New Sunroom

After building the hardtop for the boat, one of the next items needed was a replacement dodger.  For those that don't own a boat, the dodger is essentially the front windshield for a boat.  It isn't strictly necessary as, unlike a car, you aren't cruising along at speeds fast enough that something flying in from the front isn't likely to cause injury...but anyone that has spent much time at the helm of a boat on a less than perfect day may disagree.  When we completed the hardtop in Virginia it was around Christmas and we were in a hurry to head to warmer locations.  At the time I jury rigged the old dodger so we would have at least minimal protection.

The jury-rigged temporary dodger.

During that cold and rainy trip south, it became very apparent that just a simple dodger up front wasn't really sufficient to protect someone at the helm from bad weather.  The cold rain always seemed to be blowing in from the starboard side and that made manning the helm a miserable experience.  So, back before this virus when I was looking at heading to the Bahamas in February, a better dodger and side protection...at least for the starboard side...was very high on the upgrade list.

Having an enclosure made was not going to be an option as that would be too costly for something just to improve comfort for the upcoming trip (small sailboat enclosures usually cost more than $4000 and I'm sure mine would be much higher due to the size).  A while back we purchased a Sailrite sewing machine and part of the justification of that purchase was to tackle projects like this.  My goal was to create a cost effective and serviceable solution that could be used when needed and taken down most of the time. Just like the hardtop, this would be my first time attempting to create something new for the boat, so higher end materials were less of a concern.  If I really screwed things up, at least I wouldn't feel as bad about it if the materials didn't cost a fortune.

First thing was to come up with a design. At first blush, it seems like a fairly straight forward process...create some fabric and clear vinyl panels that would enclose the front and at least part of the sides of the cockpit.  Of course, the devil is in the details.  I wanted to utilize the existing lower mount for the old dodger and then there was what to do about the sheet winches that are right in the middle of where enclosure panels would normally go.  Ideally, having all the winches inside the enclosure so you can stay dry while adjusting sails would be good, but in the end I could not figure out a way to make that happen.  In the end I came up with a design for a front panel and two smaller side panels that would wrap around behind the winches so that one could at least operate the winches with the panels in place.  I also planned for partial panels along the sides so the helm would be protected.

From there I came up with an estimate of how much clear vinyl and material was needed for the project.  5 yards of vinyl and 4 yards of material looked like it would be enough.  Checking online, I was able to find a supposedly marine grade vinyl for about $85.  Sunbrella, on the other hand was about $25 to $35 per yard.  I decided to check a discount fabric store in nearby Wilmington and found they had a roll of Sunbrella in an off-white color that just about perfectly matched my gel-coat for $17 at yard.  Another $100 worth of zippers, snaps, thread, pattern material, and other sewing notions from Sailrite as well as reusing a few zippers from the old dodger and it looks like I could make an enclosure for around $300.  On that trip from Virginia, I'm sure my wife and I would have gladly paid $300 for the added comfort of a dry helm out of the wind.

Creating the dodger pattern.

After watching and re-watching several of the how-to videos from Sailrite, I began the process of creating patterns for the front dodger. Of course, creating patterns by myself, outside, in the wind was a bit of a challenge. Trying to get the plastic stretched tight and marked before the wind would come along and blow it all down took several tries and in the end was not perfect...but good enough. Creating the dodger in the salon, when the dodger spans the distance across the salon and galley was an interesting task.  I cut the Sunbrella material into the numerous strips I needed using a straight edge and wood burning tool. Fortunately some of the tricks I picked up from the how-to videos as well as judicious use of the Sailrite seam-stick basting tape for canvas helped a great deal with the assembly and sewing tasks.  After a lot of sewing, I had a new dodger that took advantage of the extra viewing area afforded by the new hardtop.

Cutting long strips of Sunbrella

Next came the two small panels that ran behind the winches.  It was a pretty straight forward process to pattern and create those small panels out of the Sunbrella material.  These panels extend past where the existing mounting hardware was, so I had to add snaps to hold the bottom of the panels.  While on the Sailrite site I found that they had a new type of snap called a Snad that utilizes 3M VHB tape so I wouldn't have to drill holes in the hull for conventional snaps. The only downside to the VHB based solution that I've found thus far is that it takes up to 72 hours for the snaps to fully bond to the surface.

Sewing the dodger.

After getting the winch panels done, I realized I actually had enough material to make full side panels for the cockpit instead of the half-width panels that I originally planned to make.  I was having a difficult time determining how to best secure the half panels, so this solved that problem...but created another.  Snaps were less likely to hold such a large panel in place in the wind so I had to come up with another solution to attach the panel to the arch.  While trying to figure out the best way to attach the panels, I went ahead and created the panels.  When I made the hardtop, I included a design element that would hopefully aid in the installation of a full enclosure.  The bottom of the "handrail" edge around the hardtop can be slit at the bottom creating an awning track.  This track would then allow for installation of enclosure panels using a pre-manufactured bolt rope that slides into the slot. The solution for holding the panel to the arch is essentially the same solution.  I took the old awning track that came off of the arch when I installed the hardtop, cut it in half, and attached the segments to the arch.  One more zipper per panel and more of the bolt rope, and viola, the panel is attached.  The boat now has a 3/4 enclosure, with the back left open.

The end result isn't perfect, but it is functional and doesn't look too bad.  The vinyl isn't as optically clear as the expensive stuff (it has minor distortions that I think are due to the manufacturing process) but it is good enough and well worth the trade-off for keeping warm and dry. If I keep up with the maintenance of the vinyl (regular polish and UV protectant...same as is recommended for the much more expensive vinyl products), I have confidence that they will last a long time and will be a nice addition to the boat.

Stick It.

Back when we were last in Palm Coast I got fed up with the coil of LED strip lights that were sitting on the settee table. They were, after all, supposed to be providing the cockpit lighting for the new hardtop.  I figured the adhesive backing that came with the strip would likely not stay put in a marine environment so I tried to come up with various ways to mount the strip on the hardtop so it would stay put.  I looked for options to create some sort of holder, but didn't find anything that would work (the biggest obstacle was the turn radius around the 90 degree corner).  In the end, I gave up and decided to just give the adhesive a try and see what would happen.

