1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 refit

[jim rosenthal]

That might work. Do they have a way to rig it to allow for the tide variation?

 

[q240z]

It's a floating dock, so adding a 4' section shouldn't be that difficult, I would think.

 

[q240z]

While things mostly went well on our drive to the new marina, there was a problem with a diesel leak I discovered while shutting down at my new home port. It ended up being a simple fix (loose injector nut) but it's another example of what appears to be shoddy workmanship by guys other than me who touched the engines/boat. I understand maximizing profit, but have some pride...if you loosen a starter bolt or injection nut for a good reason, tighten the thing up when you're done, ferchrissakes!

Anyway, it wasn't a perfect transit to our home port, but as engine problems go for a boat that hadn't moved under its own power since the 1980s, I figure this is pretty much a quibble.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Home Port Trip Follow-up

Cheers,
Q

 

[jim rosenthal]

While it's a shame that the mechanic, or whoever, was careless, I'm relived it wasn't something more complicated. Also that you are finally at your home port and can easily get to your boat, which was not the case before. I'm also very interested to see the interior refit progress, as the quality of your millwork is very good indeed.

 

[q240z]

Thanks Jim!

Yeah, as mechanical issues go after a massive repower/refit like this, I count myself lucky that the slightly loose injector nut was the biggest problem to pop up.

There's a lot of interior stuff I did that I didn't post about yet. After all the exciting posts involved in finally launching the boat and transiting to my new home port, the rest of the refit will probably seem mundane. lol

Since the refit began, mud dauber nests have been a persistent problem. I reckon I could fill a 5-gallon bucket with all of the mud nests I've removed over the years. A favorite point of entry has been the engine room air intake gills on the sides of the hull. I found some 304 stainless wire mesh with eight wires per inch (so ~1/8" square gaps between the wires) that will stop the bugs from entering through the gills without substantially restricting air flow. I used some leftover Bostik 70-08A windshield adhesive because that stuff bonds so well. The engine room is now mud dauber-proof.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Mud Dauber Screens

Cheers,
Q

 

[q240z]

Back to mundane refit stuff, I replaced a rotten salon cabinet panel back in 2015 but wanted a better appearance for the inner cabinet than what Chris Craft did. The original mahogany panels were gorgeous, and so were the cabinet doors. But when you opened the cabinets, the interiors were painted flat white or you just saw the bitumastic-coated hull. I made a proper cabinet box using varnished mahogany. It looks a lot better than the original approach.


1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Salon Cabinet Install


Cheers,
Q


Before

After

 

[34Hatt]

Quentin

I just have to say Congrats and Bravo for getting her wet again and looking better than new. Sure shes not done yet but hell are they ever done. I just did my galley this spring after thinking about it for way to many years and its still only 80%
I am also happy to hear its close to home I can't imagine that commute you did for years I am 25 miles from mine and often think about wintering closer to home. I am in a private club and can do pretty much anything I want so I put up with the drive but dam you had to really commute. So enjoy the extra time to work on her instead of being in the car and try to get some time out on the water they don't have to be 100% to enjoy them

Heres to many years of enjoyment....

Dan

 

[q240z]

Thanks Dan!

We're finally getting a break from the nasty east coast super-humid summer this weekend, so the missus and I plan to take the boat out for a blast upriver.

You're right about how much better it is with the boat being close. And being out of the tent is so very nice, though the resident bird populations seem to have a vindictive streak in them. I get the impression they intentionally strafe my boat because it's the shiniest one in the marina! lol

 

[jim rosenthal]

Maybe you should put those plastic owls on your Xmas list...

 

[q240z]

The owls don't work on the resident tern population. I think I'm going to rig up the IR sensors from the old tent and use them to control impact rotor sprinkler heads I'll put on the pilings around the boat and aimed at the deck and cabin top. IF the sensors can pick up something as small as a tern, the sudden noise and water blast should discourage them.

One thing I've been plodding away on for the last two years is the salon sleeper sofa, which Chris Craft called a settee in the sales brochures. The missus liked the original design, and the missus gets what the missus likes. The original panels had rot in them, but they're good enough to use as pattern and to help me remember how it was originally constructed. It's a complex piece of furniture, but I've got a plan and this is a good first step.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Remaking the Salon Settee

Cheers,
Q

Before

Step 1

 

[Dan Mapes]

Hopefully the water doesn't have iron or other minerals in it. I've seen owls on the hard tops of CCs on moorings that had seagulls sitting on their heads.

