[C320-list] Nav Station Upgrade Project

[Warren Updike]

And all this for a guy planning on selling his boat?  At least, that's what
someone recently said.  Whas da story?

-----Original Message-----
From: Jeff Hare [mailto:Catalina at thehares.com] 
Sent: Monday, June 27, 2011 2:39 PM
To: C320-List at Catalina320.com
Subject: [C320-list] Nav Station Upgrade Project

Hi All,

A while back I posted questions about useful Nav Station/Storage
enhancements.  I've finished my design and started the work last Saturday.

I started a Photo Album for this project and will be adding (better quality)
pictures as I go.  

Primary design goal:  It has to look like it came straight from the factory
that way, which means attempting to match grain, color and finish and style.
If it looks like an add-on or aesthetically disconnected, I failed...  :-(

My photo album is on the C320 website's Owner's gallery titled:  "Jeff Hare,
#809 Woodbine II".  Here's the short link to our gallery:
http://tinyurl.com/navstation

So far, I have :
============
* cut & scribed the top to fit
* milled and fit the side fiddles
* done the layout for the dividers inside so that it fits the things we want
to store there.

Next I'll be:
==========
* cutting the opening area of the top
* installing the rest of the dividers
* wiring the charging station components
* build the shallow tool drawer that will mount under the nav station along
the back of the sink..
* choosing the type of varnish (Target? Others?)
* sending it out to a professional finishing shop to get the coating sprayed
on in a dust free booth.  (If I do it here, I guarantee it'll end up with
dust and a big dog hair in it somewhere. :)
* I'll be contacting Modern Plastics to see about cutting and bending a
smoked polycarbonate splash guard similar to the ones on the MKII, but
softly following the angles on the MK1, which are more abrupt.  Once I find
out the details I might have them make a few of them  if anyone else
expresses interest and the price is reasonable.  I'll see about getting some
stainless mounts made by a local machine shop.

As for the "modernizing" part of the project, I found this nice little gizmo
(search on Amazon) for $19.95 US : "Multi-Use Vehicle Charger with Dual USB
Ports and Dual 12 Volt Sockets - by Magnadyne".   It's a 20amp device,
nicely fused with a rugged cord that can be hardwired into the DC Panel to
one of the unused AUX breakers.   It provides 2 high power USB charging
ports, suitable for IPAD and a pair of 12v accessory sockets.  I also have a
"Griffin Technology 1 amp PowerJolt Dual USB Micro" doo-hickey to plug into
one of the 12v sockets give me 2 more below-desk USB charging ports when
needed.  

Inside the Nav station, I have a divider across the end facing the
Electrical Panel that leaves a dedicated 5" wide trough for these devices
and all the charging cords.    I'm installing a 2" black desk grommet in the
back corner for the cords to surface out of the desk. There's plenty of room
for a small laptop power brick below (plugged into a small inverter) with
just the power cord visible above.  If additional venting is needed, that is
easy to do without it being visible.

Cheers!
-Jeff

PS: Projects on the horizon:

1)  a 6" Beckson low profile flat DP61-W deck plate that I'm installing
under the carpet in the aft cabin near where the door hinges for cleanout
access to the bilge under the engine pan.  

2) changing the Head Vent and Vent hose.  I think it's not doing a good job.
(Peggy says ideally you should have one vent on each side of the tank to
keep airflow through it)  I wonder if you could add a second vent hose on
the outboard side of the tank and just add another vent on the side of the
boat right next to the existing one and get the same result?

3) Do some more design work on an interesting idea for a nicely angled
little cabinet above the electrical panel so that I can move VHF and all the
other electronics that are behind the settee next to the electrical panel
and free up another storage area.  More on that later after I do a mock-up
with using something other than Teak (aka gold plated lumber).  :)

Maybe sail the boat next year?  :)