[q240z]

Thanks, SeaEric!

It has been a very busy 36 hours...

Never underestimate the power of a Subaru jack and a 2x4. Like pretty much everything else on these yachts, Chris Craft built the floor supports to really tight tolerances. A little tweak on the jack and the floor joists pretty much flew out. Coming from a 52' Connie, Let me just say that the removable joists make the Roamers much easier to work on.




More help from the Subi jack & 2x4 and the engine hatch started movin' out.




I'm thinkin' moonroof...




Floors...check
Engine hatch...check
Refrigerator...all stop

This had to be the most disgusting thing I've ever seen in my life, and that's saying something. Note the empty yet unopened packs of frozen sweet corn on the cob? See the maggot zombies? mmmmmm




The maggots and egg casings were everywhere




The brown goo at the bottom of the fridge was the same color and consistency of the liquid in the unopened sweet corn packages. I'm guessing that what we're looking at here is some fully processed sweet corn. I mean, there wasn't even any cob left. gak.




Then the big boy showed up.




And a one-a




And a two-a




and a three-a

[q240z]

and a genset




and an electric stove




and a nasty fridge




and an R-12 marine AC unit, just because there was still time on the clock.




Done.




SeaMaster pawah. 1850lbs each with gears.




Always read the manual



Best food EVER!




Tomorrow we get to work on getting the tent up, more bung removal, degreasing the ER, and pulling out all of that blasted Romex that some fool put in for the AC. Finit.

[alloyed2sea]

Been following this thread with great interest.
Had always heard about the mysterious, phantom CC cabintop hatchway - big foot found!!
In any case, just wanted to add a bit of common sense advice.
When redoing the gauges remember to MARK EACH WIRE. Sounds simple enuff, and once forgotten, big foot escapes!!!
Meanwhile, here are some good sources for rechroming/rebuilding gauges:

1. Pat Powell (who did mine very well): Specialists in Marine Instrumentation Restoration. Over 25 Years Experience (708) 209-1487; 1405 Thatcher, River Forest, Illinois 60305. Think he actually worked for the gauge mfg. at one time
2. Dale Kocian - see his work here:
http://www.ccgauges.com/ The CC Commanderos swear by him: http://www.network54.com/Forum/42484...ocian+%26lt%3B
3. eBay: Keep looking, they always pop up here.

The dash on my 37' Riviera (before & after):
http://www.geocities.com/tin_tonic/MadDash.html

Other good sources for classic CC stuff:
http://www.chris-craft.org/advertisers.html

Keep up the good work, only take a break after that last "adventure".
Cheers!
Eric

[q240z]

Kewl. Thanks for the links. Ain't the internet grand?

Well, we wrapped up our 11-day working holiday by getting rid of that horrid aft deck enclosure and working on demolishing the aft cabin. I'll be nice to take a little break and get back to real life. lol


Good progress here.






Here's what we started with on the aft deck:






Mind you, this was after the first wave of dejunking...






Rotting Home Despot lumber, meet Mr. Chainsaw...




Do ya think these could be the sources of the leaks into the aft stateroom? fyi, lousy install of cheap lumber that was then poorly maintained (if maintained at all) is what caused this problem. The rest of the teak is in excellent condition.

[q240z]

Done and ready for tenting next weekend.

[q240z]

Work, work, work. Yadayadayada And a great time was had by all...


Look what we've done to the aft stateroom! Isn't it wonderfully spacious and airy?




I must point out that the vast majority of this work was performed by the missus. I am the luckiest man alive.




There's a butterfly analogy here somwhere, but I'm not gonna say it. Now the drying out begins in earnest.






...to be continued...

[SeaEric]

The shrink wrap is an excellent idea. Sure looks like a lot of ripping and tearing happening there. Your wife is a definite "keeper"! Can't wait to see the next update.

[q240z]

Things would go faster if you and the other Eric would come down and help out. lol

Next weekend I'm focusing on getting shore power hooked up (I finally found a 240VAC outlet near the boat that I can tap into), the helm station stripped of any electronics older than 2005 (which means all of it), all extraneous and otherwise hinky wiring removed, and continuing my efforts in the engine room.

