a HDPE plastic product) to any substrate at all, is damn near FUTILE. Not even 3M's 5200 could touch this stuff. My research found only two products that purport to specifically bond HDPE plastics, but at the cost of an arm and a leg.....and a left testicle.

Not wanting to lose my manhood or resort to exposed fasteners, my idea was to fasten strategically placed 3" square x 1/16" thick stainless steel plates ("adhesion plates" as I like to call them) to the bottom of the coamings, and glue THEM down to the fiberglass with 5200. I figured the combination of these adhesion plates and existing mounted hardware (winches, cleats, etc.) would do the job. It was a little extra work, but $20 bucks and a smile down at the local sheet metal shop got me the plates I needed.

Routing-out For Adhesion Plates
Here I have fashioned a router template to 'inset' the adhesion plates into the bottom side of the coamings. This will alleviate the additional plate thickness buildup under the coamings.

Note my markings on the back of the coamings to identify existing hardware mounting locations where adhesion plates are unnecessary. I have also identified unsupported areas at the cubby holes and engine control panel.

Fastened Adhesion Plate
A pic showing an adhesion plate fastened to the bottom of the coaming. #10, 3/8" long, stainless steel, undercut, flat head sheet metal screws were used in this process.

After the adhesion plates were attached, it was off to the boat I went.



Starboard Winch Removal
The first step in the replacement of the teak coamings, is to remove any attached hardware (winches, cleats, etc.). The galley hanging locker is your access to the starboard winch fasteners....FUN!

Coaming Screw Removal
Once all of your hardware is removed, the next step was to drill out the bungs in the coamings and remove the OEM screws.

Coaming Screw Removal 2.0
Once again, slot-head screws - stoopid.

Teak Coaming Demolition
OK, here we go...

According to other Wauquiez owners who have performed this refit, the consensus was that this process is nothing short of a PITA. I remember hearing phrases like "...match stick size pieces..." or "...it came off in splinters...," etc.

Well...

Teak Coaming Demolition 2.0
YOU WERE RIGHT!!!

Carnage
What a pain in the ass. Teak toothpicks, anybody?

I have a new, and even GREATER appreciation for 3M 5200. A love/hate relationship, you might say.

Once again, a razor sharp chisel worked best to remove the majority of adhesive.

Clean-up
A DA sander outfitted with 120 grit sandpaper prepared the surface for the new adhesive. After a final wash down with xylene, the new King Starboard coamings were ready to install.

After
Look Mom, no wood! My almost maintainence free cockpit, done at last.

Click the forward arrow above to once again see the "before" picture.

Before
Before pic of the starboard OEM Goiot cheek block. The sheave's I.D. had been worn sloppy.

Blocks Removed
The fasteners had to be drill out to remove the blocks from the boat (serious galvanic corrosion). The next step is to press out the sheave axle.

Removing Sheave Axle
Here I am applying heat to the block housing to aid in removal of the axle.

Removing Sheave Axle 2.0
A couple of strategically sized sockets and a vise are all that's needed to press the axle from the housing.

Removing Sheave Axle 3.0
Cheek Block Disassembled.

After
Refurbished cheek block with powder coated housing and new custom sheave from Zephyrwerks. If you ever need any replacement or custom sheaves, Zephyrwerks is the place to go.

Before
A pic showing the current upholstery scheme. Although the actual cushion covers were in decent shape, the underlying foam had seen better days.......*enter snowball effect*.......and of course, if you're gonna change out all that foam, why not  just upgrade all the upholstery while you're at it?

So we are.

The material Denise and I chose for the actual upholstery (covers) is a pattern of alternating white and navy blue colored stripes. It should brighten up the salon quite a bit, which is what we want.

A Buttload of Cushions
OK, so we decided to replace the foam and upholstery, which means I will need to have patterns, which means I will have to remove those patterns from the boat.

MAN, I did not realize how many cushions were on that boat! This is about a third of them sitting in the cockpit awaiting their haul up to my truck.

A Buttload of Cushions 2.0
More cushions.

Old Foam
Here I've begun stripping the upholstery covers off the old foam. There are 18 cushions total.

After the covers were removed, the foam was measured, numbered, and cataloged for location. Simple fabrication drawings were then made which allowed for easy quotation of the project via email, etc.

New Foam
A similar pic showing the new cushions.

