Future Brown Water Cruiser: 1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit

[q240z]

There's a saying I learned from the old-timers back when I was driving city buses to pay for college...boring is good. I look forward to boring!

But in the meantime, I fired up my Miller Trailblazer welding machine and made myself a set of steps going into the engine room. I'm too old and don't practice enough to develop a smooth welding hand, but once I got the machine settings sorted out the old spoolgun started making that hissing sound and...it may not be professional-grade, but it's good enough for a set of steps.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Engine Room Steps

Cheers,
Q

[q240z]

In other news, I started putting my portholes back together. I'm ordering new tinted glass soon, but first I need to get the screens in. I figured it'd be an hour or two job. Little did I know all of the screen and glass flanges are drilled differently. I didn't realize that when I took them apart, so figuring out which ones go where was a tedious PITA. Got 'er done, though.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Installing Porthole Screens

Cheers,
Q

[q240z]

It took a ridiculous amount of time to measure the window and porthole glass and record the dimensions. Out of 26 panes, only 2 had 90° corners. I was hoping to buy a fancy new tool to make the process easier but couldn't find one that gave me confidence in its accuracy. But I got the job done and sent the order off to the glass shop yesterday. Hopefully, I'll have the new glass in the next two weeks or so.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Measuring For New Glass

Cheers,
Q

[q240z]

While I'm waiting for the glass to come back, I dove into the engine room for a bit of fun. My Cummins engines come standard with intake air heaters that help reduce white smoke on cold starts. Since I installed oil pan heaters in mine, and the Cummins units are known to be fickle and even harmful to expensive alternators, I got rid of mine. Good thing, too, since on the underside of one of the solenoids, totally out of sight, one of the solenoids was in the process of dying.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Removing Unnecessary Cummins Parts

Cheers
Q

Bad solenoid

[neptunesjester]

I went through the salon window math myself about 2 months ago. Finally got around to replacing the aft port slider that I had broke and glued back together, and cracked that multi angle pita piece of glass it mates with in the process. Over 50 years, the cabin top had settled and had that piece wedged in at one small point. I took the whole thing to a local glass shop to piece back together as a pattern.

Quick question, have you found a supplier for the track? I had to make do with a two part track that does not have the extra lip that the screens sit on but would love to find the original track.

Regards,
Dan


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[q240z]

Hey Dan.
It sounds like you have the same kind of luck with windows as I do!

I wrote about the tracks here: https://1969chriscraftroamer46.wordp...lon-windows-2/

Scott Pullin's contact info's in the article.

Cheers,
Q

[q240z]

Even though my Cummins engines started up and ran fine on the pallets when I bought them, I decided to follow the advice of some gurus and service the aftercoolers. Good thing I did, too--the magical combination of a cast aluminum housing, bronze core, steel bolts, and saltwater had begun to cause minor problems that would have turned into expensive problems if I hadn't taken the aftercoolers apart.

Oh, and a blizzard is forecast for tomorrow. We'll see how Tent Model XXX holds up.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Servicing the Aftercoolers

Cheers,
Q

[q240z]

We're finally done digging out from the Mid-Atlantic Blizzard of 2016. We got 22" down at the house, and I was very concerned about the tent covering the boat. During a lull in the storm, I took a drive out to the boatyard...

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Mid-Atlantic Blizzard 2016

Cheers,
Q

[q240z]

I want to have shore power when the boat (hopefully) splashes later this year. Which means I've got to wire the isolation transformer and lift that 175 pound bad boy onto its new bulkhead in the V-berth. What a chore that was. But...I got 'er done.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Reinstalling the Isolation Transformer

Cheers,
Q

[q240z]

Since I'm focusing on making the boat waterproof so I can splash later in 2016, I'm going to be jumping around quite a bit. But there's a method to the madness, and if nothing unexpected comes up I still think I can get it in the water this year. The swim platform is one thing that's got to get installed, but first I need to make spacers so it sits level with the waterline.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Making Spacers for the Swim Platform

Cheers,
Q

[q240z]

In other news, the window manufacturer out in Vancouver, Wa. finally sent me replacement trim rings so I could install the last helm windshield. The originals were oversized by 3/16", and I only got them to agree to sending the right-sized ones after stopping payment. I hate messing with a man's income stream, but I hate paying big money for expensive stuff that's not made to spec even worse. But wait! There's more! The boneheads oversized the replacements, too! I had to break out the die grinder to knock the weld blobs off the corners before they'd fit. Anyway, the helm windshields are now done and I can move on to other stuff.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Helm Windshield is Finally Done

Cheers,
Q

[Warby12]

A triumph!!

Well done on getting them in and shame the window people couldn't sort their dimensions. I love where you take their logo off. It bugs me when people put their advertisment on stuff you've paid for without asking.

Anyway looks awesome

[q240z]

Thanks Warby!
Yeah, those big logos pissed me off. I asked twice that they not put them on, but they did it anyway. There is a certain amount of satisfaction in removing them, though. For once, I get to waste their money!

Cheers,
Q

[q240z]

Check another box off the honey-do list--I got the exhaust outlets installed. Now I just need to connect the turbos to the outlets and that's a major job out of the way.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Exhaust V

Cheers,
Q

[q240z]

I made an expensive mistake with a set of risers I bought off of ebay. Turns out one was damaged, but they both were the wrong size. To make matters worse, instead of just sending them back, I thought I could make the best of a bad situation without really thinking it through. By the time I'd taken the time to process all of the factors and realize I made a bunch of bad decisions, it was too late--I'd dismantled one of the risers and couldn't return it. This has been one expensive lesson in not making rash decisions.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: New Exhaust Risers

Cheers,
Q