Prairie 36 Improvements

My PO had a nice berber carpet cut and serged for a tight fit and it rides loosely on what I think is 40 year old felt pad that was stapled down. On that, I've added a few Oriental Rugs to soften the feel.

A few weeks ago, I finally ordered Soundown carpet underlayment. It's sitting in my house guest room waiting to be installed. I've thought about this improvement for a long time and appreciate all the got great help from Keysdisease in the process. Thanks, Steve!

This week I head to the boat and strip the old, clean the deck and install the new. Looking forward to a renewed feel and suppressed sound.

Maybe we should start a new thread for carpets in boats.

Al,
I like the carpet thread idea. I would be interested in seeing some before and after photos of your progress. You’ve done a lot of research and I’m sure others would benefit.

Tom,
Don’t give up on the floating floor idea for the saloon. I used a double sided tape and it has worked well through the hot summers and cold winters. One of my earlier projects in this thread.

I did get some cracking around the hatch edges and was going to use some SS or aluminum angle to go around them. However, when the admiral said she wanted a big rug, I made sure it was big enough to cover the hatches. One less project for now.

FOG, I considered some sort of metal edging, too. A ton of work, but probably necessary.

So, maybe use floating floor material, but stick it down anyway, with glue or carpet tape? Hmmm. I can maybe see that. I wouldn't be able to do a nice edge around the hatches by laying pieces perpendicular to the planking, but I could probably work something out.

As for carpet, I'm afraid I'd be too lazy to pull it up and I wouldn't do my routine engine room checks underway. Already had one major save; an injector pump had sprung a gasket and was pumping fuel into the engine well. Another 15 minutes and it would have been filling the bilges.

CaptTom said:

As for carpet, I'm afraid I'd be too lazy to pull it up and I wouldn't do my routine engine room checks underway. Already had one major save; an injector pump had sprung a gasket and was pumping fuel into the engine well. Another 15 minutes and it would have been filling the bilges.

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Tom, so just to be clear, you open the two large hatches in the saloon sole while underway to do routine engine checks? If so, how often is routine?

The reason I’m asking for clarification is that I don’t do it. I just do a check before I start the engines and then rely on the gauges while underway.

I don’t open the two larger hatches unless I need to do some long term engine room work. Otherwise I just use the forward hatch for engine room access.

FOG said:

Tom, so just to be clear, you open the two large hatches in the saloon sole while underway to do routine engine checks? If so, how often is routine?

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Opening just one sole hatch allows me to get in and out pretty easily. Using the forward hatch would require removing the steps and two other hatches. Plus it's a somewhat tight and uncomfortable squeeze. I have the full "V" berth forward and galley up, so that might be a difference.

On longer passages, I make it a point to try to do hourly ER checks. I'll look at a belt, feel a hose, check a bilge, and shoot the temperature of some component or other. Just generally poke around for anything unusual.

Closer to home I rarely do that (although I should.) I also sometimes skip a check in rough weather. Even though it's probably more important then, there's the safety issue of moving around the boat, as well as the dangers in the ER itself. Another option is to just stick my head down there, look, listen and sniff, then close it back up.

I started doing this largely to break up the monotony on long trips, but it saved my skin big-time once, and there have been a few other minor saves.

Tom, great explanation, I understand and agree on your rationale in doing the routine engine room checks. But I have to admit that I wouldn’t be that prudent.

Since reading your reply I have given some thought to a remote camera. I’ve read of others doing this, but obviously not as good as a personal engine room check.

Finished the carpet in the aft cabin. Just put the carpet over the plywood sole, no padding. The Admiral is happy.

Looks very nice, but it would not work on our boat since we have a black lab that seems to shed yearlong. We always have to go with dark gray carpet...

Really like the dock boxes for extra storage

Comodave said:

Looks very nice, but it would not work on our boat since we have a black lab that seems to shed yearlong. We always have to go with dark gray carpet...

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That’s funny. We have a white and brown Jack Russell Terrier. I still have to wrap the steps with carpet so he can get up and down without slipping. It’s crazy what we do to make our furry kids comfortable.

Yes, we sold a Trojan because we could not get Radar (black lab) up to the flybridge and bought our President. Furry kids is the correct terminology.

Sea Monster

You know the old saying, "If I didn't have bad luck, I wouldn't have any luck." Or something like that.

I went to flush the newly installed electric toilet and it didn't flush. The motor ran, but water didn't come into the bowl. OK, seacock is closed. Nope!

Opened and closed it a few more times, pressed the button, still no water in the bowl.







All new hose to the toilet, except from the seacock to an elbow that is in the cabinet where it goes through the floor. The plan is to close the seacock, disassemble the hose at the elbow, direct the hose end into the bilge and then open the seacock to see if I get water flow.









