During our vacation, I started a list of items that I wanted to address on the boat. When I am on the boat for days at time, The unfinished or poorly maintained parts of the boat start to wear on me. I am far from a perfectionist, but there are definitely some items on the boat that could be improved.
My first project involved building a cover for the wiring and antenna cable that runs along the compression post. I seem to recall this being left undone when we installed the table and cabinet on the saloon bulkhead.
Unsightly cables by the compression post and along the bottom of the bulkhead. I just never got around to fixing this. After a while we just ignored it.
Some time ago Melissa found some teak battens by the marina gate. Those turned out to be perfect for this project. I mounted them on a one by four and attached the whole assembly to the compression post via some nifty hinges from Home Depot.
The teak battens made great covers for the electrical cable running up to the mast.
With the hinges installed, this is essentially a very skinny door. This allows me to access the cables for maintenance. Maybe I could store some very skinny item inside.
Nifty flush mounted hinges make the panel lay even with the compression post and turn the cover into a small door for access or limited storage.
Besides the hinges, I had all of the materials on hand which greatly appeals to my inner cheapskate. And it feels really good to have that project taken off the list.
It looks great! Are you SURE you want to sell Moonrise?
Thanks. I do enjoy coming below and seeing that beautiful teak instead of a gaggle of wires. It is a small effort from which we can take pleasure. Whether we sell her or not, this is still a good thing.
Very nicely done! Looks spectacular! … and I really like the way the table folds away to cover the shelving unit. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Thanks. That table is awesome. I had drinks with the man that built it for us a few days ago. His name is Larry Simonds and he has made some incredible furniture. Check out his site http://www.knotetal.com (one of the best domain names I’ve ever seen. I think it is quadruple entendre) to see some of his other stuff.
That is a nifty fix! Great Idea.
Thanks Dani. Cal 34s are not as “Teaky” as a Westsail, so it is nice to add a few touches of wood to the interior.
It looks great! Did you find the teak as someone else’s throw away? I like the way you continued the trim across the horizontal ledge just beneath the table too. Did you rotate and recess the electrical outlet as well? It all looks really nice.
Thanks Belinda. The teak was indeed thrown away. At our marina folks leave material like this by the gate for others to pick up and reuse if possible. This weekend I saw a 20 inch tube type television set by the gate. If the item hangs around too long, then it goes to the dumpster near by. Do your marina mates have a similar system for reusing boat items?
And your are quite observant. The horizontal trim is new as well. When we installed the table, The U shaped settee became an L shaped settee by removing the plywood cabinetry in that area. The resulting exposed cables were again a minor irritation that I eventually came to ignore. This cable cover now makes a very small shelf which I have deluded myself into thinking might be useful for holding a drink while laying on the settee. We’ll see.
Wow, I can’t imagine throwing away teak. A fellow boater replacing the gas tank in a big, teaky Hans Christian showed us a 6 ft piece of trim he bought to replace one he inadvertently ruined pulling his sole up. It was $70. But then I suppose there are folks who have maintained their teak for many years and are quite “done” with the whole process, so maybe they’re glad to get rid of it. One of the boat manufacturers at the sailboat show in Annapolis last weekend had a tag line on a poster at the entrance of their booth: “No teak to maintain!” 🙂
Our marina hosts a swap meet in the parking lot every year, so folks sell or trade items they don’t use then. Every once in awhile, I see a cooler with a busted handle or a fishing pole leaning against the dumpsters, but as far as I know, we don’t have a Free Pile at the marina.
And as for your drink-ledge, I think it’s perfect. Wide enough for a highball glass, or even a martini glass. And a candle. 🙂