Better Days A27 FC Refit

[Jay Knoll]

Finally got around to making the area under the cockpit sole hatch more usable . There was space around the battery that seemed good to store all those infrequently used stuff we all need on a boat but I was concerned that there was a risk of something falling into the shaft. Also the PO had installed a large rule bilge pump just aft of the transmission but never routed the output hose to a thru hull. If I wanted to use the pump I would have to open the cockpit sole hatch and pull out the output hose and route it over the side! (I do have a smaller pump in the aft cabin that was keeping things dry but it didn't have a very large capacity so I wanted to make this pump usable) To further complicate things the pump didn't have a float switch but was run from a toggle switch. I think that the pump was installed when the transmission was replaced, because there wasn't anyway to get to the pump with the shaft in place and there wasn't anyway that I could get a float switch past the shaft. So I installed a water sensing switch on a stick that I was able to place in the bilge. https://www.westmarine.com/buy/attwood- ... cordNum=17
I routed the outlet hose forward underneath the starting battery and over the water tank on the starboard side. Tight fit for this 6'2" 70 year old in the engine room installing the thru hull and attaching the hose but all is done.

With that project done (sorry no pics and if I had any the detail would be hard to see) I made a cover for the transmission to protect the shaft area and hopefully reduce some engine noise. I lined the side panels and the cover panels with sound absorbing material.

[rnummi]

Hey Jay a quickie question... do you have the built up area under your batts? Was wondering if putting an additional battery off the built up area would be harmful over stress the hull etc.

[tego]

Howdy Rick, It appears that Jay has his batterys on centerline of the boat, just above his shaft. That's possible on the boats with the twin fuel tanks under the cockpit settees. Yours has the single 72 gal. tank under the cockpit sole on centerline. A PO probably put his batts there. I believe all of our boats originally had their batts alongside the engine, either to port or to starboard. When I changed my original batt bank from 2 group 27s to one 27 (start) and 2 golf carts (house) alongside the engine, I built a slightly larger platform for them. They're still lighter than my water tank on the other side. That platform under your fuel tank that Jay has his batts on is definitely strong enough without any additional support. I've seen a couple of 27s with 8Ds back there. Ben

[Jay Knoll]

Rick

I also built a shelf on the aft end of the port side of the engine and put my starting battery on it. One end is on the shelf the water tank sits on and the other is anchored to the stringer that the engine mounts are on.

[sunie]

Hi Jay,

Your remodeling project is amazing. I would like to know how did you make out in the main cabin. I would like to do something with the walls, it just have Interlux polyurethane paint on the walls and ceiling of the forward and aft cabin. It is not very comfy looking, it reminds me of a submarine. Is there any type of material that I can install on the walls and ceiling that can make it more comfortable. By the way, my terminology of the boating stuff is lacking, as I am the wife of a boater but when I speak about interior design that conversations lacks appeal.

Any advice would be appreciated.

[JT48348]

Howdy Rick, It appears that Jay has his batterys on centerline of the boat, just above his shaft. That's possible on the boats with the twin fuel tanks under the cockpit settees. Yours has the single 72 gal. tank under the cockpit sole on centerline. A PO probably put his batts there. I believe all of our boats originally had their batts alongside the engine, either to port or to starboard. When I changed my original batt bank from 2 group 27s to one 27 (start) and 2 golf carts (house) alongside the engine, I built a slightly larger platform for them. They're still lighter than my water tank on the other side. That platform under your fuel tank that Jay has his batts on is definitely strong enough without any additional support. I've seen a couple of 27s with 8Ds back there. Ben

Your batteries are opposite of you water tank? I was wondering about this. My watertank was port side. My batteries are port side engine. I want to upgrade to 4 batteries so I guess I need to move my tank to starboard. Goes with the head I guess. But then it's a long way to run plumbing for the holding tank on the port side.

