Appa going to weather

Just found this photo.  Swiftsure.

Second handrail

I had a couple extra hours today and decided to install the other handrail on the ceiling of the salon. Looks good if I don't say so myself. So the thought is, theoretically anyway, you come down the hatch and you can grab onto either handrail or both.  They have been wet with varnish since I put them up but I think they are placed in great spots.

I figure 5 coats of varnish and they should be good to go.

Next up, fix that damn fresh water system.  It is still leaking occasionally.  Grrrr.  Oh and continue on the decks.  Always with the decks.

Aft head and handrails

While racing the Swiftsure last spring I noticed it was hard to get around down in the cabin when we were sailing hard.  The main cabin is pretty wide and if you get hit by a wave, you could potentially fall quite a ways till you fall is broken by the stove or table.  So I have seen other Centurion 42s and a couple of them have hand rails on the ceiling.  Bingo.  Thankfully we have removable ceiling panels.

I found a leak in the mounting hardware in the photo above.  Replaced all that and rebedded with butyl tape.  Man is the deck thick at that area.  

In the photo below you can see where the white panels mount to the ceiling.  Very strong attachment for the handrails.  Of course the screws holding the ceiling panels are all rusty and broke off so I had to drill them out and replace the screws with new screws and also bought square head screws (Roberson) instead of the hated slot or phillips head screws. 

Before varnishing

I screwed this to the support brace with 3 1/2" screws.  7 of them.  I would have through bolted but the braces are basically tunnels and don't have access.  I hung on the rail with all my weight and it didn't move, creak or crack.  Good enough.

We are going to put one on the other side of the cabin also.

Here's a photo with one coat of varnish on.
Even on my tip toes I can barely touch the rail.  My kid Max might hit his head as will Pete but that's what you get being too tall.

 
I also painted the raised part of the floor where the aft head sits.  2 coats of Interlux Brightsides.  I might do one more coat.

Not nearly as exciting as the stuff Jeremy is doing to his boat but these little things will make life a little easier aboard Appa.

Desolation Sound 2012

Finally got some more photos of our vacation with Appa in the Desolation Sound area.

Lightning motoring into Pendrell Sound.  Whilst firing water balloons at us

The crew of Lightning taking aim at Appa

Me and my little man!

Barrett

Shelby with Barrett

The barrage continued for 15 minutes or so.  At least felt that way

Scotty with that cute little man Barrett

See Ben in the corner of the shot?  Sulking because Lightning stole all our balloons.  Man oh man was he mad!

Rope swing in Pendrell Sound

Doesn't look high but it sure felt that way!

How cute!  Helping Sam across the water!

Shelby helping the other baby across the water!

This is one fussy Sam.  IMPOSSIBLE to get good photo of.

The Milnes

Finding seal bones at Oven's outstation

Lightning motoring away from Oven's in the wee hours.  Next stop was  Roche Harbor.

Doing as kids do in Roche.