rough around the edges Albin 25

[ssrig]

Garrison Bay sure isnt far away from us, if I climb up Mount Maxwell I can see the island just past Sydney spit. When are you crossing for the Gulf Islands?

[ssrig]

Swim Grid install.

Grid in its general location. I think it will be up higher than it was previously.

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I wanted it to be a bit wider, as in sticking out from the transom a bit more.

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To do that I epoxied some mahogany 3/4" thick pieces together to get just shy of 1 1/2" thick plate that was again epoxied up. I looked for some Ipe but that type of wood is not readily available here and mahogany was almost the only option without special ordering some fancy wood so mahogany it is.

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When I started to mount the grid it was nice and sunny, as I got some sealant on it started to rain, and rain...... the whole boat is under a tarp except the swim grid and once I had started to install it there was no stopping so I forged ahead and got it done which meant - out in the rain set up bolt, go to ladder, take off shoes and climb in, scrunch into the aft cabin, put backing plate on, washers and nuts, put vice grips on the nuts ( I have 3 vice grips so 3 at a time) and go back outside in the rain ( put shoes on) and tighten it up. Repeat as necessary ( in and out 20 times!)

Well I was pretty much spent and soaking wet after getting the grid mounted and semi tightened up, I had planned to do a clean up of the sealant but I was too miserable and decided to leave it.

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The next day I did the clean up on the sealant and had my wife help me to re tighten the nuts on the grid, while we were at it she helped me tighten up all the pulpit nuts too so.
Anyway the grid is on and I am really liking it!

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[WillieC]

Looking very good. Would add more but just lost my reply to the Albin Ether. grrrr.....

[ssrig]

Here's a photo burst of some other activity.

The bow eye was a mess when I got the boat, it was in the wrong location and eventually pulled out from the fibreglass, I repaired the bow and I relocated it with a better backing plate. New webbing for the winch and that was good to go.

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Prop is on and zincs too, hows it look?

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Rear port scupper enlargement... a la dkirsop! Starboard side doesn't need it due to the new "BIG" scupper....

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My wife is painting the aft cabin shelf unit.

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Removed a Scotty Downrigger mounting bracket and rod holder. I am keeping the starboard side downrigger bracket in case I can use it for attaching a crab trap puller? For now I am just sealing all the holes in the deck so there are no leaks, at some point the deck will get a repair/paint job.

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Forgot to get a pic of the backing plates for the swim grid, but here are the two centre ones, they are bedded in Sika 291. The rear Nav light didn't work when I got the boat, well there were NO wires to it?? No wonder it didn't work! Ran some wire to the panel area and tested it out...It Works!

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[ssrig]

Looking very good. Would add more but just lost my reply to the Albin Ether. grrrr.....

Thanks WilleC! It's coming along but so is summer!

[WillieC]

Make sure your prop shaft doesn't have to travel in and out when changing gears. This was the case with the old RB transmission on the Volvo Pentas. About a quarter inch of travel and room for engine mount slop and whatever else...your zinc as installed would be too close to the cutlass. With your engine you should be fine, but check while you can just walk up to it.

Ain't it fun fixing the stupid simple stuff? Wires to a fixture? Whodathunkit?

My bow eye had some minor issues as well...after I backed it down the ramp intending to bump it off the trailer....oh, yeah....the safety chain should be unhooked first. Best part? I couldn't blame it on anyone else. In my defense, it was already loose and the bow was split from a previous owner trying the same launching technique but with no conviction. Hit it!

[ssrig]

The bow eye to winch angle before was a tug of war between winch pulling up versus gravity and strap over the bow for towing pulling down......something had to give. The boat used to bounce on the trailer but I think I have eliminated that by moving a forward keel support up to where it should be, like to support the keel.... it was teetering on the centre supports , once the boat is in the water I'll give that trailer a good once over.

Now I pretty sure that the shaft doesn't move forward or aft but I will certainly check now! I have so little room for a zinc forward of the prop and aft too, this skinny zinc is a Beneteau zinc which seems like they have a bulb zinc on the aft end of the shaft behind the prop normally but those when looking for them never state the size of nut? I have a feeling my prop shaft came from a Benteau?

[ssrig]

I am almost finished with the solar system, I was slow to come up with a method to attach the panels to the arch and came up with a U shaped aluminum piece that bolts up under the bar of the arch to hold it down, this will also allow me to completely remove the whole solar box off the arch for winter storage which I might be doing. I have the small 40 watt panel with cheapie controller for winter storage duty.

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Still mucking around getting the wires to go where I want them to, the ally plate is there to keep the wires from falling down, I need to massage those wires a bit to have them sit in the right spot.

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Controller, just under the helm. Same make as my truck camper and that has worked great! These are very fast at tracking so I think it will do a good job of figuring it out on the sliding panels, we will see!

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Yesterday I was hooking up the ACR and had to get at the alternator to isolate the alt and starter, I went outside to get something and when I was getting back into the boat I was shocked at what a mess it was so I had to snap a pic, how can a guy even work in those conditions? Is there not some workers protection here?

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[WillieC]

"I am almost finished with the solar system,"

Hmm...Sometimes I think Somebody Else is almost there, too!

[DesertAlbin736]

Looks great! Jealous of that swim grid, much nicer than ours. At the moment we're hunkered down at anchor in Fisherman's Bay on Lopez. SW wind blowing like stinking beyotch over the low strand at the SW end of the bay. Whitecaps, short chop 1 to 2 ft, barely a meter between crests. Been like this all afternoon & building since we came over from Friday Harbor around 1 PM.

[DesertAlbin736]

Lucky for us Fisherman's is fairly shallow, less than 20 ft at high tide & good mud bottom. Got our 10 kg Bruce & 26 ft of chain out at 6:1 scope & holding well.

[DesertAlbin736]

PS, lock that solar panel down good, consider the amount of windage in a blow.

[WillieC]

DA, pull anchor and get thee to Grace Harbor! (As if...)

[DesertAlbin736]

Ha ha. It's calming down some, although rain is expected later this week, as I'm sure ssrig is well aware. La Dolce Vita is watertight as can be

[ssrig]

We didn't see any bad weather here, must be more exposed to the Juan de Fuca Straight in flow where you are.

I am trying to get the boat in the water this weekend so I'm pushing hard and things are getting done!
Today my wife and I manhandled a queen size foam mattress into the boat and started cutting it up to fit the extended vee berth that I did last year. It was a butcher job and the electric knife didn't cut it ...and had to resort to the joffa breakaway utility knife with a sharp 4" blade but it wasn't pretty! But it's in and sort of fitting and very luxurious.....at the shoulders it will be full queen size, tapering towards the bow at the feet and a good six inches thick! Hmmm!


The solar panel is secure and solid with a bolt holding it in when on the go.

Also got the extending ladder mounted under the swim grid and linked up the Anchor- chain- rope- to a piece of wood inside to make sure all the ground tackle doesn't all get thrown overboard! And some other stuff. I will post pics later.