1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 refit

[Walter P]

That scene is really energizing .......... to sit in front of the fireplace with a good book and the drink of your choice waiting for spring. Good to see it survived...

Walt

[oscarvan]

You know, there could be good money in building those...

[q240z]

Thanks, Walt!

oscarvan, if you want to buy into a franchise PM me.

[q240z]

I want to have shore power when the boat (hopefully) splashes later this year. Which means I've got to wire the isolation transformer and lift that 175 pound bad boy onto its new bulkhead in the V-berth. What a chore that was. But...I got 'er done.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Reinstalling the Isolation Transformer

Cheers,
Q

[SKYCHENEY]

I'm sure you have a reason for mounting it in the bow. Why not in the ER or near the inlet or switching panel?

[jim rosenthal]

I don't get it. Why have it in the part of the boat that bounces up and down the most? I would think you would want something so heavy mounted down low and centrally in the boat- and as close to the shore inlets as possible, so the cables to the shore current are as short as possible.

[q240z]

There are a few reasons why I put it there. The simplest is that it was originally up there in the V-berth, and I assumed Chris Craft intended to put that mass there to balance the boat fore to aft. There are no bulkheads with open space on or near the centerline anywhere else on the boat. Putting something that heavy anywhere but centerline will affect list, and as I've been deciding where to put stuff, I always planned on having the transformer centerline. The only other available bulkhead space left is under the galley floor above the starboard chine, in a spot that's about 18" higher in the boat than where it is now. But to get it there would mean going down a hatch into a very small space where I've already got a bilge pump. Even when I had the boat torn down to the max, that space wasn't easy to get into. If, in spite of my planning, the boat ends up listing to port, I'll kick myself for not going through the contortions to put the transformer under the galley on the starboard side. You guys can say you told me so.

[q240z]

Since I'm focusing on making the boat waterproof so I can splash later in 2016, I'm going to be jumping around quite a bit. But there's a method to the madness, and if nothing unexpected comes up I still think I can get it in the water this year. The swim platform is one thing that's got to get installed since many of the bolts are below the waterline, but first I need to make tapered spacers so it sits level. It sure would have been easier if Chris Craft had just made them to fit the boat.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Making Spacers for the Swim Platform

Cheers,
Q

[q240z]

In other news, the window manufacturer out in Vancouver, Wa. finally sent me replacement trim rings so I could install the last helm windshield. The originals were oversized by 3/16", and I only got them to agree to sending the right-sized ones after stopping payment. I hate messing with a man's income stream, but I hate paying big money for expensive stuff that's not made to spec even worse. But wait! There's more! The boneheads oversized the replacements, too! I had to break out the die grinder to knock the weld blobs off the corners before they'd fit. Anyway, the helm windshields are now done and I can move on to other stuff.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Helm Windshield is Finally Done

Cheers,
Q

[q240z]

Check another box off the honey-do list--I got the exhaust outlets installed. Now I just need to connect the turbos to the outlets and that's a major job out of the way.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Exhaust V

Cheers,
Q