Discussions on everything about the J/30 Sailboat!
With your one stop source
The J/30 Marketplace
Join or Renew
Class Membership
Search

March
M T W T F S S
1 2 3
4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17
18 19 20 21 22 23 24
25 26 27 28 29 30 31
Today's Birthdays
No Birthdays
Newest Members
zharv, Corey, Suzie, SSA-BlueJ, Liam Kersch
1017 Registered Users
Crew Manager Boat Websites

Boat Website subscriptions with
Crew Scheduling & Notifications

Created by former J/30 Rhapsody owner

J/30 Social Network
Popular Topics(Views)
976,347 Dacron Main
162,673 Ananda's Refit
Forum Statistics
Forums28
Topics3,983
Posts19,061
Members1,018
Most Online238
Feb 9th, 2024
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Page 3 of 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Re: Ananda's Refit [Re: Rob Van Name] #15976
11/29/14 01:26 AM
11/29/14 01:26 AM
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 125
San Francisco
alx Offline OP
Senior Member
alx  Offline OP
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 125
San Francisco
Originally Posted by Rob Van Name
Alex,
How did these port lights tolerate the curve of deck house? Did you have to build up so they lie flat?

Thanks,

Rob


Now that I've installed them, I can tell you that they tolerate the curve just fine. It takes a bit of effort to close them, but they seal perfectly.

West Marine Affiliate Program

The J/30 Class Association has partnered with West Marine and is now a member of the West Marine affiliate program. You can support the J/30 Class when you make your West Marine purchases online. The J/30 Class Association receives a percentage of sales from your purchases when you click through from our website. Click the logo above and you will be directed to the West Marine website with a cookie that identifies you as a J/30 affiliate. You can also use any discounts that you may be authorized.
Re: Ananda's Refit [Re: alx] #15985
12/15/14 10:43 PM
12/15/14 10:43 PM
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 125
San Francisco
alx Offline OP
Senior Member
alx  Offline OP
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 125
San Francisco
I wired the head and it works beautifully. The only catch is that I ran 16 gauge to the unit, and after I installed it I read the instructions (that's the arrogance of a nerd there, installing something before reading the manual) and it specifies 8 or 6 gauge should be used. There's no way I'm running that thick a wire to and from my panel, and that doesn't make sense when the panel's wired with 12 gauge anyway. Instead, I'm going to run 6 gauge from the battery directly, controlled by a solenoid which is actuated by the switch on my panel.

One problem I had to solve was that the new panel does not have built in fuses (I did this on purpose) and is significantly larger than the old. At the same time, I'm adding more electronics (AIS receiver, thermostat, refrigerator control, etc) that needs somewhere to live. To address this, I decided to hide all the electronics in one of the J/30's four main cabin cupboards, behind sliding plastic doors. So my dad built a backing wall within the space, and I mounted the electronics on one side and the fuse boxes on the other, with all loads terminated at the fuses. It's starting to look pretty nice:

[Linked Image]

Re: Ananda's Refit [Re: alx] #15986
12/15/14 10:44 PM
12/15/14 10:44 PM
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 125
San Francisco
alx Offline OP
Senior Member
alx  Offline OP
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 125
San Francisco
This weekend was a very productive one for me!

On Saturday I ran ducting for the Espar under the main cabin seating on the port side. The duct exits the cockpit locker, snakes down under the galley shelf, and passes through the wall under the galley sink. From there it dives down a few feet and passes through another wall into the space under the seating there. It connects to a Y fitting where the main flow passes through to the vent, and a smaller offshoot will carry air forward into the head and v-berth compartments.

My hole saw was a little too small for the 90mm ducting, so this is how I drilled out bigger holes:
[Linked Image]

Duct passing into the compartment under the galley sink:
[Linked Image]

The run under the sink. This is a very useful space - it also contains the battery charger, audio amplifier, and freshwater demand pump and filter. I've since resected a lot of the wiring and it looks a lot cleaner than this:
[Linked Image]

Sunday I turned my attention back to electrical, and passed an important project milestone.

