1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Wrapping Up the AC Circuit Panels

I shifted from doing cabinetry in the aft HVAC closet to focusing on electrical. My Boatamalan painter says the headliner has to be installed before he can spray the ICA clear top coat on the salon and V-berth mahogany. But before the headliner can be installed, I have to do all of the wiring. Most of that will involve running 12vdc lighting circuits and speaker wires, plus installing the plywood bases that the speakers and lights will attach to. Before I get to that, I want to wrap up some 240/120vac stuff.

The main power panel

I like the look of that tinted epoxy.

New ammeter donuts

My old Constellation 52 had ammeters so you could monitor power consumption and make sure loads were balanced. This Roamer only came with a voltmeter, but I plan to install NOS ammeters that match the voltmeter. For now, I’m just installing the donut current transformers on both hot legs and running the wiring up to where the ammeters will be installed. I’ll put the gauges in later, after the sanding and painting is done.

The OEM bilge pump plate and switches sure look nice

The original screws that attach the plate to the panel were deteriorated chromed bronze. I decided to replace them with stainless, so I ordered a bag of 250 #4 3/8″ oval head screws since the same ones are used on all of the OEM cabinet hinges and other hardware. But when I went to install them, I discovered that #4 is too big! Turns out Chris Craft used #3.5 screws! I haven’t been able to find a source for stainless screws in that size. If anybody knows where to find them, please leave a comment and let me know!

Tangled mess

In preparation for powering up the 12vdc breaker panel, I opened up the salon cabinet service chase. Though it looks like a tangled up mess of wires in there, the permanent wiring for the boat is actually well secured and organized. The messy wiring is for the various passive infrared alarm sensors I installed after the rat bastard thieves cleaned me out back in 2014.

Speaking of which, my insurance company, Chubb, has informed me that they’ll not be renewing my policy. Apparently, one claim for the burglary and another for the Nor’Easter damage earlier this year was too much. So now, on top of the usual complications of a busy life, I’m shopping around for boat insurance.

Tracking down a wire gives me a chance to clean some hidden sandblasting residue

Wrapping up the aft AC circuit panel

NOS fuel line makes good chafe protection

I’ve had this 1/4″ ID fuel line for a long time. It’s old enough that I wouldn’t use it in a fuel system, but it comes in handy as chafe protection.

That’s better than a sharp metal edge

Prepped for epoxy and insulation

US Composites 635 epoxy is good stuff

Apply epoxy, then staple the Buffalo Batt insulation in place

Not bad!

Long as I’m in here…

Might as well install the PEX water lines for the washing machine

I’ll finish this install later

Confounded by an ebay seller

Because this is an aluminum boat and aluminum loses to copper when they come together in damp environments, I’ve been trying to eliminate as much exposed copper as I can during this refit. Water condensing on copper or bronze, then dripping off into the bilge can carry copper ions that can attack the hull. So instead of using bronze PEX fittings, I thought I’d try plastic ones that were advertised on ebay. Turns out the plastic ones are for a different, older type of PEX. They don’t work with what I’m using. So the water line install will have to wait until I order more proper PEX fittings.

Next up in our 1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Powering Up the 12VDC Breaker Panel.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: The Aft Storage/HVAC Closet

Things have been very busy recently, and I’ll be taking a few weeks off of the blog to go to the other side of the planet for my younger son’s wedding. But before I go, I wanted to post updates of the aft cabin storage/HVAC closet.

With the laundry closet close to done, next is the storage closet

First, fit 1″x 1″ mahogany cleats for the back panel

Cleats on both sides

Next, pull the 12ga 240v cable for the marine air conditioner and 14ga cable for the 120v transom outlets

Next, dig into the shrinking plywood stack and pull out the last 1/4″ Douglas fir panel.

Marking off the back panel

First try didn’t work

I thought I’d be able to remove small cutouts so I could pivot the panel into place around the thruhull and hull framing in this area. Unfortunately, the angle of the thruhull makes it impossible to pivot this panel in place. So I ended up cutting the lower left corner clean off.

With the corner gone, the panel pivots into place

Next, cut a small panel to fill in the corner

That’s sufficiently tight

If the panels fit too tightly, they don’t pivot into place.

Next, cut some Buffalo Batt insulation to fit

Wet out the panel with epoxy

And lay on the insulation

Next up in our 1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: The Aft Storage/HVAC Closet Back Panel

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Installing Panels in the Laundry Closet

Once the epoxy cured on the dryer vent box that fits into the laundry closet back wall, I installed the box and the ceiling panel.

I’ll use pocket screws to secure the vent box in place

Serious question: How did man survive before the invention of cordless angle drills?

