Project Creep; an insight

Captain Pauley has an interesting example of "Project Creep" that we are sometimes faced with, with work on our own boats.
Hop on over to his blog site to read his blog, and come away with a smile; yeah, I've been there.
He starts out by giving us a definition
"Project creep is when you start out to build a Mini-Cooper and end up with a bus. It’s endemic in a boat restoration project and Daydream is no exception. If you remember back to the first Project Daydream article, my daughter and I were going to restore Daydream on a budget and to a time frame. We’ve resisted project creep as best we could, but it’s time for me to admit a certain amount of defeat on that subject."

Handmade Handrails

Capt'n Pauley's Vitual Boat Yard has replaced his mahogany handrails with a less maintenance material, polymer lumber. He says.. "Polymer Lumber is strong, doesn't absorb water, can be worked with regular woodworking tools, and doesn't require finishing."
Hop on over to his web site to read about why he made the hand rails from this material, and how he constructed them.
I think this material he uses is the same as starboard, on which he wrote a post about here. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong.

Solar Vent Installation

Over at Captn Pauley's, he has just installed some vents and has some excellent information regarding vents. Take a read and pop over for more info.
Here is his installation.

The vent installation is quick and easy. My daughter and I installed one vent in less than an hour.

The first step is to cut the hole needed to mount the vent. The nominal three-inch vents I purchased called for a 3-3/4 inch diameter mounting hole. This hole can be made by using a hole saw or with a saber saw. Hole saws these diameters are not stocked in your local home improvement store. I purchased mine on line from Jamestown Distributors (www.jamestowndistributors.com), one of my favorite on-line tool suppliers.

I made an “X” of masking tape in the approximate center of the mounting area and then measured the center exactly, marking it on the masking tape.

If you use a saber saw to cut the hole, mark the diameter with a compass and then drill a clearance hole in the center to start the saber saw cut. Cut slowly and keep to the line as accurately as possible.

Using the hole saw, I first removed the outside hole cutter and drilled a pilot hole. After re-installing the hole cutter, I centered the hole saw in the pilot hole and proceeded to cut the finished hole. I was careful to keep the hole saw level with the surface of the hatch and cutting evenly.

The next step is to take the vent apart to access the base and mounting holes. The top cover, including the solar cells, motor and battery, are removed by taking out three screws. These screws have small O-rings around the heads; don’t loose these as they seal the seals and motor.

Removing the top cover leaves the vent base and its three mounting holes. I placed the vent base, centered in the opening, and drilled the three mounting holes through the hatch. I used 10-24 stainless steel machine screws through the base with nylock nuts on the bottom side.

Here is a hint, after you drill the first hole, place a screw in it. Then drill the second hole and place a screw in that hole. That keeps all the holes in alignment.

With the mounting holes in the hatch drilled, I turned the vent base upside down and applied a thick bead of sealant around the mounting spigot and the mounting holes. My sealant of choice in this application is BoatLIFE LifeCaulk. After poking the three 10-24 screws through the holes, I placed a neoprene rubber washer on each of the screws.

These rubber washers are key to getting a god seal around the base of the vent. They allow the vent mounting screws to be tightened but prevent squeezing out all the sealant. A thick sealant line is necessary for a long lasting installation as it accommodates the different rates of expansion and contraction between the hatch and vent.

Once the vent base was properly mounted, all I had to do to complete the installation was to fasten the top cover back in place, making sure the O-rings around the mounting screws were still in place.

All told, installing a solar vent like this took about an hour start to finish. I got them both installed just in time for our current heat wave. Both fans are busy moving air through the cabin around the clock.

Starboard as an Alternative to Wood

Over at Capt'n Pauley's Boat Yard, he's written about the advantages of using starboard. here's what he had to say.....

Are you tired of refinishing the wood aboard your boat? Has a wooden part aboard your boat rotted and needs replacement. Do you want durable and easy to clean surfaces aboard your boat? Something you can just wash down with a hose and not worry about drying?
 
Well, if your answer to any of the above questions is YES, you may want to hear more about a material called StarBoard (R). Starboard is a sheet polymer material especially compounded for use aboard boats. It has several features to eliminate the problems mentioned above. It’s waterproof; the same color all the way through and doesn’t deteriorate in the presence of UV rays.

