A New Trampoline

The original trampoline on LUX had seen better days. The grommets were pulling out of the material that around the edge and the lines that held the tramp in place were chafing on the grommets and squeaking loudly when we stepped on the tramp. Parts of it had ripped right in front of each of the hatches, which we repaired by adding a small patch piece and threading small line through the holes.

Lagoon Netting Tramp

Lagoon Tramp Edge Detail

We had been looking at other tramps and rather liked the designs that used a bolt rope around the perimeter. A 40 ft Lagoon at one boat yard had a netting tramp that was done this way and we took some photos.

Web Overlap Stitching

Carol ordered replacement tramp material from Manart-Hirsch, a wholesale supplier of boat canvas materials. We decided on the same material that was originally on LUX, a webbing that is 1/4 inch strips on 1/2 inch centers. It doesn’t let water and air through as readily as the netting that we’ve seen on other boats (like the Lagoon). But it feels a lot better under foot or lying on it. If we were sailing in waters where we would have the possibility of green water on the tramp, then we’d have considered the netting.

The material doesn’t come in a width that can do the tramp in one piece, so Carol and Mike thought about how to best couple two pieces together. The final result was to use 3M 5200 to glue the two pieces together, then stitch it. A strip of plastic was laid down first so the adhesive wouldn’t make a mess on our work area. The two pieces were carefully aligned with the 5200 adhesive, then more plastic was put on top. Boards topped with with bricks were used to press the two pieces together. Then we waited several days for the adhesive to set. The adhesive made stitching a lot easier. The Consew industrial sewing machine was loaded with Gortex thread, which doesn’t deteriorate from UV light. This means that we won’t have to restitch it after a few years. Carol stitched each of the seven webs that overlapped (see the red arrows at the top and bottom row of stitching).

Tramp Edging with Stamoid binding

The tramp was folded over along the edge, using an outline we had made from the old tramp. The outline also matched the plans that we found online. The two sides bow slightly in the plans, but there is so little curve that the tramp can be built with straight sides. The edge overlap is covered with Stamoid cloth and several rows of stitching.

Tramp Edge Detail, Top Side

The edging was done much like that of the Lagoon we saw. There was some discussion about what type of bolt rope to use and its diameter, before settling on 3/8 inch three-strand twist. It is easy to splice and would work well for our purpose.

The tramp was tied to the bows and beam with 1/4 inch dacron line. It is important that the stitching have two lines at each corner and in the middle of each side so that if any single line breaks, the tramp integrity keeps crew members aboard.

Completed Tramp

An unexpected benefit is that the tramp is much quieter than with the grommets. It is more stable and less bouncy. This was another great sewing project by Carol.

Terry And the T.P. Adventure

As anyone on a boat knows, heads are mostly VERY small. They also have minimal storage. So, Terry was thinking.... Those of us who know Terry understand that it means he has thought of something we could do to improve LUX. In this case, he was thinking about toilet paper- specifically, how we could store it on LUX.

Most homes have space under the sink to store the extra toilet paper rolls. This is not the case on our boat. The only storage is on top of the towel bar.

As you can see, the towels do not like to share. Plus, you hang them on the rack to dry- meaning that they are not going to be friendly to toilet paper! We needed a better solution. 

I turned to my trusty advisor- the web. I searched for toilet paper holders. Wow! There are LOTS of them out there. One of my favorites was toilet paper hung on a string with a stick at the end. But, it dawned on me that there was a much easier way to do it. All I had to do was think about the storage bags people make to keep those pesky grocery bags at hand. Same idea. Different contents.

I got busy measuring toilet paper. Here is a picture of my worksheet. 

I agree that it is not the best diagram ever, but it was my working diagram. The toilet paper had a circumference of 16 inches. 17 inches gave me room to sew. Four rolls of toilet paper needed about 19 inches. 1 extra inch was added for differences in brands. An extra 6 inches was added for the top and bottom. For fabric, I used the material left over from making the fish curtains for the portals in the heads! Yes, matching fabric! Not only did I get cute fish fabric, but the fabric is actually a fabric shower curtain. That gives the project some protection against moisture, mold and mildew. Clever, huh?

Just like those grocery bag holders, I was making a tube open on the top and the bottom. The top could remain open. The bottom would need a drawstring and a toggle. On a grocery bag holder, you just need enough room to pull out the bags- and those bags can really be squished down. That is so not a good plan with toilet paper on a boat. You really want to make sure the toilet paper stays where it belongs and in its original shape! There is no place on a boat for free range or squished t.p. So, I decided the best plan would be to make a casing on the bottom with a toggle. To do this, I fell back on an old standard- grosgrain ribbon.

