Projects

Since a LPG stove/oven had been added, it was necessary to install the LPG tank somewhere. The best location I could think of was at the aft end of the cockpit. I built a wood enclosure to protect the new fiberglass LPG tank. This box has become a favorite place to sit and steer the boat from as well as a cutting board holder for filleting fish on.

In replacing the main bulkhead, I had to remove the old structure behind the toilet in the head. When it came time to replace this I had decided to install a holding tank and a cabinet for clothing. Disliking the smell of flexible sanitary hose I opted to install rigid PVC plumbing instead, a route I have been very happy with for a number of years now.

Long before I had purchased the Cal 29 that was to become Quagmire, a leak had developed where the wires from the mast pass through the deck and come into the cabin. Luckily the builders had foreseen this as a possible problem and had hollowed out the deck coring right around this pass-through and had filled it solid with fiberglass and resin. As a result no damage was done to the decks and their coring, only to the port side of the main bulkhead. With the damage thus 'contained' I sought about replacing the bulkhead.

Quagmire came with the original main cabin windows which were well past their prime. All where crazed so badly it was hard to see out of them, one had a crack through it, and all of the plastic frames leaked. I replaced all four of them with new Bomon windows after first increasing the thickness of the cabin top sides to better accommodate the insulation project.

To improve live-aboard comfort and help keep the boat dry I decided to insulate the hull above the waterline. After a few missteps, including trying rigid insulation, and working out a good way to cover the insulation the project was a success. The time investment required was tremendous but the boat is now amazingly comfortable even in cold wet weather with minimal heat.

To increase our cruising season and allow wet clothes to be dried, a heater was the first major project we undertook with Quagmire. With a lack of bulkhead space and not wanting a vent on deck to trip over we decided on a diesel Webasto 2000 heater.

 

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