The LED's set to blue light the cockpit well.

Well, a number of weeks later, my expectation came to pass and the adhesive failed and the strip fell down. It started with the free end curling up a bit, then a few other spots started coming undone.  I would periodically press them back in place, but the failing areas continued to slowly grow. So I ended up taking it down, coiled it back up and set it aside for later.

Fast forward to last week.  A couple slips down from us here in Baltimore a trawler pulls in and we start talking.  They are here to sell their boat.  One evening I notice they have LED strip lights on the boat so I ask how they affixed them.  As it turns out, he tried a couple different approaches (including using the supplied adhesive...that didn't work) and ended up gluing them up with LifeCaulk (a marine adhesive caulk) and holding it in place with tape until the caulking cured. It seems to work, but sounded like a a real pain in the butt.

But it got me thinking.  So, while my wife works on her plan for the ideal trip south, I figured I might as well see if I can find a better solution. After quite a bit of thought, I stumbled upon a possible solution.  The adhesive tape that came on the back of the strip was essentially double-sided scotch tape, but there are other double sided tapes that are stronger and some are weatherproof. In fact, a couple companies make an adhesive tape designed to attach molding onto cars.  If that stuff can put up with rain, snow, salted roads, car wash brushes, and all the other abuses, it should be able to hold an LED strip on the underside of the hardtop.

3M's molding tape.

I check a few auto parts stores and find the tape.  Unfortunately, the commonly stocked width of the tape is 1/2 inch and the LED strip is not quite that wide (I think it is metric and about a centimeter wide...so no English width will likely fit). The adhesive is applied to a thin foam to make the tape so it should better conform to uneven surfaces. Unfortunately, the foam is gray in color, so might be slightly noticeable, but still better than no cockpit lighting.  I peeled the original tape off of the LED strip and then adhered the new tape to it. I then took a razor knife and trimmed it down to be the same width as the LED strip. I was a little worried about this step, but it worked fine.  I then re-adhered the strip to the top (after cleaning the mounting surface, of course).

The tape seems far more promising. It appears to be adhering far better than the original tape did, I have high hopes this is a permanent solution.  So, if you are looking for a way to adhere one of these strips, you might want to give this stuff a try.

Trying to Keep the Boat Happy

We are getting ready to make our trek back north of Cape Hattaras for hurricane season. The plan is to start the trek this weekend.  Our first stop will be Hilton Head, SC. where we will spend a few days playing tourist.  From there we haven't decided where to go (if you have any suggestions, please feel free to comment, I figure we need a couple more stops).

As we prepare to go, I've been doing some work on the boat in hopes that it will make the boat happy and keep the gods of the seas, electricity, and diesel engines at bay.  These are finally items that aren't high priority, but nice to tick off of the list.

The first was re-rigging the davit system.  When I met another Leopard owner a while back he noted that the davit system on my boat wasn't rigged properly.  The result of this rigging problem was that loads weren't distributed evenly and the davit bar bent a bit when the previous owner used to store the dinghy with the motor attached on the davit. To re-rig it, I needed a new block with a becket and a longer line (the new rigging scheme requires the lines to criss-cross between the mount points on the arch and the davit bar.

A stop at Sailors Exchange and I was able to find 70 foot of the 1/2 inch line for $40.  I also picked up brand new line to replace the main halyard since their price is about half of West Marine's price for the same line and a bit cheaper than I have found elsewhere for New England Ropes stuff. I also found they had the really comfortable bosun's chair like the one I borrowed from a friend back in Brunswick and I couldn't pass it up.  Guess you can't take me into a sailing thrift shop.  Unfortunately they didn't have the block with becket or a stainless U bolt I was looking for, so we picked them up at Marine Supply & Oil Company.

New block and line and the davit is re-rigged.

The actual re-rigging of the davit was pretty easy.  I lowered the davit and removed the line.  I then moved the existing block at the arch to the position opposite of where it was.  The new block with the becket was added where the old block was removed. The new line was then tied around the becket, led down to the davit block, diagonally across to the other arch block, back down to the other davit block, diagonally across to the new block and through the remaining blocks to the winch.  This configuration does seem to allow the bar to self-level better and I believe it also gives me almost double the purchase...and that makes the dinghy easier to crank up on the davit.

The U bolt I mentioned was for a minor repair.  In the rudder system there is a line that acts as the steering stop.  On one side, the U bolt had rusted through and the line was no longer attached.  I've replaced the U bolt and reattached the line so the steering stop is once again working as designed.

I have been trying to figure out a good means of mounting the LED light strips I bought for the hardtop for a while now.  Not coming up with any really good ideas, I finally gave up and decided to see what would happen if I just stuck them up with the supplied adhesive.  The strip is supposed to be weatherproof and the controller is hidden in the wiring chase that is built into the hardtop, so hopefully it will be OK.  I guess only time will tell, but so far I like it and think it looks good enough.  And for under $30, if it doesn't work out, I guess I won't be out much.

That is a lot of light,

Remember this strip changes colors.  Here is red...

...and blue.

So, various systems on the boat got some attention.  Hopefully this will build up some good karma points for me with the boat.

Hardtop Project By The Numbers

The hardtop project is finally over.  It took far longer than we wanted with some frayed nerves along the way, but in the end we are proud of the work we have done.  We think it looks pretty darn good for a couple of first-time fiberglass builders.  So now I guess the one question left unanswered is how much did it end up costing us.

One of the reasons we did this project was to save a little money (it certainly wasn't to save a little time or aggravation). The goal was to come in well under the $15,000 (U.S.) that the next best option, a manufactured top, would have cost. So here is the breakdown as best I can figure it.  I imagine I forgot some minor thing, like a roll of paper towels or extra can of acetone, but this should be a pretty fair idea of the costs involved in the project.

