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Do-It-Yourself
by Chris Caswell
Nine projects for better boating
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A Foldaway Chart Table
Having owned larger motoryachts with permanent chart tables installed near the helm, I missed being able to lay out a chart on my new small cruiser -- and the dinette table was too far away from the helm to be of use.
Using 1/2 inch thick mahogany veneered plywood to match my interior, I made a folding chart table that solves the problem, and it takes up no space when it is not being used.
The area I had available was the bulkhead in front of the helm's companion seat, from the footrest to the top of the bulkhead by the windows.
I fitted my chart table top with a piano hinge on one side and a mahogany lip on the other side that extends both above and below the top. The supporting piece has a piano hinge on the bottom.
To use my chart table, I simply lift the hinged top and swing out the support piece, so that it fits against the lip.
In use, the chart table is sturdy enough to lean on. When it is not in use, it is held snugly against the bulkhead with a piece of shock cord.
Dry Boots
Since foul weather boots are waterproof, they hold water in as well as keep it out. That makes it hard to keep them dry on the inside.
I found that I had some dead space at the bottom of the hanging locker near the main companionway, so I removed its false bottom panel. I replaced it with a piece of pegboard (for better air circulation), in which I sawed four large holes that can each hold one boot, upside down.
Stored upside down, the boot can dry out as well as empty out -- and because the locker area is kept warm while the engine is running, I can always have warm, dry boots to put on.
Divide and Conquer
My galley has several bins and a locker. They are quite large -- and while I appreciate all the space, much of it is unusable because food and utensils just end up in a pile.
I thought about making vertical dividers out of plywood, but those would be hard to get into the locker. In addition, they would cut down the visibility of what is stored in each area.
A solution came to me, in the form of the acrylic panels used to make see-through windows in flybridge enclosures. The material is transparent, flexible and inexpensive.
On my boat, I made locker dividers by cutting acrylic pieces to fit the space. I installed grommets in each corner and screwed cup hooks into the locker sides to hold each divider in place.
After two years, only one grommet has torn out and the acrylic material is still in good condition.
Melt Catcher
On small boats with iceboxes built into the galley, most boat builders simply aim the drain hose into the bilge, saving an extra through-hull fitting by letting the automatic bilge pump take care of the melted ice water.
The problem is: not only is ice water draining into the bilge, so are food particles and spills, which can give your boat an unmistakable aroma on a warm day.
I use a 1 gallon plastic milk carton to contain the overflow. It can be easily emptied and replaced, so nothing goes into the bilge.
Using a sharp knife, I cut an X near the top of the bottle and pushed the drain hose into the opening, which holds it firmly in place. I discarded the top, so the bottle would vent -- and now I'll never have a fragrant bilge again.
Seat Cover Adds Dinghy Storage
There are lots of small items that need to be carried in a dinghy -- including flashlights, tools, lines, suntan lotion, hats, soft drinks and all the other stuff that usually winds up getting wet and rolling around underfoot.
I solved this problem by making a removable cover for the wooden seat on my dinghy - - with storage pockets sewn in. You can adapt it to fit any dinghy, including inflatables.
I used a piece of Sunbrella fabric like that used for Bimini tops (I bought a remnant from a canvas shop) and cut it to fit the width of my dinghy seat. Draping it over the seat, I folded the two ends up on each side of the seat to form large pockets, and marked those positions.
Once at home, I sewed a hem in each side, then folded the two "tails" up and stitched them. The result looks like a saddlebag that lays over the seat, with spacious pockets on each side, for gear.
To hold the seat cover in place, I put strips of Velcro hook and loop fasteners on the seat and sewed matching strips on the underside of the seat. When it is not in use, I simply peel the seat cover out of the dinghy and store it, with all the gear still in place.
I'm planning to make an updated version, with some improvements. I'm going to sew a foam cushion into the seat cover to provide a softer surface to sit on, and I'm going to stitch vertical dividers into the storage pockets to keep each gear item separate.
A Slip-proof Fender Board
In many areas, a fender board is absolutely essential to protect your hull against pilings or small piers, where your fenders alone don't offer enough protection. In most cases, you can simply hang a 2 by 4 plank with a couple of fenders on the inside -- but if your boat is moving around, the fenders may slip out and the plank will then chew up your topsides.
I made a non-slip fender board from a 6-foot-long, 2 by 4 board and a pair of my regular fenders. To hang the fender board, I drilled holes down through the board and fed a line through each hole, knotting it at both the top and the bottom, to hold it in place.
