Remote Access Projects: interior

Finish cabin bulkhead and v-berth woodwork.

The repair to the bulkhead attachment left some exposed unfinished woodwork where the cabin bulkhead meets the headliner. The mast wire entry leaves some exposed wiring as does the new ceiling LED light in the v-berth area. All of this work together represents quite a bit of time consuming but not very expensive interior joinery.

In 2001 we bought a cheap flagstaff that clamps to the stern rail. It looked a bit cheesey. The original staff itself was too short so that the flag draped on the top of the outboard in a calm. It was replaced with a longer dowel. The dowel rotted after a few years and broke.

It seems surprisingly difficult to find a substantial rail mounted flagstaff. Large wooden flagstaffs are available but the mounts are all deck mounts. It seems that a rail mount for one of these larger wooden flagstaffs is going to have to be made since none can be purchased. It might be possible to use a fishing rod holder but these are absurdly priced.

Companion way and hatch board improvement.

Companion way stair now has a pair of eye straps and some shock chord and clips to hold it in the up position. A similar arrangement has now been set up to hold hatch open that provides access to the chain locker and interior space in the bow.

At this point some means is needed to secure the hatch boards to prevent loss and some means is needed to store the hatch boards so that they are secure and out of the way.

Cabin storage areas.

This is a design problem that hasn't been resolved yet. In general, the use of available storage spaces could stand improvement. Storage areas added at this time must be consistent with any longer term removation to move the head or put in a better galley.

One area which jumps out as a candidate for immediate improvement is the areas under the berths where drawers could quite easily be added. If the head is to move to the starboard side of the v-berth, then a shelf there makes no sense. By pushing the holding tank forward (and adequately securing it) space can be made for two drawers or enclosing the space, adding a door (with a very good latch), and creating one locker. Drawers can be added Under the quarter berth forward of the companionway. Even if the galley goes on one side, these may not need to change, but long term planning before building would be a good thing.

The space aft of the quarter berths is likely to hold tankage and storage for things that don't require frequent access such as tools. The only way to reach the space under the berths aft of the companionway is to remove the cushion and remove a lid. The existing one 16x16 (or whatever) lid is inadequate to access the space under the berths. There is a fair amount of space in these areas but again it would be for some sort of long term storage, such as canned food storage for a long passage.

A few other storage needs are listed below, with no specific place to store these things decided yet.

1. A storage area is needed for cups, plates, utensils, and cookware. The best way to do this might be to make holders that can be secured to the inside of drawers, or custom drawers that can be relocated later if the galley is remodelled.
2. A storage are is also needed for dishwashing liquid and other cleaning stuff. An important consideration is that some of this stuff can make a horrible mess if it gets wet.
3. Easily accessible shelves are needed for commonly used items such as binoculars and for quick access to things like flashlights. Some partitioning of the existing shelf area to keep things from sliding might make better use of that space and accommodate some of these needs.

Holding tank waste pump.

The hoses are now almost set up for a waste pump. The original Y-valve has been removed so that there is no direct discharge from the head overboard. This Y-valve can be cut into the pumpout hose. A short length of hose would be needed from the Y-valve to the waste pump. The existing hose to the thru-hull should be long enough to reach the waste pump outlet.

Foredeck passive ventilation.

We'd like to improve interior ventilation and if possible bring in more natural lighting without compromising structure.

The existing ventilation consists of the forward hatch and six openning ports, plus the companionway. All of these are closed when the boat is not in use and the forward hatch should be closed when underway in all but light light breezes (rare around here).

Compac provided a 3 inch hole and a plastic cowl vent on the foredeck. We have never removed the white plastic cover (which is now broken) and used the cowl vent. Instead, we purchased a passive ventilator with a clear plastic center to allow ventilation when the boat is not in use and bring more natural light far forward in the cabin. We have yet to install it, though it only takes four drill holes (a bit of epoxy to prevent water intrusion) and four screws. The primary reason for not installing it is that if it were to break it would leave a hole in the foredeck. We also have a teak ring with screen for the interior to replace the one bit of plastic that Compac had in the interior which has been installed.

Greywater tank.

Its illegal to dump greywater in Pleasant Bay and other places which in turn makes it illegal to use the sink as Compac has installed it. Unlike the holding tank it is legal to dump greywater in most places. A simple tank could be a gerry jug or small portable fuel or water which can be dumped over the side. As is, washing dishes in the cockpit using salt water is the norm.

Barbecue grill. Propane storage.

Mounting a grill to the stern pulpit is not difficult. Some of the barbecue grills can use the small propane canisters. One or two canisters might safely fit in the space intended for a gas tank for an outboard. Since we no longer have an outboard this space could be used to accomodate a larger propane tank, possibly two.