The following is a list of suppliers for the parts and supplies as numbered in the cost table that follows.  Those suppliers are:

1. Severn Yachting Center via Paxton Company, Norfolk VA.
2. Kings Marine, Hayes, VA.
3. Home Depot, Gloucester, VA.
4. Lowe's, Gloucester, VA.
5. Harbor Freight, Newport News, VA.
6. Big Lots, Gloucester, VA.
7. Philips Petroleum, Hayes, VA.
8. K-Mart, Hampton, VA.
9. Ollie's Bargain Outlet, Gloucester, VA.
10. Ace Hardware, Hayes, VA.
11. U.S. Composites, Online.
12. Lee and Cates Glass, Brunswick, GA.
13. D K Hardware, Online.
14. York Bolt, Yorktown, VA.
15. Kenseal Construction Products, Norfolk, VA.
16. Bob Mayer (welder), Hayes, VA.
17. Hampton Rubber, Hampton, VA.

(see which ones made the Better Marine list.)

Here are the costs for parts and supplies (all prices at time of project - latter half of 2015) and does not include standard tools that I already owned:

Item	Qty.	Supplier	Price	Total
Divinycell 1" H80 foam sheet (48"x 96")	4	1	$230	$920.00
1708 fiberglass 10yd roll	4	1, 11	$105	$420.00
10oz Fiberglass cloth 25yd roll1	1	11	$135	$135.00
Polyester Laminating Resin 5gal	4	1	$130	$520.00
MEKP catalyst 8oz.	2	1	$12.21	$24.42
West Epoxy Quart Kit.	1	2	$51.45	$51.45
Clearcote Gelcoat white gallon - no wax	4	1	$78	$312.00
Clearcote Gelcoat white gallon - waxed	3	2	$62	$186.00
Collodial Silica Quart	12	1	$14.54	$14.54
PVA Mold Release - Gallon	1	1	$23.85	$23.85
Acrylic Tinted Window glass	15	12	$0	$0.00
Dow Corning 795 Window glazing sealant	2	13, 15	$18.77+ $7.72	$26.49
Closed cell foam gasket (window mount)	1	10	$2.99	$2.99
Closed cell foam gasket (arch seal)	2	3	$3.99	$7.98
PVC Fence post (wire chase channel)	1	4	$15.99	$15.99
1" PVC Tubing (handrail) 10' length	4	4	$2.49	$9.96
PVC Tubing 5' (fiberglass roll/holder)	1	4	$5.99	$5.99
Stainless mounting bolts, nuts, washers for arch.	1	1, 14	$7.29	$7.29
Rubber Gasket material (3ft x 1ft)	1	17	$7.82	$7.82
Acetone	8	3	$16	$128.00
Aluminum Fiberglass Laminating Roller 1" x 6"	1	1	$13.07	$13.07
Miscellaneous mixing cups	16	1	$1.29	$20.64
9" Paint Roller w/ adjustable handles	3	6	$5.99	$17.97
4" Paint Roller	1	6	$3.99	$3.99
9" x 1/4" nap Paint Roller covers	5	3	$4.37	$21.85
4" Paint Roller cover 2 pack	3	3	$5.99	$17.97
9" Loop Texture Roller	2	3	$6.49	$12.98
Hole Saw Set	1	4	$19.99	$19.99
Drywall sanders	2	4	$7.99	$15.98
Miscellaneous Sandpaper/sanding discs	-	3.4	-	$40
Plastic Sheeting roll	1	4	$11.49	$11.49
Paper Towels roll	30	6	$1	$30.00
Nitrile rubber gloves (box of 100)	4	5	$7.99	$31.96
10' shade canopy	1	8	$49.99	$49.99
Wood for building table top/mold	-	4	-	$150
Folding Sawhorse	3	5	$12.99	$38.97
Router Guide set	1	5	$15.99	$15.99
500 watt Halogen Worklight & spare bulbs	1	4	$18.99	$18.99
"BucketHead" shop vacuum	1	3	$21.97	$21.97
Propane Space Heater	1	3	$99.99	$49.997
Propane Refills (30#)3	3	7	$25	$75
Misc Tarps	24	5	$3.49	$6.98
Line (for tying up tarps) 50' roll	2	9	$1.99	$2.98
Misc Rags (package of 50)	2	9	$4.99	$9.98
Stainless Steel Forward Supports	3	16	-	$150.006
Hardware for mounting forward supports	-	1	-	$34.50
Grand Total (before tax)				$ 3703.00

¹Originally planned to use much more of this fabric but used under 10 yards. 
²Was gifted 5 to 6 quarts more, total used to thicken resin and gelcoat was around a gallon worth. 
³Borrowed propane bottle from friend at marina. 
⁴Already owned most tarps, had 3 "free" tarps from Harbor Freight.
⁵Plexiglass was left over from salon window replacement.
⁶Traded old fabric bimini support, includes generous tip.
⁷Sold the space heater for half of what we paid for it after the project was complete.

Of course, parts are not the only part of the equation.  There is the time spent at a marina and boat-yard.  In our case, we were able to work out a price that included our monthly stay at the marina and our space in the yard.  It is hard to put a fixed price on this since it is hard to say how much time we might have spent in a marina versus on the hook if weren't tied to land for the project.  But my guess is we would have likely spent some time in a marina.  Given the daily or weekly rates at marinas are higher than the monthly rate, the marina portion of our stay is probably a wash.  So, if we attribute the portion we paid above their normal rate for the yard for 5 months, that comes to a total of  $625.

Then there is labor.  I needed equipment to lift and position the top in place on the boat. Naturally the marina wouldn't let me drive their dilapidated long forklift so there was one employee for that and two more that came along to help. Total cost for their labor and use of the forklift was $490.

So, the grand total to build our new hardtop: $4818.00

That's a savings of $10,182.  To put it in perspective though, the savings equates to earning $2036.40 a month.  Or the equivalent of an annual salary of $24,436.80. And that is for two people working full time.  We didn't actually keep track of the hours spent, but I know they were more than a 40 hour work weeks when the weather allowed.

