Welcome to Windarra's interior modifications page!
Click on any image for a larger picture(s)...
Interior Modifications
An internal 43 litre (11.5 gal.) Tempo fuel tank has been installed. This gets the fuel weight down low where it adds to the boats stability, extends range dramatically, and frees up valuable storage in the cockpit lockers. The compartment that holds the tank MUST be completely sealed and vented. A combination fill/vent fitting is located on the sole under the swing up seat, and the enclosure is cross-vented by running a length of pvc from the pulpit to the enclosure. Another 1" venthole was drilled on the face of the step on the aft cockpit sole. The fuel line exits just below that vent, and both are protected with a stainless rain cover. Wires running to the pulpit (fuel sender etc.) are fed through the forward vent. I used expanding foam to fill the gaps between outer deck panels and the interior liner where cutouts were made for the fuel fill/vent fitting and the aft fuel feed/rear vent. Once it sets, trim the excess foam with a serrated blade (steak knife) and seal the exposed foam with several layers of aluminum duct tape. I used polyurethane caulking around the area between the enclosure frame and the liner, as well as around the panels on the starboard and aft sides. The port and forward panels had to be made removable for tank inpection and removal, so I sealed these with closed cell foam weatherstripping. Tip: when applying the foam, be sure to leave the frame for the enclosure in place while the foam expands and sets. Without the support of the frame, it will deform the inner liner as it expands (voice of experience here...). Also make sure you pressure test both the tank and enclosure before putting it all into service! (use warm soapy water around all seams and fittings after pressurizing the tank and enclosures) This is definitely one of those projects you want to do right the first time!
The old step that mounted over the original vent and fill valves made access into the aft berth really difficult. I retrofitted one of the new ladders onto the old "bump". I mounted a piece of 1" mahogany onto the original step landing after removing the old step and its hardware. The new landing is hinged, allowing access to the original fill and vent openings. I cut the end off the old fill valve and sealed everything as my retro-fitted 3" gate valve and forward vent mods have now eliminated the need for this stuff. The bottom step of the ladder was trimmed off just above the lower step. There was about a 1/2" difference in level between the original step and the sill on the cockpit, explaining why the legs don't line up (it was either that or I'd have to mount the ladder crooked). Notches have been ground into the cockpit sill to accomodate the stair rails when the ladder is raised for access to the aft berth. This allows the ladder to be raised fully into the upright position and out of the way. You will also have to trim an inch off the bottom of the head door to gain clearance over the new wood landing panel.
A 40 Litre (10 gal) rigid water tank has been installed forward of the v-berth bulkhead. The water line support doubles as a water level guage and mount for the 12V pump. I installed the filler in the screwed down panel that bisects the bulkhead. As the floatation was quite loosely packed, I was able to fit all the foam back in but the small block shown in the top LH corner. That piece easily fit into the upper flotation compartment.
The red screwdriver points where I glassed in the 3/4" PVC line for the forward ballast vent. It enters the tank near the centerline just forward of the centerboard trunk. This seems to have worked well in eliminating any air formerly trapped in the forward part of the tank. Draining and filling is now accomplished without having to use either the vent or fill valves found under the removable step, and allowed me to retrofit a much better ladder in its place (see above).
This shows the ball valve control for the forward ballast vent. The line runs along the centerboard trunk, and then angles up to the back of the aft dinette seat bulkhead. This puts it in an easily accessible spot. Because it angles up from the bow, any water in the line drains back into the tank, rather than leaking out from the valve. Below the valve is a nice little cubby left over from when I installed rear speakers in my Toyota extended cab. It's a great location for storing the winch handle, cell phone, GPS etc. The larger image shows the valve plumbing from the back.
In order to securely mount the two batteries (a start and a deep cycle) into the v-berth compartment, I needed to design something that would hold them securely, as well as allow easy removal for maintenance. Here's what I came up with. It uses the original stainless hold-down strap, along with a couple of turnbuckles and hooks. I had to notch a few things out to provide room for the water lines. There's a rubber pad between each battery to absorb vibration, and its designed so that when the board is tightened to the point where it lines up with the ends of the 2" X 3" runners the batteries are properly secured. The base is 1/4" plywood, glued down with construction adhesive. It's not going to move! I also placed a piece of 1/2" carpet underlay under the batteries for additional shock absorption. I ran #4 guage welding cable to the engine. It easily handles the Honda 50's 80 amp starting load. Moving that much weight forward also made a big difference in trim.
I re-routed all the wiring forward into a switch and fuse box mounted in the front face of the v-berth, using the other leftover cubby from my Toyoita 4X4. This now allows easy access to the battery switch and fusess while still having them under cover (and away from "inquisitive" hands!). The need for this move became obvious after moving both batteries forward (see above).
Using the shroud plates for a datum, and roughly calculated, I've moved the moment arm forward by about 16,385 lb./inches (incl. a full water tank). This went a long way towards counter balancing the 205 lb. Honda 50 (which has a negative moment arm of around 23,907 lb./inches). The net impact on trim was the equivalent of reducing the engine weight by about 64 lbs., putting it more in line with the original 165 lb. 2-smoker the boat was designed around. The weight and balance techniques used here are the same as those used for balancing small aircraft.
Click here for an Excel spreadsheet showing how
I derived these numbers.....
I never liked the ceramic tiles in the galley so I filled the void with 1/8" hardboard, and installed a laminate counter top instead. Theres also a new faucet that has a switch controlling the electric pump attached to the water tank. The black button on the faucet (see inset) is a "Push-on" type. The toggle switch on the back is the master switch. With the push button, water waste is greatly reduced (we have kids...). Inside the galley cabinet, I've installed a plywood floor (sealed and primed), screwed onto blocks glued to the inside hull surface with construction adhesive. The drawers were found at Costco, and simple sliding latches from Home Depot secure them. The facing is filled and sanded 5/8" plywood. I've retained the original plexiglass cabinet door, but reversed the hinges to hide them. The larger image shows several views as well as the latch detail.
Here's my VHF installation. I ran the antenna up the mast. To reduce cable slapping in the mast, I attached 6" zipties every 18", leaving the ends on and rotating the tail of each tie 90 degrees. The tie ends then press against the inside of the mast, preventing the cable from banging around. The antenna through-hull is made using a chassis connector, available at any decent radio shop. The small toggle switch to the right of the radio is an 2 pole "on-on" toggle switch. With it in the up position, radio transmissions feed the small speaker mounted in the left hand cockpit locker (see large pic inset). With the switch in the down position, the left speaker is tied to the stereo, allwing both speakers to be run through the stereo. I've found this really works well when you want to monitor radio traffic. I'd like to eventually install a remote microphone jack.
Back to "The Windarra Page".