After removing the hose from the elbow, I saw something hanging from the elbow. Shook the elbow and this is what fell out. What are the odds?

Some people just use a rod & reel...

Is this a good place to store an extra hose clamp?

Or is it there to help prevent the elbow from kinking and collapsing?

Or is it there for some other reason?

Maybe an effort to keep the hose from blowing out? Hose looks very questionable with the cracking. I would store the hose in the trash...

Comodave said:

Maybe an effort to keep the hose from blowing out? Hose looks very questionable with the cracking. I would store the hose in the trash...

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I agree the hose is not in the greatest shape. But why was the hose clamp placed there is my question? It appears it’s been there for quite some time.

FOG said:

I agree the hose is not in the greatest shape. But why was the hose clamp placed there is my question? It appears it’s been there for quite some time.

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It is here to act as a cheap support for the hose elbow.

L

Yes, I think the PO thought maybe it would reinforce the cracked hose???

A Forest Down Under

Getting her bottom painted before we take off on the Great Loop.

A good pressure washing, some scraping and sanding, then 2 coats of paint.

I'll also be making a few other improvements while she is on the hard.

Don’t you just love it when your bottom is clean?

Radar Installation

Since I will be dropping the mast for parts of the Great Loop, I made a cradle for the mast & boom. This also made the radar installation easier as it kept everything secure as I installed the radar and it's mount.

I hope I never have to use the radar, but good to have just in case.

We used our radar quite a bit bringing our boat home from VA. Can you still get out of the escape hatch? Looks like you can, but something to think about.

Nice progress

Comodave said:

We used our radar quite a bit bringing our boat home from VA. Can you still get out of the escape hatch? Looks like you can, but something to think about.

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Good question Dave, and the answer is yes. It opens to almost perpendicular.

Being able to open that hatch was one of my safety concerns from the beginning. At first it was the dinghy that was located on the aft cabin deck. And even without the dinghy there the mast would rest on the back rail and you would not be able to get out of that hatch in an emergency.

So when I built the dinghy davits on the transom I could have put a removable brace between the davits for the mast to rest on and the hatch would have opened enough to have an emergency exit. But it would have been tight.

So a plus to building the aft cabin railing, which was not on our original improvement list, was that the hatch can open even further now that it rests on the aft cabin railing.

I know that was more than you probably wanted to know, but maybe someone else might benefit. One of the great things of this forum.

siestakey said:

Nice progress

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Thanks Alan.

No, I am always concerned about egress in case of fires. The PO of my boat removed the hatch in the aft cabin and decked it over with teak... The first thing I did to the boat was cut a hole and install a new hatch. The only way out of the aft cabin was through the salon which is over the engine room if you discount the 5X12” portholes. It looked like yours would open but I had to ask. Nice work.

FOG said:

Getting her bottom painted before we take off on the Great Loop.



A good pressure washing, some scraping and sanding, then 2 coats of paint.



I'll also be making a few other improvements while she is on the hard.

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Regarding the aft sling: I know from the picture, it’s right on the marker, but I learned the hard way that it’s safer to set it just forward of the lower teak trim piece. If the angle/length of the straps is JUST so, it’ll rip that stainless trim right out and leave a nice gouge in the hull. That was about 15 years ago, I haul the boat every winter and haven’t had a problem yet......

Rick. said:

Regarding the aft sling: I know from the picture, it’s right on the marker, but I learned the hard way that it’s safer to set it just forward of the lower teak trim piece. If the angle/length of the straps is JUST so, it’ll rip that stainless trim right out and leave a nice gouge in the hull. That was about 15 years ago, I haul the boat every winter and haven’t had a problem yet......

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Thank you for the heads up. I have never heard of that but can see how it is possible. Any more details or pictures of the incident?

I had a picture from the survey haul out two years ago and just had them position the slings in the same location. How far forward of that lower rub rail do you now position the sling? Any pictures that you can share?

I don’t have a picture, but just forward enough to clear the strips with 1 or 2” clearance.

Comodave said:

No, I am always concerned about egress in case of fires. The PO of my boat removed the hatch in the aft cabin and decked it over with teak... The first thing I did to the boat was cut a hole and install a new hatch. The only way out of the aft cabin was through the salon which is over the engine room if you discount the 5X12” portholes. It looked like yours would open but I had to ask. Nice work.

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I couldn’t agree more. When I was in the Navy, fires were the number one safety issue, and I never forgot, as that was drilled into my young absorbent brain. So it has also carried over into my boating life.

You did the right thing by installing a new hatch. Sometimes I don’t understand why people do the things they do to their boats.