Pilothouse Progress 2024

We also worked extensively on the pilot house of Wildthing during the winter of 2023/2024. The pilot house had a few areas that needed to be finished up. Brad had built the desk top to go into the area where the old navigation station used to be. It was fabricated out of plywood, maple and Formica.

More tambour had to be cut, varnished and fitted to the aft port side bulkhead before desk could go in. The desk would go over the top of the tambour. 

The desk is more of a workstation than a chart table. Not many people use charts anymore so we made it more of a place to work and recharge laptops, iPads, phones and other mobile devices. 

We pulled out the old curtain rods and used them to hold the tambour in place while the glue dried. We don't like to use any fasteners because they are prone to rusting or cracking the tambour. 

The tambour is glued on with a Roberts water based floor adhesive. We have found this to be very workable and it remains flexible even after many years. 

We on occasion do use an air powered trim nailer with stainless steel nails to hold smaller pieces in place.  

The frame of the desk was built out of poplar wood which was primed and painted white. The Formica desk pieces were then screwed to the frame from the bottom. 

The bottom of the desk was screwed on once the top was attached. This was another installation that took place in steps to make it all happen.

AC and DC electrical outlets were installed above the desk and wired into the breaker panel of the boat. 

The AC system is powered from the Victron Multiplus 3000 watt inverter which runs off of 400 amp hours of Battle Born lithium batteries which are under the pilothouse dining area. 

Maple trim was fabricated and varnished to trim out the edges of the desk. 

Below the desk area we applied the last few pieces of maple tambour to finish up the bulkheads. 

Two hatches were cut into the tambour to allow access to a storage area under the desk and to the inverter located below the navigation station. 

One more face frame has to be fabricated for the area above the desk on the port side. This area has several cubbies for storage, VHF, AIS and other electronics as needed. 

More Maple tambour was added above the navigation station and instrument panel.  

Teak trim was fabricated to go across the entire top of this to complete the console. 

Nearly completed Navigation Station

Teak trim was also fabricated, varnished and installed in the opening of the companionway that goes down to the galley.  These pieces were glued up and installed using many clamps to get them tied into the existing opening.

Finished companionway teak trim

Starboard Side Pilot House console

A large Teak fiddle was added across the whole pilot house navigation console which tied into the opening down into the galley and salon.

Port side Console trim fabricated

The teak trim was fabricated to go across the port side of the pilot house control console.

The console has a slight curve so it was scribed onto a solid teak board and cut out with a jig saw. 

After a lot of shaping and sanding the edges were routed with a round over bit and it was finally ready for varnish.

More trim pieces were added to the port and starboard sides in the aft of the pilothouse. These fiddles were made tall enough to keep items from rolling off these little shelves. 

These were fabricated out of maple, routed, varnished and epoxied on.

Port Side pilot house console

Port side pilot house console

A large fiddle was added above the hanging locker in the pilothouse to keep things from rolling off this large shelf. 

These were fabricated out of solid maple, sanded, mitered, routed, varnished and epoxied on.

Completed Starboard Side Console

The last of the major fabrication on the boat took place on the starboard side settee in the pilothouse. 

The headliner pieces were cut and painted. Teak trim was rough cut and will need to be varnished to complete this area. 

Two white boxes in the corners were built to cover up wiring, plumbing and the scupper hoses. We used the same plastic material that was used for the headliner.  

Teak trim was then cut to trim out these scupper boxes. These covers and trim all need to be painted and varnished to complete this area. 

This ends the updates for this season on Wildthing. We accomplished a lot and completed a couple of cabins. The v-berth and midship head are now complete. There are just a few doors and some trim pieces to finish up the pilot house and main salon. The aft head and berth needs some plumbing and a few more trim pieces.  

It is great to know we are nearing the end of the refit of the interior. Once the interior is done some big project remain on the outside of the boat.

Bottom Paint Job: The boat needs to be hauled out and the bottom needs to be sanded, barrier coated and painted.  It has been several years since the bottom was done. 

Propeller, Shaft and Cutlass bearing: The shaft, cutlass bearing and engine were all done at the same time years ago. We have not had many hours on these so they should all be ok. The propeller is showing some signs of electrolysis so it needs to be reconditioned or replaced.

Rudder: All the steering components above the water have been gone through. The rudder needs to be dropped and bearings checked. We have never dropped the rudder. It would be good to drop the rudder and check the integrity of stainless and fiberglass. 

Topside Paint: The boat was painted back in 2006 but after 18 years in the Florida sun it is in need of a new paint job. The boat had some hurricane damage to the rub rails and cap rail from Ian in 2022. These areas need some final fairing and priming along with paint.

Thanks so much for your comments and questions. We will be back in Florida for another season starting November 1, 2024. We hope to finish the interior and do some sailing. 

~~~Sail On~~~ /)

Mark