But it isn't all about the money either.  There is a satisfaction that comes from doing something for yourself and gaining knowledge and skills along the way.  So we are glad we did the project, but having done it once, I doubt we would do it again.  I would be happy to provide answers to questions if you are reading this because you are contemplating taking on a project like this, I just don't think I'd want to invest that amount of time again to build another one. I'll leave you with one bit of advice if you are considering taking on a project like this: don't underestimate the impact of weather.  If at all possible, try to find an indoor project space.  Being able to control the temperature and protect the project from the elements will make it go much faster, and it will also be less frustrating and more comfortable too.

Well, I hope all these posts on the hardtop build were entertaining and informative.  I know we will enjoy having the top down the road.

Dodge This

To say I've been a bit concerned about this upcoming run south is probably an understatement.  It is not the trip itself, but the cold temperatures that make me not all that happy about it.  Last year when I made the run from Deltaville down to Georgia I said I didn't ever want to do that in November again...and, well, January wasn't the change I had in mind.  That time I had the soft bimini with the integrated front dodger and while it wasn't the most pleasant of trips, having the dodger to keep the chilly wind out of our faces was at least a little help. Now that we have this nice new hardtop with its increased forward view, the old dodger just doesn't fit.  That is, until now.

Deciding that we really need a dodger, I came up with a plan to retrofit our existing dodger to the new top.  It won't be pretty, but at least it will be something until we can get around to building a new enclosure.  Given neither my wife nor I want to take on another big project until we can get the fun to work ratio more in balance, I wanted this temporary solution to be able to last at least a little while.

The plan was to take the existing dodger and some of the pieces from the old soft top to create a new dodger that will fit the new top.  The old soft top already had the zippers that mate up with the old dodger and it also had a bolt rope where it was attached to the rear of the arch.  If we attached the old top to the dodger, cut it to fit the new top, and add the bolt rope to fit the yet to be cut slot in the front rail of the new top, we should have a solution.

To start I needed to cut the bolt rope slot in the bottom side of the forward handrail of the new top.  I created a gauge using some left over wood from the hardtop mold so I could draw a line in the center of the rail with a pencil.  I drilled two holes at the two ends of the slot that I will elongate so there is room to insert the bolt rope. I then used my vibrating multi-tool to carefully cut the slot.  In hindsight, I probably should have cut the slot before we mounted the top as it was more difficult to cut laying on my back on the deck.  After cutting the slot, I determined that the blade on the multi-tool created a slot that was just too thin and the bolt rope would likely bind while trying to slide it in place. I tried wrapping a stick-on sanding disc around the multi-tool blade and that widened the slot but quickly chewed up the sandpaper and left bits of it inside the slot.  Off to the store to see if we could find a solution.  What we found was a grout removal blade for the multi-tool.  This is basically a sandpaper looking metallic blade that should function like the sandpaper without wearing away.  It did the trick and widened the slot to about double the original gap.

The bolt rope slot and access hole in the front rail.

I used the multi tool to cut the holes in the ends into more of a teardrop shape.  This didn't really provide enough access to insert the bolt rope and so I took my rotary tool and a small drum sanding attachment and elongated the hole into an inch and a half opening.  That did the trick.

To clean up the cut of the slot, I took some excess 3/16 line and wrapped the stick on sanding discs around it.  This essentially made an abrasive segment of bolt rope. It was used to clean up the edges of the slot to allow the regular bolt rope to easily slide.

Getting the plastic shavings out of the slot was an interesting task.  After some work with the shop vacuum and a thin screwdriver, we were able to clean everything up and now we have a nice bolt rope slot along the bottom of the front rail.

The original dodger was slid into its original lower bolt rope track.  The old bimini was attached to it and pulled tight up over the new hardtop.  I carefully marked where the old bimini material met the lower edge of the new bimini rail.  It was a challenge to try figuring out how we could attach the old curved corners to the new, wider top, but we did the best we could.  After getting everything marked, the bimini was removed from the dodger and cut so there were two extra inches of fabric beyond the marks to allow for creating a double hem. Excess zippers, hardware, and other original mounting bits that are no longer needed were removed.

Marking and cutting the old bimini segment.

I used straight pins to temporarily hold the hem in place and then broke out the Sailrite machine and started sewing.  I finished the cut edges and then sewed on the bolt rope that was scavenged from the back of the old bimini.  I even tried a zig-zag stitch for one of the runs on the bolt rope, not because it was needed but more for the practice using the machine.

Sewing up the old bimini strip to make the "new" dodger.

The end result turned out pretty well.  Better than I expected in reality. (I wonder if my junior high home economics teacher would be proud?)  It isn't that pretty and a properly fitting enclosure would provide a better view, but it should provide us at least some protection from the wind and rain while we make our way south.

The temporary dodger. You can see how much larger the
view forward is now compared to the old dodger.

All Topped Up

Hard to believe I'm saying this, but the weather was nice. Time to get this bimini project wrapped up. We start the day by re-drilling the epoxied holes in the top. Using the drill guide we were able to get the holes drilled pretty much in the center of the epoxy filled holes. It isn't easy holding the drill guide, drill angle adapter, and drill upside down while we bore two inch deep holes in the top, but after numerous breaks due to arm fatigue, we accomplished the task. Unfortunately I made the holes a little too close tolerance in size and had to ream them a size bigger to get everything to fit (easier to do with a guide hole, no guide required this time).

The hole drilling contraption

Of course, in filling the holes, I left a little too much resin on the top side and had to sand off the little "dome" that was created at each hole so we can get the fender washers to seat better against the top. Finally, we were ready to install the supports for the last time.

I decided to create thin rubber pads for the top of the supports where it meets the top.  These pads would help the top of the supports conform to the surface of the top and hopefully more evenly distribute the load.  I used the sheet of nitrile rubber we purchased to create the 1/16 inch pads and cut them to leave plenty of room around the screws (you don't want a seal at the bottom of the screw so any water that might leak through won't be trapped at the bottom). To bed the hardware and prevent leaking, butyl tape that I had previously purchased from Compass Marine was used.  I find this stuff to be an excellent bedding material for anything that is through-bolted, just as is the case for all of these supports.

