NMEA connections and the low power interior lights

Just some futher pictures from the last few weeks

all the NMEA connections are contained in a water resistant box, I have made access to all the wiring as super accessible as possible to enable troubleshooting and any needed repairs to be carried out quickly and simply, the fuse box has a flip open door that allows easy access to all fuses and connections  and the AIS GPS Chartplotter and VHF-GPS interface Electronics connections are all in the grey plastic box.

I have opted to go with stand alone AIS as it offers better redundancy than an all in one unit -IMHO

and here is my DIY low power 60mA  -  0.06A  lighting system inside the boat
-
 I am very happy with it -  there is a red version and a white version, that can be switched between each other using a ON OFF ON toggle switch - on the power/fuse box.

I also have a really bright LED dome light  on its own toggle switch for the main cabin as an option,though this uses significantly more power, and there is also another option of medium power draw lights in the bow cargo compartment and under the cockpit seats - and of course also a backup headtorch

and here is Toblerone in all his wide angle beauty

  

 The Zenbivy bed, 

a genius sleeping system, that is like sleeping in a bed

I like to select products that are very smart and are challenging the norms, are good value, use quality materials and are great to colab with.

This is a sleeping system designed for camping and the outdoors but there is another application where I think it excels.

Zenbivy manufacture a genius sleep system that is perfect IMHO for boats

it is warm, draft free, eliminates constriction, the synthetic fill is good in case it gets wet,(also available in Down filling) it is comfortable and most like sleeping in a bed and not a bag, and it has features that enable you to get out of it in an instant, when you need to check something, reset a sail, check an ais alarm or anchor drag alarm etc.

The quality is phenomenal, the idea is brilliant, the company is innovative and I hope that more sailors get to experience this superb piece of kit.

Here is a link to my youtube video on the zenbivy bed and please take the time to look on youtube  - there are more videos that showcase this ingenious product,

please click to view below

and please visit them at www.zenbivy.eu

the sheet with a quilted hood fitted onto an inflatable mattress

super soft super quality

It has its own stuff sack to store it away when needed

 Final pieces of rope and electronics have arrived

The NEW version AIS transponder from ONWA has arrived , 

as well as the running rigging from Lanex, that joins the Dyneema D-F20  extremely low elongation and Zero long term creep for the rigging that arrived a while back

and had a great sail on Saturday , with a second place

 Bow basket/ Pulpit
series drogue attachment and all chainplates mounted,
and galley box 

These are some of the many things I have not shown over the last weeks, 

8mm Stainless studs 9cm long, glued (using west 404) into the bow basket, some foam was removed behind the epoxy glass (G10) round plates to create a "bung" (kinda like removing the foam core in a deck and filling the void with epoxy) so it should be super difficult for it to pull out. If chemical anchors can be used in construction then this is a boat version of a chemical anchor

Made of Divinycell and lots of glass, it is super strong and weighs a fraction of what a stainless one would, Also I had the material, so I used it - I am taking Janusz Maderskis word as gospel  - keeping the top of the mast clear of things to keep weight and windage down and also keeping the deck as light as possible and I think keeping the ends of the boat light should help a lot as well.

added some Roger Taylor of  Mingming, and Alan Mulholland of Wave Rover, type attachment points for a Jordan Series drogue or Long Warp. There were substantial doublers glued to the hullside during the build to act as backing for these

the dual use galley box/step, with a really light seat that can be moved to where it is needed

The galley box slides under the cockpit "cave" and the lid is held in place by the front of the companionway wall, the lid is removable and can be used as a tray/prep area, 

here, the gas cooker is in its shipped position so it cannot swing, and the space to the side will be used for cooking gear and also the day food stowage  - , the cooker can be moved to the centre to cook and the box should contain any spills when its bouncy and its all epoxy coated so spills wont be a problem

The cooker in the gimballed position

and I almost forgot that the walls were painted to lighten and brighten the inside and the cream offsets the wood really well.

Lots more is happening more to follow

.

Cleats, handrails , electrics, electronics, and lots of other things

Made handrails and cleats and electric box with a custom closure in brass as I could not find something that was right. Installed electronics and working on lights, and also some other light ideas and also ver 3 of the dodger/pramhood/hatch garage and windvane - and as usual at this stage in a boatbuild lots of other things, been sailing  for Semana do Mar/Sea week and of course did my usual birthday outing to check out the Classe Mini 650 that were in Horta for the the Les Sables, Les Acores, Les Sables for ideas, here are just a few of the hundreds of pics of this years boats.

The custom made latch holds the hinged front closed,
It is hinged to allow easy access to the wiring

and now a few pics from my visit to see the SAS race Classe Mini 650s in Horta

Took lots of pics for ideas and reference - I have quite a collection from the previous races as well as the 40s and 60s when they visit Horta - some good ideas and also reminder to simplify, some of these boats are a little busy

 the cagarros are painted on

the boat has a beak,  and once the hard dodger is on it will have eyes as well

still deciding on

friendly eyes  -- or mean eyes `´

 most modern cars today have mean eyes/headlights 

 The Shearwater has Landed (is painted)

one side is painted,
considering the lack of availability of good signwriters paintbrushes,
I am happy with the result.

The boat hull has had 3 coats yellow and 3 coats red, and the deck has had three coats of cream  - the deck still needs some coat/s of the non skid paint

 3rd red coat on hull 3rd yellow coat on bow and transom ...

... and the first of 3 coats on the rudder, 

next up 2 more coats of cream on the deck, If you are tired of these pics, imagine that between each coat the hull was hand sanded or scotchbrited - so on top of the faired and sanded hull there were 2 coats of epoxy, 2 coats of primer and 3 coats of paint. I am a little tired of sanding, but the final effect makes it all worthwhile!

 Painting, Stainless, Composite rails, Electrics and lots of bits 

The hull had a second coat of red and the Cagarro has been sized for positioning, I have welded the rudder fittings and they came out great, if I say so myself - and the galley box had a coat of epoxy inside and under the lid, and the pushpits and pulpits had their feet added, electrics, leds, lights, and other bits have arrivedd and system is in planning, and my extra can of cream paint for the deck and cockpit has arrived, and lots of other small things have been sorted out.