Canoe building plan: Under

Showing posts with label Under. Show all posts

Monday, April 24, 2017

Cockpit TV under the arch

It seems fitting to start at the end of the project. We now have a arch mounted TV that looks good when stowed, and yet has a huge range of motion. This is a 28' footish cruiser, and the cockpit functions as the owners main salon. Watching TV before required, as the owner stated, "You had to go down into the dark, and watch it from the bed."

There are a number of primary considerations to be aware of to make all of this work well. The TV should be thin. LED versions work best, and are lighter. For reasons I will touch on, the selection of the right mount is critical. And lastly getting the support infrastructure in the right place is very important.

Size does matter in your TV choice. Our mount's arm has a maximum reach of just over 15". In order to be able to swing the TV out, and rotate it 90 degrees, the width of the TV can't be more than 30", and a bit less is better. The TV we selected is a 24" LG LED that spatially scales nicely with the environment.

The first thing about a boat's arch is nothing is square. It's angling slightly inward, and is twisted a bit relative to the longitudinal axis of the boat. All of this gets worse the higher up the arch you place the mount. Translated clearly, if the TV can't rotate about the end of the mount arm, things will get real wonky fast.

If the TV looks nice and square when stowed, it will be slightly twisted when deployed. So you need the end of arm rotation to make the TV look good to you no matter where it's located. I have grossly exaggerated this in the photo, which also demonstrates the wide range of motion this mount is capable of.

Now for the nitty gritty. Two thing should be done first. Installing the cabling for the TV's signal, and mounting the TV. I have shown in the photo the approximate mount location. In deciding on the mounts location, you have to remember that nuts go on the bolts. To do this you have to get your hand inside the arch.

If I had wanted the TV to be mounted higher, I would have, and have done in some cases installed Beckson plates for access.

You also have to keep in mind that some infrastructure is needed in the area behind the set such as power, and a outlet for the TV's signal.

You should temporarily fit the TV and mount first, and check for the mount's swing arm clearances before you cut holes for the outlet, and cable plates. This insures that you don't have a "D'oh" moment when you discover the arm is going to hit something that plugs into an outlet.

The cable and power outlets can be bought at almost all hardware type stores. Doing the cable outlet just required drilling a 3/4" hole and a couple of screws. The GFI outlet however is a little more tedious.

In this case I didn't really need a GFI, but the cover plate itself had a little additional depth. You can't use a traditional outlet box because there isn't enough depth in the arch. Cut the hole, and screw the outlet to the arch using the two end tabs. The cover then gets screwed onto the arch. Don't forget to wrap the edges of the outlet with electrical tape. You don't want to be jolted if your fingers find exposed terminals. In this case power came from the outlet in a cabinet just below the TV.

Like all things on a boat, there will be a myriad of minor surprises. The universal TV mounting plates can and often do cover places you need to plug things into especially on the smaller sets. This mount comes with shims to push the mounting plate away from the back of the set about an inch. They were needed. It was enough to allow the power plug to fit. Often RCA plug sockets can get covered up also. The fix to this is ninety degree adapter plugs.

This boat only had one TV so its system was simple. All I had to do was to add a splitter to the output of the Glomex box to add the second set. In boat with more than one TV there will be a splitter block already installed. If there isn't any room for the new TV, you will need to buy a splitter with more outlets. If you try to add a splitter in front of the existing one, you can end up with a lot of signal loss.

This project took about six hours to do and it also included a previously discussed, irritating NMEA VHF interface. The mount can be loosened or tightened with an allen wrench. You will have to play with the stiffness until you get it where you want it. During rocking and rolling travel it would be wise to restrain the set with a bungee cord or the ilk. Removing one bolt and a snatching the plugs, allows the set to be pulled and stowed below. Now go watch the idiot box, the cartoons are on.

The mount for this project was a Sanus MF 215, and the dimensional sketch came from their website.