The old wiring system used a hot wire for every circuit and then a shared common ground. All the wires were bundled together and ran in a loop around the boat - from the panel on starboard aft back to the transom, across the transom and forward along the port side all the way to the v-berth. I wanted independent common and hot wires for each circuit, which makes it much easier to replace wires, add new circuits, etc. I also wanted to avoid the long loop back to the transom, which meant passing several of the wires through the engine compartment. This was a pain, as every time I wanted to run one of these wires I would have to remove the engine cowling.

Yesterday I ran the last of these circuits (chartplotter, instruments, audio, and amplifier on switch). It was a great moment because it meant I could finally bundle up the loose wires I had snaking around the engine and tie them down properly.

First I wrapped them up nice and tight with electrical tape:
[Linked Image]

Then covered them in corrugated conduit (slightly too large for the bundle, but used for chafe protection against the mounts):
[Linked Image]

They're tied down with three wire ties to ensure they don't go anywhere. I'm so happy to get this part of the project done - I only have a few more circuits to run at the panel. The biggest part of the remaining wiring are all the navigation lights. Those run to a waterproof switch panel to be installed in the cockpit, so all navigation lighting can be controlled independently without having to leave the cockpit and find the right switch to set in the dark cabin.

Last edited by alx; 12/16/14 02:39 AM.
Re: Ananda's Refit [Re: alx] #16052
01/21/15 01:36 PM
01/21/15 01:36 PM
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 125
San Francisco
alx Offline OP
Senior Member
alx  Offline OP
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 125
San Francisco
Hey all! Work has been slow since the girlfriend's been in town for a month or so, but still things are coming along.

Previously in the boat, those were controlled at the panel in the cabin, which is not ideal when switching between power and sail at night. I really wanted to have control over the nav lighting from the boat's exterior, so I mounted a waterproof switch panel next to the engine controls:
[Linked Image]

I've removed the traveler track and end control hardware. Under a turning block on the port side I found the worst water intrusion into the deck core that I've seen yet. The balsa here was so saturated that compressing it while digging it out caused it to dump water like a sponge. Yuck! I drilled a pattern of holes to follow the rot and excavate the saturated material. They'll be filled with epoxy before the KiwiGrip coat goes over top:
[Linked Image]

Location of the old turning block which caused the whole mess. You can still see some of the caulking - this was causing significant amounts of water to drip into the quarterberth below, and the previous owner just covered the tops of the bolts in caulking instead of fixing the problem for real:
[Linked Image]

The rest of the traveler track was in much better shape, and the starboard side had only minimal water intrusion in the same location:
[Linked Image]

My new traveler setup is going to be much bulkier. Here's the new car next to the old. It clearly doesn't fit in the groove, of course. The groove will be filled with a length of teak and the new track mounted on top. It will extend further outboard, almost to the edge of the cockpit. I'm doing this to recover length lost due to the larger car and end controls:
[Linked Image].

Here is the electronics hub currently, with about 80% of circuits wired:
[Linked Image]

I thought I would take some pictures of my Espar setup for you all since I don't think I've shown any before. The heater is mounted on a beam that spans between the transom and an aft bulkhead. Exhaust exits in the sleeved tube and loops in front of the unit, passing overhead to meet the transom fitting at a downward angle:
[Linked Image]

Transom fitting is sealed with high-temperature gasket sealant and is a good 2' above the waterline at neutral heel.
[Linked Image]

The fuel pump is mounted on the bulkhead at an upwards angle per the instructions:
[Linked Image]

I've also hired Gianola Canvas out of Sausalito to make all-new interior cushions. They're going to be done in a material called Ultraleather, which will be a significant improvement from the burlap sack interior I have now.

In other good news, my dad arrives next week for phase 2 of the renovation! Our list is much shorter this time (with a few new items):
  • Finish up miscellaneous plumbing, wiring, and mounting tasks.
  • Engine oil change and routine checkup.
  • Re-bed all stanchion bases to ensure watertight seals. No leaks on the new cushions.
  • KiwiGrip!
  • Potentially mounting a radar unit on a self-leveling pole off the transom.
  • Potentially mounting a retractable bowsprit on the foredeck.
  • Going sailing!
  • Going sailing some more!

