Fruits Of My Labor (A-113)

[ebb]

Both small composters require POSITIVE venting
That something has to draw air from the chamber to some point outside.

It's a rather large hidden extra cost if you go with a day/night nicro vent
Alternatively a small fan can be wired into the boat's system.
A caveat is that both composters need constant air circulation, so if it's wired you have a constant draw,
altho these days you can find very efficient fans. A $10 fan is included in the monster cost of the composter.
First thought is that if you're going to have a 100,000 year old toilet in your boat you might as well go non-electric as well - so I'd look to a solar powered/battery back-up fan.

This type fan and stainless cover has a substantial footprint. In fact wherever you imagine it can go it will sustain many more footprints. These things aren't meant to be trodden on.


But, that said, if you can figure out a way for the forward cowl vent to share the work then that's a fine idea.
But isn't the composter an OUTIE and the cowl vent an INNY?


The little reading you can do about these heads is that they do NOT stink.
If used precisely as instructed.
Infact they can be quite neutral. Have to spike the bottle with white sugar to deodorize! Better be innocuous because my bunk is right over the throne!
The only problem is the legal disposal of liquid and 'solids'
and that it can get too cold inside a boat for the bacterial process in the composter to be happy.
It is another bell curve of learning, but anything is better than wet flushing into a holding tank, pipes valves, anaerobic smells, and ignominious pumpouts at a dock. Even a potopottie has a sickly sweet bad smell.

[Tony G]

Ebbster, mister, mister...

I was thinking of directing the fan discharge into the forward compartment that was originally a chain locker. From there the ventilator could disperse the gas outward. I guess the slight positive pressure of a computer fan would have no chance of overcoming a 10kt. breeze coming in through a dorade. But you'd probably want that one facing downwind as much as possible to draw air out. What about rough weather you ask? Hey, I dunno! That's where the self-draining holes would come in I guess. I am planning on putting a sealing hatch on the old chain locker and using it for not-often-needed-items stowage. You know, like clothes and stuff-Ha!

Seriously though, even if you had a good fitting hatch that wasn't even gasketed I bet the ventilator would handle the air exchange in the chainlocker just fine. Throw in a chainpipe cap and viola! Look at all that air flow! For those with original chainlockers there may be the 'concern' of the exhaust being forced down through the bilge and back up into the main cabin. I don't know how to adress that one...swim with sharks more often and it won't seem so bad?

Regarding the direct wired fan, I recall Kent had a similar, small sized fan wired into his system to keep air circulating while he was away from the boat. He was not concerned with electrical draw as he has a substantial solar panel and a charge controler. Right now I have 110watts of solar and my biggest juice draw will come through a highball glass! So a direct wired fan makes the most sense for me. You are top notch at making things work smoothly and efficiently and most importantly work for you.

I've never noticed how the two words wet and flushing sound rather icky when you put them together.

[Tony G]

Ok, as promised, this time around with patterns!

I raised the platform in the 'berth'/closet/head/workshop another 2 1/2inches. So that's about 4 1/2 inches above the original height. I'm hoping to eek out every inch of room athwartship for sleeping. It will add some additional stowage and a smidgen of bouyancy with water tight compartments. At this level the tops of the compartments are a little more than eight inches above the scribed water line!
In photo one you can kind of get an idea of the height but I've noticed in the past my photos just don't depict proportions very well. The bulkhead for the origainal chainlocker will get pushed forward about 6 inches. Well, actually a new one will get glassed in forward and then the original will be removed.

Photo B shows where new storage will go. Because of the height of the new furniture some of the storage will actually have two layers or the ability to take a horizontal divider out and have one big storage box (where the contents can bang back and forth and wear on the surfaces, hence the compartmentalized compartments)

The third half photo just shows the water tankage. Moved aft and considerably smaller than the plastic Cape Dory tank I just removed. The water tank will not be this tall. Only about two-thirds of this height will be tankage resulting in a little over 26 gallons. There will be shallow storage on top of it along with an inspection and clean-out port. While 26 gallons isn't much water this tank will be suplemented with another 20 gallons in a tank under the companion way.

