| There's
more to the boat than the cabin, Rob...
I will
readily admit, I can be quite tunnel-visioned when it comes to
CONFERENCE. I get fixated on one project, and find myself
"working it" almost exclusively, while other
projects quietly call out to my ignoring ears. The cabin of
CONFERENCE was my fixation for well over 6 months. Some of
those other projects included the helm station, the headliner
in the cockpit area, the beautiful (or what once was
beautiful) mahogany aft rail, and several others.
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| Some things
are better left to the professionals
Jamie and I
are very aware of our strengths and our weaknesses. We're also
aware of the trigger points in our relationship. Working on a
couple of the boat projects pushed the envelope on the trigger
points, so when it came to something like the headliner in the
cockpit, we both readily agreed that we could've done it, but
it would be better done (and better for our relationship) to
have someone else we trusted do it.
Enter Mitch
Newell, of Newell's Boat Works, where CONFERENCE resides. His
forte is woodworking, but he is a marina owner who is no
stranger to light engine work, dock repair, fiberglass repair
and most especially headliners. He replaced the cockpit
headliner in June of 2002, and did a marvelous job, with
forethought given to future needs of Jamie and I as boat
owners, installing the necessary accent pieces to which we
could mount electronics, lights, etc.
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| What's
next?
Well, there
are a few projects on the table for the winter of 2003:
- Clean up
the wiring in the engine room (12V)
- Replace
side combing wood
- Restore
the original copper color to the bottom w/ black boot
stripe
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| The photo above shows the command
station sanded down, and ready for its first coat of CETOL.
The photo below shows the beauty of the woodwork, while the
command station still leaves much to be desired. That project
is in the works. More on that in a moment. |
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| These
fittings are going to cost how much?
The aft rail
was incomplete when we purchased CONFERENCE. The two gates
(one on each side) and hardware had either been removed, or
had long been broken off by perhaps a swimmer, or someone
about to "take a drink". Regardless, we knew
the rail could not be left incomplete, and began looking
around for parts. Our dear friends, and former Chris Craft
employees, Jim Wick and Bob Bothum, of LPX Parts, were our
first contact, and they had exactly what we needed to get our
rail back in shape. There is a price tag on everything, and
let's just say, these parts were not on sale. But the outcome
was by far worth the price of admission. Leaving the
refinishing of the rail to Mitch Newell, the result was
spectacular, as you can see from the following photographs. |
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| One of the
great pieces of "eye candy" aboard CONFERENCE. |
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| Now look
what you've done
In November
of 2003, Lee Dahlen (Chief Wrench Turner) and I decided
it was time to revamp the sad helm station aboard CONFERENCE
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Helm is removed.
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Helm
is prepped for new accent tape, her new ID rings and pull
switches and...
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Finished
product:
-----------------------
Total cost: $500 |
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| Pending
Projects: |
- Install
the "new" helm seats on CONFERENCE. These seats
were purchased off eBay, and were removed from a 1963
Chris Craft Constellation. Very "period" with a
green accent. Not original to a Commander, but should look
great aboard CONFERENCE.
- Install
the cockpit lighting purchased late last year. These 4
lights, purchased from Barnegat Lighting, will add a
"glow" to the cockpit of the boat; very useful
for those entertaining evenings.
- Tidy up
the 12V wiring in the engine room, along with replacing
the shore power connection, which appears to be original,
or near-original.
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