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Spirit
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Spirit is a 1986 Catalina Capri 18.
Cabin:
This log presents some of the work done on her to
turn a very small daysailer into
a comfortable weekend cruiser.
The Capri 18 is "dimensionally
trancendental" - meaning that
she is larger inside
than outside. At least is seems that way when below
because there is an amazing
amount of room below for such a small ship.
Still, the biggest problem with most small boats is the lack of storage space.
The second biggest problem is the amount of stuff
we tend to bring along -
just in case?
Taking a realistic inventory of what we actually
need was helpful.
But the boat needs something to help organize and
secure all the stuff.
Fo'csle vs V-Berth
I sometimes have guests aboard for day sailing, but
cruising and overnight trips
are just for two people. No kids in the V-berth! So
why have a V-berth?
Wouldn't a forecastle (fo'c'sle) be a lot more useful?
Where to stash stuff so it is easy to find (not
burried under all the other stuff)?
So I came up with some simple ideas to help
organize things.
The Captain's Office
to starboard has chart table and locker.
Like any good nav station, the lid of the desk is
hinged for access below.
Forward of the chart table is the caprain's locker.
Room for binoculars,
spirits, and personal effects stashed in a
waterproof plastic box.
Forward of the lockers is the proposed sail
loft. It is about 4 feet long and would
be a great place to stash It is large enough to
stash a complete set of well folded
sails, several PFDs, fenders - what ever.
The small anchor (10 pound) will fit below the loft
shelf, along with a plastic dish
pan below the sail shelf will hold all the extra
docking lines and a couple of plastic
buckets for anchor rodes and chain.
The 12 pounder hangs out on the bow pulpit.
Lastly, notice the bunk shelves located above each
berth. Catalina forgot to put
them in the boat. BIG mistake! So I'll make my own.
Well, that was the plan. Ambitious?
Maybe.
Here is how it turned out.
I didnt get the sail loft done, but I think the rest came out pretty well.
To port is the galley.
The sketch shows double lockers, but I wanted to keep the
water jug handy, so only the forward half is closed
in. The aft end has a water
jug with a plastic dish pan below.
Bunk Shelves:
These are so useful, and so well placed, they
should have been installed at the factory.
What a difference they make in such a cozy cabin.
These are hand laid laminated fiberglass - with a
foam core in the horizontal surface and have
a molded lip inboard and outboard for stiffness.
They are about six inches wide in the center, and
taper slightly at the ends.
Velcro holds the shelves to the attach brackets so
they can be removed easily when desired,
but stay tight the rest of the time.
The shelves were hand laid using some left over 8
ounce glass fabric and West resin.
They were formed on the simple mold below - each on
an opposite side.
The "flat" part (not really visible here)
had a 3/8" thick urethane foam core for added stiffness.
At each end is a piece of 3/8" birch plywood
scarffed in to make a hard point for mount screws -
should the be needed.
As you can see, the "mold" is four
pieces of 3/8" birch plywood with a Bondo fillet in the
corner. The whole thing was sprayed with several
coats of sanding sealer and heavily waxed
with paste wax.
The shelves, complete with inboard lip were laid up
first. Then the operation transferred
to the boat for the next step. I wanted and
outboard flange on these shelves but it needed
to match the curvature of the hull. So - why not
use the hull itself for that part of the job?
On the port side (first try) I taped some sheet
plastic to the inside of the hull and laid up
some 2 to 3 inch wide strips along the outboard
edge - overlapping on the hull and shelf top.
Then I laid on a strip about 6" wide to cover
all that. It kinda sorta worked, but the plastic
would not stay up against the hull and I had a bit
of extra "clean-up" work to smooth things
out before laying on the last layers of glass (top
and bottom).
The starboard side went "smooth as glass".
I simply ran long strips of duct tape on the inside
of the hull to form the outboard lip form, and
taped a piece of plastic below the working area
to catch drips and mess. This worked beautifully.