King Plastic Corporation, of Northport, Florida, manufactures StarBoard (R). The material comes in a wide range of type, sizes and colors. Most boating supply stores either carry it or can order it for you. Some plywood dealers and lumberyards that deal with the marine trade also carry it. I’ll discuss the kinds of StarBoard (R) available, the sizes and colors, and then talk about some of the techniques you can use to work with Starboard(R).

Kinds of StarBoard (R) Available
If you have looked at this material in a boating store, you probably have seen only one, or at most, two types of the sheet polymer. In fact, King manufactures four different types at last count.

StarBoard (R)
This is the original material first offered to boaters. It is available in sizes ranging from 12” x 27” up to 24” x 27” at most boating stores. You can special order additional sizes up to a maximum of 54” x 96”. Thicknesses range from 1/4”, 1/2”, 3/4”, 1” and 1-1/2” (this size only available in 48” x 96” sheets).

There are a limited number of colors available, namely sanshade (sand tone), light gray, seafoam, dolphin gray, white and black.

StarBoard (R) XL
StarBoard (R) XL is a cellular form of StarBoard (R). Being cellular in form it is about 33% lighter than regular StarBoard (R). StarBoard (R) XL is usually only available in full sheets which, for this material, is 60” x 90”. XL is available in 1/4”, 3/8”, 1/2” and 3/4” thicknesses.

Starlite (R) XL
Starlite (R) XL is a material specifically designed to replace the plywood backing typically used in cushions. The material is lightweight and easy to staple to. The material holds staples very well and can be easily formed into curves for curved cushions. Full 60” x 90” sheets are available in 1/3”, 3/8”, 1/2” and 3/4” thicknesses.

StarBoard (R) AS
AS is designed for use on decks and ladder rungs. The surface has a special dimpled anti-skid surface. Standard sheet size is 54” x 96” and available thicknesses are 1/2”, 3/4” and 1”

Material Properties
As noted before, StarBoard(R) is a homogenous sheet of polymer material. As such, it doesn’t rot, delaminate or swell when subjected to rain, spray or saltwater. The polymer is treated with stabilizers to protect it from UV damage and it will retain its color indefinitely. Cleaning is simple with a scrub brush or ScotchBrite pad and scouring powder. For tougher stains use bleach and water.

StarBoard(R) is made from FDA and USDA approved materials. This means its fine for things like cutting boards, galley countertops or fish scaling tables.

One characteristic to be aware of is that StarBoard(R) is not a structural material. That is, you will need to reinforce or support large flat areas of the material. You could use wood cleats underneath, but why introduce the thing you are trying to replace – the wood? When I need to reinforce a piece of StarBoard(R), I use a piece of extruded aluminum, angle or tubing, or a narrow piece of StarBoard(R) set on edge.

Using StarBoard (R)
One of the greatest advantages of StarBoard(R) is the ease of fabrication. Common woodworking tools can be used. Table saws, routers, saber saws and drills are all acceptable tools. Use carbide toothed tools for finer finishes. Table saw blades should have 50 to 75 carbide teeth for the best edge.

Routers also work very well on StarBoard(R). Use two or four flute carbide bits to allow chips to clear the cutting surface. Specially shaped router bits can be used to produce a decorative edge cut a rabbet or route a piece to a specific pattern. A technique I often use is to clamp a straight edge along the cut line. A router bit with a ball bearing follower on the end then follows the straight edge giving a smooth, straight edge. I find it quicker and easier to rough-cut the piece to size and then use this technique to finish the cut instead of setting up the table saw.

Most normal adhesives do not stick to StarBoard(R). There is an adhesive available, but it is extremely expensive and requires a special applicator. Plan on joining your StarBoard(R) projects together with stainless steel fasteners. Self-tapping screws hold very well in StarBoard(R).

Make it or buy it
If you choose not to make your own StarBoard (R) project, all is not lost. A wide range of fittings and accessories are available in StarBoard (R). In fact, almost any accessory available in teak is also available in StarBoard (R). Check the hardware and accessory isle at your local boating store.

Now for some examples of projects I have done in StarBoard (R):

I needed a convenient place to store spare lines on one of my boats. I attached a StarBoard(R) grab rail to the underside of the cockpit locker. The lines are hooked to the grab rail with short Velcro straps. With the lid closed, they lines hang down in the locker. With the lid raised, the lines lay back against the lid, allowing access to the locker contents.

