Cabin Foam

While waiting for parts for the Carver boat, I finished foaming the hull. I used 1800 board feet of material to foam the forward hull area, and I'd guess I have a net of 2+ inches on average, maybe closer to 3". As you can see from the pictures, I foamed down to the water line. I did not want to foam below the water line, but I did add insulating beads into my paint to try to minimize condensation below the water line. I did not have enough to foam the anchor chain locker, so I'm going to buy a small 200 board foot kit to foam that area. I was really not ready to foam the anchor locker as I've yet to paint the floor of the chain locker with a rubberized product. I think something like bed liner is what I'll be using to coat the chain locker floor. I will probably also fiberglass over the foam in the chain locker to help protect the foam from getting destroyed by the chain.

I decided to wire the boat after the foaming as I was not too keen on burying wire in the foam. I know I'll have a little bit of a fight getting conduits and wire in now that the foam is in place, but I did spend a day gluing cleats to the hull in strategic spots so I'd be able to attached wires, water lines, hydraulic lines and conduits. My plan as of now, is to keep all my electrical stuff up in the ceilings, and all my water and hydraulic lines lower in the hull below the water line. I'm going to try and use conduit as much as possible, but I'm not opposed to stapling some wires to the framing. My biggest concern is to protect everything and be aware as to not run a screw through any wire as I finish the interior.

I'm going to foam the anchor locker myself. I'm too far into the foam to bring in a contractor to do such a small job as the chain locker, but I will not do the wheel house and salon myself. I'll be bringing in a contractor to finish those areas some time next year. While I'm foaming the chain locker, I'm going to foam the engine side of the engine room door. Right now, the engine room door is my weak link in sound deadening, and with a foam job( or left over rock wool), and some sort of liner, I think I'll be able to quadruple it's sound rating. I'll have a little engineering involved in keeping the door's grease fittings accessible, but I'm not to worried about figuring that one out. My main goal with the engine room door is to give it the ole college try and see what I can do about minimizing sound transmission. If you look at the picture of the engine room door, you can see how thick that wall has become...thick with insulation ( about 7").

The difference in the hull is amazing now that the foam is in. Not only is it much more quiet, the temperature difference is much more noticeable. Once I close things up with the hatch and port lights, I doubt I'll be able to hear any outside noise.

I purchased my foam from www.betterenergy.com, and I was totally happy with the service I got from Michael.

Detour

I've got to take a little detour on the yacht build to take care of some other business. Spring has for sure sprung in my neck of the woods, and work on the yard and work on our 28' cruiser is demanding my time.

The boating season officially opens this weekend as this is when my contract begins on my harbor space. Our plastic cruiser boat is a 1977 Carver that I restored about eight years ago. Late last season, we had a catastrophic failure of the gimbal ring on the TRS drive, and it's a little past time that I get working on it.

I bought a used transom assembly off of Ebay that I am going to re build. Yesterday, I removed my stern drive, and transom assembly off of the Carver, and this morning I steam cleaned all of the parts and started getting things ready for the re build. I'm putting new bellows, gaskets, lower and upper pins, bearings, and seals in the used transom assembly. I'm also going to paint all of the parts with Acrylic Urethane paint while I have everything apart.

I've made a list of parts I think I need but I'm still going to put the transom assembly in a box and bring it down to the local marine repair shop and have him do a parts take off and order what I need. Once I get everything back, I think I can have it all back together and back on the boat in two days time.

While I'm waiting on my parts to come in, I'll paint the stern drive and transom assembly. I'm also going to give the boats bright work a couple of coats of urethane, and some general cleaning. At the end of last season, I purchased a galvanic isolator that needs to be installed along with a new cranking battery and two batteries for the house. In three weeks time, I should be ready to splash her.

Harvest Moon has been a good boat for me, but I'm going to throw a for sale sign on her this season. I need the money from the sale to buy some parts for the yacht. While I dread being boat less for a season, I'm going to commit to launching the yacht for the 2012 boating season.

The shop is about as full as it can get with having Harvest Moon in my working bay. I've always like the size of Harvest Moon, and to be honest with you, it's been plenty of boat for us with 28' LOD, and her 10' beam. But seeing Harvest Moon sitting next the the yacht, motivates me that much more to get the yacht done and love all that space I'm going to have.

I painted the the new transom assembly and stern drive today. I'm going to give them a day or so to cure, then I'll assemble everything this weekend. Hopefully, I'll have her out of the shop by the middle of the week. I'm starting to have some withdrawal from not working on the yacht, and I'm anxious to get Harvest Moon back in the water.