There you have it. Slow but pretty sure

[Tony G]

After several days of measuring and drawing pictures (and a visit to the chiropractor) I think I have a handle on how best to proceed with the forward 'cabin'. We'll just have to see if I overlooked some minor but critical detail that might throw up a roadblock.

First off, the original bulkhead that separated the chainlocker from the v-berth had to come out. Last week, in some delusion fantasy I thought a new bulkhead could be glued in forward of the original such that I could use the original bulkhead to attach some 'struts' or some other means of holding the new piece in just the right place making installation that much easier.... What!?! You see, that's what winter does to the brain up here. Being there was a few other spots that needed the loving attention of an angle grinder and 24grit it was as good a time as any to extricate the vintage plywood. It was not as difficult as removing the ice box but not an easy task either. After cutting through as much tabbing as possible with the 4 1/2" grinder and the sawzall as far as I could reach the bulkhead was still firmly attached to the hull via a couple of nails driven into the stringers and some of that mysterious, funky blue bondo found throughout these boats. So I made a vertical cut with the sawzall through the plywood from the chainlocker opening down to the small drain opening on the bottom of the bulkhead figuring that I would be able to gain some leverage and 'wiggle' the pieces free. Much to my horror as I finished the cut the bulkhead pulled apart about 1/8" to 3/16"! I froze thinking the bow was going to split open. No creaks, no snaps, no light peaking in from outside.

I crawled out and took a walk around the front of the trailer to see if I noticed any change or damage. Everything looked good. The single bow pad was still loose as I had left it a couple of weeks ago when we releveled her. So I concluded that it must have been some stress induced from sitting on her keel for so long. I try not to think about it much or start worrying. These hulls are tough! Not to worry.

After cleaning up the dust and debris I remembered that I had always intended to continue the stringers up to the bow like Ebb had done. So out came the grinder again to clear the way for those. Then came the final sweep-up for the day and a good washing. Man, I sure wish I had removed the chainlocker bulkhead before I started retaping the hull/deck seam. It's tons easier working up front near the stem with all that stuff out of the way.

[Commander 147]

Tony

Never let it be said that you do anything half way.

It is always so much easier to get rid of anything in the way and start from scratch when doing a project like you are doing. I can't wait to see what goes back in.

[ebb]

It's too late for lit'lgull to have her forward bulkhead repositioned.

I'm convinced NOW that I want samson posts for mooring (and maybe have the bowsprit bear against.)
It would have been real sweet to have a sturdy bulkhead right there inside where thru-deck samson-struts could be bolted to!


Not possible to imagine how any bolt-to-the-deck bollard OR stainless samson post can be installed strong enough to hang a three ton boat from in a blow.

I'll have to somehow connect the posts to the hull inside with braces and brackets or a molded in frp socket. Along with doublers under the deck, maybe have a cross beam in front of the posts.
I'll be a problem in a now really restricted area!!!

You are at square one, Tony, if you're planning a foredeck for anything but a marina tie-up!
Interested to see what you come up with.

[Tony G]

I have about three days here where I can get some work done and then I'm away from the boat for a couple weeks. That'll be hard being she's prime for working on and I'm prime for workin'! I wanna see some progress.

It's all pretty straight forward, as far as what's going back in. No frills and a mess less than I was going to try the first time around. Striving to stick with 'form follows function' philosophy. You know-KISS

I am planning for on the hook and off the grid and into some diving again. As much as I loved SCUBA we'll be leaning toward free diving out of practicality. That's how I started anyhow! And I remember having a blast doing it too!

I like the the idea of a sampson post, Ebb. But I am trying to reduce the number of things poking up through the deck. I suppose there is an easy way to keep them water tight and dry. And they sure would add to the stability of a sprit. I'm just looking to add a secure eye for a solent stay and a bit more room to stretch out if I have to take to the v-berth. Although, I really like the sprit(?)/anchor platform on them thar Nor'sea 27s. If we put a sprit on the nose I'm contemplating switching out the stem fitting for a simple strap like the backstay. What do ya think about that?