Future Brown Water Cruiser: 1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit

[q240z]

Next I fitted the 3mm mahogany plywood to the helm bulkhead. I'm using plywood instead of veneer because it's a lot easier to work with and it's half the price of veneer.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Helm Station Mahogany II

Cheers,
Q

Way back in the beginning


Last weekend

[q240z]

I spent a tedious day recently pulling wire and cable from the V-berth and salon power panel all the way up to the aft deck hardtop ceiling. I have to get the wiring all done before we can install the headliner. Fortunately, this part of the job is done. Hopefully, I'll never have to do that again.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Aft Deck Wiring


Cheers,
Q

[q240z]

As part of the prep for installing the aft deck headliner, I've got to get everything installed in the ceiling overhead. The wiring is pretty much done, so my next project was to make a mahogany box for the radios and fuel gauge. I ended up using the leftover mahogany boards from the resawn fascia boards I made in the aft stateroom. I have to say, it looked a bit rough on the dusty, oxidized side that was exposed to air without varnish for a decade. But once it's glued up, sanded, and varnished that's some pretty wood.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Helm Station Radio Box

Cheers,
Q

Before


After

[q240z]

The helm station radio box is looking good. So next I jumped on the One-Mile Ray searchlight install. The light sure looks nice rechromed and assembled. But I found a surprise in the hardtop ceiling when I went to install it.

That seems to be a pattern with this refit...

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: One-Mile Ray Searchlight

Cheers,
Q

The good part


The bad part

[q240z]

As part of the prep work for getting the headliner installed on the aft deck, I had to install the radio antennas. I installed the AM/FM antenna on the port side hand rail and the marine band/cell booster on the starboard side. Running the coax cables through the stainless tubing made for a nice, clean look. The rechromed handrail ends look great.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Installing the Antennas

Cheers,
Q

[q240z]

I had some trouble when I went to install the searchlight, which was original to the boat. The mahogany mounting blocks were also original. But somehow, the blocks ended up being ~1/2" too thick. I had to use a router upside-down to remove the excess mahogany from the underside of the mounting blocks. It was an ugly job, but I think it'll work fine. Once the headliner is installed, nobody will ever see it.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: One-Mile Ray Searchlight Install II

Cheers,
Q

[q240z]

I finally got around to varnishing and installing that mahogany veneer on the helm station bulkhead. It sure does look purdy compared to what we started with.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Helm Station Mahogany III

Cheers,
Q

As-found


Cleaned up and ready to get purdy


Finally! Purdy! (though it'll look better once the clamps come off)

[q240z]

I started building the helm side cabinets recently, before I installed the bulkhead veneer. They're looking pretty good, too!

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Helm Station Mahogany III

Cheers
Q

[q240z]

The mahogany plywood panels were starting to pile up, so I did some varnishing and installed a few. The aft deck looks sooo much better with them installed.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Aft Deck Mahogany Plywood Install I

Cheers,
Q

[q240z]

You know how on big projects, you slave away forever doing the prep work, and everything looks pretty ugly the whole time, and then BAM! It all comes together in a flash and looks great?

The helm station mahogany kinda went like that.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Helm Station Mahogany IV

Cheers,
Q

[q240z]

I need to wrap up all of the electrical stuff in the ceiling of the aft deck before the headliner installer can come in and work his magic. So I've been getting the helm station radio box I made fitted and attaching electronic bits to make sure it will work as intended.

"Progress"

But I had to laugh as I pulled the brand-spankin'-new JVC stereo out of the box. I bought this thing in...must have been 2014...and at the time it was a good little modern car stereo. Fast forward to 2019 when I finally opened the box and...drumroll please...it's got a CD player!

Put differently, I've been so slow on this refit that my brand new electronics are obsolete by the time I finally get around to installing them! LOL

Then again, I've got a 1946 Zenith AM/FM console at home with a Cobra Head 6 platter auto-changer that'll spin everything from 78s to LPs. Obsolete tech is sorta my thing. But still, it made me laugh.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Helm Station Radio Box II

Cheers,
Q

[zeehag]

looking good Q!! soon you will have a boat!!!!

[q240z]

Thanks ZH!

I pulled the radio box down for the last time and installed the exhaust fan. That was a bit nerve wracking, since I had to cut slots in the pretty mahogany box. In retrospect, I should have done that before I even assembled the box. Fortunately, everything turned out OK. In other good news, the temp-sensing fan controller works! I aimed a heat gun up toward the sensor and after a few seconds it came on!

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Helm Station Radio Box III

Cheers,
Q

[q240z]

I'm getting very close to being done with the headliner installation prep. I installed mounting panels for a couple of speakers and glued and screwed mahogany cleats all around the perimeter, so the Whisper Wall headliner tracks have something solid to attach to. One more weekend, and I'll be ready for the headliner installer.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Aft Deck Headliner Track Prep

Cheers,
Q



The headliner installer wrapped up the salon install, too.

[q240z]

The Whisper Wall headliner installer came and put all of the tracks in place. That's the last step before the headliner starts going up. Booyah.

Progress.

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Aft Deck Headliner Track Prep II

Cheers
Q