Good squeeze-out of the wood flour-thickened epoxy when I put the screws in

The vent box is installed

Next I tackled the ceiling panel.

These are all of the parts to be installed

I had to remove some spray foam insulation before wetting out the wall panel with epoxy

1″ x 1″ ceiling panel cleat is glued and screwed in place

Additional cleats got installed between the frames

And the last cleat then got glued and screwed in place

Ready for the ceiling panel.

Saturate the plywood with epoxy, then top with wood flour-thickened epoxy

The ceiling panel will have no screw holes. Epoxy will bond the panel to the frames all the way around.

Every single stick serves a specific purpose

It turns out that 1/2″ and 1/4″ plywood scraps work really well to hold overhead panels in place until the epoxy cures. Put a little bend in them so they act like springs, keeping pressure on the panel and maintaining full contact with the overhead frames.

Just have to wait for the epoxy to cure

Next up in our 1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Painting Panels in the Laundry Closet

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: More Progress in the Laundry Closet

I have been super busy recently…even more than usual. But I’m still making progress on the Roamer. After fitting and insulating the ceiling panel for the laundry closet, next I made the dryer vent box for the rear panel and then painted everything with white-pigmented epoxy.

Making the dryer vent box

I need to put a box in the back wall of the laundry closet to make space for the dryer vent duct to go up to the porthole, where it will exit the boat.

The Kreg pocket screw jig helps with the last step for the bottom panel

The vent box and ceiling panel are ready for epoxy coating

White-tinted US Composites 1:1 ratio epoxy

Nice!

Next day, the epoxy is fully cured

Glue, screw, and clamp the box together

Next day, the box gets the Buffalo Batt non-woven fabric insulation treatment

Once the epoxy cures, it’s ready to install

Next up in our 1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Installing Panels in the Laundry Closet

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Fitting the Laundry Closet Ceiling

With the electrical work started and other prep done in the aft stateroom laundry closet, next I got busy cutting and fitting the overhead ceiling panel. In all of the open areas in the salon, galley, v-berth, and aft stateroom, I’ll use Whisper Wall material as the headliner. But in the bathrooms and closet spaces, I’m going with 1/4″ Doug fir marine plywood that’s painted on the visible face and insulated on the back-side.

The last sheet of 1/4″ marine ply was on the bottom of the stack

The plywood stack is like a progress-o-meter. If I’ve calculated materials right, I’ll run out of mahogany ply on the last bit of cabinetry. I’m down to six sheets of 1/2″ and two of 1/4″.

Measuring the overhead width

It’s a boat…nothing’s square. I find I get the best fit in this sort of situation if I use two sticks to gauge the actual distance, then measure the sticks with a tape.

Laying out the cut lines

Rough cuts are done…time to see if it fits

Very close…but not quite there

The aft deck is angled down a bit heading aft, and the ceiling here isn’t square. What I found is that the panel doesn’t come close to fitting if I insert it leading edge first…or any other edge, for that matter. But it almost slides right into place if I put the aft outer corner in first, then slide the aft inner corner most of the way home, and then push the inner edge up into place. But the outer forward corner was getting hung up.

Need to knock off a bit there to get the angles matching

It was still a bit tight along the leading edge of the panel when I tried to fit it again.

Shaving off a bit on the aft edge should do the trick

So close, but yet so far…

A bit more trimming, and it slid right into place.

Boom

Mark off the backside for epoxy and insulation

Saturate the panel with epoxy

Lay on the Buffalo Batt insulation, and press it in place

With all of the insulation I’m using and with the interior spaces almost completely isolated from the hull envelope, this boat should be very comfortable temperature-wise all year round.

Unfortunately, I’m a clown sometimes

I forgot to mark off gaps for the overhead frames before laying on the epoxy and insulation. So after the epoxy cured I had to remove strips of insulation so the panel would seat on the frames. On the upside, I now have tested the stability of the panel-epoxy-nonwoven insulation fabric bond and found it to be (irritatingly) robust. That stuff’s never coming off on its own!

I had to remove one more strip of insulation at the marks, then it was done

Next up in our 1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: More Progress in the Laundry Closet

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: V-Berth Air Conditioner Ducting

With the wiring and plumbing to the V-berth air conditioner pretty much done, next I worked on the ducting.

With the forward cabinet interior panels removed, I marked the AC outlet location on the under-side of the shelf panel

Laying out the hole for the AC outlet and the area to get insulated

Round the edges with a router

Cut Buffalo Batt insulation to size

Same pattern as always–fit the insulation to the panel, then saturate the area with epoxy before laying the insulation back in place.