Old Cushion at Dinette
Here's a pic of one of the old cushions at the dinette. They served the boat well for over 25 years, they deserve to retire.

New Dinette Cushion
And here's a pic of its replacement. Note the arrow (in red) to indicate the direction of the striped pattern of the new upholstery. 

Upholstery Batting
Just like the originals, the foam needed to be faced with batting at the 'high traffic' areas.

Gluing on batting
This pic shows the batting glued onto the foam and trimmed. I used 3M's Spray 77 (per my foam guy) for this process.

Fabric Sample
Here's a pic of the new upholstery fabric we will be using for the covers.

Stay tuned....

After
I figured it was about time to update this album, so here's a couple newer pics after the wife's decorating touch.

After 2.0

The Old OEM Holding "Bag"
Holding tank bladder located under v-berth.

Manual Pump-out
A pic showing the manual pump-out and menagerie of lines that will need to be rerouted with the new tank.

Vacuum Pump-out Outlet
Vacuum pump-out outlet located underneath the v-berth cushion. This will be relocated on deck.

Looking Forward
Proposed location for new poly tank.

Mock-up Time
I was hoping to skip this process as I was planning on using a Kracor tank (Mold #5159) which is known to fit nicely in the P35 v-berth location. The Kracor tank however is over $200 MORE than a similar Ronco version, which I will mock-up here using Coroplast sheet (corrugated sign plastic). I have determined (on paper) that the Ronco #B115 is a possible candidate....we'll find out.

Parts Cut
Using Ronco's specifications for the tank, the Coroplast parts have been cut and are ready to be taped together.

Mocked-up Ronco #B115 Tank
Here the parts have been taped together.....duct tape - 10,000 uses!

Off to the boat I go.



Holding Tank Mock-up 1.0
A pic showing the mock-up tank placed into position under the forward v-berth.

Holding Tank Mock-up 2.0
Although not a perfect fit, in conforms nicely to the hull, about mid v-berth. It'll work, time to place the order.

The Real McCoy
#B115 Ronco tank and fittings.

Although you can purchase the tank directly from Ronco, it was about $50 cheaper from Tank-Depot.com. You must also purchase what they call a "Fitting Relocation Kit."

Tank Level Monitor
Along with the tank, I also ordered a fluid monitoring system from FerrielSales.com. A reliable, outside-the-tank no thrills system for $105.

Fittings Installed
A pic showing the fittings installed.

Holding Tank Floor Template
The tank will be supported by its own floor/cradle spanning atwarthship. My plan is to make it from 3/4" thick plywood.

Holding Tank Cradle
The wood cradle which will support the holding tank. It will be secured to the boat using a "clamping" type mounting system. I finished it off with two coats of spar varnish.

Cradle With Straps
When at capacity, the tank will weigh approximately 210 lbs. As a student of John Vigor's book "The Seaworthy Offshore Sailboat," he has truly convinced me to always "think inverted" when it comes to outfitting your sailboat. Here I have added 2" nylon straps to hold the tank in its cradle.

Tank In Cradle
The tank mounted in its cradle. Off to the boat I go.



Tank Cradle Installed
Here you can see the technique I used to secure the tank cradle in position, which is basically clamping the cradle to the stringers. Sturdy and secure, and no fasteners perforating the fiberglass!


It must be noted...

When Denise and I sailed the boat home after purchase last May, one of our first ambitions was to clean the boat from bow to stern, but we put it off and decided to just sail it through the summer and fall instead.

Well, prior to this tank install, and more importantly, prior to the installation of the new upholstery, we literally turned the boat inside out. Removed the cabin sole (all of it), every shelf, storage compartment lid, headliner wire-way panel, we gutted the boat of EVERYTHING that could be unscrewed or wasn't factory installed. I turned the pressure-washer loose in the bilge, scrubbed every inch of that boat with disinfectant detergent, every nook and cranny, and followed it all off with mold remediation. We had gone nuclear.

After five days of solid work, the boat was truly clean.

Tank Installed
Secured and plumbed. All that's left to do is install the level sensor gauge.

Re-routed Pump out and Vent
The new re-routed vacuum pump out and vent in the port v-berth hanging locker.

Re-routed Pump out and Vent 2.0
This pic shows the hoses running through the port v-berth cubby to the hanging locker. Ooops, looks like I forgot to vacuum out some sawdust.

