Main Salon Upgrades & repairs Advice

[SloopDogg]

I've been working on the water supply too! PEX tubing with a distribution block with all home runs and new bladder tanks. The dist. Block actually fir in the garbage can cabinet and I can still fit the can easily!

I'm not sure why some of my photos show up and some don't... I have 2 photos that show in the preview but, when I post it is broken... I think I fugured it out, It was over 5gb I reduced it and now it seems to work

 

[Will Gilmore]

SloopDog, you do fantastic work.
What more can I say.
Looks great, Epiphanes should keep that woodwork in great condition and I redid my entire house with pex because of a leaky sink. Marvelous stuff.

- Will (Dragonfly)

 

[SloopDogg]

Thanks Will, I'm happy to be getting toward the end of the varnishing. It's taking quite a bit longer than I thought it would and it is keeping from working on the settee fronts. Takes about 3 hours to sand between coats with walking each piece down to the garage then cleaning them of dust for the next coat and then an hour of coating. so best I can do is a coat every 2 days but that never happens because, well, life gets in the way! this is my first big varnishing job, about 45 sq. ft., and there is a learning curve. I'm amazed at how much better each coat looks. I think 3 more coats of clear would give a really flat finish! I'm fighting the urge to go gloss. I just know I like the matt finish so I have to stick to the plan. I think I'll end up at 7 coats of varnish vs. 8 with the clear. I think the 2 coats of epoxy more than make up for that last coat!

I have to throw a pitch out there for Boulter Plywood. The service I received from them was outstanding and they had everything I needed. They cut the plywood to size and delivered to my house. I even specified the cuts in relation to the holly strips and they cut them perfectly!

I like the pex too. really nice in the boat, takes up a little less space, can survive a freeze and I've minimized hard to reach connections with the individual runs. It'll be nice to have a nice clean water system you can actually drink from! I'm planning on building a portable filter that I can connect to a hose that will allow me to filter water as it goes into the tank. re-plumbing the whole house for a fixture at one leak sounds like something I would do too! LOL

 

[Will Gilmore]

I have to throw a pitch out there for Boulter Plywood. The service I received from them was outstanding and they had everything I needed. They cut the plywood to size

. I recently got a half sheet of marine grade 1/2" ribbon striped Sapele from them, for a client's hatch boards. I'm to far away for affordable delivery, but they were highly accommodating to my needs.

- Will (Dragonfly)

 

[TomY]

I like the pex too. really nice in the boat, takes up a little less space, can survive a freeze and I've minimized hard to reach connections with the individual runs. It'll be nice to have a nice clean water system you can actually drink from! I'm planning on building a portable filter that I can connect to a hose that will allow me to filter water as it goes into the tank. re-plumbing the whole house for a fixture at one leak sounds like something I would do too! LOL

Great work you're doing on your boat!

Pex does better than copper when piping freezes, but Pex can split when frozen. I was surprised myself when these heating pipes froze and broke last winter.

 

[SloopDogg]

Great work you're doing on your boat!

Pex does better than copper when piping freezes, but Pex can split when frozen. I was surprised myself when these heating pipes froze and broke last winter.

HI Tom, Thanks! I'm not sure that tubing is pex. They claim pex can expand to 6 times its original diameter before it splits. That copper looks like the piping in residential fin tube. Very thin walled. That must have been heartbreaking to someone!

 

[NYSail]

Rule # 1) Don't listen to your wife.
Rule #2) If you don't agree with Rule # 1, don't get married.
Rule #3) If you ignore Rule#2 and get married anyway, while you lament your decision and think the lives of those who decide to stay single is so much better; just know that... it absolutely is.

What a crock of shit. Being married to the right partner is the best life choice.

 

[TomY]

HI Tom, Thanks! I'm not sure that tubing is pex. They claim pex can expand to 6 times its original diameter before it splits. That copper looks like the piping in residential fin tube. Very thin walled. That must have been heartbreaking to someone!

It is Pex used to connect to fin tube. My plumber (who installed this) uses miles of it. He say's it's not the first Pex to burst from a freeze that he's repaired, but usually it survives.

Sometimes the ice will freeze in the fin tube (and split the copper of course), and plug the pipe. IF you find it before it thaws,... you can save a lot of damage, which luckily we did.

This was one of last winters perfect storms for plumbers: Sub zero temps, owner uses the wood stove to supplement the oil boiler , heating pipes behind a couch.

 

[SloopDogg]

ok, 1st coat of Matte went on last night. It doesn't flow as smoothly as the clear gloss but it does set down nicely. I didn't take any photos yet. It does look very smooth and rich. I'm pleased with the result so far and not longing for the gloss finish.

Does anyone have any tips for spreading the matte varnish?
I applied with a foam brush. Mostly because of how well that was going with the clear. My intention for the next coat is going to be a roll and tip with a really nice natural Ox Hair Brush. I think I'm going to try and roll the whole piece, about 18"x78", quickly and then tip the the whole piece. Maybe I should go half...?

 

[Will Gilmore]

Does anyone have any tips for spreading the matte varnish?

T-shirt rag. Make a smooth wad and drag/rub it in. Very thin layers but extremely smooth. You can Google French polish to get an idea of the technique.
buffing between coats can be over done so use fine paper and just scuff a little.

- Will (Dragonfly)

 

[TomY]

ok, 1st coat of Matte went on last night. It doesn't flow as smoothly as the clear gloss but it does set down nicely. I didn't take any photos yet. It does look very smooth and rich. I'm pleased with the result so far and not longing for the gloss finish.

