Back to work

Right now it's cold and foggy and blowing about 30 knots out of the west. But all is quiet and warm in our boat, with the furnace running and the many layers of insulation proving to be well worth the grueling hours we spent installing them. Sue and I took a little time out to do some traveling for our 10th anniversary, with a little work mixed in. Lots of stories to tell, but probably not in this blog... I'll sneak in a few pictures though. We haven't completely neglected our boat project. While we haven't tackled anything big while we've been otherwise distracted, we have completed a lot of little projects over the past two months. The wheelhouse electronics are mostly finished except for the second VHF radio, and the hailer. The wiring is all pretty well cleaned up in the overhead and under the console. We got the chart plotter computer up and running with Rosepoint software and all the equipment is integrated and sharing info via NMEA 0183 which is an older but robust standard for exchanging data between devices. Since we don't have our masts installed yet, I did a temporary setup of all the antennas and receivers on the wheelhouse roof. It's all secured pretty well and should be fine for messing around in local waters until we get the final installation incorporated into the final rig. We also have all of our navigation lights installed now including an anchor light in case we can get away for an overnight trip this winter. I've been dealing with another geometry puzzle in the area of the stairwell leading from the wheelhouse down into the main cabin. Lots of angles and curves intersect in this area so the finish work is proving to be a challenge. So far it's coming together OK but I still need to make up some custom trim to tie it together in spots. This is also an area where we are fighting for inches to avoid any ergonomic oddities when going up and down the stairs. This will not be a boat for very tall people. Along with finishing out the stairwell, we added the veneer to the rest of the wheelhouse console.

The next big project is probably going to be flooring. The plywood subfloors are really not up to full time live-aboard use and it's about time we put something down for the finished floor. We've looked at a lot of options but haven't decided on what we will use. Right now, I'm looking into cork plank flooring. Good thermal and sound insulation, decent moisture resistance (won't warp or cup like wood floors) and supposedly durable if you get the right stuff.