Non-contact Level Sensor
A close-up view of the non-contact level sensors -simplicity at its best.



Sensor Disconnect
Here I've added a disconnect at the sensor in the event I ever need to remove the tank.

Tank Monitor
Tank monitor installed just above the manual pump out.

Holding tank complete!

Before
Here's a 'before' pic. The acrylic was badly crazed as typical, and although the frames were in fair shape (minimal pitting), my plans are to refinish in the same marine powder coat as were the hatches.

Forward most Starboard Deadlight
Removal candidate #1

I figured a smart guy would start the removal process with a small unit first. Unfortunately smart guys were nowhere to be found this particular day, but I figured logic would prevail none the less.

Removing Deadlight Frame Fasteners
OK, here we go.

According to the research, the frames are attached with "barrel nuts" and machine screws. With some help on the inside and me on the outside we tried the conservative screwdriver approach first.

Removing Deadlight Frame Fasteners 2.0
"Conservative"....yeah right.

ONLY TWO of the fasteners were removable via screwdriver on this frame, only about a third of them overall. Time for the nuclear option.

Barrel Nut And Screw
A pic of the combination barrel nut (AKA Sex Bolt) and machine screw used to attach the frames.

Prying Frame Off
Carefully removing the frames.

Frames and Acrylic Removed
A pic showing both the frames and acrylic removed. The next step is to remove all the old sealant from around the opening.

Interim Deadlight
It will take approximately one to two weeks to turn around the newly powder coated frames and for me to cut the new acrylic. In the interim, the openings will have to be sealed from weather, so I stopped by the local boat top shop and acquisitioned some remnant window plastic (the type used in dodgers, etc.) and taped it in place.



Cleaning Deadlight Frames
Cleaning the frames back at home. Although my powder coater will be sandblasting these prior to painting, removal of all the old sealant will make his life easier. A tedious process to say the least.

Cleaning-out Holes
Here, an identical sized drill bit is used to ream the holes of any old sealant.

Frames Packaged
Frames are packaged and ready for the powder coater.

New Cast Acrylic Sheet
A picture of the old deadlight acrylic laid atop the the new sheet. I concluded a piece 48" X 28" will do just right.

Transferring Shapes
A picture showing the old plastic traced onto the new sheet.

Cutting Acrylic
I used my Bosch jig saw with a 18TPI blade for this. Worked great.

Sanding Edges
The edges are 'trued-up' using my belt sander.

Easing Edges
Getting rid of the sharp edges.


Drilling Holes
Here I have clamped the old piece atop the new to transfer drill the holes. Be sure to use a drill bit specifically sharpened for drilling acrylics or polycarbonates or you may crack the plastic.

Break Time
It isn't all work!

Drilled Acrylic
A completed unit.

The Old and New
New deadlight acrylic ready for install.


Mr. Buffit
Meet my friend Mr. Buffit, a Makita model 9227C polisher.

While the frames were removed and sent off to the powder coater, I figured a smart guy would take this opportunity to buff the adjacent gel coat.

Powder Coated Frames
The newly powder coated frames from RMC, done at last.

Frame Fasteners
Although I would have preferred aluminum versions, A (crappy) pic of both the 5/8" long stainless steel barrel nut and machine screw from BoltDepot.com

Fasteners Ready For Paint
My powder coater suggested I paint the fasteners myself as powder coating would 'fill' the drive mechanism. Here I have perforated a box to hold them during the painting process.

Sealant Application
Everything is rounded-up and we're ready to install.

Here I have applied about a 3/16" diameter bead of Dow 795 sealant around the opening. This amount is critical; too little and you'll get an inferior seal. Too much, and it will ooze out into the vision area of your new acrylic.

After
Unfortunately, my camera battery decided to die on me before I had a chance to snap a few more installation pics, but anyway, here's the completed install.

A nice 'clean' look if I don't say so myself.

Teak Grabrail Removal
First things first, remove the OEM teak grabrails. This process shoulda been a 'slam dunk'; hey, drill out some plugs, unscrew the rail, done, right?

Who the **** was I kidding??? NOTHING is ever a 'slam dunk' when it comes to a boat, about a third of the screw heads (slotted) were stripped-out making removal a PITA.

With the old teak rails off, I now had a real life template to build the new stainless steel replacements.

