Crappy interior wood frame around the DB slot

[c130king]

Today I got out to the boat for the first time since last year and got the mast up and all rigged...completely single-handed...fairly proud of myself.

But "pride goeth before the fall" or something like that...just waiting for something bad to happen.

Anyway, I have an issue with the turning blocks mounted on the deck next to the mast for my halyards led aft. The original owner simply screwed small 1/2" screws through the fiberglass deck to secure these blocks. One of the screws has pulled loose.

So I figured I would see if I could get to that location from the inside and install bolts/nuts to secure those blocks. Removed the screws holding in the wood frame (or whatever it is called) that is around the DB slot up above the forward dinette seat. You have to slightly "stretch" the piece to get it around the DB slot. However mine didn't stretch...it broke. But I think I can fit the two pieces together with some glue and screw it back in place. The plastic edge trim is the only thing holding it together right now.

So word of warning for anyone wanting to get up in that space on an . Be very careful trying to remove that piece of wood frame or trim or whatever it is.

I removed all the pieces of foam. Thought I might have to number them or something as I removed them so that I could remember how they went up in there but it was simply a bunch of pieces of foam, mostly irregularly sized, stuffed up in there every which way. So I will just stuff as much back up there as I can and not worry about it if I have a couple of pieces left over. I can easily see the holes where his screws went through the deck. Stopped at Home Depot on the way back to my hotel and picked up some stainless bolts/nuts/washers. Should be no problem.

Still need to figure out my problem with the engine warning horn from last December (last time I was able to get on the water). Took the motor cover off and can see the oil tank/reservoir has a couple of bolts to mount it. Should be able to remove it and check the wiring of that warning horn. Hopefully during the long trailer trip it "jiggled" itself back into working order...and maybe monkeys will fly out of my @$$.

Cheers,
Jim
Sailing on König

P.S. I wonder, while I have that piece off and access to that space, if I can figure out how to run a speaker wire from the port side to the starboard side so I can mount a speaker up there....

[Catigale]

What kind of monkeys?? Are they armed...?



sorry, wrong thread.

Welcome home, Jim. Dont forget to change your .sig

[iredrider1177]

oh yes, lots of scrap foam stuffed up there with no uhm......engineering involved., my 3year old coulda done better, but anyhoo. . . . the things i replaced on deck i bypassed the poo and just drilled all the way thru and used a poo ton of silicone in the process, tightened only snugly due to the thin walls of everything. and put backing plate (alluminum 1/4") where i could reach. inside with locking nuts.ss. oh and another word of caution i found out over our last trip this past weekend to cleveland, DO NOT LEAVE THE FACTORY COCKPIT SEATS OUT IF IT IS RAINING!! , u cannot buy a sponge that absorbs as much water as these things!! but on a lighter note, the weather was nasty, and i was proud of my 26' SOL DERVIN my mac done a wonderful job for us in the stormy weather of lake erie.

[dennisneal]

Jim,

The amount of additional flotation provided by all of those "scraps" of styrofoam is only a few pounds. By the time the boat sinks to that level, its a goner anyway.

I'd suggest that you install some type of backing plate below the deck and run ss bolts through the deck and backing plate for addtional strength. But, I'm sometimes a belt and suspenders type.

[Highlander]

Jim
I bought this plastic channel its designed for covering up elect. wires on walls I run my speaker wires from the top of the dagger board trunk down the back of thr D/B trunk to the the seat & run my speaker wires to both sides the plastic channel attaches to the mirror just glues on & can be opened up if need be to remove or add more wires & it just snaps back together again I installed my 6 1/2" round speakers about 10" off the floor on either side no pics yet that way you can crank the music up without balsting your ears off
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee20 ... 0005-1.jpg

http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee20 ... 0004-1.jpg

http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee20 ... 0007-1.jpg

Hope this helps anyway Jim your not suppose to remove that panel you simply just slide it down outa the way

& if your gonna play with Monkey's stick to these one's
http://s844.photobucket.com/albums/ab1/ ... 010001.flv

J

[Hardcrab]

c130,
(This info might be to late to help you, but might come in handy for others wanting to get into that space).

As far as trying to "strech open" the wood piece so as to remove it from around the trunk, it will most certainly always result in breakage, IHMO.