Press the insulation in place until the epoxy cures

Modify the AC outlet and connect 2″ PVC pipe

There’s not enough room inside the V-berth cabinetry to pass a 4″ insulated duct over to the starboard side, so I decided to use 2″ PVC as the duct. This duct will go to the V-berth head.

Sikaflex 291 seals the PVC to the outlet

Shrink wrap heat gun comes in handy for customizing PVC pipe bends

Insulating the PVC pipe duct with Buffalo Batt

I don’t want the PVC dripping water that condenses on it when the AC is on during the summer. So I wrapped the pipe with Buffalo Batt, which doesn’t absorb water like fiberglass can. Then I wrapped it in plastic sheeting and zip-tied and taped it all together.

Next, I installed the 4″ insulated flexible duct

And the 2″ duct going around to the head

For now, the 2″ duct ends in the closet

This is far enough for now

My plan is to install a booster fan at the outlet for the head to pull air through the small duct. But for now, with the duct installed inside the cabinetry, I’m focusing on getting the last of the plywood panels installed.

Next up in our 1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Installing the Final V-Berth Mahogany Panels

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Wrapping Up the ‘Behind the Scenes’ Starboard Salon Cabinetry

It’s absolutely miserable in the tent. During the winter, it’s so cold the epoxy doesn’t kick for days on end. During the summer, even on pleasant days it’s so hot and humid inside that unless I’m in the direct path of a blast of air from a fan, I get drenched with sweat and can’t handle wood without dripping on it. Fortunately, I keep plugging along and am getting closer to the time when the Roamer can finally come out of the tent. Along those lines, I wrapped up the ‘behind the scenes’ panel installation in the salon. Booyah.

Inside the cabinetry, we’re ready to frame out the ceiling cleats

The 1″ x 1″ mahogany cleats need to be cut at an angle that lines up with the panel mating surface on the other side

And notches get cut out for the hull framing

After drilling and countersinking the screw holes, I wetted out the cleats with epoxy, applied more epoxy  thickened with wood flour, then screwed it all together.

Next the insulated ceiling panels got glued and screwed in place

One more panel and it’s done

Sticks and a glue gun help make a pattern

Transfer the pattern to 1/4″ Douglas fir marine plywood

The EZ-One track saw and a jigsaw make cutting complex panels pretty easy

Next, cut Buffalo Batt non-woven fabric insulation for the back-side

Glue and screw the framing in place

I wetted out the panel and pressed the insulation in place. The next day, I was coating another panel with white tinted epoxy, so I slathered a heavy coat on this panel, too. It turned out pretty nice, but I wasn’t thinking/forgot that the other ceiling panels are all coated with clear epoxy.

Nice white panel!

I’m such a clown…

In retrospect, I probably should have tinted all of them white, but it’s too late. Plus, none of these panels will be visible when the cabinet doors are opened. I plan on making pretty cabinet interior boxes, so the color of these insulated panels doesn’t really matter. Still…

Looking forward

Goofy color mis-match or not, that’s a wrap for the insulated paneling in the salon. All of the toe rail bilge ducts in the salon are waterproof and ready for service. This is a big step forward.

Next up in our 1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Back Into the V-Berth

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Still Inside the Starboard Salon Cabinetry

I’m getting close to wrapping up the ‘behind the scenes’ cabinetry in the salon. By which, I mean the installation of the plywood panels that are insulated on the back-side with Buffalo Batt non-woven fabric. The port side is already done, as is most of the starboard side. There are just two more panels I need to install in this area, and I wrapped up the framing for one of those, then cut the panel and insulated it in my last article. Once that’s done, I can move on to completing the aft stateroom bilge vents and surrounding cabinetry, at which point the topsides will be almost weatherproof.

The next panel needs to fit against the new mahogany cleats AND that engine room blower outlet

But first, the blower outlet needs some work

The barrier coat Chris Craft used here didn’t hold up long, probably because it appears none of the aluminum was sanded or otherwise prepped for paint.

The white powder is aluminum oxide, and there’s lots of it

The top and bottom screws securing the base plate to the welded-in outlet came out just fine. The left and right screws…not so much.

My Harbor Freight Dremel-style tool helped with screw removal and surface prep

More aluminum oxide under the screw head

Second screw comes out the same way

Once the screws were out, I continued cleaning up the mating surface and interior of the vent outlet until all of the aluminum oxide was gone and exposed aluminum was sanded bright.

Customized acid shop brush will help apply the epoxy inside the outlet

The hooked brush will allow me to paint the interior of the exhaust duct.