 

[q240z]

This marina is way out in the sticks, so the water supply is a well. It's the same water I wash the boat with (and my last boat), but I've never seen any mineral stains or residue.

September is the absolute worst. I scrubbed the topsides clean and went back after three days. Our former boat and all the other boats on my pier looked like the world's biggest black and white Jackson Pollock canvas. People have owls, CDs hanging from fishing line, fake snakes, and all sorts of other gadgets...nothing passive works. When people are around, the birds leave.

If the impact sprinkler doesn't work, I'm thinking Tesla coil... lol

 

[q240z]

Rather than cobbling something together, I found the Orbit Yard Enforcer Motion-Activated Sprinkler. The reviews are good. $90 delivered will be cheap if it keeps the birds away.

 

[q240z]

I had some leftover scraps of Tricel lightweight panels, so I'm using them to recreate the salon settee. I'm very glad that I kept the original panels as patterns even though they had some rot in them. Between the patterns and different colored primer lines on the salon floor, I've been able to figure out where the new panels need to be. Then I applied mahogany veneers, Pettit stain, and ICA base coat clear before installing the main settee panel in the galley. It's coming along nicely.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Remaking the Salon Settee II

Cheers,
Q

What I started with.

What I've got now.

 

[q240z]

I'm having trouble with my CAPAC impressed current anti-corrosion system controller. The meter swings between 5.5 (barely protected aluminum hull) to 7.5 (fully protected) but spends most of its time around 6-6.5, which is under protected. Turning the set-point adjustment potentiometer doesn't seem to change anything. This blog post has the schematic from the OEM CAPAC manual, and I've noted voltage readings that I took at many components. I also link to the manual, which has an excellent Theory of Operation section. Unfortunately, I don't speak transistor. If anybody with a grasp of electronics can take a peek and let me know what's wrong, I'd be much obliged.


1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Dialing in the CAPAC Anti-Corrosion System


Cheers,
Q

 

[Captain Ralph]

Rite off da bat, question for you; How salty, brackish or fresh is the water your in rite now?
I can theorize a lower reading in not so salty water.
I think it is supposed to be automatically adjusting but have to question this.

Second half of page 7 briefly talks about polarization taking 6 weeks.
And this automatic & self adjusting.

Does the meter read anything with fuse removed?
The manual says it should have a low reading at this time.

Does the meter read anything when power is removed?
I hope it comes to Zero to verify a Zero point.

Meter assembly has a good connect to the hull?

Battery negative has a good connect to the hull?

Is the MFG still in business?

 

[q240z]

I'm in brackish water. We've got barnacles and jellyfish here.

Per the manual, the pre-set adjustment potentiometer can be used to dial it in to just the right spot. But thus far, going full on and full off appears to change nothing.

I believe the meter is displaying the voltage it receives from the reference cell, which generates it's own signal. So the meter never reads zero.

All connections are good and done consistent with the CAPAC manual schematic.

What's an "MFG"? Some ideas came to mind, but I don't think they're what you meant. ;-)

 

[Captain Ralph]

Sorry, I get carried aweigh with my typing. MFG,, Manufacturer.

Brackish water would not conduct as salt water. But the manual hinted it should auto adjust.
Or, Auto adjust is only when the water conducts, when it is trying to eat aweigh on your hull bottom.

Also, I wonder if that 6 week wait is really important.

Did you notice the reading when you splashed?

 

[q240z]

The original manufacturer is no longer in business, and the outfit that bought them out knows nothing about these units.

The controller is supposed to auto-adjust. The Theory of Operation section of the manual explains how it all works. I'm just not fluent enough in transistor-ese to grasp everything it's telling me.

The six week wait is only in fresh water: "complete polarization may require as much as six weeks in fresh water." The manual also said the reading should rise over time until it's fully polarized. But as I mentioned in the blog post, it rose, then fell, and it's been rising and falling ever since, but never settling in above 7, which is the minimum "fully protected" level for aluminum.

I was too busy with other stuff to notice the meter when I splashed. It wasn't until I got to my brackish home port that I finally attached the hull and battery connections. I believe the needle initially indicated 4.5.

 

[jim rosenthal]

So this is an impressed current system, right?