Gorgeous Day!

Today was magnificent!  I love the weather when it is 70 degrees and sunny.  I embraced the sun today and set up my work table on the patio in the glorious sun.  Okay, to be truthful, I slept in late and by the time I got outside the sun had crested and the sun was only partly on the patio.

A perfectly blue sky; the moon is hiding directly in the middle.

My big challenge today was to install the rest of the insulation and finalize the interior electric.  Mission accomplished on both parts.

In this image you can see the switch for the porch lights in place.  I'm going to need to do a little finesse work to install it.  Notice how nice the insulation and headliner look in the corner there.  I will finish the back wall by installing the cedar strips.

You can see in this image that I installed a strip of cedar right next to the door.  This was a cool thing I thought of because I needed something solid to anchor into for the cup holders.  I used 3/4" foam insulation instead of the 1" that I had been using.  With the cedar strip glued to it with Gorilla Glue, it came out to be the same thickness as the covered foam.  Once it has completely set up, I'll install the drink holders.  You can also see in this image how I used the foam to form 'panels' that were then covered with the headliner material.  I actually didn't have to glue them into place.  They are held in place by friction.  The small bolts that hold the door frame in place are all that was needed to hold the panels tightly in place.

After cutting the panels, I used Loctite 300; it is specially formulated for Marine applications and high heat.

Heavy coats on both the fabric and the foam.  Again, this adhesive was formulated to work on foam.  Normal adhesive would 'eat' away the foam.

This stuff had exceptional tack.  It was simple once the fabric was cut and sprayed to make the panels.

Here they are ready to install.

The great thing about doing it this way is that if I ever 'did' need to remove a panel, It would not be difficult to do so.  It is also very simple if I ever need to install any type of hardware on the outside of the teardop, I can simply pull out a panel and attach the hardware; then simply pop the panel back in place.  I am going to put a piece of cove molding along the entire 'seam' between the cedar and the insulation panels.  I tested it out today and it is a 1" cove molding that will bend perfectly.  This additional friction will hold things neatly and give a really nice finished look.

 

The reading lights look really great I think.  I like the accent color and the way the silver looks against the brown.

 The power port worked great today to charge my phone while I was in the teardrop working.  

Tomorrow I will need to figure out what I will do with the bulkhead area.  Part of me would really like to have the cedar strips and insulation in there.  The other part of me worries that if I insulate it I will take away valuable 'space.'  Not really sure what will go in there.  Probably shoes, jackets, rain gear; maybe even fishing poles?  I'm sure my wife will have some good insight on what to do there.

The teardrop this evening as I was finally cleaning up at 9:00 p.m.  It was a good eleven hour work day!

Huge Progress!

What a great day!

My father-in-law arrived last evening.  Today, he and I accomplished a huge task:  we installed the Fantastic Fan!  This was something I had been feeling a little anxious about, to tell the truth.  Cutting a hole in an aluminum roof that had no hole in it for nearly 70 years took some gumption.  With my father-in-law there to give some guidance and advice, we measured three times, squared everything up with the sides, drilled the pilot holes and cut away the opening.

 

Pilot holes drilled.

 

Three sides cut.

With some trepidation, I cut the final side and... it didn't fit!  We had to pull out my handy new $1.99 Harbor Freight metal rasp to smooth out the cuts a little and... it fit.

It was my father-in-law's idea to put the wood across the top of the teardrop.  It worked perfectly, giving me something to lean on when I was cutting the aluminum.  

My father-in-law was mighty impressed with the vent.  The fact that it only pulls 3 amps when on high and that it moves 938 square feet a minute is pretty amazing.  What I'm thrilled about is that when I lay down and look up, I can see through the fan!  I can't wait to get out in the Carpe Diem for the first time and look at the sky through that vent!

The other major accomplishment was that I started experimenting with the foam and headliner.  I covered the bulkhead sliding doors with the headliner and then cut a piece of 1" foam for the area that is essentially the 'headboard' of the cabin area.  I was amazed with how rigid the foam became when the headliner was glued in position.  So, I covered the foam with the contact cement, then applied the headliner.  I was careful to wrap the ends and top and bottom edges.  I think that gives it a really nice, finished look.  I ended up using Locktite adhesive to hold the foam to the aluminum of the bulkhead area.  I'm not sure what is best to hold the foam to the aluminum, but it seemed to work well.  The image you see above is mid-glue.  I've got everything clamped to hold it and ensure a tight bond.  One thing I discovered though is that the clamps I purchased at Harbor Freight are great for wood, but not so good for foam.  They 'crush' the foam and leave 'dents.'  Mental note to self for future applications...

Here are a couple of views of the vent open.  It brings in a tremendous amount of light and is going to be so welcome once we get it all wired.

We discovered that the roof is rather flimsy; there are no internal roof spars of any kind in the original design.  This wouldn't be a problem if we weren't trying to install things on the ceiling.  So, we talked about how using 1"x 2" oak spars and blocking to 'frame' the hole for the vent, will add some rigidity to the ceiling.  It will also make the foam insulation easier to mount.  Rather than having one large piece spanning the entire ceiling, we will be able to have several smaller pieces.  This will make it easier to keep them in place and hopefully, it will make it easier to cover as well.

Moving on with the insulation and headliner makes me feel like I've made some BIG progress.  If I do have any time this weekend I plan to get the galley cabinets in place.  We have a ton of family things this weekend, so I doubt I'll get anything done.