I used StarBoard(R) for a propane locker aboard my daughter’s boat. There was no convenient place to install a commercially available locker, plus the lockers were expensive. So I built one of 1/2” thick StarBoard(R). I used 1” aluminum angles in the corners and bolted it together with stainless steel flat head machine screws and lock nuts. 3M5200 was applied to the aluminum angles before bolting in place, providing a gas-tight locker. A lid with rounded corners and teak fiddles looked great and provided a flat space at a useful height.

I have open cockpit recesses for things like winch handles and such. These openings have teak frames that I will soon be replacing with StarBoard(R). The mount for my electric bilge pump is made from StarBoard(R). It doesn’t mind being in bilge water at times.

These are but a few of the possibilities for using StarBoard(R) on or in your boat. As always, use the Internet to find more information and other uses. Visit the King Plastics site at www.kingStarBoard.com for full specs, suppliers and articles covering other StarBoard(R) projects.

Backing up a Chain Plate

Capt'n Pauley's Virtual Board Yard has shown us how he backed up his chain plate. This is in a similar vein to the backing up I did on Solace for my forstay installation. In my case the forstay padeye had no support at the deck and so I installed a small bulkhead in the chain locker and put two stays from the padeye down to the bulkhead. You can read about that here. For Capt'n Pauley's article, read on.....

The aft chain plates on my Columbia 10.7 had a problem; the tabbing on the hanging locker had broken, allowing the shroud to poll up the chain plate and crack the deck. That allowed water to leak into the deck core, weakening it.

Before I could re-core the deck, I had to off-load the chain plate and hanging locker. I accomplished this by yying the bottom of the chain plate ( a stock Schaefer part) to the lower srtinger by means of a cable and turnbuckle. The following photos show how I did it.
I used a 24" length of 1-1.2" x 1-1/2" sainless steel angle underneath the stringer. The forged eye bolt passed through this angle. I also filled in either side of the eyebolt with wooden filler blocks, then laminated 6 layers of fiberglass cloth and epoxy. The fiberglass strips went down the hull, scross the top of the stringer and then down the wood blocks and hull underneath the stringer.

A view from above the stringer.

The new chain plate in place. This chain plate extends below the locker to connect to the cable stay.

A view from below the locker showing the cable connected to the new chain plate.

A view showing the cable stay connected to the eyebolt and chain plate.

The finished installation. A very minor cut will need to be made to the edge of the berth cushion.

Installing a Panelized Overhead in Your Cabin

Capt'n Pauley's Virtual boat yard has this very interesting project panalizing the overhead in the cabin. Here's how he did it...........
The headliners in many older boats are on their last legs, dirty, off-white and sagging in places and are a prime candidate for replacement. I decided to replace mine with one with removable access panels. A prime advantage is that it allowed me access to the fasteners holding on the deck-mounted equipment.

 

Concept

The idea behind a panelized overhead is to divide the overhead area into manageable panels. These panels are then individually and easily removed to access any fittings or fasteners located on the overhead or to add new hardware to the deck above.

My method would be to bond a series of flat plywood panels to the overhead. Teak trim strips would define the shape of the removable panels that would be held in place with Velcro.

I used 1/2” MDO plywood for the fixed panels. MDO plywood is “Medium Density Overlay” plywood and has a phenolic paper layer bonded to one or both sides. Exterior glue is used and the core has no noticeable voids. Better than marine plywood in many respects and far cheaper. The phenolic paper surface is also extremely smooth and ready for paint or epoxy.

Prep work

My first step in the process was to remove the existing headliner. While I was working on the overhead, I also replaced the side cabin paneling with new ash plywood, installed an additional storage locker over the galley sink and added additional posts, from the side of the galley and the nav station to the overhead.

Design

The first step was to make a scale drawing of the area to be panelized, including all existing hardware, openings or other items that would affect the layout. I experimented with different layouts until I had one that looked good, allowed access to all the pertinent features and avoided all the encumbrances on the overhead.

The next step was to transfer the design to the overhead of the cabin. I established a centerline, using the center of the companionway opening and the mast surround, with a string. Working from this centerline, I cut out the individual sections from sheets of 3/16” artist’s foam board, held in place with tape or spring loaded shower rods and with the locations of all the teak trim strips.

Fabrication

I rough cut the panels to shape using my saber saw. Trimming to the finished edge line was easy. I have a workbench with a piece of aluminum screwed to the edge. I line the cut line up with the aluminum and clamp the plywood in place with a couple of quick release clamps. A router bit with a ball bearing on the end rides on the aluminum edge, trimming the panel to shape quickly and accurately.

