1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 refit

[q240z]

It's been a while since I posted an update. I can't tell you how nice it is having the boat so close to home. Getting it out of the tent and on the water has done wonders to reduce my boat-related stress level. It's also very nice to be able to fire up the engines and go have lunch with the missus out on the Potomac.

That said, when the boat was still in the tent, I was rebuilding the salon settee. That's a big piece of built-in furniture, and the salon AC system is built into the sofa. So the settee had to be built for me to start using the HVAC system. I'd previously made all of the panels, corner pieces, and panel edge cap moldings. The only thing left to do was take it all apart, then glue and screw it together. I have to say, it turned out pretty nice. The only thing remaining is for me to make the cushion bases and then have a shop make the cushions themselves, but that'll be one of the last things I do on this refit.

Cheers,
Q

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Finishing the Salon Settee Structure

Before

After

 

[q240z]

I like your corner treatment of the setee. How did you attach the panels to the rabbets? I have a project of building a deck step/box and want to use that joinery.
Thanks
Walt Hoover

Sorry for not getting back to you sooner! Things have been super busy and I haven't been spending much time online.

When the panel is plywood, I've used screws from the back side of the corner pieces to pull the panel up tight. I also wet out the joints with straight epoxy, then add wood flour until it's a creamy peanut butter consistency, and slather that on the contact areas. But for the settee I'm using Tricel honeycomb panels, so I only use epoxy (no screws). You can see a picture of the process in the article I posted today.

You can see step-by-step of my process in this article from 2015 when I installed the aft stateroom walls.

 

[q240z]

Nice work! Q, where was your Roamer built? Was the Roamer factory always in the same place or was it moved around?

Thanks Jim! I believe it was made somewhere in Michigan. I don't know much about the factory, but I found this online: https://shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/small/roamer.htm

 

[jim rosenthal]

The latest work is just as beautiful as everything before. When you decide she's done, I will have to make a trip down there and see the interior close up. A very good excuse for a long drive.

 

[whoover]

Thanks for the link, that helps alot. The box will be a challenge for me because it will be tapered in both directions, I think I'll build a prototype before I start cutting into teak.

Walt Hoover

 

[q240z]

I hope you can post pix of the box you're building here, Walt.

With the salon settee pretty much done on my Roamer, the salon AC unit built into it is ready to turn on. But the aft and forward AC units aren't fully installed yet. Since they're all fed raw water from one pump, I want them all ready to work before I turn them on. So I tackled the aft stateroom AC unit next by plumbing the raw water outlet, building the cabinetry enclosure, and installing the air filter and thermostat. Two down, one to go!

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Wrapping Up the Aft Stateroom AC Installation

Cheers,
Q

Before

After

 

[q240z]

With the salon and aft stateroom AC units installed, the last one is in the V-berth. The installation went well and the "fan only" test indicates the system is ready to go. Like the others, the unit is installed in an otherwise airtight box built into the cabinetry, with a single filtered inlet for the fan to pull in room air. This is one beeeautiful HVAC enclosure.


1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Installing the V-Berth AC Unit


Cheers,
Q

 

[q240z]

I've got three AC units on the boat but only one raw water pump. I need a pump controller so if any one of the AC units calls for raw water, the pump will turn on. Fancy pump controllers with proprietary circuit boards start at ~$300. I ended up making one using off-the-shelf components that cost about 100 bucks (part numbers and sources at the link). It works great.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: DIY Marine AC Raw Water Pump Controller

Cheers,
Q

 

[q240z]

Back on Splash Day in late June 2023, one of the problems I encountered was a very slight leak from the only OEM seacock left on the boat--the one I rebuilt and intended to use for the air conditioner raw water supply. Rather than messing around with it, I replaced it with a Forespar Marelon valve (no more bronze!) and just ran a hose direct to the pump inlet before re-splashing. I left the valve closed for the inaugural trip from Deale, MD to our new home port, but one of my summer priorities was to get the AC system running. I installed a Vetus strainer so the lid is just above the waterline, for easy screen cleaning. Then I flipped the breakers on and turned the thermostat switches to COOL.

Everything worked perfectly!

And now that autumn has arrived, the heat's nice to have aboard, too.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Major System Test -- Air Conditioners

Cheers,
Q

 

[jim rosenthal]

How are you doing down there? I would imagine you've made progress on her, since she's closer to home.

 

[rsmith]

I’d put a piece of hose between the pump and distribution tees for strain relief if it was me.just saying I had one of those nylon pump outlets snap off at the threads.

Back on Splash Day in late June 2023, one of the problems I encountered was a very slight leak from the only OEM seacock left on the boat--the one I rebuilt and intended to use for the air conditioner raw water supply. Rather than messing around with it, I replaced it with a Forespar Marelon valve (no more bronze!) and just ran a hose direct to the pump inlet before re-splashing. I left the valve closed for the inaugural trip from Deale, MD to our new home port, but one of my summer priorities was to get the AC system running. I installed a Vetus strainer so the lid is just above the waterline, for easy screen cleaning. Then I flipped the breakers on and turned the thermostat switches to COOL.

Everything worked perfectly!

And now that autumn has arrived, the heat's nice to have aboard, too.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Major System Test -- Air Conditioners

Cheers,
Q

 

[jim rosenthal]

I think he did, actually. There was a follow up to this on his blog.

 

[q240z]

Hey!

My insurance company required the boat to be hauled by mid-December. But when we tried to haul it at the marina we moved to in July 2023, we discovered that their lift well is only 1" wider than my beam. It was just too tight, and the travelift would have been right on the edge of just being too narrow for the boat. So I ended up having it hauled further south, which puts me timewise right back where I was before, with ~1hr travel time to the marina. So I haven't been making much progress onboard. The boat's winterized in the yard. But I have been getting parts and materials teed up for a few things, most important being replacing the capacitors, transistors, and rectifiers on the CAPAC circuit board. I expect to get the last of those parts and finish soldering this week.

Not being able to haul at the local marina has also got me pondering what to do with the boat long-term. We originally started the refit to have a nice liveaboard in the Swamp. Changed life circumstances that were forced upon me in 2020 mean I no longer need the boat for that purpose. If I splash the boat, I'll have to haul every year because the fouling is relentless.

Lotsa stuff to ponder over this long, cold winter...

 

[q240z]

I’d put a piece of hose between the pump and distribution tees for strain relief if it was me.just saying I had one of those nylon pump outlets snap off at the threads.

There's no strain on the nylon pump outlet. I positioned the distribution manifold in a zero strain position, and you can see in the pic one of the stainless straps I used to secure the Sch. 80 tees. I added two more stainless straps (one on each end) when wrapping up that part of the project. If any part of that assembly ever moves independently of the others, something terrible has happened that a section of hose probably couldn't mitigate.

 

[jim rosenthal]

Q, are diver services available at the location of your preferred marina? They can do a lot to keep fouling at bay. Might be worth looking into.

 

[jim rosenthal]

Hi Quentin,
Anything new? I can't even remember when you last posted.