Deck Hatch covers snaps installed. yes, I bite bullet, and drilled deck and installed snaps for hatch covers. Unfortunately it may lead to minor leakages after years, but i want to add covers to make hatches lenses lats longer as well add little shade in Texas sun. Hatches covers.  Interior Hatches Another compromise. When I installed for hatches frames I planned to make insert frames to cover gap between ceiling trim and hatches. Unfortunately, I had a lot of other things to do and they sill not be finished. Actually to put trim I need to make new trim frames around hatches wells, but i decided to leave it for future, but gap between lest unfinished rough fiberglass, so FOR now i decided just paint it to make it not so sore for eyes. It is only first layer of plaint on the picture. Second was added at the next day. Hatch from inside Fixed windows trim.  Before start cutting real wood (teak) I have made two templates with 20mm and 30mm corners radius to dry fit shape to ...

 Deck Chain locker  Pulpit , reinstalled back with 3m UV4000 sealant ( mainly to avoid tapped in FG thread to be filled with butyl. Original screws used. Lifeline rains and cleats bedded on butyl tape. Chain locker hatch spitted on half, front side is removable and locked on position with turn latch. Aft (bigger part), sits on hinges and opening from starboard to port. Handle changed to have a latch to prevent chain locker from opening  and dumping chain overboard if boat will be inverted. ( Hopefully will never happened). Latching cam mechanism. Just one more view to the bow It is it for today.

 Deck This weekend I sanded and fairing and  primed bow area with Epoxy Primekote primer, 2 coats in one day, next day put 2 coats of Interlux perfection on the bow area.    Bow is eventually painted Fuel system Relapsing old fuel hoses and adding primary high volume filters with water separators for 30 and 10 micron before lift pump. New fuel system diagramm Real life filter setup   What changed vs original: All hoses changed to A1-15 SAE J1527 5/8  Added electric fuel pump right next to the tank. 30 micron FG500 filter/separator 10 micron filter/separator Return port added to tank in opposite side than intake Fuel return line from 10 micron filter back to the tank to be able to do polishing  Check valve on the return line  Return line from injectors returns fuel to tank WHY Filters/separators added to make on engine filter last virtually forever. 3 stage filtering implemented Dual water separation for redundancy Electric pump plays 3 roles: 1) M...

   Chain locker Chain locker hatch PO installed some mild steel piano they are completely rusted. Also original design did not have any latching mechanism on chain locker hatch. Hatch is updated, patched and sanded.  I divided hatch on two parts, front part will be mounted to be removable, but without hinges. Aft (bigger) part (on the left) will be hinged. I sanded landing pads for the hinges and reinforced back side of the hatch there. Also, I added lip (green area) to hinged part to overlap front piece and keep it on place when hinged part closed. I am going to install very similar looking rectangle handle, but it has latching capability.  Will be on the pictures below. Hatch dry-fitted. One hinge and handle just put over. Also, I  lower landing places for hatch hinges on the deck to avoid tripping over hinges. All hardware removed from bow area, surface sanded, all unnecessary holes glassed over, then sanded and patched by epoxy fairing (but no picture) Fro...

Short day (3 hours) Companionway hatch lid hasp/handle. Made and installed hatch internal handle. it plays 3 roles - Handle to slide hatch from inside, hasp to put padlock on washboards and stopper to leave some space for fingers when you open hatch  Handle is a small piece of teak wood with two holes to insert padlock shackle thru. Mounted on the hatch with 2 #8 wood screws from outside for holding it on place and one machine screw from inside. And 1/4 inch machine screw in tapped hole in the lid for security (at some level) from the bottom.  Screw end if flush with top surface so no way to grab it from outside. Also, I put cyanoacrylate glue glue in to the thread to keep it in even stronger.   Idea about locking - use padlock with detachable shackle. Put shackle from inside, free ends out, then push it thru upper washboard (i made 2 holes for it and put lock body on.   View from cabin     View from outside.   VERY Temporary fuel tank. Temp fuel tank ...

Deck  New companionway hatch made and installed. New teak handle, 12mm plexiglass piece and stoppers  assembled. Fresh refinished cover (little bit visible under traveler) is sealed and screwed down on place. Difference from original, New acrylic glass instead of  heavy UV damaged one after 40 years serve, I replaced wooden stopper inside the cover to HDPE plastic blocks from bottom and top side. Now cover has no way to be pulled out completely  and find way over the board,  also stoppers  will not rot out in humid covered space under cover.   Windlass First version of mounting plate for windlass. Dry fit test shown the windlass itself must be moved 25mm toward port side to align chain with windlass. Also i decided to eliminate front piece  and leave just the "bridge". To be continued. Autopilot Pypilot Autopilot first test on water. Autopilot works relatively well on all courses with default settings. Tested Compass and Wind modes under sails and...

Deck  After 130 hours of work, 19 work days, during 14 weeks deck painting officially done. Deck paining Picture of the day Deck painting officially finished.  Bow area left not finished due to windlass installation planned for later time this year. Beside it, deck is spiracle new. Couple more pictures.   Hardware reinstall Reinstalled pushpit rails, and cleats.

Picture of the day Cabin top no-skid surface finished.    Navigation  Installed IMU on gimbled mount. (small black box)      Deck  Day 147 Cabin top Kiwigrip no-skid applied. Looks good.       Cockpit preparation. Ready to paint. Day 148 Took masking tape off. And put haches and covers on places. Cabin top looks great. Cockpit painting complete. (masking tape keep hatches closed)   An addition to original no-skid template i added pad on the top of transom. It was slippery to get back on the board. End of the day pictures Day 149. Deck sides preparation, sanding (surfacing) and masking taping. A lot of swatting. 28C and 98% humidity early morning and 34C with 80% RH closer to noon. No painting today due to weather conditions.  Deck ready for no-skid application.