November 2019.

After completing initial repairs on the port side cabin and galley, we have now moved to examine the navigation station and starboard berth. As purchased, the nav station held two deep-cell house batteries in an enclosure at the bottom, three drawer units and a storage area underneath the top, accessed via a removable panel. On the back, against the hull were fitted the comms and battery monitoring equipment. 

Earlier examination had revealed a lot of rotten wood in the berth and lockers so we knew that this area will require a lot of repair. What we did not know was the state of the battery compartment, the starboard side bulkheads and what was on the end of two heavy gauge cables that disappeared under the nav table from the rear bulkhead. These, we suspected were for a battery charger but no access to it could be found.

So, time to open things up.

After our work on the galley, we suspected that the nav table top was probably screwed down to the base unit but every time we removed several screws, another dozen seemed to appear. It was obvious that over the course of its life, this vessel had numerous add-on’s and changes made to the nav station area to add different pieces of electronics. All were held in with numerous small pieces of wooden shelf, blocks and strips. Weaving around much of this were the numerous wires and cables that once connected everything.

It should be remembered that we have already decided that all of these counter top surfaces, both galley and nav, will be replaced with new material so damage done during removal is not a concern. Our mission at this stage is to examine the bulkhead and tabbing, understand the overall construction after which we can develop a plan for upgrading.

Our initial thoughts are how best to utilize this space, what battery type and size to use, what will the load and power needs be as the vessel is refurbished and how to accommodate future growth. The basic layout of this area is unlikely to change since space is at a premium in our vessel. What we will do is make this area much more adaptable and give it better access for future servicing and repairs.

The condition of the existing inverter unit is unknown at this time but we will make an assumption that it does work. However, a 1kW unit is on the small side for the kind of loads now normally found on a family sailboat so a new, larger unit will probably be fitted. In addition, today’s units are substantially more efficient and come with a host of monitoring and control features. The communications fit will still be located here, along with whatever vessel monitoring systems are decided upon. It should be remembered that at the time this boat was built (mid ’70’s), the electrical requirements were pretty basic and on-board refrigeration and microwave units were unknown.

Whilst considering how best to improve the nav station, we are still conscious of the work needed on the berth. As can be seen in the picture, with the upper lockers removed the hull is visible and the base storage is exposed. There have been previous repairs to the hull carried out in this area as can be seen by the cut out deck skin and fresh epoxy mat on the hull. It may have been the damage here that caused the surrounding wood to decay.

From our initial examination, we know that there is a lot of rotten wood that needs replacing behind the berth where water has penetrated from the deck. In addition, the battery storage locker has rotten wood and missing supports that will all need replacing once the design is finalized.

Fortunately, our work on the port side berth and bulkheads has prepared us for what may lie ahead in this area.

To get access to the bulkheads and hull, the nav station storage has to come out so that the battery case and bulkhead tabbing can be examined. After taking off some of the front face laminate it seems clear that the storage drawer unit was a later addition since there are odd fill pieces of ply on the front face. So, the storage unit was dismantled and finally removed to reveal the hull and cavity behind it; all in an odd shade of black. We don’t think its burnt; more like paint or perhaps the result of hydrogen gas from the batteries

With the area opened up, the hull was sanded to remove the dark surface and expose the bulkhead tabbing for inspection. The next stage will be to open up the battery storage hold and remove the rotten wood that’s inside it. This will reveal the status of the rear bulkhead from the inside as well as the hull interior. Below the nav station storage base is a small locker that gives access to the echo sounder transducers epoxied into the hull.

So, now we have to design a new nav station that will make maximum use of the space and allow for future expansion. We are currently sketching out designs on how best to accommodate batteries, charger, inverter and storage whilst still gaining functional working space. As purchased, the base of the nav station held the two 12 volt house batteries with access through the top via two removable hatch panels. Not an ideal location and difficult to work on when needed. Currently we are looking at relocating the house batteries to a more practical location that would both balance the trim and give better access. One option is to locate them in the stern area, under the cockpit, perhaps split into two. The same discussion is being had with the location of the future new charger and inverter.

If anybody has some fresh ideas on this layout, we would be happy to hear them!