White-tinted epoxy coats the duct outlet inside and out

Next, I cut the hole in the panel for the ER blower

I messed up on the order of operations here. I should have cut the hole and done the final fitting of the panel before I insulated the backside. That Buffalo Batt insulation makes panel cutting much more difficult than it needs to be. Major rookie move…

Ready to test fit

Looks good

Next, I removed the panel, epoxied the edges, wetted out the mahogany backing cleats, and applied Sikkaflex 291 LOT sealant to the vent duct mating surface. In the interim, I’d also finished installing the last starboard salon duct, which you can see to the right of the pic below.

Glued, screwed, and clamped in place

I only have one more insulated ceiling panel to cut and fit inside this cabinet, and this part is a wrap. Making the pretty mahogany cabinet interior can come later and will be relatively easy, since I won’t have to spend so much time cramped up inside the cabinet.

Next up in our 1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Wrapping Up the ‘Behind the Scenes’ Starboard Salon Cabinetry

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Back Into the Starboard Salon Cabinetry

With Tent Model XXX transformed back to pre-2018 Nor’easter condition, I got back into the salon cabinets…like, literally. There were a couple of parallel projects happening back when I installed the last bilge duct in the salon, one of which was fitting the panels that form the insulated envelope between the boat interior and the hull. This isn’t very sexy work, but the results of having a fully insulated interior will be a happy missus…and that’s priceless.

Back inside the salon cabinet!

The view inside before the duct was installed

I installed a mahogany cleat on the floor to give a wall panel something to seat up against.

Ready to glue and screw in place

Next, I had to make a cleat to run up the left side of the panel. It’s complicated by some funky angles going on in here.

The cleat will attach to the vertical aluminum frame that the engine room vent panel butts up against

The cleat cut to length

Next I need to cut a rabbet of decreasing depth.

Gotta love the EZ-One Track Saw for this kind of stuff

Drilled and ready to install

Glued, screwed, and clamped in place

Before epoxying the cleats in place, I cut the wall panel

 

Then I cut a piece of Buffalo Batt insulation for the back-side

Saturate the back of the panel with epoxy, then apply the insulation

Press the insulation in place and go home

Next day, cut the cabinet interior overhead panels

Lay out and cut the second panel

Test fit…looks good!

Cut and fit the insulation

Wet out the panels and lay on the insulation on the backside of one

Keep applying epoxy to the face of the other panel until it doesn’t take anymore

Lay heavy stuff on the insulation and go home.

Next up in our 1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Still Inside the Starboard Salon Cabinetry

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Cutting and Fitting More Starboard Salon Plywood Panels

Repairs from the big Nor’easter are proceeding apace, with several hiccups being tossed in the mix by the surveyor and insurance company, which hasn’t paid the claim yet. There’s a narrow weather window for painting the boat between freezing early spring and roasting hot late spring/summer, so I’ve had to self-fund the repairs to get them done during that window. Fortunately, we’ve had a longer stretch of relatively cool weather than usual, with plenty of days where the temps don’t go above 70°F, and the repairs are going well. All this effort just to get back to where I was before the big storm came…it’s discouraging. Anyway, I’ll post pix of the repairs before long.

While all of that’s been going on, I’ve been continuing the work of sealing up the starboard cabinetry in the salon.

Inside the starboard salon cabinetry

I’m trying to make sure there’s an insulated envelope inside the boat so it will be more comfortable and energy efficient in summer and winter. I’m doing that by insulating the backside of each plywood panel that faces the hull and making sure that none of the hull or decks are exposed to the air-conditioned interior space. So I need to install ceiling panels here under the side deck, just like I did on the port side. On the inboard side, the original cabinetry offers a good landing spot for a ceiling panel, but there’s nothing on the outboard side. I already installed one short panel above the ER main air vent, which you can see in the pic above, that will serve as the wall to which the ceiling panel attaches. Next I cut another short, upright panel from a bulkhead scrap panel I saved when we were doing demolition a decade ago when the refit began.

Old-school marine plywood

It’s a dirty old panel, but the wood is in great shape.

Marine-grade Douglas fir was a lot different 50 years ago than it is today

Glued and pocket screwed in place

I’ll coat it with tinted epoxy when the job is done.

Mahogany cleat recycled from the original toe rail

Back-side of the ceiling panel gets wetted out with epoxy

Buffalo Batt insulation adds R3 insulation value to the panel

Mahogany cleat is glued and screwed in place

Et voila! Good fit!

The next step here will involve removing the ceiling panel and sealing the face with epoxy before finally installing it. I have more ceiling panels to make in here, but I first need to make a new aft bilge vent duct and wall panel to attach them to.

Next up in our 1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: The Starboard Salon Aft Bilge Vent Duct