Re: Ananda's Refit [Re: alx] #16057
01/21/15 11:33 PM
01/21/15 11:33 PM
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 146
Melbourne, FL, USA
Rob Van Name Offline
Senior Member
Rob Van Name  Offline
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 146
Melbourne, FL, USA
ALX,
I mounted Raymarine radar on a 10' Edson mast just forward of the transom on port side. The mast requires two bracing rods.
The Edson mast runs through the deck and the mast base is supported on a built up teak wedge.

Could you tell me roughly what it cost to do up your cushions?

Rob

Re: Ananda's Refit [Re: alx] #16058
01/22/15 02:12 PM
01/22/15 02:12 PM
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 125
San Francisco
alx Offline OP
Senior Member
alx  Offline OP
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 125
San Francisco
Hi Rob,

I'm looking at a Scanstrut 8' mast with a self-leveling mount. It through-bolts to the deck and has two support struts, one mounted on the deck and the other on the pushpit.

The cushions came in around $4,500. It wasn't the cheapest of the options I considered, but going with a local company meant they could visit the boat and pattern everything directly. I also had the option to re-use my existing foam (which would have lowered the price) but mine is too far gone to be salvageable.

Re: Ananda's Refit [Re: alx] #16059
01/22/15 04:05 PM
01/22/15 04:05 PM
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 74
St. Helens, OR USA
Koesh Offline
Senior Member
Koesh  Offline
Senior Member
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 74
St. Helens, OR USA
Awesome Job!
Looks like you've added a lot of wattage consumption. What have you done for batteries? I need to add some improved "house" battery storage and I'm looking at ideas.
:Doug


Doug Marshall
Koeshtkah #207
Re: Ananda's Refit [Re: alx] #16061
01/26/15 01:27 PM
01/26/15 01:27 PM
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 125
San Francisco
alx Offline OP
Senior Member
alx  Offline OP
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 125
San Francisco
Hey Doug, sorry for the late reply.

Batteries are actually an unsolved problem for me. Currently the boat has two identical dual purpose FLA batteries that are physically on the small side (car battery form factor, 2 of them fit into the battery box), but labeled as 140 Ah each. Based on testing and common sense, this seems ridiculous. In my research I haven't been able to find anything close to that capacity in such a compact form factor. The current ones do need replacing though - even after full charging cycles they're putting out 12.06 V each :-/

I'm looking at doing a split house/engine battery, with a 200+ Ah deep cycle for the house and a separate starting battery. I have an ACR for combined charging when running the engine and isolation during normal operation. I also installed individual battery switches so I can run the entire boat off of either battery individually if needed.

Last edited by alx; 01/26/15 01:36 PM.
Re: Ananda's Refit [Re: alx] #16064
02/02/15 01:31 PM
02/02/15 01:31 PM
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 125
San Francisco
alx Offline OP
Senior Member
alx  Offline OP
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 125
San Francisco
With Team Dad & Son reunited, the (hopefully) final sprint to the finish has officially begun.

On Saturday we met early with the A-sprit inventor who promptly measured the bow and drilled the mounting holes for the sprit. It felt kind of like piercing the boat's nose. As the piercings passed through the cored part of the hull, we dug out the core and added a seal of MarineTex to keep water from ever making it to the core. The core came out completely dry, thankfully - no water intrusion issues in the hull itself.

[Linked Image]

A fiberglass ferrule fits through the holes, and a smaller tube slides into it to form a hinge. The sprit frame then bolts to the inner tube. We should have the whole thing assembled and rigged in a few days and I'll post some more pictures as this part of the project progresses.

Mounting the new battery charger was the next project. Actually - I don't think I told you guys about that. My shiny new Blue Seas P12 battery charger failed after a couple weeks of operation. I got on the phone with the customer support department who walked me through checking a few of the more common failure modes before agreeing that the unit was defective and shipping me a new one. So I switched all my wiring over to it and got it mounted, and it's working flawlessly.