For each support, I run a strip of butyl tape around the perimeter of the mounting pad that meets the cabin top and encircle each screw hole.  I then insert the screws in the mounting plate and carefully guide the support into position (this stuff is quite sticky, so I find using the screws as a guide is helpful).  We then line up the top and insert the bolts that will hold the top to the supports and temporarily install the fender washers and locking nuts.  Then, for each screw that holds the support to the cabin roof, we remove it, wrap the head with a little butyl tape, and reinsert it.  Once all the screws have the butyl applied, the head of the screw is held stationary while the fender washer and locking nut are installed. The whole thing is then slowly tightened using a crisscross torque pattern until the butyl is compressed a little.  Butyl tape is a bit putty-like, and we will need to re-tighten each of these a few times over the next day or so until it is fully seated in position.

Once the bottom of the support is attached, we return out attention to the screws holding the top to the support.  One by one, each nut and washer is removed, the screw is wrapped with butyl tape where it meets the top, and the tape is pressed around the screw and the top, and the fender washer and lock nut are reinstalled.  Just as before, we slowly tighten each nut using the crisscross pattern until everything is secure.

Three supports later, and the top that we have worked so long on is finally a permanent addition to our boat.  Taking a step back and looking at the whole thing, I have to admit I'm proud of the work that my wife and I have done.  We think the top looks pretty darn good.  Apparently we aren't the only ones as we have received a number of compliments from people who have been here to see it in person. We've been told it complements the boat nicely and looks like it could have come from the factory.  My wife even overheard one of the guys at the boatyard telling someone else that it looked like it came out of a mold.

Not bad at all for two amateur, first-time builders doing hand-laid-up fiberglass in a boatyard. I'd like to say the project is finished, but is any boat project ever really finished?  We have an enclosure to add, and solar panels, and lighting.  But the top itself is done!

Three Steps Forward, Two Steps Back

The title pretty much describes the feel of the work we have been doing the last few days.  It finally stopped raining and blowing, and we can deal with one or the other right now, but not both.  Wind by itself isn't much of an issue other than it can cause the top to wiggle just a bit.  Rain, of course, isn't good when you want to drill holes in a cored fiberglass panel (getting the core material wet can cause delamination and is very detrimental to the strength of the structure). We could put up a tarp to protect from the rain, but only if the wind isn't bad.

I just can't get away from those tarps.

Anyway, the weather was cooperating so it was time to get these supports installed.  The first step was to get them positioned correctly.  A task that is not as easy as it may sound.  The new top has a curve to it, and the cabin roof has a curve and a slope.  There are lots of angles to take into account, and getting the supports lined up properly is a bit of a task.  Oh, and don't forget nothing is attached so you have to hold the angled support (that won't stand on its own) while you attempt to mark drill holes...all while standing on a platform that is moving (boats are rarely ever completely still while in the water).

We put masking tape down in the general areas where the supports will be mounted and line them up as best we can.  While I try to hold the support still, my wife would hop off the boat and verify the alignment. Once the OK was given, I try drawing a line around the base and then mark the mount holes with one hand while I try holding the support motionless with the other.  We repeat this task until we have the mounting locations on the cabin roof marked.

Oh, I almost forgot...before we started, we had to disassemble the headliner in the salon.  The headliner consists of interlocking panels and a piece of fiberglass trim that needs to be removed so we can access the, soon to be, mounting holes.  The panels are oriented such that we have to remove the liner for the whole salon and galley area.  Now we have a bunch of big panels to trip over on the boat while we work on this project.

Bare salon roof, guess we'll clean that while the panels are down.

Drilling holes in the perfectly good structure of a boat always seems to make me a bit nervous. To make the task more interesting, we don't just drill holes and mount hardware in a cored deck, but drill the holes oversize, fill them with epoxy, and then drill smaller holes.  This encapsulates the core material and prevents any future leak from getting to the core.  It also provides some structure to allow bolts to be tightened without crushing the core material. (Core materials are typically designed to deal with shear stress but are not as good with localized compression stress.)

Drill with drill guide.

We drill the holes using a drill guide to help keep the hole straight.  This is important because the smaller holes drilled later will need to be centered in the larger holes.  I didn't oversize the holes a great deal, but instead elected to try a process that was described at Compass Marine. I drilled holes just large enough that I could insert a rotary tool cutting bit.  I then used the rotary tool to remove excess core material underneath the fiberglass skins.  The result is a hole with an enlarged cavity in the middle that will contain the epoxy sleeve and be trapped between the fiberglass.

Rotary tool with the cutting bit.

Then we take the two steps back and fill the hole we just drilled with epoxy.  I'm using epoxy for this as it has a bit better mechanical and adhesive properties than polyester resin.  We thicken the epoxy with the same fumed silica that was used to thicken the polyester.  I used duct tape to seal the holes at the bottom and a syringe to inject the resin.  Toothpicks were used to aid in getting the resin to sink to the bottom of the holes and allow any trapped air to escape (simply inserting them in the hole and then pulling them back out several times seems to have done the trick). All that work and the end result is resin colored dots in my cabin roof.

The epoxy "sleeve" that seals off the core material.

The next day we re-drill the holes using the same guide and a smaller bit.  I'm glad to report that the new holes were well centered in the old holes, all the way through the inch thick deck.  We mount the center support in the new holes and then mark the mounting location on the top. Then we remove the support and drill the holes in the top.  After the holes are drilled, we re-install the center support to help stabilize the top and then temporarily install the the other supports to mark the hole locations in the top for them.  After getting everything marked, we again removed all the supports.  Lots of steps forward and backward.

The remaining holes were drilled using the guide and angle adapter. A very fatiguing process to hold the guide on the underside of the top and drill the holes. The rotary tool was again brought into service to clean out the core material from these holes.  And finally, thickened epoxy was once again used to fill all these new holes.

So, after two days of work, we had holes in the top of the cabin roof and resin dots on the hardtop.  A lot of work but it doesn't feel like a lot of progress. I know I will feel differently soon though, after those last holes are re-drilled and the supports go on one last time to do their job holding up the top.

