Progress on the Quarterberth Refit

Installing new thru-hulls and seacocks, specifically the new engine raw water intake, had to be completed prior to progressing forward on the quarterberth project.  Installing the thru-hulls lead to an extended detour into hull repairs. After a two month hiatus, I’m now back in the quarterberth and making steady progress.

First step was to use epoxy and 1708 cloth to tab in the partial bulkhead I discussed in “Fabricating Locker Dividers that Match the Hull Shape”.

Tabbing added to both sides of this partial bulk head will add strength and stiffness to the hull and quarterberth deck.

I also added tabbing along the forward wall that forms the seat for the nav station.

My priorities for this space were to house the engine raw water intake, the starter battery, and a tool box.  It took a bit of experimentation, but in the end it all fit successfully.

It all Fits!

The space containing the starter battery will likely also house the battery selector switch(s) and some buses for large gauge wires.  I anticipate a loom of wires will run through this area to the electrical panel.  To accommodate the wiring, I included circular cut out sections in the dividers and the tool box shelf. 

The marine plywood I used for the dividers is fabricated in metric units and did not match the thickness of the original quarterberth decking.  I purchased a 48” x 48” section of ½” birch cabinet grade plywood for the new deck sections.

Test fitting new deck sections.

The new decking, dividers, and shelves received two coats of Kilz Primer and a top coat of latex, semi-gloss exterior grade paint. 

The view from the cockpit while painting the new quarterberth decking.

The pile of scrap lumber in the bottom, left of the image above is all harvested from Pilgrim.

The new decking in place.  Now time to paint the original sections of decking.

Since the starter battery compartment will be accessed infrequently, I elected not to cut a finger hole.  The battery is a sealed AGM and thus does not require regular maintenance.  The lack of a finger hole will also reduce the chance of accidental spills from reaching the electrical connections. 

securing the starter battery.

The final touch was to add a tie down strap for the battery.