I assembled one port light and trial fitted it to see how it will go .Worked out OK . Hard to see but both parts are in there







The center of the inner is lifting a littler so when I do fit it Ill make a prop so it holds the ring flush with the outer also Ill give it a flex so they fit better removing
25 mm changes the fit a little
Also started routing the spacers done a rough out on the port side three spacers they will need some tidying up yet

Had a rdo today so went for a sail with a mate who had never been on my boat before

Had a nice breeze of around 10 to 15 knots for most of the sail and she went ok

I normally just set the sails close enough and sail the thing but he wanted to play with halyard and foot tension and the traveller and genoa car position so we mucked around a bit and probably dragged another half a knot out of her and made her point a bit higher

He has a little lightweight plywood racer so it was a bit of change for him helming my Sailmaster

Got back in before the rain started to fall so all in all it was a top day

Regards Don

Trial fit port side








They all have protective plastic on them so there
Im going back down and fit the star board side after this coffee

Trial fit of the starboard side port lights





Ill run a straight edge tomorrow and give them a tweek

She looks flash as HG

When you first started to fit the windows I thought it would be a lot of work for something that might end up looking strange but it is a credit to you


Regards Don

Its a a lot of work Donk and there will be a couple more weekends before there finished Id say, The weathers is not going to be nice to paint tomorow so will have to see how things progress . I think tomorrow Ill do some more wiring inside and as Ive seal the port lights with tape for now I don't think Ill get any rain inside the boat tomorrow
The on off switch on the router has fallen apart so ill have to repair that before I can finish off the spacer routing on the port side. It is nearly completed it needs a few hours of hand work and if I can get the router going again 10 more minuets on the forward port light.
The starboard side spacers are not routed yet and I don't like to make to much noise during the weekend so Ill have to do that side after work next week.
I would really like to get some paint on to see how the Hempel poly best light Cream will look. Id like to paint the cabin sides and top theres some stains up there I cant remove and the gel coats thin at the front of the cabin its over thirty years old so the gel coats done a good job.

been busy on the boat lately fitted new av100 wheel pilot lowrance sounder fan in the ice box 3 blade prop and scrubbed the mould that had accumulated over the years

Took my 5 yo grandson with me for my Wednesday sail this week. Mostly a nor easter, we got east of Cronulla Beach.
Good run home with the breeze behind us.

Ive decided to remove this panel and fill it properly with fiber glass and and then re fit the throttle gear shift assembly as I'm going to paint the complete deck might as well do this along with any other tiny bits and pieces

First coat port side painted Hempel two pack light cream . Its a lighter shade than the original which I like
Will be doing the deck but want to close the port light scenario permanently I think sea breezers might be over my port light its been going on far to long

first coat of light cream after sanding back



Sanded back ready for the final coat and cut and polish if it comes up OK Two weeks and no more photos of these they will be finished
The holes patch in the cockpit are also had a light cream first coat
Tomorrow Ill rremove the ply panel I made for the throttle and fill it in with fiberglass



Also worked out my sea strainer is just in the right spot so I can fit a head inlet to with a ball valve Ill fit a T under the strainer and pass it through to the other side where the head will be and mount a ball valve in there for the head












Found these two packs in Bunnings . Bench tops, hardwood is around 20 mm thick ,the mixed red wood 16mm thick I think one of there will be my bench tops
mixed red is around $75 and hard wood $109 600x 1800 . Which will be in my price range and enough in there for my needs



There is a couple of other things but Ill leave them out for now

Fitted some cedar to the roof today I'm glad I did it




I might source some Bronze screws off the wooden boat shop the ones I used are just Aldi alcheapos . I was thinking of painting the roof white, Ill chew the fat for a while see how it all looks Ive done a lot more than whats in the photo I just have to do the side need to trim either side down before fitting so Ill do that during the weeks ran out of light


Im happy with it now just select the right screws and swap them out Ill probably fit some down lights to either side of the roof LEDs when I find the right ones

Looks good hg
I haven't painted inside yet as I decided to stick the windows on the inside temporarily while I sand and paint the outside

Not my boat and not a sailing boat but just have to reinforce the fact I'm not a lazy hippy bum from Nimbin, converted our chart table to a 3rd bunk over the past week. Anyone keen for a wet season Barra fishing trip up on remote north Cape?

