Commander 147

[Chance]

Jerry,
Thanks for the prompt reply and entertaining my specific questions. Your expertise and tips are very helpful.

What type of Mahogany did you finally decide on for your interior trim work? Looking good. So with all your progress, do you work and have family too??

Charge on. It is clearly evident that "DESTINY" is in very capable hands and her steward seeks nothing but the best in and for her!

[Commander 147]

Chance

Most of the mahogany in the interior is Honduras mahogany. I found a lumber yard that caters to the marine industry and they stock it.

Yes, unfortunately I still have to work for a living. I usually work between 40 and 50 hours a week but I do it from home so it makes it more tolerable.

And yes I have a family I really enjoy spending time with. That is in fact the reason for the commander. I needed the large cockpit to take my family sailing. I have been married to the same woman for 39 years and we have two grown daughters who have given us our 3 fantastic grandchildren. I spend all the time I can with the grandchildren and love every minute of it. We are lucky that they are close and we get to see them a lot.

The only other thing that makes my progress slow on Destiny is the constant heat and humidity here in Florida. The older I get the less I can tolerate the heat and we get 3 months in the summer where the feels like temperature is over 100 every day. I am really looking forward to fall.

[Chance]

Jerry,
Thank you. I love working with Honduras Mahogany. I also like African mahogany for it's rays, but dislike the stringy grain. Sepele I think is also beautiful. I have a bit of Honduras that I made the fold down bulkhead tables from, but my fiddle rails are a mix of Honduras and African. I have more African in my little work shop than I do of the prized Honduras.

Congratulations on your tried and true family! It seems in today's western culture, couples find it all to easy to dispose of relationships and marriage. You have me beat though, as my better half and I have 18 years and two wonderful teenagers. No grandchildren yet, and hopefully they are a ways off.

I can't even imagine the additional heat and humidty that you endure down South, but like you, I find my tolerance for weather is less now than it was years ago. Favorite time of year is spring and fall, go figure.

[Commander 147]

For my DC panel sides I had cut some scrap pieces of meranti 12MM plywood to enclose it with. I used the same for the enclosure for the 110VAC outlet. I did not want to paint these sides white but they just didn't look good with the Phillipine mahogany finished with varnish. Then I remembered I had bought a small packet of quartered mahogany veneer at a wood working show a couple of years ago and never used it. So I veneered the faces of the sides that will show and you can judge for yourselves if it was worth the 1/2 hour it took me to do it. The small piece at the top is meranti with varnish on it and the other two are the ones I veneered.

The second picture is the latest batch of parts getting finished.

[Chance]

Jerry,
As usual you continue to place the bar of excellence out of my reach. Very beautiful work your bestowing on Destiny! I have never worked with veneers, but know about quarter sawing and the pieces you veneered look fantastic.
Your rate of accomplishment is noteworthy too.

Question: In one of your earlier post of your potable water tank, I noticed what appeared to be cork sheet isolating the monel nickel tank with the hull. I know you added this isolator as it is not a Pearson touch. What is the actual material and did you do this to account for bit of slop between the tank sides and hull, as built by Pearson?
Also, is that a plastic (marelon) water deck fill fitting with integral vent? I like the idea of an integrated vent, but wonder how well the material will hold up to UV?

[Commander 147]

Thank you for the complement but I for one do not believe working with veneer is out of your reach. You have the self discipline to do the job well. And small pieces like these are really easy to do. Large ones really require a vacuum press to get them well bonded without bubbles. These I was just able to put clamps around the perimeter to hold everything flat.

Like your use of a roller to spread epoxy resin evenly I use a rubber roller to spread glue (Titebond III) to the surface of the plywood. Then I lay the veneer on top and a piece of waxed paper which is followed by a piece of scrap plywood. Then just clamp it up and let it dry. Really it is very easy.

As far as the cork spacers you are absolutely correct that I added them. They serve two purposes. One as spacers to make the tank fit snuggly and two as a cushion to eliminate wear from the tank rubbing against the hard plastic hull. I used 1/4" thick layers of cork and contact cemented as many together as were needed (usually 2 but one location needed three) at each location to get the tank to sit solidly without movement. I also held them in place with contact cement between the hull and the cork.

For the deck fill for my water tank I have attached another picture that tells the rest of the story. There is a brass or bronze cover (not sure which) that is chrome plated and it is the only thing exposed on deck. The marelon is all below deck with the exception of the very edge of the top. it is exposed around the perimeter of the chrome cap.

[Chance]

Jerry,
Great detailed photo. That was great foresight or is it insight, to isolate the potable water tank from making contact with the hull. Here's an off question for you. Have you ever used an oxygen displacer (like argon) to inject into the can of your favorite paint or varnish finishes before placing the lid back on? I just order a small pressurized can of argon to do just that. Don't know if it will help, but I hate getting that skimmed over hard layer from half empty cans of spar varnish.