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.
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