Galley Ho!

With all the engine work going on during the past few weeks I wanted to maximize the access to the engine compartment so I could easily access everything, but now that everything is completed (mostly), it was time to get the galley back together.  I was really excited about this because this job represents the last major interior project left on the boat and I've been waiting for the moment when I can look around in the cabin and not see disasters all around me.

Throughout the refit, I had been moving the galley assembly shell all around the cabin to work on other items, but had never fitted it.  It's big and was always in the way of something but I was pleased to see that re-attaching it to the boat was a simple matter of securing 2 bolts on a thick block of wood with 2 hinges to a molded piece of fiberglass flooring that is connected to one of the stringers.  It's really a clever arrangement that allows the entire sink and peninsula to hinge forward to give unobstructed access to the engine compartment.  I have never had a boat that allowed this kind of access.  This is a good thing considering I'm 6'5" and don't quite fit into many boat spaces.

Of course, it wasn't entirely easy because the sink drain, pressure water, and foot pump are all connected to the assembly and needed to have specific lengths of hose cut or they would be too short when the galley hinges forward, or too long and get too close to the engine which would be bad.  I shudder at the thought of the sink drain getting wrapped up in the vdrive when the engine is running.

Once the assembly was bolted in place, I started with installing the sink with a bead of silicone adhesive and letting that cure for a few days before moving it.  Then I moved on to the sink drain hose since that was the most cumbersome item that had to be routed to the seacock located just forward of the galley.  This took a bit of trial and error to get the length just long enough to accommodate the additional length needed when hinged forward, but not so long that it would be too close to the engine when closed.  

Once I decided on the proper length, I connected the hose to the seacock and routed it through the bulkhead and up to the sink using loosely fit zip ties to allow it to slide when the assembly is moved.  I also 3d printed a rubber TPU gasket/grommet that screwed into the bulkhead hole to help reduce chafing from vibration.

Next, I moved onto the pressure water system.  I completed the rest of the system last summer/fall (details here), but left an open circuit to the galley that could be tapped into with Watts Aqualok T-fittings.  To complete the circuit, I added an additional 2ish feet of pex tubing for the hot and cold water and terminated it with 2 more Aqualok 1/2" male adapters.  From here I used 2 6' sections of stainless steel braided sink hose to run to the fixture.  For the fixture, I found a standard household faucet at Home Depot and mounted it in the original faucet hole at the sink.  At this point it was just a matter of routing the braided hose from the Aqualok fittings alongside the drain hose to the fixture.  

The final job was to mount the foot pump and hose from the water supply to a dedicated foot pump fixture at the sink.  To do this, I tapped into the cold water line (before the pressure pump) with an Aqualok T-fitting and ran 1/2" nylon hose from there to a valve mounted in the engine compartment.  This valve allows you to switch the foot pump from fresh water to the icebox drain if/when the icebox needs to be drained.  From the valve, the line snakes up to the fixture at the sink.  This took a bit of thinking to get the best route but it wasn't too bad and access was decent.  

All told, this took me about a week of lunch hours and after work time, but I'm really happy with the way it all turned out and represents a big step toward completion.  Of course the system hasn't been tested so I may have some adjustments to do at the connections to make sure there are no leaks, but I'm not going to do that until spring so I don't have to winterize everything.

Coming Together

It's been a few weeks since the last post but since I sorted out the PSS clearance issue, I haven't been idle.  There's just been a lot of little things going on as I start to fully check off completed systems.  My big goal before winter sets in is to have the engine and the galley fully completed.  I'm not going to run tests before winter though because I don't want to have to winterize everything so all of that will have to wait until spring.  

For the engine, there was a note in the engine survey when the previous owner had bought the boat that there was no vented loop on the raw water discharge line that connects the heat exchanger to the mixing elbow on the exhaust.  Fortunately, I was able to locate a new one on ebay that fits the odd 7/8" inside diameter hose that this engine uses.  As with all things labeled 'Marine' they are typically $150 but found this one for just $50.  

Since the engine never had a vented loop on it, I had to find a good location for it that wouldn't get in the way of other serviceable items and after some research and test fits found that it would work best just to the left of the engine (looking back) about a foot above the water line.  

The next challenge to present itself was on the same raw water hose at the mixing elbow.  Somewhere along this refit, I lost the 1/2" npt to 7/8" nipple that connects the hose to the mixing elbow.  I went to the Westerbeke parts site and found that this particular piece of kit was going to cost me $204.40 USD (part #032230).  Just crazy and I was determined not to pay it.  Small rant here: Westerbeke is not the only manufacturer to do this, but marking up a $1.50 piece of copper is just robbery and drives me nuts.  I was determined to find an alternative to giving Westerbeke my money even if it meant paying a local machinist almost as much to make me a custom part.  

After a stupid amount of time spent researching alternatives, I found almost the same part on Westerbeke (1/2" npt to 7/8" nipple with an elbow) for just $23 (part #030183). I asked the parts manager at Hansen Marine (Westerbeke distributor for Northeast US) why the original part was so expensive and he said it 'was just Westerbeke being Westerbeke' and that they don't sell too many of those parts. 

Still need double hose clamps everywhere

Anyway, the part just arrived and I've fitted it but haven't hooked up the final hose from the vented loop to the mixing elbow yet, but I did install the exhaust hose from the mixing elbow to the lift muffler.  I will get the final piece of hose along with hose clamps done later today and call it done.  

Moving on to the raw water intake, I installed the hose from the seacock to the raw water strainer and the hose from the strainer to the raw water pump on the engine.  The strainer is a groco Arg 500-s and it's a nice piece of equipment that replaced the original in the same location with no drama except for the usual tight fitting hoses on the barbs.

The only challenge with the engine wiring harness and shifting controls was to squeeze myself between the engine and cockpit sole to install zip ties to run the wires and control cables above the engine and only took about 30 minutes.  I was somewhat amazed that the control cables didn't cause me any grief but I'll take a win when I can.

The final piece to the engine is the fuel and return lines and while I haven't connected the final few feet, the lines are run and connected to the fuel filter.  With any luck I should be able to fully cross off the engine installation project off the list by the end of the week.