Outside vent covers

30 April 2016

Builder had never made an attempt to build covers for the external vents for the engine rooms.  They have simply been covered by plywood and removed when the boat was moved.  Calculations were made to provide a total opening area equal to the full opening and a plug was made from wood.

All imperfections were filled and the plug painted, waxed, and coated with a mold release.

Molds were then produced using a two-part epoxy mold product.

Release was far from ideal, but accomplished to find out that the heat from the epoxy had caused moisture to release vapor from the wood and produce a lot of small bubbles on the mold.  They will require a lot of additional work to create usable molds for fiberglass vents.

Pilothouse dash console

16 April 2016

The builder had built a console that had become less than desirable.  A new one was fabricated using expanded PVC board with black Formica laminated onto it.  The new console will be trimmed with cherry.

Headliner progress

16 February 2016

Serious progress has been made by my nephew on the headliner and LED light installation.  Of course we continue to get in his way and require much of it to be pulled down for our other work, but it is starting to look good.

Bed lifts and a surprise

16 February 2016

Installed electric lifts to access storage under the beds.  Simple system using inline skate wheels with two electric linear actuators from Frigelli.  The surprise came when the storage area underneath the bed storage was opened and found full of water.  Initially alarming, it was determined that the front of this area is the bulkhead separating it from the chain lockers.  The chain locker drain was plugged filling the locker above a horizontal seam and leaking into the storage area.  The drain became covered by a rubber chain pad and allowed debris to plug the drain.

Area underneath the bed storage after draining showing bed lift

Area underneath full of water

BBQ and propane cabinet

01 February 2016

A cabinet for the Magna grill, propane tanks, and some additional storage was fabricated from PVC sheet - both solid and expanded PVC board.  Installation includes dual propane tanks with auto-selecting propane plumbing and automatic off solenoid in case of a leak.  Enclosure will also spill toward the side scupper on the other side of the staircase in case of a leak.

Some additional electrical work

06 December 2015

Finally got around to cleaning up the Hurricane II hydronic heater electrical wiring (more about how great Hurricane folks are later).  Now it is time to label and fabricate a protective cover.  Box for the rotary selector switch and dryer breaker fabricated and installed.  Twelve new Trojan t105 batteries were installed in 4 battery boxes in series/parallel 12 volt system.  We have also begun to add structure in the center and  next to the steering room doors on which to mount the hinges which are being fabricated.

Radar arch completed and equipment installed

04 October 2015

Completed radar arch was back from powder coaters and installed.  Bulk of equipment was installed on the arch.

Head sinks and plumbing

27 August 2015

With the head and galley countertops recently installed, we installed the head sinks and plumbing.  We finally have something other than the showers for water and cleaning possibilities.

Under-galley sink filters and plumbing were installed, along with the galley cooktop and the propane system.. 

Bow Rollers and radar arch

11 July 2015

Began modifications to starboard bow roller so it would self-deploy and reset, along with fabricating a second bow roller for a larger anchor for the port side.  Radar arch was now ready for dry-fit before completion and powder coating.

Installed blackwater tank sensors

03 May 2015

Modified the blackwater tank vent cover plate to accept a Ferriello inductive level sensor on both sides of vessel.  The voltage output will be converted to 4-20 ma output and fed to a NMEA 2000 back bone system.  Both sensors were calibrated outside the black water tanks.

Installed port head

28 April 2015

Builder had only installed head on the starboard side.  Installed Vacuflush head and vacuum generator on the port side of boat.  System has the benefit of being nearly ideal installation with the head directly above the vacuum generator and the generator sitting on top of the blackwater tank.  Less than a total of 3 feet of sanitary hose from head to blackwater tank with a continual gradient downward.

Rails protecting stateroom to head stairs

28 February 2015

After a slight miss-step it became an imperative to fabricate protection for the stairs from the staterooms down to the head and shower.  They were over-designed to match the vertical post installed by the builder.

Moved to Newport OR

16 September 2014

Departed Schooner Creek Marine in the morning headed fro Astoria OR.  River and weather conditions were ideal but did encounter an issue where the engines both dropped to idle rpm and there were no forward or reverse controls at the helm.  Took nearly 30 minutes to get advice and recover control, but wind opposed the current and the boat stayed stationary.

17 September 2014

Crossed the Columbia Bar at slack high tide but still encountered 5-ft standing waves.  Unfortunately the sea predictions did not hold and the trip south was much worse than the bar.  Waves were 6-8 foot on top of an 8 foot serge.  Conditions slowed us so we had to stop in Garibaldi OR for the night.  We experienced another engine control issue but knew how to recover this time.  Sanding dust continually fell from the unfinished ceiling making the floor very slippery in spite of cleaning it up every 15-20 minutes.

18 September 2014

Sea conditions improved somewhat but remained uncomfortable until the last hour into Newport.  Docked at Back Bay Marine to start completion of the interior of the boat.  In Newport we had access to a complete shop, a marine electrician, an experienced marine welder, and a former interior carpentry finishing manager from Marathon Coaches from nearby Eugene.  As an added bonus, my brother and nephew will be joining me on the boat to help with the projects.  My nephew has volunteered to tackle the headliner.  My brother and I have been going in opposite directions for the past 50+ years and this will be an excellent opportunity to reconnect.