Oval Stainless Steel Handrail
Since the original teak grabrails were oval in cross sectional shape, I wanted to use a tubing that duplicated this. Here is a pic of the oval shaped stainless steel tube I found from Morse Industries here in Seattle, and it comes with a polished finish already on it.

Poor Man's Tube Bender
This is a pic of the tube bending device I made to put a slight radius in the grabrails. Worked like a charm.

Bent Tube
Pic of the tube after bending. The old teak grabrails were used as bend templates for this process.

Drilling For Fasteners
After the tubing was bent and cut to length, the mounting holes were drilled and countersunk. The old teak grabrails were used as templates for the hole layout process.

Endcaps
Because the tubing is hollow, it will require endcaps to be welded on at each end. This pic shows the oval shape transfered to a piece of flat sheet stainless prior to cutting.

Fabricating Endcaps
Here I'm cutting out the endcap using an abrasive cut-off wheel.

Endcap
The endcap is shaped to size on my belt sander.

Welded Endcap
A picture showing the welded endcap prior to clean up.

Finished Endcap
Here the endcap has been ground and polished. After a little touch-up polishing to the rest of the tubing, the grabrails are ready to be installed.

New Grabrail Installed
Pic of the newly installed, almost maintenance free stainless steel grabrails.

Installed Grabrail [2]
Although the original teak rails had semi-hidden plugged fastenings, the use of phillips oval head screws here didn't look too bad.

Starboard Locker
This exercise would involve spending a lot of time crouched on the canted basement floor of the starboard locker (primary access to fuel tank, hot water heater, saildrive, rear of engine). Given this, the first order of the day would be to apply some 3M nonskid tape down there for traction control.

View Through Access Cover
My nemesis, the leaky fuel cell.

Old Hot Water Heater
In order to remove the fuel tank, the hot water heater had to be removed, and although the unit was still working (OK), I thought it would be a good opportunity to retire the 25 year-old rusty beast.

Indel Marine's Isotemp Water Heater
After researching the many different brands of so-called 'marine' tank type water heaters, there is only ONE that stands alone -Isotemp. Yes, you will pay about 30% more for one, but unlike its competitors, damn near everything on it/in it, is stainless steel.

Fuel Tank Ready For Repair
As it turned out, one of the butt-welded corners on the stainless steel tank had developed a hairline crack. The crack was ground out, rewelded, and pressure tested for leaks.

Area of Repair
I guess I still 'have it' -welding ability that is. Repair performed using my Lincoln Squarewave 175 TIG machine.

Reinstalled Fuel Tank
Reinstalled fuel tank complete with all new valves, hoses, and clamps. Oh, and while I had all that nice open space in there, I also replaced the bilge discharge lines (and any other line or hose I came across).

New Water Heater Installed
New water heater complete with all new plumbing.

Forward Hatch
A picture of one of the large hatches prior to refurbishment. The aluminum anodizing was pitted, some of the hardware was wore out, the gaskets tired, and of course, the acrylic had become opaque with crazing. Time to bring these top of the line, world class Goiot hatches back to life.

One of two large Hatches
This view shows the acrylic removed and ready for disassembly.

Hatch over Head
Goiot, they are renown for their quality, and looking at their 'all cast' construction, I understand why.

Portlight At Aft Quarter Berth
Because of how this particular portlight is installed, it was the problem child of the whole project with regards to removal. For those of you who know me personally, this was the unit that instigated the 22 stitches in my left hand.

Refurbished Forward Hatch
And here they are, better looking than new. Complete with:
- New powder coated marine finish from RMC.
- All new Goiot hardware from MariSafe.
- New tinted tempered safety glass.
- New 316 SS alloy fasteners.

Refurbished Forward Hatch [2]
A view of the new Goiot hardware.

Original Dome Light
A picture of just one of the ten OEM dome lights I replaced.

New LED Dome Light
Here's the same shot of a new LED replacement. These units come from a trucking supply outfit called PartsSytems.com., and run about $35.00/ea. (a far cry from their $80.00 marine counterparts). The units are also sealed from moisture, making them an even better deal. These units however do not come with a toggle switch as the old one's had, but it was easy to add the $2.00 switch from the electronics store.

Aqua Signal Series 41 and 25 Navigation Lights
Many of us would like to upgrade our old-school incandescent navigation lights to modern energy saving LED fixtures. But the cost of these new LED units can exceed $200, and this has many of us running for the freaking door.