Whether this is worth doing depends on how much we end up eating on the boat and whether we begin to prepare meals aboard. So far its all been cold cuts, sandwiches, and anything else we can pack in a cooler or just bring along. We have no intention to use the butane stove provided by Compac but we may use a small propane camping stove in the cockpit until we decide what to do.

Additional fresh water tank.

A larger freshwater tank would be nice. A second freshwater tank would be useful in the event one became contaminated. The hard to access space aft of the quarter berths (which is fairly useless as is) would be a good place for these tanks. Removing the existing freshwater tank might be needed if the head is relocated to one side.

It may be possible to reuse the existing freshwater tank by relocating it near the sink and either using it as the greywater tank and or as just relocating is and using it as the freshwater tank. Two smaller more cube shaped tanks might make better use of the space.

Relocate head.

The head is located in the middle of the forward cabin between sides of the V berth and under a removable cushion. The V-berth has to be evacuated to aford privacy when using the head, a major inconvenience at the very least. Relocating the head and enclosing it would reduce sleeping area but make it much easier to use the head without a big production, whether needing it in the middle of the night, or just day sailing.

The V-berth is currently very generously sized for two adults. Three childred could easily fit. By relocating the head and enclosing it, the V-berth space is reduced. It would be cozy but not uncomfortable for two adults and a bit tight for three children. On the positive side, with both of the small rectangular center cushions removed the center aisle would be clear, making the forward cabin more easily accessible.

It would be easiest to leave the holding tank where it is and move the head to the starboard side facing forward. That would put the pump handle and plumbing on the outside. The water tank would have to be removed and the plywood cut. The floor of the head area might be elevated only 3-4 inches above the hull, plenty of room for hoses and enough to provide a flat level surface to mount the head. To enter the head one would step over the existing short wall. A curtain might be used instead of some sort of door.

Put in a proper galley.

Currently lacking is an ice box and storage for pots and pans and dishes and food. A fixed mounted sink and stove and even a small oven would be nice. The oven would either have to be alcohol based or would require a propane line into the cabin and complicate matters. The big cost item would be the stove or stove/oven compination. Refridgeration would put a very high load on the electrical system and so an icebox with the ability to later convert to refridgeration might be as far as we go. A challenge will be to fit both a stove/oven and an icebox without entirely closing off the storage in the back of the existing berth and also using that storage area effectively. If refrigeration is added, this would be where the compressor would go.

It certainly would be worth sacrificing a pilot berth in order to gain a more complete galley. Keeping one pilot berth and a v-berth sufficient for a cozy couple seems like a good use of the very limited available space. Alternately, though not as clearly feasible would be to sacrifice room in the forward portion of the cabin and retain the two pilot berths.

Nav station.

Some sort of chart table with storage for charts and plotting tools would be very nice to have. Some sort of space to do plotting is needed. The current method of using the cabin sole is not a good one. A system to record progress, weather, etc, before entry in logs or on chart is needed, which could be based on something as simple as a clipboard and laser printed forms. The navigation station is a design problem that has yet to be resolved. The solution would almost certainly have to involve reuse of the galley space. A Nav table may have to somehow fold out over the stovetop and sink.

Note that Maptech Waterproof Charts are 25x38 with print on both sides of the paper. The largest NOAA charts are 36x44 with print on only one side. If the NOAA charts are folded in haf, they are slightly smaller than the maptech charts.

The smallest table that would fit a full chart is 42x30 (3.5 ft x 2.5 ft) to accomodate 38x25 or 36x22 paper. This would allow parallel rules to hang over the table edge on all sides and the top. A chart table of that size doesn't seem at all feasible for such a small boat.

Celestaire sells a kit for a charting board designed for a 29x23 board. It might be feasible to use this if the board could be folder to 15x23 or 16x23 or folded in the other direction to 29x12 or 29x13 or folded roughly into thirds into as little as 29x9. Storing charts without folding them would still be a problem, although storing them vertically next to but well aft of the companionway in what is now a quarter berth area. If the galley is set back a foot or so this would work quite well.

Foredeck passive ventilation.

A planned major undertaking will be to add active ventilation to the forward face of the cabin. We have two 0.35A box fans from Radio Shack (so much cheaper than any Vetus or other marine product that we could replace each five times before reaching the same cost). The plan is to build a custom dorade chamber forward of this cabin wall with room for the fans. Since the dorade is on a near vertical surface, water would have to travel far up before entering. A horizontal surface would be provided in the forward portion of this structure to support a bronze cowl. The structure will be made of fiberglass using epoxy resin. The exposed surfaces will be either teak trimmed with polyurathane paint over the epoxy or teak trim and marine plywood with teak veneer (the latter is probably too much wood and may not look good).

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