Does anyone have any tips for spreading the matte varnish?
I applied with a foam brush. Mostly because of how well that was going with the clear. My intention for the next coat is going to be a roll and tip with a really nice natural Ox Hair Brush. I think I'm going to try and roll the whole piece, about 18"x78", quickly and then tip the the whole piece. Maybe I should go half...?

You're doing sole pieces? If so, they should a piece of cake roll and tipping and your work will be vastly improved over just a brush. If you're indoors out of the sun and wind, even better.

If you're not happy with the last coat, wait until it's bone dry. Flat sand the surface with very fine paper (320?). I like to wrap it around a sanding sponge. If the last coat is smooth, just rub it with a 3M pad designed for use between coats of finish. Either way, rub it down with a tack cloth.

Roll the whole length with a foam roller (4 or 6"). Roll back and forth the short and long way. Look for an even coat. Tip with a foam brush(or fine bristle). You don't want to work the finish, just lightly smooth the orange peel texture the roller leaves.

A flat surface out of the weather, the varnish will flow out. You can easily get a glass smooth finish. But mainly, you will build up your coats faster and spend less time applying and sanding, than with a brush alone.

 

[CloudDiver]

What a crock of shit. Being married to the right partner is the best life choice.

I guess you didn't get the sarcasm... Next time I'll make sure I put a warning label on it.

 

[SloopDogg]

Okay, so the second coat went much better than the first coat of matte finish. I did roll and tip this time and I was learning my technique on the first piece so it didn't come out quite as good and I'll have to redo that one. the second one however, really came out nice so, I think that's a done deal all the bilge board pieces came out really nice too except one which I'll also redo. Is there a step after you're done with the final coat, Polish or wax?

I'm going to begin the reassembly tomorrow I'm really looking forward to putting it back together I'll snap some more pictures at the end of the day.

 

[SloopDogg]

well, I got the settee fronts built and laminated and fit into place. I also fit the sub-floor into place. I had to cut the old sleepers out to make a better compartment for the bladder tanks.
I ended up gluing and screwing the cleats to the settee fronts before laminating them. Now I can just screw them in without seeing any bungs. I've left everything loose for now in case I need any final trimming when installing the finish floor.

The boat is in the shop so a good scrub wasn't a great idea so a good stiff bristle brush and a shop vac got it pretty clean under there. I'd have painted but I'm running out of time!

 

[jssailem]

@SloopDogg Your work on the varnish was beautiful.
Your removal of the stringers under the settee calls to question why the marine engineer installed them?
They are normally used to stiffen the hull. Prevent oil canning.

In the area the stiffeners are located I would guess the stiffening was to reduce concern for hull flex from the keel. You may have the marine engineering knowledge to make this no concern. On the other hand (assuming you plan to sell this project) this change may affect the safety of the future uninformed person.

 

[SloopDogg]

@SloopDogg Your work on the varnish was beautiful.
Your removal of the stringers under the settee calls to question why the marine engineer installed them?
They are normally used to stiffen the hull. Prevent oil canning.

In the area the stiffeners are located I would guess the stiffening was to reduce concern for hull flex from the keel. You may have the marine engineering knowledge to make this no concern. On the other hand (assuming you plan to sell this project) this change may affect the safety of the future uninformed person.

Thanks for the question. Those were there to keep the water storage tanks off the hull to help prevent them from corroding. Which worked in the areas where the tank was not resting. It is a great question and I will run it by the guys over at tartan to see if I need to replace them.

 

[dlochner]

Thanks for the question. Those were there to keep the water storage tanks off the hull to help prevent them from corroding. Which worked in the areas where the tank was not resting. It is a great question and I will run it by the guys over at tartan to see if I need to replace them.

@jssailem is likely correct. On stick built boats like the early Tartans and Sabres, every piece of wood had an engineering purpose, mostly to strengthen or stiffen the hull. Some parts served dual purposes, like the cleats under the water tank. If it were my boat, I'd put the cleats back in.

 

[SloopDogg]

Ok I just heard back from Tartan
"Those cleats are only there for the tank to sit on. They are not structural in anyway. No need to replace them. Glad to hear the refit is going well."
Good news! I have to say, there is the 1/2" plywood sub-floor glassed in horizontally right there and the cabinetry is glassed in vertically just a few inches away and the glass from both surfaces overlaps. These things are not moderately built!

I'm definitely glad it was brought up and glad I asked Tartan!

 

[jssailem]

Great news @SloopDogg. All manufacturers are different. Your plan is to put inflatable tanks. Water? How do they handle movement in the space? How are they secured in the space? Are there chafe issue?
Love your Pex system. That is on my list of things I want/need.

 

[SloopDogg]

@jssailem So, the tanks are for potable water and they come with a heavy sleeve that the actual bladder goes inside. The sleeve has webbing loops, for securing the tank on all four corners, sewn into it and you attach those to the boat. I'll attach to the sub-floor and the cabinetry below the settee surface. the bladder I chose, https://www.defender.com/product3.j...-gallons&path=-1|51|2234299|2234300&id=120943 Are rated for 52 gallons. I'm hoping to get close to capacity. The aluminum tanks held 48 gals each. I get an extra 8 gallons!! I'll take it! I'll try and document the install as best I can.

The PEX install has been pretty straight forward and went easier than I anticipated. That, like, never happens!!! The pipe is actually a smaller diameter than the the hose in most boats so it needs less room to route! I saw that the big box stores carry the stuff in straight lengths. I think if I wasn't ripping it all apart I might consider that route as the curve of the coiled pipe can be a PIA to deal with. A good sharp cutter made a big difference too. The first couple of cut I did with an older scissors type cutter and it egged the pipe a bit and made getting the fittings inside the pipe much harder. I bought a $15 ratcheting cutter from HD and things got MUCH better.