We move about the world at an irregular pace. Occasionally we sail fast and appear to be on track to girdle the entire globe in a year. Other times we seem stagnant, as if we have arrived to our destination and our journey is over. Of course neither is true for long. No matter how fast we sail, we will slow down sooner than later. Dawn Treader, Debbie, and I can only pretend so long before we reveal our true slow natures. But when we seem most stuck, we are actually purposefully moving to rest ourselves, prepare our boat, and wait for a season to arrive. Continue reading Refinishing the Bowsprit
Tag: paint
in La Palma, Canary Islands
Sunday-October 23, 2016-Santa Cruz de La Palma, Canary Islands
This Week…
We went camping for 3 enjoyable days in Caldera de Taburiente National Park. The campground was a 12 km hike from the town of Los Llanos. The trail cut through rugged canyons ascending a total of 1000 m. Continue reading in La Palma, Canary Islands
Interior Paint 2
Since we made so many interior modifications, we had a great opportunity to paint the entire cabin. Painting all the old formica, and lots of dark teak trim, changed the cabin drastically. It is brighter, more cheerful, and easier to clean. Continue reading Interior Paint 2
Cockpit Lockers
After removing the engine, we were left with a huge open space under the cockpit. No longer needing to access machinery, we are able partition the space into lockers for added structure and watertight integrity. Continue reading Cockpit Lockers
Cockpit Footwell
Seawinds were designed with large cockpit footwells. If confronted with a survival storm, we plan to lay to a series drogue, exposing our stern to breaking waves. This makes a strong, small volume cockpit essential. Continue reading Cockpit Footwell
Propeller Aperture
The last steps of removing our inboard diesel engine were removing the propeller and filling the aperture. Both created a substantial drag; filling the area has enhanced Dawn Treader’s ability to sail in light winds. We are quicker to accelerate, and consistently achieve faster speeds. We are amazed with how our sailing performance has improved, and it makes voyaging without an inboard diesel easier! Continue reading Propeller Aperture
Bucket sink galley
The bucket sink is versatile and moveable. In Dawn Treader, the first location was below the companionway.
Original sink and galley
Original alcohol stove was below counter hatch
Original location of new bucket sink, alcohol stove removed, Atom stove in place
After altering our companionway and building a new water tank, we got to work on the galley. We created 3 storage sections (where there was one) with watertight bulkheads.
Original hatch size
Resizing opening
Wide open single compartment
Cutting out a little more countertop
Divider bulkhead
Longitudinal divider
Dry fit of bucket sink
Filling holes
Painted!
Nice and clean, ready for hatch covers
Our simple galley design has made its everyday use clean, easy, and fun.
Painted countertop (Interlux Perfection). Open hatch, empty space for bucket
Bucket fit
Closed hatch with faucet
Sink (giant salad bowl) in place
Water filter and foot pump
Finished sink
Finished galley with Atom stove by James Baldwin
Moka pot and Ed Hose art!
Curry! We painted our table too!
Integral Water Tank Part 2
200 hours later, we finished the water tank! Parts 1 (Building an Integral Water Tank) and 2 combined for a rewarding job; now we have double the water capacity (65 gallons), more storage, and an easy to clean cabin sole.
Installing 3 inspection ports
Using an angle grinder to recess the inspection port to stand less proud
Dry fit
Brew coat on the bottom of the sole/tank top
Brew coat (second coat)
Third and last coat
After finishing the brew coat (a food grade epoxy coating), we prepared to epoxy the forward sole section and the main cabin sole/tank top into position. We applied epoxy to the tops of the flange from the old cabin sole, and to the new floors and baffles in the water tank.
Forward sole, to be glued down first
Forward sole section (future storage) with epoxy
Sole/tank top glued in! Filler pieces showing
FIlling/fairing compound
Fairing/sealing tank top in
Aft plumbing for vent and supply
Bilge side plumbing: vent and supply
FInished border paint (interlux epoxy primekote), also cream color interlux perfection with non skid
Yes!
We finished the project by filling and painting the border of our new sole. Our water system works great! Check out our galley post to see our bucket sink, foot pump, and water filter.
Watertight Companionway
Traditional sliding companionway designs seem to be the standard, few other options are available. However, we were not satisfied with Dawn Treader’s original design. While researching watertight designs and oceangoing rowboats, we found interesting hatch options that looked to be compatible. We chose the Lewmar Ocean 70 hatch for its large entryway, strength, and watertightness.
Dry fit of hatches
Original design with nesting dinghy on top.
Bridge deck and portion of cockpit footwell had to be cutout
Installing bulkhead to support the hatch, Changing the cockpit footwell dimensions
Primer coat
Hatch installations complete!
Applying fairing compound
Fiberglassing bulkhead
New solid top, all joints were fiberglassed
General view
Another view
Dinghy in place over little hatch, experimenting with lashing
Continuing with construction, making hatch framework
A few things changed simultaneously with the new companionway; look for new posts coming soon! Our cockpit footwell volume was reduced. Cabin ventilation was enhanced with the addition of a Lewmar Ocean 30 below the nesting dinghy. Inside the cabin, we now have more space! Our galley area has more elbow room, the new navigation station is in progress, and the cabin design is more open. The cabin sole also has 2 more usable feet of space (we are installing new sole as a result of the water tank project), and now there is ample room for a yoga mat!
Original interior, icebox on the right
Mahogany frame with pine filler piece
Filling
Filled, trimmed, and rounded
Sharp corners rounded
Instrument holes filled, trim epoxied in place
Icebox removed, Sink moved from center to starboard side
Painted frame
Closed hatch, good visibility!
Aft cabin view
We are happy with the companionway redesign! Exit and entry are easier than before, and we are excited to test our watertight hatch at sea! With this big project done, we are one large step closer to sailing.
V-Berth
The original V-Berth left something to be desired: storage, comfort, style, etc. Some of the original cabinetry had been cut away to accommodate an obsolete holding tank, and the volume of available space was largely inaccessible with the previous compartment design. V-berth reconstruction was also a great opportunity to add structure and strengthen the forward third of the Dawn Treader. Its watertight integrity has been enhanced with new watertight compartments. The V-berth platform was also raised 8 inches above the waterline.
We are super excited to set up our sewing work area in the coming weeks! We’ve got foam, fabric, and a Sailrite Ultrafeed LSZ-1! Let the sewing lessons begin! We’ll see how things turn out…
sailing dawn treader 