103. Further Cockpit Detailing
Immediately astern of the dash
bulkhead, alongside the driver's seat, I have added another length of
conduit to transmit one of the battery cables from the batteries under
the seat to the motor compartment. (The other one passes under the
sole). It finishes behind the speaker box, and from there the cable
will need to find its way to the space under the seat, either by
passing down through the sole and then up again, or by passing through
a
tunnel from the cavity it now occupies to the seat space.
The electrical cable conduit behind the lagging.
While the finish on the forward
lagging strips is
drying, the aft ones are replaced. The fiddle on the rear seat has had
its coating of Cetol, and the beading along the starboard edges of the
seat is added.
With the
near completion
of
this side, the
throttle lever
has to be positioned before the strips
are glued down. The opening for the glove box in the forward
compartment has not yet been cut, because I am not sure whether the
throttle mechanism will allow for one. So the next step is to finish
that connection, and then build the box.
The throttle lever is added to the lagging, with a backing block, close enough to the intermediate stringer so that limiting stops can
be built into the stringer to prevent the lever from being over extended, and thereby damaging the delicate throttle itself.
The throttle lever is added to the lagging, with a backing block, close enough to the intermediate stringer so that limiting stops can
be built into the stringer to prevent the lever from being over extended, and thereby damaging the delicate throttle itself.
Work
on the throttle mechanism, however, had to be interrupted: two weeks of
steady rain had so humidified the garage that the lagging boards which
had not been given a coat of finish began to grow a black mould on
their hoop pine components. It was difficult to remove and unsightly,
so I felt that I should concentrate on fixing them, and getting a layer
of varnish on them, before proceeding with the throttle.
Views of the mould on the lagging boards.
Views of the mould on the lagging boards.
So,
the port side was quickly disassembled and the boards lined up for
sanding and finishing.
Back
to the throttle: the difficulty here is to link the throttle pot box
with the throttle lever. The distance between them is too short for a
standard cable, so some sort of push rod is needed. The connector for
the original cable which is supposed to go with the lever is meant for
a 10-32 UNF thread, so that seems to be a good size to aim for. Using a
length of 10-32 UNF threaded rod, I can screw it into the connector.
All that is left is to attach it to the pot box. There are ball joints
designed for the engine end of throttle cables, (also with 10-32 UNF
threads), but they only allow about 30° of movement, so cannot be
mounted on top of the existing pot box lever. The excursion from full
ahead to
full astern is about 90°. It could be mounted on the side of the
pot box lever, but that would require tapping its ball for the thread
of the ball joint post. A simpler solution was to use a Heim joint.
Again, in order to achieve unrestricted excursion, the Heim was mounted
to the side of the existing ball via a hole drilled to accept a small
bolt with locking nuts. The threaded rod screws into the Heim, and fine
tuning can be achieved by altering the length of the ball-topped lever
on the pot box.
The pot box throttle with its lever drilled and a Heim joint fitted. Here it is in the full astern position.
Full ahead position.
The pot box throttle with its lever drilled and a Heim joint fitted. Here it is in the full astern position.
Full ahead position.
Now,
all that has to be done is mount the pot box in a suitable location and
connect it to the control lever. It is now apparent that there will be
room for a glovebox, so the shelf is added, and a hole is cut for it in
the lagging.
The shelf for the forward glovebox is installed.
The shelf for the forward glovebox is installed.
The best
location for the pot box turned out to be in the motor compartment.
This way is will be accessible, whereas it would not have been behind
the cockpit lagging. So an opening is made through the dash bulkhead
for the pushrod, and a frame is constructed to hold the pot box, which
is then bolted to the bulkhead. The levers on the pot box and the
cockpit are both put into neutral position while the rod is connected.
Some stops will be required for the main lever so that is is not
straining the pot box through overzealous or accidental action, and
then the throttle mechanism is up and running.
Showing the pushrod passing from the throttle lever in the cockpit to the pot box in the motor compartment.
The stop blocks being glued down.
Showing the pushrod passing from the throttle lever in the cockpit to the pot box in the motor compartment.
In
fashioning the stop blocks I was able to make use of the clamp and shim
which were provided with the control lever for the purpose of holding
the throttle cable. Instead of that task they are perfect for making a
metal on metal contact with the lever.
The stop blocks being glued down.
With the
lagging replaced temporarily the starboard side is just about complete.
The forward glovebox still has to be blackened, and the speaker cord
running through it has to be rerouted, but then it is ready for the
coaming...at last. Now to the port side!
On the port
side I still have
to cut the glovebox apertures, build the forward box, glue down the
sole panels, connect the bilge pump hose to the through-hull, decide on
a strategy for the vent hose from the shaft seal, bring out the power
outlet for the refrigerator, oil the forward sole panel and replace the
lagging, but now that the starboard side is finished the port will go a
lot more quickly. The second side always seems to be easier than the
first. I will also run a short piece of conduit from the motor
compartment through the space behind the lagging, in case another
battery cable route is needed. The one I had intended to use for that
purpose has been called into service to transmit the wiring for the
bilge pump.