I'm not a lazy hippy bum from Nimbin No south ace your probably a a S.A. Beer swilling bogan that now lives with the crocks in North QLD



Dropped into the boat on the way home from work and added two more cedar boards on either side. I will make two half boards that will start around the center port lights and run back to finish the roof cover
I love the color heres a side below
You can see my routed port light spacers on th4e right hand side ion the above photo the cedar will lay in it



Have been thinking of adding a some down lights any nice suggestions thought about five boards up and maybe fit some of these but seems hard to find good lights .I would have to change the globe to led in there at whitworths

100 mm base

110 mm base
Or try to find some LED down lights thin and nearly flush fitting

any suggestions please tell me

I like white deckheads but that cedar looks nice! Perhaps oiling for awhile and see how it looks with the other timber trim. My deckhead is brown, it's some sort of cork material, probably chosen to keep the noise down. The sides of the cabin is white melamine.

Melamine I thought I would a bit iffy
To fit melamine in a boat ramona?

I have been stripping out white melomine type lining from my boat. It absorbs water terribly.

Check out a product called Wall Art. I have used it to line my bath/shower and for splash backs in my kitchen. About $180 per sheet and difficult to work but when you have got it done right it will last forever.

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HG02 said..
Melamine I thought I would a bit iffy
To fit melamine in a boat ramona?

Ok it looks like melamine. It's only been there 30 odd years!

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Ramona said..


Ok it looks like melamine. It's only been there 30 odd years!

No, it probably is melamine, melamine is waterproof after all, just like all the melamine cups and plates you have on your boat or in your picnic basket.
The stuff that is not waterproof is the crappy chip board they glue the melamine to.

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LooseChange said..

Ramona said..


Ok it looks like melamine. It's only been there 30 odd years!

No, it probably is melamine, melamine is waterproof after all, just like all the melamine cups and plates you have on your boat or in your picnic basket.
The stuff that is not waterproof is the crappy chip board they glue the melamine to.

LC you so funny P.M.L.

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Ramona said..
I like white deckheads but that cedar looks nice! Perhaps oiling for awhile and see how it looks with the other timber trim. My deckhead is brown, it's some sort of cork material, probably chosen to keep the noise down. The sides of the cabin is white melamine.

My plans were for a white deck head but once this was fitted and I look at the grain and the colors I hesitate to put a brush any where near if I am going to line the cabin sides with cedar also so I could paint these white which would make the transition of port light spacer the cedar much easier with some filler as Ive reduced the spacers to be flush with the cedar


Ive been reducing the side of the port light spacer with a hand held laminex trimer takes ages to do and worrying at the same time do not want to slip and stuff it up once Ive reduced it down . I then have to file and sand it down a bloody long process so white cabin side would help a little and I could fill the gaps a little and get away with it
Plus also would be when I use 3 M white 4200 sealant for the port lights it would blends in OK

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HG02 said..

LC you so funny P.M.L.

Glad I amuse you HG. ...... after all what's life without a smile every now and then.

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HG02 said..

Ramona said..
I like white deckheads but that cedar looks nice! Perhaps oiling for awhile and see how it looks with the other timber trim. My deckhead is brown, it's some sort of cork material, probably chosen to keep the noise down. The sides of the cabin is white melamine.