Of Course It's Raining

I know it is the holiday season.  In previous years I've done Christmas posts, but this year the holidays are pretty much postponed until we can get the project done and get headed south.  If you had told me I'd still be here I would have thought you were crazy...but here we are.

Work has continued.  We got the sail viewing window installed a couple days ago.  It should have been an easy task and only taken a couple hours, but it ended up taking us over a day.  Why?  Because I miscalculated the amount of sealant required.  When I did the salon windows, it took 6 tubes for each window.  This window is much smaller and the gaps are not as wide, so I figured one tube should be more than enough.  I was wrong.  We ended up being about a foot short of making the final bead around the glass and had to locate a second tube "locally" so we could finish.  The only tube of white 795 we could find was located in Norfolk.  With traffic and road construction it took most of a day just to retrieve the $8 tube of sealant.

The window was installed in a very similar manner to the process used for the salon windows.  Instead of using black sealant, we used white as it will be facing the sun all the time and I figured white was better than black.  Blackout (or in this case whiteout) was made by thinning some sealant with mineral spirits. Just like the salon windows, I used some weatherstripping to maintain the gap between the window and the frame.  In this case, the foam was only 3/16 of an inch thick and was white. The foam was placed around the inner edge in the mount and then a large bead of sealant was applied to the frame adjacent to the foam.  The window was then placed in position and another bead was applied around the edge and tooled with a plastic spreader.  Instead of using screws, washers, and spacer blocks to keep the window in position, we simply set a couple sandbags on it to hold it there.  Now it needs to sit for a few days while the stuff cures.

Window installed and held in place with sandbags

We are continuing to dry out the deck around our little D-ring issue.  We've rigged a hair dryer (we found at the local thrift store) so it blows air directly into the access hole under the deck.  On the outside, I rigged our Buckethead shop vac so it would suck air out through the holes in the deck.  I figured this would both help clean out any remaining bits of balsa that I couldn't get out with the safety wire as well as get a good amount of warm and dry air in the cavity to dry things out.

Applying warm air under the deck

And the vacuum pulling air through the fitting mount

Yesterday the welder brought over the supports for the top.  I was a bit surprised since I was expecting him to bring parts tacked together to test the fit, but they were complete.  Using only a couple of crude wood templates to measure the angles, he was able to construct the supports, and they fit well.  Only one very minor tweak was needed on one of them.  And the best part was that he was very reasonably priced. He usually does work for the local fishing boats and calls his work utility grade so the supports aren't the polished finish, instead they are more of a brushed nickel look.  I think this is good though, as it should help cut down glare a bit.  I think he did a little extra to make them look good, and they turned out really nice.

The front supports have arrived

If you are looking for a good and reasonably priced "utility grade" (he doesn't do polish work, but I would think you can get his work polished if you want) welder in the Gloucester VA area, drop me a line and I'll hook you up with Bob.

Naturally (as you might have guessed by the post title), it has been raining pretty much ever since the supports were dropped off.  I don't want to drill holes in my cored deck or cored top with all the water flying around, so it has put another crimp in our schedule.  Today, in the rain, I rigged a tarp to cover the front of the top and the surrounding work area, so with any luck we can get things moving tomorrow.  Meanwhile we spent a little time at the marina Christmas party and went out to lunch with some friends at the marina.  The remainder of the holiday celebration will take place once we are somewhere where shorts are appropriate attire.

Random Bits I Missed

I admit I've been a bit scatter-brained lately.  Seems like I skipped over just a bit of the hardtop story. I also have a few other random bits to share.

First, we did get the back edge of the hardtop mounted to the arch in a more permanent sense.  After moving the hardtop, I drilled two holes for the 3/8 inch bolts that secure the two outer edges and temporarily attached the hardtop to the arch to keep it from flying away.  A combination of jack stands and a line run from the main halyard held it in position.

The next day I marked the location for the wire chase holes, and then we unbolted and moved the top about a foot forward so I had access for the hole saw.  We cut the holes in the arch and cleaned up the edges with some sandpaper.  I then applied a strip of white rubber weather stripping to the upper front edge of the arch to act as a seal between the arch and the top.  The strip could span gaps from 1/8 to 3/8 of an inch and should provide a weather seal between the two.  I will eventually caulk the seam as well, but this should work fine as a seal for now and as a backer for the caulk later.

Mounting bolt at the edge of the top.

We then moved the top back into position.  I cut some gaskets from a sheet of 1/16 inch nitrile rubber to cushion the mount points and allow for the minor irregularities in the surfaces.  We then re-bolted the top corners to the arch using the gaskets as well as the previous hardware.

Making gaskets.

Next I needed to add the additional bolts that will hold up the top.  These bolts will serve a dual purpose as they are also the bolts that hold the blocks for the davit system.  Unfortunately, the mounting flange on the back of the top didn't line up with the arch as well as I would have liked, so I had to devise some spacers to fill the gap.  Using the gasket material and some fender washers, I was able to secure the blocks and the top.

The davit bolts with spacers.

I was also able to find a welder who could create the supports for the front of the top.  He has come out and taken measurements and has one of the supports made thus far.  His work quality seems quite good, but he doesn't seem to do polish work. (I think he described his work as more "utility grade" but he seems to do a very good job).  That is OK with us though, as I think I would prefer a more "brushed" look to the supports anyway...should reduce glare.  With any luck, we should have the supports later this week.

I don't think a caption is really needed here.

That should get us to my last post where I discovered the issue with the D-ring.

In other news, I've now added two new pages to the blog.  The first is a list of places I've found where you can get marine grade parts at better than average prices (previously mentioned at the end of another post the other day).  I'm thinking of adding a services section to that list.  Right now the service section would be a pretty short list, but I may have at least a couple entries.

I've also added a projects page.  As some friends have noted, Blogger isn't the best at searching, and having a page with project overviews and links to the relevant posts seemed like a good idea.  Right now it has the hardtop project listed as well as my posts on LED lighting and the salon window rebed.

If you would like to see anything else on either of these two pages, drop me a line or post a comment and I'll see what I can do.

