Yet another massive delay, yet another effort to rekindle the restoration. After much todo a pad of concrete was laid next to the house and CL has been moved in. I found that the boatyard was simply too far away to get things done in the small snippets of time I have available. Still need to get a decent ladder in for access, but the boat is here and I have power onboard. Several projects that have been on hold in the house have been completed to give me time to work on the boat.
My new plan begins with watertight integrity topside. After every rainfall I have to pump out the bilge, it's time to put a stop to that. Step 1 is going to be getting a cover on the boat, step 2 is going to be redoing the deck.
- Everything comes off and gets rebedded
- Toerail is getting removed altogether
- New companionway
- New ports all-around
- Glass over teak winch mounts
- Remove excess hardware
- New pulpit and stern rails / lifeline stanchions
- Anchor bowsprit
- Prep bow for windlass installation

Time to jump in and get busy...

Pulled the table out and brought it home for refinishing. Since it's made out of the same wood as everything else it seemed like a good test piece for the interior. In the picture the small piece is the table leaf, which I am going to leave off, untouched. The big piece is the original table top, refinished with some work to do still. I sanded until almost all the grooves and marks were gone, then smoothed it out. 5 or 6 coats of Deft Clear Wood Finish later I like the results! Still have to round the corners and make new trim.

So I've decided that trying to SAIL the boat and trying to RESTORE the boat cannot be done at the same time. The work I have to engage in next is BIG, so I'm going back up on the hard to do it. The galley is ripped out. Next will come the cabin sole. Ugh. This is starting to sound like work!

Ok, so the galley is the next major obstacle. The support underneath is long-since gone, so every time someone stepped into the boat the countertop sagged. Beyond that, the replacement countertop installed with the new engine isn't holding up, there's wasted space below the counter, the sink has no plumbing, and the old engine access was built for the bigger Mercedes, so the extra space is wasted on the new Vetus and is infringing on the small walking-area. Soo...

Out comes the galley! I'm reframing it all in white oak and hoping to replace the countertop with Corian. I will be installing a refigerator / freezer into the wasted space back in the corner and re-doing the shelving to accomodate for the microwave.

Finally, I believe, the base level of CL's electrical system is complete. I separated the starting battery ground from the house bank ground, opening the contacts on the VSR resulting in an immediate 3A current reduction on the house house bank. The starting battery and house bank are now completely isolated except when paralleled by the VSR. Seems like it's right, time will tell...

Now, what's next...?

After 2 day marathon of wiring, rewiring, and rewiring again I've finally completed a couple major hurdles. The aux panel, pictured, works 100 percent. 12v outlet, solenoid control for propane, analog meter for starting battery, and even the digital amp-voltmeter for the house bank. I completely rewired the batteries and charging system today in a configuration much more suited to my VSR. And the lower panel and modern battery selector switch with VSR is completely functional. Next stop: main electrical panel. Once that's done the galley demo can begin!