Progress as the weather turns
Are we going to have to change our priorities again
Yesterday, we were revising our priorities. We made everything in and around the motor compartment the top priority as we will need to get the motor out and we want it taking space for as little time as possible.
Today included heavy showers, that has changed the priorities again 😁 I managed to set up a little "workshop" in the wheelhouse, but it isn't fully protected from the rain.
So the creation of sides and an "extension" to the roof of the wheelhouse has moved right up the priority list. 90% of this task is going to be done by Jane. However, we are combining two things. The new back of the wheelhouse roof will include a new mounting point for the mainsheet. This used to be on the deck just behind the aft seat of the cockpit, we don't like that for either safety (if your head is in the wrong place an injury is possible when tacking or gybing) or for sail trim. At the moment if you pull the main in tight, for going upwind, then the direction of pull is vertical which tightens the leech (back of the sail) too much. So we are building a sort of arch just forward of the mizzen mast as the new back of the wheelhouse roof. The mainsheet will be attached to the top of this and the canvas roof extension, sides and back will be attached to the underside. That changes the angle of the mainsheet to the sail, so the pull is more horizontal. It also keeps the mainsheet above head height for safety.
I'm going to prototype this arch in cheap timber first, and then we will probably build it out of composite materials (plywood, foam and fibreglass with epoxy resin). To take the huge snatch loads (such as during an accidental gybe) we will add a ridge support to the existing wheelhouse roof and Dyneema stays that will go down and aft.
Most of the canvas sections will be completely removable, although we should be able to sail with most of them in place. In hot climates, we will have replacement panels made from shade cloth that will let breeze but not sun through.
Once this canvas "extension" is complete (the sides will actually mostly be clear PVC windows) then I'll be able to use it as a dry workshop in any weather. That will help progress on all the jobs. At that point, I'll make a folding workbench across the back of the cockpit at the right height that will have all the basics, including a vice and power for tools. I will be able to "drop in" the router table-top, which will save us carrying its metal frame and legs. A full sheet of plywood won't fit, so I'll still need to do the first cuts elsewhere (we can't fit anything wider than 82cm through the hatch into the boat anyway).
We have been really fortunate with the weather since we arrived at the boat to live on 29th July, only one lot of really strong winds and only a couple of wet days, but that might change fast, and we don't want our refit progress to stall.
Anyway, we still made a bit more progress on several jobs such as the 12v House switch panel:
