Aft Cabin 2014

First we need to cover the forward bulkhead with white laminate. I had to use the flexible material so it would go over all the bolt heads that where part of the bulkhead fastenings. In hind sight I should have recessed them.

Here is the door opening looking forward.	First cover sheet is on !


Second sheet is on. Looks simple.. Took all day !	Bulkhead all done, removed the makeshift shelf, ready to install closet bulkheads.


Heres a view of where the head ends of the bunks will be.	First closet bulkhead in place.


2nd closet bulkhead in place.	Both bulkheads with card board washer/dryer in place where the actual one will eventually go..


Port side all cleared out. Ready for a closet bulkhead. The wood strap you see there is the bunk height where the mattress will lay.	First port side closet bulkhead in place.


Washer/Dryer platform in place.	All closet bulkheads with white finish panels in place.


Lighting protection wiring in place. These cables ground all the chain plates to a heavy braided copper strap which extends all through the ship and is connected to the water when submerged.	This is the chain plate backing for the boom kin.


I tried to work my way from the forward section to the rear, but now I realize i need work from the back forward. Somewhere in the middle it should come together... Here is the first trim backing in place in the corner.	I am making a pattern for the next piece to fit in under the window.


Here is the big panel temporarily in place. More to come !	Weird shape, eh ? Now I decided I need to put down 3/4" straps to hold down all the interior pieces.


Here is the port side area with the 3/4 straps, primed and ready for the finished panel.	Here is the aft section with the 3/4' slats primed The ones below are just roughed in for now.


Starboard side panel in place, with screw covers installed.	Port side also done.


In order to support the aft part of the starboard bunk I needed to have a support for the bunk and the interior trim. Last night I thought of this scheme to install a large piece of plywood to do the task. Here it is, only took 5 hours for both sides. The white metal piece next to the rudder shaft is the mount for the hydraulic steering cylinder.	Here is the port side done. Under the center of the boards I had to grind out the wood where there were high spots in the fiberglass rib. From thought to reality in a few hours... The next step is to install an angle cut 2 x 4 to serve as the support for the bunks.


First step is to make a line were the support will go. Not easy as there are so many angles its hard to get a level line on a curved structure. See the line, that took about 2 hours to make using a laser level and then double checking the levels with a line level to the forward end of the bunks.	Here is the first one in place. Not easy to bend it both ways and stay on the line.


Second one in place and I got it to match in the center.	Here is the grand finale for the day, the first bunk support in place and all level. Doesn't look like it but it is... All those curves produce an optical illusion. This support rail is 72 inches long + 1.5 inches for the back support, makes the bed length 73.5 inches. The bunk width is 40 inches, so we'll be just 1.5 inches shy of a twin size mattress in the length.


Took all day (6-May-2104) but here is the aft window area back board trim in place. Now to make it pretty.	Pretty it is, hard to take a picture in the confined space but after 9.5 hours of work the window area is done. Tomorrow's work will be the white trim on the sides and underneath down to the bed rail.


The pine trim had to be fitted to accommodate the 2 plain sheets that had to go up underneath the pine. They are roughed in place and will get covered with the white paneling next. The panels to fill the area near the side windows are done and will be set in place with welting around the edges.	This entire back section down to the bunk rails is done. Whoopee ! Next task is the mizzen mast support which I did on another page. Click here.


The completed mizzen mast support is installed.	I found rough cut 3 1/2" cedar fencing at home depot for under $2.00 for a 6" length so I decided to buy a few and try to see how they work. They are not kiln dried so they bend easy around all the corners. Trial cedar roughed in under the port bunk.


I scrounged up all the tongue and groove cedar I had in the wood pile and found enough good pieces to do under the port port light where the freezer is going.	I will finish the rest with cedar strips because what you see here will be the only ones showing. Now to build the support for the freezer.


The support for the freezer is roughed in. There was a lot of measuring and figuring to do to make sure the freezer support is the right height and at that height will it fit on the platform ? So these 3 simple supports and the 1" plywood took most of a day. Once the figuring was done, the angle in the back to get the plywood to fit flush against the cedar on a curve was the most time consuming.	Here's the freezer in it's new home. Had to trim the doorway take off the hinges and remove the front thermostat to get it in here. This was only real way I could tell it will fit by using the freezer itself. It fits but with about 1/2 inch clearance on the front edge right side.


Now that I know the freezer will fit I started work on the "ceilings". In a ship the ceilings are the sides of the hull. Now that I know that these would work it was off to Home Depot to buy all I needed, plus I found 5 1/2". Here is the first test sample cedar varathened. I think it turned out looking good for cheap wood.	Now I completed roughing in the port side along with the closet.


Here is a view of the closet. Now to fill the screw holes and varathane them all. Then its over to the starboard side.	Port and starvoard side coming together at the transom. Not sure yet how to finish this off.


Now to install the freezer permanently. Under the freezer I found some slots as you see here. I figure these were used to hold it in the pallet when it was shipped. However those parts were probably throw away, too bad they didn't come my way. So I had to build these brackets with a bolt through the center to secure the freezer to the shelf.	All the cedar is installed behind and underneath andf the floor is complete where you step into the aft cabin. The freezer shelf is mounted to the bulkhead and closet with 1/4" coach bolts. Also wired in the electrical outlet to the charger convertor, the freezer is in its new home and is now running.