If you're already using Aqua Signal's Series 25 or 41 incandescent nav lights, you can now have your cake and eat it too.

My solution was to modify the cheaper incandescent fixtures (which I already had) to accept the newer LED bulbs. The  modifications are necessary due to the fact that Aqua Signal uses semi proprietary bulb styles in their incandescent fixtures (imagine that). This pictorial will demonstrate how to modify the Aqua Signal Series 25 and 41 incandescent navigation lights to accept standard style bulbs, or in this case LED bulbs, at a fraction of the cost of a new LED fixture.

Series 25 LED Modification
I'll start with the smaller Series 25 first, as it is the easier of the two to modify. This modification will work on ANY Aqua Signal Series 25 incandescent fixture. Although I am demonstrating this mod with my Series 25 Bi-color bow light, I have performed this same mod on my Series 25 masthead/foredeck light.

With the lens off, the construction of the Series 25 is simple; two tongs holding a bulb. Here you can see how Aqua Signal has opted to use a proprietary flat 'dimpled end' festoon style bulb, rather than the typical conical end, as is standard in the bulb industry. Smart marketing when you think about it, but I'll fix that.

Aqua Signal's OEM Bulb
A close-up pic of the somewhat proprietary Aqua Signal OEM dimpled-end incandescent bulb.

LED Replacement Bulb
A close-up pic of SuperBrite's LED festoon replacement bulb with the typical conical ends (part #4410-CHWP12). At last check, it was selling for around $12, a far cry from Dr. LED's marketed Series 25 direct replacement bulb (no mod required) for $45.

Drilling The Tongs
Obviously, the OEM dimpled tongs will not hold a conical-end festoon bulb. So to facilitate this, the stupidly simple remedy here is to drill a 3/16" hole in the tongs where the dimples were - modification complete!

Drilling The Tongs 2.0
Your drill job should look like this.


Conical-end Festoon Bulb Installed
Too damn easy. We're done with this one.

Series 41 LED Modification
The mod on the Series 41 is a lot more tricky. This is due to the fact that Aqua Signal once again uses a semi proprietary bulb. Although the Aqua Signal bulb appears to have a standard 15D bayonet base, the negative (-) contact for their bulb is located on the bottom of the base, right next to the positive (+) contact. Most 15D bayonet base bulbs use the base casing itself as the negative (-) contact point, as will our new LED replacement bulb.

So, we need to modify one of the tongs to contact the bulb casing. After a 'test run' with the LED bulb installed and fired-up, it was determined that the left tong is the necessary candidate. Due to the configuration of the bulb socket, this mod requires bending the tong downward, and carefully trimming it off so it can contact the exposed, very bottom edge of the bulb casing. The dotted line on the tong indicates the approximate trim location. Trimming this tong is CRITICAL; too long, and the tong will ride atop the non-conductive portion of the bulb. To short, and the tong won't contact the bulb base casing at all. Take your time. Trim the tong back in small increments using tin snips, while you also bend it downward.

Modified Contact Tong
This is how the tong should look after modification. Note how the modified tong contacts the very bottom edge of the bulb base. This is your negative (-) side of the electrical connection.

LED Replacement Bulb
Pic of SuperBright's LED replacement bulb (part #1157-W18-T). SuperBright sells this bulb for $18. Dr. LED's direct LED Series 41 replacement is $42, with no modification to your fixture required. If you're feeling a little shaky on this particular mod, for you the Dr. LED bulb may be the way to go. Heck, even using the Dr. LED bulb is a less expensive route than a new, $250 LED fixture.

LED Bulb Installed and Fired-up
Series 41 LED mod complete!

New Polished Stainless Steel Cowl Vents
I replaced the plastic cowl vents with these polished stainless steel versions manufactured by ABI (no longer in business). I stumbled across them at a place called GreenBoatStuff.com at an unbelievable discount. If you've ever priced these things out you'd think they were made of gold for what they ordinarily cost. Had I not got them on sale, the plastic vents woulda stayed. Dresses up the deck rather nicely I think.

Radar Mast
Unfortunately I never snapped any pics of the fab process on this one, but it's pretty much nothing more than a 7 ft. long tube with a plate welded on the end -simple.

Radar Mast Mount
A pic showing the lower portion of the mast and how it's mounted.