Readmore → Cockpit TV under the arch

Wednesday, April 19, 2017

More on Avanti Under Construction Design 85

Here are some more updated images of the copy of Avanti, design #85, being built in Holland. She's really starting to take shape. Thanks very much for sending these.

Principal Dimensions
LOA 55'-8"
LWL 40'-0"
Beam 12'-5"
Draft 7'-9"
Displacement 46,900 lbs

Readmore → More on Avanti Under Construction Design 85

Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Japanese Tenmasen Under Construction

Model of a Japanese tenmasen workboat. All images courtesy Douglas Brooks (click any image to enlarge.)

The Japanese tenmasen is, according to Douglas Brooks, "a typical small cargo boat from the Inland Sea region." Brooks, an American boatbuilder who specializes in researching and reproducing Japanese traditional small craft, is now building a tenmasen as part of the the 2013 Setouchi Festivale, an arts and crafts event in the town of Setouchi, on the shores of the Inland Sea. (We've written previously about Brooks, including his sabani [a hewn-plank canoe-like boat] and taraibune [a "tub boat"] projects.)

Lines of a tenmasin.

To describe the drawing and the boat itself, I'll quote an email communication from Brooks:

The lines drawings are from the Seto Nai Kai Museum and date from the 1950's or so. The boat was built in Ushimado, a community now called Setouchi. Very typical Japanese small boat style, with the aft end of the plank keel uplifted, and two planks per side. One interesting feature is the two piece transom which is not in one plane but joined at an angle. In the drawing you can see the two stations used by the builder, another common element of boatbuilders here, who used far less reference points than their western counterparts.

Overall length is about twenty feet.

This boat would have been propelled off the stern by a ro, or Japanese sculling oar, similar to the Chinese yuloh.

Another interesting feature of the transom that Brooks did not mention is that it is recessed far forward of the aft ends of the planks.

Brooks at work on the Setouchi tenmasen.

Brooks is maintaining a detailed blog of the project. Here is the most recent post, but to read it in chronological order, go to the first post and then click "newer post" over and over. There's also a blog primarily for Japanese readers.

Visit Douglas Brooks' website. It's also the source to purchase his book, The Tub Boats of Sado Island, which is not available on Amazon.

Readmore → Japanese Tenmasen Under Construction

Monday, February 20, 2017

Under Construction 25 Center Console Launch

This 25' center console is sure to be a head-turner in any harbor! Currently under construction and due for launch later this summer, she is being built in cold-molded wood construction. High-grade materials and techniques include mahogany and western red cedar strip planks, laminated with epoxy resin, and exposed laminated structural beams inside the cockpit. Bright finish on the inside of the cockpit and transom add to the classic wooden boat appeal. With classic barrel-back lines and exquisite teak trim details throughout, this little boat will be a true jewel of boatbuilding.

Ample seating forward and aft allow for family-friendly weekend outings, while the electric marine toilet discreetly tucked under the forward settee makes extended trips even more comfortable. The console electronics package includes a GPS/chartplotter, depth sounder, VHF radio, and remote-controlled autopilot. Adding to the comfort of this little day-boat is an ample freshwater tank with pump and wash-down hose to make wash-down a breeze at any dock. The dodger provides shelter for passengers and can also be folded down to serve as a windshield around the forward seating area.

Powered by a 220 hp Yanmar diesel engine housed inside the center console, she will have a comfortable cruising speed of 24 knots and a maximum speed of 28 knots. Hull design has been aimed at maximizing ride comfort - low planing trim, flared bow for dryness, and adequate deadrise to minimize slamming. Insulation and exhaust systems have also been optimized to create a smooth and quiet experience aboard.

Length Overall: 25'-0"
Length Waterline: 23'-0"
Beam: 8'-10"
Draft: 2'-8"
Displacement: 6,400 lbs
Power: 220 hp
Maximum Speed: 28 knots
Cruising Speed: 24 knots
Fuel Oil Capacity: 70 gal
Freshwater Capacity: 20 gal

Readmore → Under Construction 25 Center Console Launch