Speaker Install and Speaker Boxes

 Mod 4: Speaker Installation.

I read in Sun Monkey Island blog a mod for the radio speaker location. I didn't want to clutter up the forward storage area and decided to locate the speakers in BH 8. (Thanks to the builder who gave me this idea). It's much easier installing this prior to the cockpit floor install.

The speaker boxes will mount aft of BH8 in the lazarette area. This will protect the speakers from gear stored in the lazarette area, corrosion to the speakers and water getting into the cabin area.

The boxes are glued together.

...and trial fitted.

The speaker template taped in place on BH8.

...and the holes cut out.

The speaker boxes are glued in place, holes for the wires are drilled in the back of the boxes and because the speaker boxes are enclosed and airtight I drilled a larger hole in the front of the enclosed speaker box through BH 8. I believe this hole is to prevent the lower frequencies getting trapped and enhance bass response. I'll play some Led Zeppelin and test it out.

Thats the end of Fourteen months of construction

Flush Timber Hatch Frames

 Mod 3: Flush Timber Cockpit Hatches.

I decided to build flush timber hatches where the sides of the hatch lid sit inside Chanell's that drain directly into the footwell.

Smaller cleats (30mm deep x 12mm wide) were trial fitted athwartships between the footwell side and the existing cleat between BH 8 and the transom. These will form the drainage channel. The base of the channel is cut from 9mm ply.

The outside channel cleats are glued to the 9mm bases, but the complete unit is not glued in at this stage.

The port & starboard units are removed for cleanup.

The inside channel cleats are cut 2mm lower than the external channel cleats, this is to provide space for a rubber seal.

The inside channel cleats are glued onto the 9mm base.

The clamps removed and the units are cleaned up.

The drainage units are glassed all round for strength.

Here is a close up showing the end cleat glued to the 9mm ply base.

To ensure the water drains towards the cockpit the base of the outside sections of the channels needed to be slightly higher than the interior sections. To achieve this, on a level bench I lifted the inside sections up by 3mm. Warm epoxy was poured into the channel over the 9mm ply base until it leveled out. when hardened and laid flat the outside sections were 3mm higher than the interior exits thus allowing water to flow into the cockpit.

The drainage units are installed by the following step by step process.

Firstly, the cockpit footwell sides are cut down that will form a recess for the front of the lazarette lid to sit.

Larger cleats are glued onto the footwell side walls. The cleats are deeper to support the drainage units and any weight on the lazarette locker lids. This pic shows the drainage channels through the footwell side walls that allow water to flow back to the sea.

 

The drainage units are glued in place.

The Lazarette areas are ready for fillets, glassing, cleanup and painting.