But the first job was to glue down the sole panels, which had not been done on the port. With them in place, the lagging could quickly be replaced and the speakers could be bolted into their correct relationship with their covers. The location of the power outlet could now be determined, and it was put in the third lagging strip forward of the aft speaker cover. From here it will be able to be reached by the cord from the fridge, and by rear seat passengers
Lining the port side of the cockpit, after the sole is glued down.
But the first job was to glue down the sole panels, which had not been done on the port. With them in place, the lagging could quickly be replaced and the speakers could be bolted into their correct relationship with their covers. The location of the power outlet could now be determined, and it was put in the third lagging strip forward of the aft speaker cover. From here it will be able to be reached by the cord from the fridge, and by rear seat passengers
Lining the port side of the cockpit, after the sole is glued down.
The
final strategy for the shaft seal vent was to
take the tubing up through the side cavity to a breather valve on the
side deck, just forward of the port window frame. The valve is designed
for a fuel tank, but is just the thing for a neat looking outlet for
the tubing. In the extremely unlikely event of water running up the
tubing to deck level, it will be discharged overboard. This saves
having to put reservoir bottles in for overflow, and also allows free
air flow into the tubing, so breaking any siphon effect. It will have
to be taken one level higher when the second deck skin is applied, so
the lagging boards forward of the windscreen will be left unglued until
then to allow for re-attachment of the tubing.
The shaft seal vent tubing running up to the breather valve on the side deck.
The shaft seal vent tubing running up to the breather valve on the side deck.
The
forward glovebox has been made to include access to the bilge pump hose
outlet, so its space is a bit limited by the hose and through-hull
poking into it, but at least this critical piece of equipment will be
able to be seen and reached easily.
The forward glovebox space showing the bilge pump hose and the through-hull.
The forward glovebox space showing the bilge pump hose and the through-hull.
After
a good two months of playing around in the cockpit the space is now
beginning to look civilised. There are still some small jobs to be done
with trim, but this is basically it as far as the lagging is concerned.
Time to move on the side coaming and the rest of the deck work, as well
as a few electrical jobs.
These photos, taken with flash, reflect the true colour of the woodwork more than the yellowish ones above, which are taken under
mixed fluorescent, incandescent and natural light. The effect pleases me.
These photos, taken with flash, reflect the true colour of the woodwork more than the yellowish ones above, which are taken under
mixed fluorescent, incandescent and natural light. The effect pleases me.
Many of the yachty looking boats aim for a tapered
curve on their covering boards, such that they are wider in the mid
deck than at the bow or stern, and that is indeed a pleasing look on a
yacht. But on a slipper launch the central section of the board has to
fill the gap between the coaming and the upper rubbing strake at the
gunwale. Although it is curved, it is a constant 170 mm. wide, and to
add tapered front and rear ends to a board like that seems out of place
to me. The best solution is to use 170 mm. as the width all along the
length of the boat, and across its stern.
The critical fit here is the joint between the covering board and the coaming. This is an area where water is likely to pool and enter if the joint is not tight, and although epoxy can be used to fill minor gaps, because there will be a small fillet covering the join line, it cannot be too generous. The fillet has to be small enough not to interfere with the mechanism of the pram hood which will be added later. So, a curved board has to be fitted, to butt up against a curved coaming, and meeting it at an upward, but varying inclination.
Once that is done, scarf joints have to be fashioned to join the central section to the forward and stern sections, which then have to be cut to parallel the curve of the hull, to meet each other at the bow, and to engage the athwartships section at the stern. The whole lot then has to be glued down with minimal gaps to show a clean transition. It should be pointed out, however, that the idea of scarf joints on covering boards was to make them water tight when they constituted the actual decking structure. With ply decks that it not so important, so the scarf joints could be dispensed with. The photos of slipper launches show only butt joints between the covering boards, as far as I can tell. The decision is one of aesthetics.
Butt joints visible on the covering boards just forward of the navigation lights.
Nevertheless, here is a major woodworking challenge. A number of jigs will have to be made, and a lot of time devoted to the job.
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Problems shows higher resolution shots as well.
The critical fit here is the joint between the covering board and the coaming. This is an area where water is likely to pool and enter if the joint is not tight, and although epoxy can be used to fill minor gaps, because there will be a small fillet covering the join line, it cannot be too generous. The fillet has to be small enough not to interfere with the mechanism of the pram hood which will be added later. So, a curved board has to be fitted, to butt up against a curved coaming, and meeting it at an upward, but varying inclination.
Once that is done, scarf joints have to be fashioned to join the central section to the forward and stern sections, which then have to be cut to parallel the curve of the hull, to meet each other at the bow, and to engage the athwartships section at the stern. The whole lot then has to be glued down with minimal gaps to show a clean transition. It should be pointed out, however, that the idea of scarf joints on covering boards was to make them water tight when they constituted the actual decking structure. With ply decks that it not so important, so the scarf joints could be dispensed with. The photos of slipper launches show only butt joints between the covering boards, as far as I can tell. The decision is one of aesthetics.
Butt joints visible on the covering boards just forward of the navigation lights.
Nevertheless, here is a major woodworking challenge. A number of jigs will have to be made, and a lot of time devoted to the job.
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Problems shows higher resolution shots as well.