Replaced pilot house door

03 July 2014

Decision was made to go with a laterally sliding pilot house door made by Freeman.  Not especially convenient to open from inside the pilot house, but operationally it will normally be left open or closed. 

Removal of fly bridge

09 January 2014

For various reasons the decision was made to remove the fly bridge entirely.  Work began on the removal shortly after the bulwarks were repaired.  Decision then needed to be made on what to do for the door.

New path to competion

15 June 2013

With builder now formally out of business, there is a need to find a new solution for completion.  Except for the keels and the bent rudder, the boat is sea worthy, although the fly bridge and a few areas of the bulwarks are showing some weathering.  Fortunately as the first boat started in the 5 that ae left incomplete, the beginnings of the boat (hull and house) are quite solid - having been built before the financial ills began.  Most of the other boats are not nearly so far along and needed to find a company that could do extensive work.  My boat could travel on it own hull and power so had more options.  I chose to have Schooner Creek Marine of Portland OR come to Astoria and repair the keels and rudder and re-paint the hulls.  After the keel repairs the bottom was painted with 4 coats of Pettit Protect epoxy barrier coat and 2 coats of Pettit Trinidad SR antifouling paint.  On September 25, 2013 the boat was launched taken to the Schooner Creek facility to work on the fly bridge and bulwarks.

Slow construction progress grinds to a halt

01 January 2012

At this point the builder was in so much financial trouble that he could only work on projects that brought in new money.  The builder's failure is obviously just a matter of time.  I made infrequent trips and do some work myself.  I installed a hot-water heater and  hydronic furnace heating system - Hurricane II.  The system involves 100+ feet of 1-inch heavy-duty heater hose circling the boat with5 heat exchangers.  The system can heat the water with a diesel burner, and electric element or draw heat from the engines.  It also circulates the water through the water heater reducing the need for the electrical element in the water heater itself.

Haul out creates issues

01 November 2011

The haul out didn't completely go as planned.  While towing the boat into the building one rudder was caught on the very strong slinging door guide and the 1-inch rudder shaft was bent.  The rudder shaft bent without causing any damage to the hull or the shaft log inside the boat.

Once the boat was inside it was also apparent that the laminated keels were not adequately fiber-glassed and had lost integrity.  There are parts where you can actually push your finger laterally into the keel.  Both keels will have to be replaced.

Hauled out at Tongue Point

25 October 2011
In October DW was hauled out at Tongue Point onto a 40-ft flatbed trailer and moved into the building for the winter.

Stateroom and Head doors intalled

1 October 2011
Stateroom and Head doors were fabricated and installed.

Purchased some furniture and appliances

15 July 2011

In an attempt (futile as it turned out) to motivate the builder to accelerate work on the boat I purchased and installed the refrigerator, table, and couches.

Some additional cabinet work done in Galley

3 June 2011

The refrigerator cabinet and pull-out pantry are completed

Work goes from slow to barely moving

2 February 2011
As the builder struggles to remain in business at all, work on the Double-Wide really slows down as new-money goes toward new builds.  DW does see some fabrication of head cabinet framework.

Delivered to builder's new location at Tongue Point, OR

24 August 2010
After a little messing about in the Columbia the D-W was delivered to the  boat builder in Tongue Point for completion.  The shallow ramp next to D-W was originally a seaplane ramp and the building in the background was the hanger.  New docks arrived the following day, so there will be more room shortly.  Video below was taken while giving some of the boat-building crew a feel for their work.

Docked at boat builder in Tongue Point, OR
Below is a drive-by video

From Tillamook to Astoria

22 August 2010
The next morning D-W left Tillamook early to catch slack tide at the Columbia Bar.  It was somewhat foggy at the start, we ran through some light showers but it cleared up early with seas even more benign than the first leg of the trip.  Total time was 6 hours 30 minutes from dock to dock.  We tied up at the Astoria Marina by 2:00 pm.  Only 54% engine load at wide open throttle so the props will need to be re-pitched.

At the dock in Astoria

Up the coast to Tillamook, Oregon

21 August 2010
Finally, time came to move Double-Wide to Astoria.  On Saturday we made a leg from Newport to Tillamook, OR.  The trip was 8 hours and 15 minutes from dock to dock.  Seas were 3-5 feet with a 6 foot surge.  Speed was varied throughout the trip to get a feel for handling and to satisfy break-in recommendations.  The bar at Tillamook was easily crossed at slack tide.  After a relaxing night of sleep aboard, the below photo was taken at sunrise.

At the dock next morning in Tillamook

Move to Newport

15 June 2010
After several months at dock in Toledo, the power and steering systems were finally ironed out and the boat was moved downstream to Newport.  Preparations were begun to move her to Astoria for completion.

Double-Wide Launch

22 June 2009
The long awaited launch of Double-Wide.  Everything went smoothly and a large number of Toledo residents turned out to witness the event.  There is still a great deal of interior work to be completed on the boat and the owner will be undergoing significant interior work as well.  The future travels of Double-Wide will be documented here - stay tuned.