To keep the fenders where I wanted them, I drilled two holes for each fender and countersunk them from the outside.
When a short length of shock cord is threaded through the two holes and knotted on the countersunk side, you have a springy loop to go around the fenders. Since the shock cord is countersunk, it won't be abraded when the board chafes against the piling.
Because the fenders can be easily removed from the board, I can also use them for their normal duties -- so I don't need to buy additional fenders.
Slide-Free Doors
Sailors expect their boats to tilt and pitch, but most power boat builders act as though their boats are absolutely steady. On my 35-footer, it only took a short run on choppy seas to open up all the sliding panels in my galley, allowing the contents of lockers to spill out and create a mess.
I like having sliding doors for the storage areas, but I've found that locking them shut is a necessity. To do that, I ended up putting a small self-tapping screw near the outer end of each sliding door, then notching the bottom of each door so that it can't slide past the screw.
To open the doors, I just lift each door slightly and let it slide freely. It won't vibrate or rattle open accidentally.
There are no more messes aboard.
My Cups Runneth Under
On my 35-footer, I have a lot of guests who always want a glass of water.
Rather than ending up with a sink full of dirty dishes at the end of the day, I installed a hideaway cup dispenser on the underside of an in-counter locker door, next to the sink.
Now, my guests can have as many drinks as they want, and I don't have to wash any glassware.
I Can't Believe It's a Pump Strainer
No matter how hard I try to keep things clean, there always seems to be small debris in my bilge that can clog my bilge pump. I investigated getting one of the commercially available strainers to solve my problem, but they all were designed for much larger pumps than mine.
The solution came in the form of an empty plastic margarine tub. I drilled the sides full of 1/8 inch holes with a portable drill, then put my bilge pump inside the hole-filled tub, using the pump mounting screws to hold the tub in place.
My smallest Rule pump fit into the tub with no problem -- and I simply routed the discharge hose out of the top of the tub, making sure it didn't kink in the process.
For a larger Attwood pump, I had to drill a hole for the discharge hose through the side of the tub. In both cases, I've never had another clogged pump.
Rehabilitating a Showgirl
How one couple successfully renovated a classic 50-footer By Kay Pastorius
Beauty queens don't always age well. Sometimes, a facelift is in order to wipe away the ravages of time and neglect.
That's what Ron and Kathryn Williamson found when they bought their present boat. After five years of "elective surgery," the Williamsons' 50 foot classic not only looks better than new, but also is better equipped for today's cruising needs.
The road to recovery for their 1954 Chris-Craft wasn't a short one. But because of the couple's dedication, the boat would eventually become ideally suited to their long-range cruising needs.
Both Ron and Kathryn Williamson had a long background as sailors, and they enjoyed long-distance sailing adventures. However, in 1989, while they were cruising in Mexican waters aboard a 30 foot Catalina sailboat, Ron suffered a heart attack.
That forced the couple to return to California, where Ron recuperated. Six months after their return to the states, they sold their sailboat.
For a while, it seemed that the couple's boating days were over -- that is, until they came upon an old, almost derelict 50 foot Chris-Craft power boat being sold by the Boy Scouts.
With a reliable and well-equipped power boat, the couple reasoned, they could again enjoy long-range cruising adventures. But turning this deteriorating classic into a reliable cruiser would be a major adventure in itself.
Even Showgirls Get the Blues
When new, this accommodating boat originally sold for $121,750. One of the owners along the way was a son of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton.
But by the 1980s, the boat's glory days seemed far behind it. Dry rot, electrolysis and rusty chrome were only a few of its many problems.
One of the engines sat disconnected in the middle of the dining area. The bird's-eye maple in the master cabin had turned so black, it was unrecognizable as wood -- and the galley was practically non-functioning.
Despite all this boat's problems, the Williamsons were drawn to the enduring beauty of the Chris-Craft's lines. Ron bought it, for $18,000, and promptly named it Grandpa's Showgirl.
The purchase price of the boat turned out to be one of the smallest expenses in the vessel's renovation. The Williamsons quit adding up the bills several years ago, so the couple wouldn't have to know exactly how much money they were throwing into this demanding renovation project. However, Kathryn said she knows that at least an additional $85,000 has been put into restoration of this classic beauty.
