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q240z · 31-05-2016, 07:54

The weather hasn't been too great recently, so I had to hold off on polishing the rest of the rub rails. I'm also waiting patiently for my Boatamalan painter's schedule to clear so he can get to work on the V-berth head. In the meantime, I got some additional holes filed on the outside of the boat. Installing chromed bronze and polished stainless bits not only fills the holes and gets the boat closer to being weather-proof, they make the boat prettier, too!

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Running Lights

Cheers,
Q

Check out that mirror-like finish! Can't wait to get this thing out on the water!

q240z · 02-06-2016, 05:56

Getting the engines ready to start is another big item on the honey-do list. Since I'm using the original 1969 Chris Craft gauges, getting the Cummins engines to interface with the OE wiring is just a bit tricky. But first, I needed to make a base to mount the Chris Craft ammeter shunt and a terminal strip where the Cummins and Chris Craft wiring can join.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Engine Wiring

Cheers,
Q

q240z · 09-06-2016, 06:25

2016 started out looking like the year the boat might splash. There have been a few small bumps along the way, but no "deal-killers." My painter has been very busy recently, so that's put a crimp in getting the forward head ready to install the portholes. But once he gets going, the work gets done fast and right, so I didn't think his schedule would kill mine. Then the missus went on her annual pilgrimage back to visit family for 6 weeks, starting in April, which put me into bachelor mode. On the one hand, I can get more done on the boat in bachelor mode because my schedule is entirely my own. But on the other hand, everything my wife does to keep the household neat, tidy, and well fed falls to me, in addition to my other, normal duties. On average, I'd say I get less done in bachelor mode than when the missus is here. But then, just a couple of weeks after she returned, we got the call that her father had died. We knew it was coming and had been trying to figure out what to do next when the old man forced our hand and checked out. Can't blame him...90 years ain't bad at all. But now I'm back in bachelor mode for another 6 weeks, and I'll be heading over for the final ceremony at the end of June. In light of everything else, I've pretty much concluded there's no way the boat can splash this year. The optimist in me hasn't given up hope yet, but the realist is looking at the honey-do list and the calendar and shaking his head NO.

On behalf of the optimist, I've been getting more engine wiring done. It's coming along well, and I'm pretty sure my OE Chris Craft gauges will work just fine with these Cummins 6CTAs I've installed. The problem-solving involved is a welcome distraction from the other things that are going on.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer Refit: Engine Wiring II

Cheers,
Q

excess_risk · 09-06-2016, 21:29

Just wanted to write and express my condolences. I have followed your refit since very early on and have enjoyed it very much. Good luck with the brown water cruiser. I'll continue to watch with interest.

q240z · 16-06-2016, 07:04

Thanks. The kudos and condolences help.

With the missus gone to be with her family for the funeral, I think I'm getting less done than when she's here. Turns out the laundry doesn't get done by itself, and dinner has a way of not showing up on the table unless I make it happen. Bachelor life is not for me...

That said, I got the original Chris Craft wiring and battery cables all hooked up to the port engine wiring interface panel and wrapped up the last bit on the starboard side. It's looking pretty good, I think!

1969 Chris Craft Roamer Refit: Engine Wiring III

Cheers,
Q

q240z · 23-06-2016, 06:44

My term as a bachelor will come to an end soon. Next Monday I leave for ten days to attend my father-in-law's final burial ceremony. But I'm still making progress on the boat. The engine wiring is complete now, including the Turbocator exhaust temp and boost lines and neutral safety switches, both of which I've never had the pleasure of using before, plus all of the standard sender wiring. I just need to install the OE Chris Craft senders so the original 1969 gauges at the helm get the right signal. But getting all the adapters and figuring out which ports to use on the Cummins engine has taken time. Given how hot it's been recently, sitting in the engine room of an aluminum boat staring at two tons of cool Cummins on either side trying to figure it out hasn't been such a bad thing. Heat rises, so the hellish inferno in the tent is actually up at and above the helm.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer Refit: Engine Wiring IV

Cheers,
Q

q240z · 27-06-2016, 08:30

I finally got all of the Chris Craft senders installed on both Cummins engines. It was a bit of a challenge finding all of the ports then getting all of the various adapters worked out, but they're in. There's no way to test them just yet, but it all looks good. The turbocator boost port is installed, too. I also have the 4" stainless exhaust risers tacked together, and my glass order finally showed up. Also, my Boatamalan painter's schedule opened up a bit, so the v-berth head fiberglass and paint work has been moving along and is looking freakin' awesome. Unfortunately, the time has come for me to jump on a plane and fly to the far side of the planet for my FIL's funeral. The more I think about it, the more convinced I am the boat won't be splashing this year...

1969 Chris Craft Roamer Refit: Installing Chris Craft Senders on Cummins Engines

Cheers,
Q

q240z · 29-06-2016, 18:31

While I'm away for my FIL's funeral stuff, I figured I'd catch the blog up on a few things. I've got a raging case of jet lag, so don't be surprised if it reads like gibberish.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer Refit: Trim Tabs & Gauges

Cheers,
Q

q240z · 08-07-2016, 06:17

The heat of summer has made the deck level in the tent intolerable once again. So I've been getting things done in the engine room, where a couple tons worth of Cummins engines keep the space relatively cool. I got all of the 4" stainless mandrel bent tubing cut and tacked together, so the dry section of the exhaust risers are ready for welding. My Harbor Freight 4x6 metalcutting bandsaw is cutting much truer since I ignored the instruction manual that came with the machine and followed a yahoo user group How-To that's much more detailed. Now, I'm just waiting for another argon regulator and diffuser for purging to arrive, then I'll finish welding them. Oh, and I also need to find somebody with a CNC machine that can cut 12ga 316 stainless into a showerhead radial spray nozzle for the exhaust.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: New Exhaust Risers II

Cheers,
Q

**knottybuoyz** · 09-07-2016, 04:14

Still amazed at your ingenuity Q! Amazing amount of work.

Those exhaust pipes will get wrapped no?

q240z · 10-07-2016, 04:44

Thanks, KB!
I've got four rolls of Inferno Wrap. It´s rated to 2,000° continuous and can be covered with a fiberglass hard shell using high temp resin.

q240z · 12-07-2016, 11:27

I finally got the starboard side cut and tacked. It was more challenging than the port side but turned out pretty good, if I do say so myself.

I'm just waiting on my argon diffuser to show up, and I've got to find somebody who can waterjet some stainless nozzle plates for the showerhead. Then I'll weld 'em up.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: New Exhaust Risers III

Cheers,

Q

q240z · 14-07-2016, 07:12

New formed hoses, very flexible silicon hose, and some constant torque hose clamps arrived, so I finished up the cooling systems on my Cummins engines. I also tested the coolant to make sure it's up to spec. Cummins 6CTA engines have sleeved blocks, so it's crucial to have the coolant additives right -- not too high or too low -- or crevice corrosion can cause all sorts of expensive problems.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: New Coolant Hoses, Clamps, and Coolant Test

Cheers,
Q

q240z · 20-07-2016, 06:46

I got back from the FIL funeral tour just in time for the nastiest heat and humidity we've had this summer. Even though I've vented it, the heat is so bad in the tent that I probably won't bother making a trip to the boatyard this weekend with the forecast anticipating near 100°F and dripping humidity. But I need to keep moving on this or I'll run out of steam, so I got busy making a better dust and paint overspray extraction system that will help as we move forward and wrap up the V-berth head.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Building a Fume Extractor & Paint Filter Box

Cheers,
Q

Don't laugh...this fume extractor really works!

New filter box doesn't leak and makes it easy to swap out filters.