My plans were for a white deck head but once this was fitted and I look at the grain and the colors I hesitate to put a brush any where near if I am going to line the cabin sides with cedar also so I could paint these white which would make the transition of port light spacer the cedar much easier with some filler as Ive reduced the spacers to be flush with the cedar


Ive been reducing the side of the port light spacer with a hand held laminex trimer takes ages to do and worrying at the same time do not want to slip and stuff it up once Ive reduced it down . I then have to file and sand it down a bloody long process so white cabin side would help a little and I could fill the gaps a little and get away with it
Plus also would be when I use 3 M white 4200 sealant for the port lights it would blends in OK

For what its worth cedar looks great when it's limed. Really easy to do for a great result.

I'll try a test piece

last coat now a light sand and cut and polish to soft to do it today












Im thinking of making a stainless steel main sheet traveler mount similar to the photo below and mount it just in front of there the main sheet traveler was on the hatch cover . The mounting bolts were bent when I removed the hatch cover as there hidden you cant see if theres a problem

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southace said..



I just drank cold beer and admired my handy work from 5 years ago!

you missing this boat yet South Ace ?

The last time I anchored her I was confident that the 20 metres of chain I had out in the 2 metre depth anchorage would be right to hold her in any northerly that would blow into the basin.

It was right but I had anchored about 2 metres too far back and when the 25 knot northwesters swung her around she swung over the mooring line of the yacht nearest to me and hooked the skeg and rudder over it.

She hadn't dragged but the worry was whether the line would saw my rudder off or my rudder would saw the line through, the latter being the most worrisome.

I don't mind spending money on my own boat but I eschew the thought of spending money on other peoples boats.

Eventually I disengaged the mooring line from my skeg by pushing it down with a long boat hook and then re-anchored a bit further to windward. That was fine but I wanted a bit more insurance as we are coming into the cyclone season.

I went back out to my little beauty with a bucket of 15 metres more of chain that I shackled and seized (with galvanised wire) between the existing 20 metres of chain and 30 metres of 18 mm Kinnears line. That done I then hauled anchor and dropped it again about 15 metres further to windward and let out 30 metres of chain.

Her laying position now is about 3 metres further forward and 2 metres to port of where she was which is very satisfactory.

The anchorage is a tad tight with fore and aft moored boats and others at anchor but the only possible dilemmas I can see are that if the wind swings more than 180 degrees from north via west to south, she might lay on the mud bank or it it swings the other direction she may hook around the nav marker.

This time of year we historically get light and variable northerlies. Well we are getting northerlies but not light and not variable. At last we got some rain tonight.

That seems like a hell of a lot of rope. It's only 2 metres of water, does your vessel sail around the "mooring"? The problem as I see it is with the changing tide the rope is going to rub off the antifoul. I would prefer just enough rope for a respectful scope with a heavy section of chain or weight so that the rope is just clear of the bottom normally with the boat anchored mainly by the chain itself. The full length of the chain and anchor only being used in high winds. Having a swinging arc of 50 metres, not counting your boat length is not going to make you all that popular.

She is not laying out on the rope at all. There is only 30 metres of chain she is laying on in water that varies in depth from 2 metres at low tide up to 4 and a bit at high tide.

The bottom is a bit sloppy there and a well experienced friend there said he always puts out a 10 to 1 scope wherever he is.

She was holding very well with 20 metres out but I wanted to have some more chain on board anyway for times when I will be anchoring in deeper water or when there is a greater tidal range. I now have 35 metres of chain with 30 metres of line, total 65 metres which should cover me in most situations and anchoring in up to 10 metres of depth.

That situation would rarely come up but I do believe in the old Boy Scout Motto, Be Prepared.

Edit:- I was reading one of the anchoring articles and it was said that in shallower water a greater scope ratio should be used.

Fitted up my cedar with stainless steel screws and also added four routered slots so four led strip lights can shine through the opening




Ill go back down there and wire them up and have a look tonight . Im hopefull it will push through enough light from the leds strips to light up the cabin in a reasonably fashion. Once I can see what sort of light im getting Ill sort out how many switches to wire then into pairs or singles


that what they look like I fitted two each side as well as the four down the bottom along the settee's