And one last relatively unrelated bit:  A couple days ago The Boat Galley blog did a post on some food grade, reusable dessicant packs they were reviewing.  In the post it spoke about the ability to dry them using a microwave.  Since those packs use silica gel as the desiccant, I did a little searching and found that, yes, you can use a microwave to dry silica gel.  I found instructions where you microwave the stuff for a couple minutes, check to see if it is dry, and do additional 1 minute cycles until it is dry. I tried it with one of the desiccant jars I made a while back and it works.  So, I no longer have to try drying the stuff in the oven, but can use the microwave when we are plugged into shore power or have the generator running. All in all a much better option than those DampRid buckets that are used once and thrown away.

Well, enough rambling for today.  Too much work left to do and we are pushing to get out of here as soon as we can.

Flight of the Hardtop

If you follow my Facebook page you got a sneak peek picture for this post. I was just too tired yesterday evening  to write this.

It has finally happened, the hardtop has made its way to the boat. The top has been ready for the move for a week.  When I went to let the yard manager know we were ready, his initial response was that they were very busy and probably could not do it until after Christmas.  This is the same guy that came to me a couple weeks earlier to tell me that they may have to move my work area because they needed the space for boats.  Fortunately when we went back the next day we were able to convince him to try to fit us in this week.  He said he would let us know when (we need a little heads up so we can take down the soft bimini and disassemble the work space tent). Since he said we could move into the slip we would use to place the hardtop at any time, we elected to move the boat over the weekend so we would be ready whenever they were (and also to make it a little bit harder for them to forget about us).

Monday it didn't seem like the yard was too busy, the staff was engaged in winterization tasks and some small projects.  One other boat owner in the yard was able to ask the lift operator to re-block his boat, and they did it within an hour or so of asking.  Since the yard manager wasn't here, I asked the guy that would likely be running the equipment for my move if (or maybe I said when) they could get my top moved to the boat. He asked if first thing in the morning would work. Naturally, I agreed.

And naturally, overnight the winds kicked up to 25 knots with gusts to 40 (enough to wake me up and send me out to check the dock lines at 2 A.M.). By the morning the wind died down a little, it seemed to be between 15 and 20 knots.  Those winds still didn't sound like a good thing to be playing in when trying to move a 12 foot wide fiberglass Frisbee.  So, we waited.  We cleaned up our work area in the yard a bit, took down the tent and took down the soft bimini.  Finally, around noon the winds died down into the 10 knot range and it seemed like a good time to try the move.

The plan was to use the large forklift (a forklift with really long forks that used to be used to launch small boats).  We would suspend the top by straps or lines underneath the forks.  This way we could walk the top out to the slip, lift it over the arch, and bring it into position on the boat. Once at the boat I would cut some 2x4's to length to make supports to hold the top in place while we attach the back and have the welder measure and construct the front supports.

The plan worked for the most part.  Once we got the top out to the boat, one of the yard staff suggested we use boat stands instead of the wood as this would allow me to easily adjust the position of the top before mounting it.  This turned out to be an excellent suggestion (thanks Kevin!). And thanks to the whole crew for the help getting the top moved and onto the boat.

Getting the top positioned and adjusted was a bit tricky.  The bolt locations and wire chase holes along the back edge don't leave a lot of room for error.  Neither does the clearance for winch handles at the sheet winches and clearance for the boom up front.  In hindsight, I probably should have made the mounting flange a bit larger, with the option to cut it down at the boat.  In any case, I was able to get it positioned where everything worked.

I don't know if it is the arch or the mounting flange on the hardtop (probably a little of both), but the mount points touch at the ends of the flange yet leaves about a 1/4 inch gap in the middle.  Fortunately I had planned to use a foam weatherstripping gasket to seal that back edge anyway, so it shouldn't be much of a problem. (I just need to run out and get some thicker foam...I only purchased 1/8 and 3/16 inch.)

After getting the top positioned as best I could, I drilled the holes for the two outer mount points.  Not an easy task given the angles.  I ended up using a close-quarter angle attachment on the drill and drilled from the back side through the access points in the bottom of the arch.  It made me a bit nervous, but I was able to get the holes positioned fairly well. I then used the 316 stainless steel hardware ( 3/8 bolts, 1.5 inch fender washers, lock washers, and nuts) I purchased at York Bolt^* to temporarily bolt the top to the arch.  This, along with the boat stands and a line that looped around the top and is suspended by my main halyard, was enough to keep it secure for the night.

Now I need to mark the locations of holes for the wire chases. Then I need to move the top so I can drill those holes, apply the seal to the arch, and cut some rubber padding spacers from a sheet of gasket rubber I purchased from Hampton Rubber^* before putting it all back together and adding the remaining arch mounting hardware (additional bolts, including the ones that hold the blocks for the davits).

Then I've got to hire a welder/fabricator to make the front supports while we install the sail viewing window. Almost there...finally.

*I'm working on a page of the companies I've found that provide marine quality materials at more reasonable prices.  It is a work in progress, but you can check it out here (or from the "Better Marine" tab at the top of the page).

To Skid or Not To Skid

On Monday I was able to go to a local boat supply store and pick up the extra gelcoat that I needed.  I don't know if I mentioned this already, but I'm actually using waxed gelcoat for this.  The reason...economics.  The gelcoat I started with, ClearCote, I purchased from the marina.  It didn't make sense to get waxed gelcoat since both were the same price.  Then someone pointed out that Kings Marine (a few minutes down the road) sells the same gelcoat for about $15 less, but they only stock the waxed version.

For the non-skid it doesn't really matter which one I use.  Normally, the purpose of the wax is that it makes its way to the surface to seal the surface from air and allow the gelcoat to fully cure. The technique for creating the non-skid texture requires that PVA be used to seal the surface because the non-skid breaks the wax film and could prevent a full cure.  But the waxed version can be used and, given the price difference, it was an easy decision.

Now the weather forecast on Monday was that rain could be in the area but was likely to miss the northern half of Hampton Roads.  Yeah, right.  It rained off and on most of the day.  I didn't want to risk water contamination on the top, so we held off.  Instead, we decided to run another test in creating the non-skid texture since we have found that the gelocat we are using is different from the one I did the test with and the temperatures now seem to have an impact on how the stuff acts. We were able to determine that at around 60 degrees we could add one heaping plastic spoon full of fumed silica (about 2 tablespoons or so) to 2 ounces of gelcoat to get a reasonable result.

