Projects Page
When you buy an old sailboat, you have to expect that there will be projects. Most old boats need attention to get them to a point that is functional, reliable, and something you'll be proud to take your friends out on. Night Breeze is no different. The exterior woodwork was freshly varnished and looked great. The hull was in pretty good shape. The sails were a bit worn, but certainly usable (by "cruising" standards). The bimini and covers are also showing a bit of age, but still serviceable.
The more I became familiar with Night Breeze, the more the project list grew. Tasks have been prioritized to get the boat functional, then look nice, and then start adding the "nice to have" features.
Below is a summary of projects that have been completed, are in progress, or are yet to be scheduled...
Short version:
Carb Rebuild
Replaced Alternator
Re-wired fuel pump as per original, and corrected burned out wiring connection under port locker.
Pressure washed and inspected hull. Replaced gate valves with ball valves on most of the thru hulls. Needs to have thu hulls drilled out, and replaced with marine grade thru hulls on the next bottom job haul out.
The starboard bulkhead was thoroughly rotted and required IMMEDIATE replacement.
A tie-rack was added in the hanging locker to provide storage for extra lines.
The exhaust riser is the "exhaust pipe" from the engine manifold to the water-lift muffler box, when then exits at the stern of the boat. When purchased, the riser had rusted to the point of perforation, resulting in a tremendous amount of exhaust pouring into the cabin when the engine was run. The riser was replaced.
Re-sealing
Minimal work has been done to re-seal critical locations. Included were the chainplates (starboard chainplate leak being the cause of the starboard bulkhead failure). Also cleaned and caulked around the steering pedestal to stop the rotting of the quarterberth cushions when it rained (hmmmm... Rain? not much of THAT lately!!). Also caulked around a number of the windows that were leaking.
Radio
A new radio has been obtained and wired up. For now, it's sitting, not permanently installed. It's wired from the main battery bank. Hot goes to the "mem" lead of the radio, with a separate switch for main power to the radio. This works, but isn't optimal. Main power to the radio needs to be OFF when the boat is left, or it will drain the batteries too much.
Electrical System
New batteries and battery chargers were installed.
Lights
The original 12V interior lights were replaced with LED lights mounted on mahogany bases cut, routed, and drilled to match the original lights.
Curtains
Made by Mindy - replaced the original curtains in the cabin.
Interior Cushions
New cushion covers were made to re-cover all the seat cushions in the main cabin.
The v-berth cushions were re-covered with a wrap-around comforter set sewn to fit. A memory foam mattress pad was added to eliminate the sag where cushions met.
V-berth Step
A step was added to the v-berth to ease ingress and exit. This step also retains items stored in the opening under the v-berth.
Covers:
A new bimini, main sail cover, wheel pedestal cover, and main cabin cover were made to replace the old covers.
In the above picture, you can see the new bimini cover, new cabin cover, and new sail cover.
Dock:
In the lower left corner of the above covers picture, you can also see the 3' x 3' x 12" high dock step that was made from pressure treated 2x6, and covered in outdoor carpet. In the bottom right corner, you can barely see a corner of the dock "bumpers" made from rolled up outdoor carpet, that was rolled over foam pipe insulation, bound with zip ties, and screwed to the dock to give something softer to hit than bare wood.
Galley:
The pressurized alcohol oven and stove were removed. Pic of original stove is below:
The original stove was replaced with a mini-fridge and microwave.