The missus will continue her good work aft. She's getting pretty good with a sledge and wrecking bar.

[q240z]

Holy smokes! It's a freakin' rainforest in the tent!

There weren't enough vents cut, so it was actually dripping precipitation inside. There was a bird stuck in there as well. Took a good five minutes to get that bugger out. Little sumbeeotch was pecking at the plastic, ferchrissakes! I cut a bunch of vents and taped them up so rain won't get in. Wonder how many birds will be in there tomorrow...

Shore power is now functional. Interestingly, the isolation transformer hums like a ferroresonant charger cookin' a set of batteries on high. There's no way anybody but my college-age son could sleep in the V-berth with that racket going on. Might have to upgrade to a Charles transformer before long.

Looking at the breaker schematic I found on board, I started flipping things on. Lo and behold! Lights, camera, action! Over the course of the afternoon, I discovered that several wires going to different places in the bilge had been cut and left hanging. In general, I found this when I pushed a piece of Romex to the side and it contacted aluminum. Lotsa sparks and POP goes the breaker! After two such incidents, I shut off shore power and concentrated on getting rid of hinky wiring.

Eventually, I started giving the steering gear the greasy eyeball. Everything is now disconnected and unbolted, but these two pins are giving me serious grief. I tried working them out with a woodworking clamp, a 5# sledge, and even the biggest set of mondo channel locks I've got.

They didn't budge.

Tonight, I'll make up a little press to push them out and see if I have more luck tomorrow.




Meanwhile, the missus is doing a bangup job on the aft stateroom. Port side should be done next week or so.

[q240z]

Demolition, demolition, demolition.

It didn't make it far past freezing today and tomorrow's high will be 27*. Gonna call this weekend a shorty and stay home drinkin' toddies tomorrow!

The missus is doing a bang-up job on the aft stateroom. The port side is about half done. For those of you who have similar vessels, take a good long look at the vent pipe (that dryer pipe-looking stuff). See how it's it's all shredded, letting water fall on your floors? Yup, that rots out the floors. For this remodel it really doesn't matter, but if you're wanting to stay original you might want to consider making sure your pipe is in good condition so it drains properly into the bilge instead of your cabinetry or onto the plywood floor. Even the Chris Craft-grade ply has its limits...



I ripped out the last of the Romex and other 120v circuits that won't be necessary in the future. The 12v panel is working now, too. Let there be LIGHT! lol

After getting the last of the wiring done, I set to work on the galley remodel. We're going to put the fridge where the stairs lead to the door of the V-berth. The stairs will go where the forward head is. The head will go where the shower is. There won't be a forward shower and there won't be any built-in sofa, but the V-berth will have much larger bunks, the galley will be much more user friendly, and there will be a dishwasher. This is a mandatory item.

Anyway, here's how it looks now. I figure one or two more good days of demolition and this area will be ready for the remodel to begin.






More to come, weather permitting.

[q240z]

Demolition continues.

As a refresher, here's what we started with in the salon & galley.




By the end of January we'd gotten the galley torn down to this stage.




Yesterday, it was looking like this when we locked it up.






Here's the view now, looking directly to the port side from the galley sink. Where once there was a built-in settee, some practically worthless storage, a head and a shower, there now is...anything we can imagine. The plan at this point* is to move the stairs toward the port side by one stair-width or so. There will be a head (no shower) outboard of the stairs with sliding door access from the bottom of the stairs. The head sink will be just below the portlight. The fridge will be centerline at the same level as the galley, basically forward of where the stairs are now. *subject to change without notice.




Here's the view of the demo zone from the v-berth. The old centerline doorway to the v-berth will become a wall with storage below.




This shot shows where the stairs are now. The gaping hole into the engine room shows where the 60 gallon holding tank will go. The stairs will be moved over to cover the hole. The new head will be where the shower used to be, to the right of the soon-to-be stairs.

[q240z]

Progress

[q240z]

More progress

[alloyed2sea]

..., star bright.
First star that I see tonite.
Lead me to where the sea shines bright: Planet Chromium.
Disease really.
No cure either.
Cheers!
Eric

[q240z]

A fellow "sufferer," I see. lol