Yesterday the weather improved.  It wasn't very warm (I think the high was around 55 degrees F.) but the sky was clear with little chance of rain.  Inside our work "tent" we can somewhat control the temperature with the heater, so we did the application.  We prepped three mixing cups with 16 ounces of gelcoat, adding the 8 heaping spoons of silica and mixing it in well.  We then confirmed the temperature was about the same as it was during our test and catalyzed the first cup of the white goo.

I applied the same thick layer of gelcoat that we did during the test using a 1/4 inch nap roller.  We then catalyzed the second cup and repeated the process.  Then we used the loop texture roller to roll over the first section we applied gelcoat on.  To create the texture, you take this roller and roll the gelcoat as starts to thicken up during the curing process.  The first section wasn't quite ready so it created more of an orange peel look.  We catalyzed the 3rd cup and applied it.

After getting the 3rd cup on the top, we went back again and ran the texture roller over the first section. It was thick enough to make a texture, but the texture wasn't the same as it was the day before.  I just don't get it, gelcoat seems to behave differently every day we use it even when we pay very close attention to the temperatures and amount of catalyst used.  While it was different, it was "good enough" and so we kept going.

It was a difficult process to complete the top.  My wife would mix up the gelcoat and help with the texture rolling, and I would apply the gelcoat and work the texture roller.  Getting the timing right is a trick.  If you wait too long to try creating the texture, the gelcoat cures and you can't impart any texture.  If you don't wait long enough, the gelcoat flows back together into an orange peel look. Getting the timing right and getting each section to look like the last is quite a tedious trick.

In the end, we had one section we re-coated and re-textured because we missed the timing window and the surface was far too smooth.  It doesn't look perfect, but...as I said before...good enough.  After getting all the gelcoat on and textured, we quickly went around and removed the tape from the edges (before the gelcoat permanently made the tape part of the top).  I then applied the PVA to our work and cranked the heater up to help everything cure.

Non-skid applied and coated with the green PVA to cure.

The texture didn't hide the imperfections in the surface as well as we had hoped, but the top should be perfectly functional, looks "good enough", and means we are done with the fiberglass and gelcoat phase of this process...I hope.

Now I need to convince the boatyard to help me get it to the boat in a timely fashion so we can temporarily brace it up, mount it to the arch, let the welder get accurate measurements for the front supports, and get the window installed.

We are getting closer to getting out of here...yay!

All White

Some days on this project, I just don't feel like I'm making any progress.  Then other days I do.  Today was one of the latter.  After spending way too much time applying gelcoat and then sanding it off, we got the rails "good enough".

Yesterday was spent preparing to apply the gelcoat to the body of the top. Using the sander with some 80 grit paper, I tapered the gelcoat "edges" to make a smooth transition from the handrail to the fiberglass surface of the top.  Then we applied a little more thickened resin to try and help fair (smooth) the surface of the top.  While that was curing (late in the evening with the heater running), we taped off that handrail that we just finished spending way too much time on.

This morning we awoke to temperatures just above freezing.  After being fortified with some coffee and getting the propane tank for the heater filled, we started the day trying to defrost and dry out the work tent.  About the time things were finally drying out I realized we were missing the spare roller cover for applying the gelcoat.  A run to the local Home Depot (I like their roller better than the one at Lowe's) and a quick stop for lunch (yes, it took that long to defrost and dry everything), we were finally ready to put some gelcoat down.

Using a hotplate and pot that my neighbor in the boatyard has, we warmed up the gelcoat to make it a bit easier to apply.  Just under a gallon of gelcoat later, the top is now completely white.

Masked off for the texture portion and first gelcoat application

Of course, this is only the first couple coats on the top side. We still need to add more gelcoat and create the texture.  Unfortunately, it is taking more gelcoat than we had planned and we aren't sure we have enough to finish the job.  So, we are debating our options right now.  We won't be able to get more of the same gelcoat we are currently using until Monday or Tuesday.  We could go to West Marine and pick up a gallon of gelcoat, but what they sell retails at about 3 times the price per gallon and has different characteristics in how it flows (the white does seem to be the same color though). We can alter they way we planned on applying the gelcoat to compensate if we want to.

Given the astronomical mark-ups that West Marine charges if you don't have a Port Supply account (Port Supply pricing can be less than half the normal retail price), I really prefer not to shop there unless it is an absolute emergency.  I just don't like rewarding price gouging behavior (if West wanted to be more competitive, I'd be more happy to shop there). Of course, getting this top done and getting out of here is getting to be an emergency of sorts and I would really like to have the top ready to go on the boat come Monday.

Guess we will see how we feel (and how the weather forecasts look) in the morning.

Top Cat

Work continues on the hardtop.  We patched the last two thin spots in the gelcoat, then found three more and patched them as well.  Apply gelcoat and then sand half of it off, feathering it into the surrounding finish...wash, rinse, repeat.  I keep trying to convince myself I love to sand, but it's not working.  As of this morning, I think we are done applying gelcoat...but then I said that to myself yesterday, so who knows what the light of day will bring.

But this post isn't about more sanding, instead it is about the cat.  Remember the cat that seems to have adopted us while we were in the boatyard?  Well, she continues to warm up to us despite the fact that the guy a couple boats down wants to adopt her.  I think we spend more time in the yard and have a bit more downtime (to pet the cat, of course) so she seems to hang around us most of the day. Hope she warms up to our friend soon; I think she will want a warmer home than my work space tent.

Yesterday she decided she wanted to help with the sanding...or maybe it was supervise.  Ok, she probably thought we were warmer places to sleep than the ground, but in any case...

I'm not in the way am I?

Don't mind me, I'll just sleep here
while you work.

I can't imagine why it is taking us so long to finish the top, can you?  I hope this cat understands that our dogs won't allow her on our boat (she has seen our dogs).