Still, the Williamsons saved thousands of dollars by doing almost all the renovation work on their boat themselves. Ron is a master craftsman, whose talents were put to good use when it came to the remodeling. He did all the electrical and cabinetry work himself, as well as building the refrigeration system and enclosing the bridge -- all according to Kathryn's design.
Both Kathryn and Ron have worked together on this project for the last six years. The goal was to get their boat ready for a demanding long-range cruise to Mexico.
First Things First
First, the Williamsons replaced the boat's original heavy gasoline engines with fuel- efficient twin 120 hp Perkins 354 c.i.d. diesels. They replaced the gasoline-powered auxiliary generator with an 8 kw Westerbeke diesel.
Next, they hauled out the boat to work on the hull. Electrolysis had eaten the bolts holding the chines in place, and much replanking was needed.
Dry-rotted planks around the head had to be replaced. The Williamsons spent a total of $4,000 on restoring old chrome parts -- and they sorted through scrap bins looking for hardware that exactly matched missing parts.
To give the Williamsons more living space, they built in a flybridge, added a hardtop and installed plexiglass and canvas enclosures. This deviation from the original design gives abundant living space year-round in a mild climate.
Next, the Williamsons gutted the boat's galley and the dining space belowdecks, to make room for a larger all-new galley. Ron built separate refrigerator and freezer compartments into the boat's cabinetry, adding six inches of insulation for efficient operation in hot climates.
He installed two separate Adler Barbour refrigeration systems, making each unit independent. If the evaporator or compressor from either system fails, both can be run on the remaining parts while repairs are made.
Ron built new cabinets with adjustable shelves and cane door inserts, for good ventilation. Practical Formica countertops were added, designed to be both durable and attractive. A new dishwasher, a stove and a double sink completed the galley.
The V-berth has not been changed a great deal. The original bunks are still in place here -- and the head, built into a cabinet beside the lower bunk, is completely camouflaged by its cabinetry.
The Williamsons installed a small television in this cabin, on a swivel bracket -- which is great for Kathryn, allowing her to watch television while working in the galley.
Gloss That Shows
The Williamsons sanded the boat's hull and all the woodwork -- inside and out -- then applied DETCO Sterling linear polyurethane (LP) coating, for a tough, long-lasting, yet high-gloss finish. Much of the interior and exterior is now a glossy white, which gives a feeling of more space inside and keeps the outside cool.
They sealed much of the boat's original mahogany with an LP varnish that is maintenance-free and shows off the natural grain of the wood.
Narrow bunk-style berths were removed from the master stateroom. In their place, the Williamsons installed a queen-size berth.
They added a second 85 gallon water tank under the berth, giving a total water storage capacity of 170 gallons. They can make 48 gallons of water per hour with their onboard water-maker, so it only takes a few hours to fill the tanks.
Ron restored the lustrous beauty of the bird's-eye maple cabinets on the starboard side of this stateroom. Then, he used matching wood to build all-new cabinets on the port side.
When I was aboard just weeks before their departure for Baja California, a new washer/dryer combination was sitting on the deck. The Williamsons planned to install it inside the hanging locker in the guest stateroom.
Later, the Williamsons plan to replace the galley's electric stove with a propane unit. Running the generator in order to cook was still not an ideal situation at anchor.
The generator noise bothers them -- and the stove is the only major piece of equipment aboard that requires much generator use, since the Williamsons have 10 Arco/Simmons solar panels mounted on the top Ron built to cover the bridge. These cells supply most of the boat's necessary onboard electricity.
The electricity generated by the solar cells is stored in a bank of 12 deep-cycle batteries with 1,200 amp hours capacity. These golf cart-type batteries are meant to be run down, so they are perfect for Grandpa's Showgirl's power storage needs.
A Heart 2800 inverter converts the 12v DC supplied by the battery bank to 110v AC.
Ready to Cruise
Grandpa's Showgirl's cruising speed is now 10 knots -- and with the boat's 300 gallon fuel capacity, its range is 600-700 miles.
Now that they have a reliable, well-equipped power boat that is capable of long-range cruising, the Williamsons intend to take full advantage of its abilities. They plan to keep their boat in Mexico, cruise the Sea of Cortez in the winter months and "land cruise" (via a recreational vehicle) in the U.S. during the stifling Baja California summers.
At last, the Williamsons' boat name is appropriate for this restored Chris-Craft. She is truly a Showgirl now.
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This article first appeared in the May 1, 1996 issue of Sea Magazine. All or parts of the information contained in this article might be outdated. |
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