[tego]

Joe, My water tank is on the port side on the shelf by itself (40 gal). my stbd side has my holding tank and HW heater on the shelf and my batts on a platform between the shelf and my stringer about 12" aft of my fwd ER bulkhead. It balances out very well. My starter is on my stbd side of the engine, so short run for the wires. Ben

[Jay Knoll]

Hi Jay,

Your remodeling project is amazing. I would like to know how did you make out in the main cabin. I would like to do something with the walls, it just have Interlux polyurethane paint on the walls and ceiling of the forward and aft cabin. It is not very comfy looking, it reminds me of a submarine. Is there any type of material that I can install on the walls and ceiling that can make it more comfortable. By the way, my terminology of the boating stuff is lacking, as I am the wife of a boater but when I speak about interior design that conversations lacks appeal.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Hi Sunie

Thanks for the kind words.

I used quartersawn ash veneer on the walls (bulkhead in boat speak) and the head and hanging locker doors. http://www.veneersupplies.com/products/ ... 4-x-8.html
I took off all the trim and make paper patterns for each area. Cut the veneer off the boat, didn't get an exact fit around the edges but the trim covered up any gaps. I made new trim strips and moldings out of cherry using the original pieces as patterns.

I put it on with contact cement https://www.amazon.com/00272-Weldwood-O ... B00106ETT6 wear a respirator and have all hatches and ports open. I wanted to keep the finish as light as possible so I used water based poly https://www.lowes.com/pd/Minwax-Satin-W ... /999913687

The ceiling (overhead) was in pretty good shape, we just used vinyl cleaner on it and secured some of the loose edging underneath trim strips that I installed around the perimeter. We buffed out all the rest of the fiberglass surfaces just like you'd do a hull.


I hope this helps, but let me know if you need more information

Jay

[Jay Knoll]

Sunie

I couldn't post more than three URLs in my reply so here is the rest of the information

I painted the floor (sole) with the same paint I used on the decks https://www.lowes.com/pd/Rust-Oleum-Mar ... oz/3200865

[Jay Knoll]

Just a quick project; got tired of digging out the debris that gathered between the rub rail and the outside of the hull. Found some FlexSeal liquid on Amazon 32 oz can. Filled cheap ketchup squeeze bottles with the stuff and then filled the crack with the FlexSeal (after, of course, a major clean out of the area to be filled. The FlexSeal skinned over pretty quickly and was cured in 24 hours. It blended very well with the rub rail, so well that pictures don't really show the filled in area. I ran short of the FlexSeal with about 4' left to go. Oh well, Amazon sells a 16oz can as well!

[JT48348]

You're talking about where the rub rail meets the combing lip? That's the spot where I get pine needles and leaf edges. This sounds like a brilliant idea, I would have never thought of that. Did you smooth it? Or did it just flow out?

Can you tell how the Flexseal adheared to the rubrail? I have a spot where the rub rail got scraped and I want to touvh it up with something and thus sounds like it might be worth it

[Jay Knoll]

That is the spot, It just flowed out. It seems like it has adhered really well. If I have any left I'm going to touch up the corner covers which appear to be fiberglass, the black coating on them (paint?) is wearing off. I'll let you know how that goes, I'll use a brush to apply the FS on those pieces.

[sail149]

Hi
I also was going to fill in that gap with self leveling black 5200 ( yes there are different types) I used it on a non boat project and it worked really well. BUT Smackman suggested on another post where I proposed the filling that I might get issues when the rub rail 'rubs' and needs to slides a little , this would then tear up the filler, flex seal,5200.
Have you had any experience with that yet Jay? I still like the idea.
Cheers Warren

[Jay Knoll]

Warren

Still too early to tell, but it wasn't a lot of expense/time so we'll see. If the worst happens I'll just dig it out

[JT48348]

This is one of my all time favorite threads, I think because everything is in one place. I just re-read this entire thing after more than a year and there's fantastic ideas on everything from galley design, to cabinetry, to deckwork. Awesome.

Post more photos Jay!