A different approach would be to remove the few screws, then carefully wiggle and slide the wood trim down the daggerboard trunk as far as needed to get access. The carpet covering the trunk adds friction and headaches, but it can be done that way.
It can slide all the way down to the seat to protect it from damage while you work in the void.

On my M, the oval hole had no slots cut, so I think the wood trim piece has to be installed over the trunk at the factory before the deck is lowered onto the hull. It has one continous oval cut in the plywood with very thin material left over on the edges, ripe for breakage as you know.

That makes it a true non-replaceable part of the boat.
Any replacement/fix has to be a two piece design.

[c130king]

Slide/wiggle the piece down the trunk...DOH!!!!

there was probably a one inch slot cut in mine but it needed to stretch about two inches to get around the thickness of the DB.

Minor issue...I will survive this.

Jim

[Russ]

Jim,
I hear ya on the wood interior trim. I removed that VERY carefully and then removed all that stupid Styrofoam. It's basically useless up there for what little flotation it provides. My dealer installed the stereo in that space. After removing the foam I cut a rectangle opening, made a door for it, lined the compartment with carpet and it's a fantastic storage space.

Speakers...the dealer mounted them:
Starboard, under the dinette (facing port)
Port, under seat facing the starboard speaker.
They work well and running wires down is pretty easy. I ran them down the inside of the head through the track that's in there.

P.S. How are the batteries? My guess is that they are fine.

--Russ

[c130king]

Russ,

Batteries seem fine. Have not cranked the motor bot had plenty of juice to lower and raise the motor.

Jim

[Terry]

Today I got out to the boat for the first time since last year and got the mast up and all rigged...completely single-handed...fairly proud of myself.
Anyway, I have an issue with the turning blocks mounted on the deck next to the mast for my halyards led aft. The original owner simply screwed small 1/2" screws through the fiberglass deck to secure these blocks. One of the screws has pulled loose.

Cheers,
Jim
Sailing on König

P.S. I wonder, while I have that piece off and access to that space, if I can figure out how to run a speaker wire from the port side to the starboard side so I can mount a speaker up there....

My bad, the things people do to their boats! Too bad about the screw but now that the hole is there you are committed to using it. I simply drilled another set of holes into the SS mast plate just aft of where the mast raising gin pole bolts thru, put a D-shackle on each side and the attached my swivel pully blocks onto them and ran the halyards thru those, over to another set of swivel blocks near the stantion then ran them aft, worked out fine, no holes in the deck.
I took most of the foam out of that space you speak of and I put just my stereo unit in there, no speakers. I installed four speakers 50 watts each, two on the forward bulkheads each side of the forward hatch and then I put two more at the floor level facing oposite each other (starboard & port) just in front of the daggerboard trunk, the sound is awesome. Be sure to install the speakers in their own private cavities so that the cone vibrations do not interfere with each other.

[c130king]

Thought I would conclude this thread with a pic of the repair I did to the wood frame piece that I snapped.



The wood split un-evenly but I was able to slide/push the two pieces back together and then put it back up. Once it was up and held in place by the normal screws I drilled two pilot holes and attached the metal strap with two small brass wood screws.

Should work just fine.

Cheers,
Jim
Sailing on König

[Catigale]

Now we have to think of some gadget, no doubt costing a boat buck, that will mount there

[c130king]

Dr. Stephen,

NO MORE GADGETS...I hope.

But I do still need to figure out what I am going to do with my stereo speakers. They can't live in that small sink forever. Only one works as a wire broke off the tab connector on one. I find it VERY difficult to use those crimping thing-a-ma-jigs on such small wires...and those speaker wires are extremely small...almost impossible to strip the plastic coating away without breaking the wire off at the same time.

Jim

[K9Kampers]

Jim-
For stripping wires, try heating the insulation and pulling it off as it melts. For really small gauge wires, strip off double what you normally would, then fold the bare wire in half to get more meat to crimp. Consider soldering connections.

[vizwhiz]

eeeww...soldering on those tiny wires is tough too... but heating the insulation and doubling over the end does work well

am thinking of gadgets for that spot...hey, how about a flexy-goose-neck LED reading lamp that you can point down onto...um...the table...the floor...your face while you're looking in the mirror...the dishes in the sink...

or how about a little "occupied" light that comes on when someone is in the head - kinda like on an airplane?
(and you can add a bell - I can hear it now! It would go "ding!" when they slide the latch!!)