I marked the location of the teak trim strips on the face of the panels and cut the center of the panels out, leaving a 2” rim or frame around the edge to allow access to the overhead equipment and fasteners. The cutouts also lightened the panels considerably.

I used a round-over bit in my router to ease the inside edges of the panel openings.  To save some time and overhead work, I painted the panels at this time. I left the rear or upper side of the panels uncoated for the epoxy that would hold the panels in place.

NOTE: I usually give plywood a coat or two of epoxy for protection. I only did one panel this way and found that I couldn’t drive the staples for the Velcro into it!

Panel Installation

The entire overhead was washed down and then wiped with acetone. The areas where the panels were to be bonded in place were lightly sanded with 80-grit sandpaper.

The center panels were installed first and lined up with the centerline established earlier. The cabin top on my boat is cored, which allowed me to fasten the panels in place with stainless steel self-tapping screws.

Once the panels were all in place and adjusted to give a smooth, level surface, I removed them one at a time. As a panel was removed, I gave the back or upper side a coat of epoxy, which soaked into the bare plywood. I then applied a generous amount of epoxy/filler, mixed to peanut-butter consistency, to the epoxy coated plywood and the panel was screwed back in place.

Once all the panels were bonded and screwed in place, I gave the entire overhead a light sanding with 80-grit sandpaper, then primed and painted any bare areas.

Trim Installation

Most of the teak strips were standard 1-3/16” teak battens. I decided to install 1” x 3” mahogany trim strips above the inside handrails. This spaced them out so they were integrated into the overall panel design. Longer fasteners would be used to re-bolt the handrails in place. Since these handrail trim strips were to be bolted in place and were substantial pieces of lumber, I added eyebolt anchors for future lee cloths. The mahogany was stained with Minwax Special Walnut to match the existing teak décor.

Starting from the center, the teak trim was cut to size and screwed in place using #6-3/4” flathead self-tapping screws. You could countersink sink and bung them if you like but I have an aversion to bungs. Once the strips were all in place, I removed them and gave them all six coats of Interlux #60 Rubbed-Effect varnish before reinstalling them.

Removable Panels

I again made patterns for the removable panels from artist’s foam board, recycling the foam patterns from the MDO panels. The patterns were cut to allow a 1/16” gap around all the edges to allow for the thickness of the vinyl material. I cut the panels from 1/4” exterior luan plywood, with the edges sanded to a slightly rounded shape and marked which side faced the vinyl covering.

I covered the panels with a white marine upholstery vinyl I bought at a surplus fabric store. The fabric was placed on a table with the good side down. The panel was placed on top of the vinyl, making sure the proper side is down against the vinyl and cut the vinyl around the panel allowing about 2” around each side. I used an Exacto knife with a #11 blade for all my vinyl cutting and trimming.

Starting from the center of one side, I folded the fabric over and stapled it in place, using 1/4” Monel staples. I then moved to the opposite side and stapled that center in place. Working from the center out, I stapled the vinyl in place, stretching it as tight as I could.

The corners were then trimmed and stapled in place. It would be a good idea to make a couple of small sample panels and practice your stapling and trimming on them before the real thing. Develop your skill with the corners as these take the most time.

Final Assembly

All the removable panels are held in place with adhesive-backed 3/4” wide Velcro.
Velcro has a hook side and a loop side. I decided that all the hook tape would go on MDO panels and the loops on the removable panels. This was just to make sure I kept everything sorted out right. The adhesive couldn’t be depended upon to hold the Velcro in place indefinitely, so I also stapled the Velcro in place with an electric stapler.

With the Velcro firmly attached, I could then press the panels in place. It’s amazing how tightly the Velcro holds the panels in place. I not only haven’t had any panels come loose, I actually have to pry them off. I found the tool that paint stores sell to open paint cans ideal for this job.

Recap

I know this all sounds like a LOT of work, but it actually went surprisingly fast. Would I do it again? You bet!  I love the way it looks and the easy access it provides to the underside of the cabin overhead. It’s a winner as far as I’m concernened.
 
 

 
 Making foam board patterns for MDO plywood panels
 
MDO panels cut out, painted and ready to install
 
Aligning panels with self-tapping screws
 
MDO panels epoxied and screwed in place.
 
Installing teak trim strips
 
Stapling Velcro on vinyl covered removable panels
 
Velcro stapled on MDO panel
 
Finished panelized overhead