Once the outboard lips were formed the final step
was another layer of 8 ounce fabric top and
bottom.
The "mounts" are small wooden blocks carved to shape and screwed in place.
Companionay Ladder
This is a picture of the companionay
"ladder" we added. It was found at C-Me Marine sales as
a folding foot step.
C-Me Marine Sales can be found on the web at
http://www.c-mesales.com/ or by
phone at 800-659-4262. Their order number 07103 for $29.99.
For those interested in the nuts and bolts, the top
bolt is 1-1/4", the bottom one is 1"
and the middle one is probably 1-1/8" long
(not installed). My local guy didn't have
the right lengths, so I got 1-1/2" long 1/4x20
SS machine screws and trimmed them
to length.
An abrasive cut off wheel on a Dremel will do the
job after installation, but I cut
them on the chop saw. (Angle iron bracket clamped
to the saw with the bolts bolted
down tight. When removed, the nut will help clear
the trash off the end of the bolt).
The nuts are elastic stop nuts (acorn heads won't fit when folded).
Don't forget the washers!
Also notice that when the step is folded down the
mount brackets may not be exactly
parallel to the step any more. Measuring the bolt
hole spacing and transfer that to the
wall where you want to mount the step. Otherwise,
the bolt heads may interfere with
the folded up step.
I set mine so that it's an inch or two higher than the cockpit sole.
I can't describe how pleased I am with this set up!
It is very sturdy and provides a secure footing at
just the right height to enter or exit the
cabin. Stepping onto a wobbly ice chest - or all
the way to the cabin sole seems to me a
very good opportunity for someone to get hurt. This
guy makes it easy and comfortable.
Best of all, the bottom half of the companionway
boards can be left in place and still have
easy access to the cabin!
If I were running Catalina Yachts, this would be standard equipment!
VHF Base Station:
Cobra VHM55 base radio installed out of the way
near the companionway hatch.
I made a mount bracket from an old computer chassis
to replace the plastic bracket
that came with the radio. The steel bracket
(properly primed and painted to prevent
rusting) is thin enough to mount on the bottom of
the winch bolts.
No added holes!
Outboard Motor:
Hiding under that cover is a mighty Briggs and
Stratton 5 HP outboard motor.
Yep, just like the motor on your lawn mower.
It is on a spring assisted swing up mount and can
tile to get teh prop completely
out of the water (for racing! And yes, with our
handicap we can beat you long
after you 're home (and maybe in bed!)). At 55
pounds, it is probably a little
heavy for the 18, but it has proven capable of
maintaining way into 30 mph
winds, so it's a keeper.
One problem I ran into immediately was steering.
With the motor running I
found I had one hand on the outboard tiller, one on
the rudder, and the main
sheet in my teeth. So I came up with the following
rig to lock the motor so that
it doesn't turn except when I want it to.
This is my solution. A brace link made with two
clevis ends and a pair of
aircraft type eyebolts. The mount end had a bent
stainless steel bracket
(made from on old fitting). The quick release pin
lets the operator pull
the pin for normal steering.
The clevis ends screw on the threaded rod allowing
the length to be
adjusted, which changes the motor's thrust line
angle. That makes it
possible to to trim out the motor thrust (motor is
on port side) to power
in a straight line. It only works for one power
setting, so I trimmed it
out for meduim power cruise.
Cabin Lighting:
Also note the little red light near the radio. This
is a Dot-It, made by Sylvania.
These things are awesome. Powered by three AAA
batteries, they burn for WEEKS
(maybe months?) before needing to have the
batteries changed. They have a sticky
back for mounting, but - the back plate must be
removed to replace the batteries.
So... I used sticky backed velcro - loop side on
the light and patches of hook side
stuck on the overhead in handy places. Highly
recommended and less than $10.
But some things you can't buy or make.
Those you just have to find...
Fair Winds!