The aft deck headliner install prep is continuing apace. By which, I mean two steps forward, one step back.
Re-drilling the OEM wire holes for the searchlight
Center the One-Mile Ray on its new base
Spring-loaded Vix bit helps center the screw holes perfectly
Wires run and coiled, and screw holes ready for epoxy
There are four chromed bronze 1/4-20 oval head machine screws that hold the searchlight in place. Originally, they just threaded into the mahogany base. And when they eventually let in water, the mahogany would start to rot. So I’m using a similar approach to what I did on the toe rail: drill the holes with a 1/4″ bit, then fill them with epoxy. Keep topping it up as the wood soaks up the epoxy, then drill again with a #7 bit once it cures. That leaves a plastic hole, so even if the caulk gives up some point down the road, water will find cured epoxy instead of mahogany.
Plasticizing the holes
Topping up drop-by-drop
There’s quite a difference in how much epoxy each hole will take. I’m guessing the one that took the most has compromised mahogany inside. Epoxy will solidify them all.
Next day, drill out the holes again with a #7 bit
1/4-20 deep tap
Stop at the tape line
Next, tape everything in preparation for caulk
Good squeeze out
That’s a good looking searchlight!
Ummm…Houston, we have a problem
It turns out the OEM mahogany blocks are too thick. There’s not enough length to the searchlight control pipe. The handle is too close to the block, by ~1/2″. That’s strange because the blocks are original, and so is the One-Mile Ray. And we used the OEM mahogany base as the foundation for the fiberglassed mount on the hardtop. I did replace the 1/2″ of OEM thickened filler that was above the big mahogany blocks with two pieces of 1/4″ marine plywood, but getting rid of a 1/2″ and putting back 2×1/4″ should have made no change.
Anyway, I don’t know why the lower surface of the mahogany block is too low, but it needs adjusting.
My heavy duty mahogany adjuster
I’ve never worked a router upside-down. Having given it a try, I don’t recommend it.
I need to bring it to the level of the new mahogany spacer on the frames
It gets really tricky when there’s nothing left for the router to ride on as a reference
Mahogany adjusted and epoxy sealed
In retrospect, I should have dry-fit everything before I epoxied the mahogany blocks in place. Everything worked out fine, but I’d rather not have to work a router upside-down ever again.
Next up in our 1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Helm Station Mahogany III
1969chriscraftroamer46 