Next we removed the temporary board from the missing 4th window and bolted the new one in place. It feels really good to have all four windows in:

[Linked Image]

Excess MarineTex went to fairing some of the deck holes in preparation for Kiwigrip operations, which begin next weekend. To that end, I also mixed up a batch of thickened epoxy to replace the rotten core on the port side of the traveler:

[Linked Image]

I'm very much looking forward to the Kiwigrip - the deck will look so nice afterwards! I'm planning on having my GoPro on and filming the gripping operations for a timelapse.

We pulled the starboard stanchion bases out in preparation for re-bedding, as well as some nearby pad-eyes. The backing plates were in mostly horrible condition - thin acrylic plates that were warped or in some cases completely cracked.

As night fell we headed inside and worked on mounting the Raritan electric toilet controls. I used a teak light switch plate from West Marine to avoid drilling a large hole in the formica around my head sink, and we caulked behind it as a precaution in case splashing in the sink causes water to drip down over the plate. I think it looks pretty good:

[Linked Image]

I've got some work to do to tidy up the toilet electronics before crossing that project completely off my list.

Sunday morning we crossed the Golden Gate as the sun came up and landed in the West Marine parking lot by 9am. After a quick run to the hardware store and across the Richmond bridge to another West Marine (needed two pad eyes and each store only had one) we finished our tour of bridges by crossing the Bay Bridge back into San Francisco and got to work by noon.

Most of the work Sunday was spent re-bedding the stanchion bases, including manufacturing new backing plates from 1/4" G10. The new plates are at least thrice as sturdy as the old ones. Plate cutting operations:

[Linked Image]

And the result:
[Linked Image]

This is one stanchion that's not going anywhere:
[Linked Image]

Placing the base with sealant applied:
[Linked Image]

And here's my dad being a master of detail work with the sealant:
[Linked Image]

One base in particular was most painful, as it was mounted behind the electrical box we built into a cabin cupboard. To access it, I had to remove one Raymarine box and pull the board out just enough to reach behind. My arm is red with scratches and cuts from wedging it between the boards to tighten nuts, but all the bases are firmly in place. The port side only has three bases to re-bed, thanks to the lack of a lifeline gate.

This week Dad is focusing on sanding and fairing the deck in preparation for Kiwigrip. I'm going to be working on getting the new traveler mounted and rigged. Hopefully by Saturday we'll be taping the deck and mixing us some non-skid!

Re: Ananda's Refit Sprit Install [Re: alx] #16065
02/03/15 02:00 PM
02/03/15 02:00 PM
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 1,234
Newport and Naples
Cap'n Vic Offline
Senior Member
Cap'n Vic  Offline
Senior Member
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 1,234
Newport and Naples
if at some time you can separate out the sprit story ... with its own subject line [so it will pop in a google search] ... there are a lot of people out there that would be interested in how you did it. and eventually how it runs.

v

Page 3 of 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Moderated by  David Erwin 

Who's Online Now
0 registered members (), 52 guests, and 1 spider.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Photos
2023 Clipper Cup - Conundrum USA32866
Windy Wednesday night
Hurricane Gulch San Pedro, CA
Truckin'
Endeavour (246) Sailing in Prince Edward Island
Recent Posts
Hull # 229 Falcon parts for sale
by Sunrise. 03/16/24 08:26 PM
Adjusting Throttle & Transmission Controls
by Rhapsody #348. 03/10/24 08:25 AM
Engine Cover Steps
by David Erwin. 03/10/24 01:35 AM
Cushions
by Corey. 02/25/24 10:02 PM
Sold: #2 Dacron Jib
by Brent. 02/17/24 05:12 PM
J/30 Survey
by David Erwin. 02/16/24 06:43 PM
looking for j30 center table
by wilybilds. 02/16/24 04:49 PM
1984 J/30 - Hull #488 Shamrock
by Bruce Irvin. 01/30/24 12:12 AM
Cabin Table Wanted
by B Davis. 01/20/24 11:03 PM
Fuel Fill O Ring
by watchoverya. 01/11/24 05:35 PM
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.6.1.1