I finished each end of the ribbon with Fray Check. And, I sewed them down- leaving room for the final seam on the side. As you can see in the picture, I also folded over the hems twice, and sewed them down. Both times, I used quarter inch seams. The final sewing step was to serge the long side.

When it came to the pull strings, I went for recycling. We have a collection of badge holders from various conferences. All of them were the kind with a string to hang the badge around your neck- meaning the ends were finished. I saved the bage holders that were still in good shape, and I took the strings for this project!

The final step in the assembly was to put two grommets it the top section so I could hang the bags in the heads.

The picture clearly shows the grommets and the shower curtain rings that I am using to attach the bag to the rails of the towel holders in the heads. I could have just used one ring through both grommets, but I wanted to try it like this the first time.

And now- a look at the completed project in action.

I had originally thought to put the toilet paper in at the top and take it out the bottom. However, once it was installed, it was just easier to do both through the cinched bottom.

You just loosen the toggle, and toilet paper easily goes in or out! This is a fun, easy, and fast project that really does solve a storage problem on our boat. And, if you keep up with it, no one need wonder where the extra toilet paper is in the middle of the night!!😉

Staying Warm When It's Cold, Rainy, and Windy - Cockpit Enclosure

Old Helm Enclosure

We've been taking LUX south for the winter, going from Annapolis to the Bahamas in the fall. LUX came equipped with a badly weathered "dodger", which was actually a vinyl insert that installed between the cabin top and the hard top. It allows the helmsperson to see out while being somewhat protected from wind and rain. It didn't cover the helm position very well.

The First Enclosure

For our first trip, Carol created a simple vinyl shield that provided some protection to the helm. It only encompassed the starboard side of the cockpit area, so its primary purpose was to break the wind (i.e. reduce wind chill) and to help keep us dry from driving rain or spray. It used all the existing track and screw holes. Some screws were replaced with screw snaps.

Old Helm Enclosure - From the Inside

One of the enhancements that Mike did at the last minute was to replace the yellowed vinyl of the old dodger with Lexan from Home Depot. It significantly improved visibility. We really appreciated the improved visibility when running down the Chesapeake at night and when negotiating the ICW while it was windy and rainy. The addition to the stbd side of the dodger was especially effective and we kept it in place even after we found warm weather and removed the side panel.

The side panel used snaps mounted on the hard-top sliding panel, making it easy to quickly open the slider for improved visibility. The top part of the panel outboard of the helm seat was Lexan, for visibility, while the bottom part was vinyl. The panel aft of the helm seat was vinyl and zippered to the sun shade. (See Old Helm Enclosure - From the Inside.) The panel at the helm could tie back when the weather became warm during the middle of the day. While not pretty, it was functional and provided good visibility.

The New and Improved Enclosure

We wanted something better. Pictures of the enclosures on other boats made us envious. We also wanted to use the panel templates to make screens, allowing us to use the cockpit area as a sun room or a screened porch.

Carol and Mike did research and ordered the parts to create a full cockpit enclosure. They used the template process described in the SailRite video on creating enclosures. The sewing machine was an old Consew straight-stitch acquired from Mike's brother, who runs a canvas shop. Carol has been sewing since childhood and decided that this would be an interesting exercise and extend her knowledge and sewing skills. Design and construction took about a month and materials were about $2000.

There were several key goals in making our own enclosure:

1. Use as much of the existing track hardware as possible.
2. Provide easy access to the winches and stoppers at the helm station so that we could sail with the enclosure in place.
3. Allow the hardtop slider to be quickly opened and closed.
4. Easy access to the side deck beside the helm station in the case that someone needed to quickly go forward.
5. Roll-up doorway in the walkway to the aft deck.
6. Allow access to the storage area under the aft cockpit seat (the liferaft storage area).
7. Keep the hand-holds on the aft hardtop support struts available for use.

Carol and Mike decided to use Makrolon (a polycarbonate with excellent visibility characteristics). The cloth parts were done with Stamoid, which is a vinyl covered cloth. (See Sunbrella vs Stamoid vs WeatherMAX, vs Coatguard vs Recacril.) Gortex thread was chosen; if we're going to spend this much time and money on an enclosure, let's not skimp on the thread.

Extreme Sewing

Heating Makrolon While Sewing

The sewing started with a problem. The thread was melting when sewing the Stamoid to the Makrolon. Enter the realm of Extreme Sewing. After some experimentation, they found that heating the Makrolon prior to sewing would allow the needle to penetrate without generating enough heat to melt the thread. The sewing took a slow and deliberate pace as a section was heated and slowly sewn. The process requires care to prevent overheating the Makrolon. In retrospect, they think that a thinner gauge of Makrolon may have been better.

Winch Access

The design around the helm was particularly challenging. We wanted something that allowed us to sail with the enclosure in place, requiring access to the winches, winch handles, and stoppers. The whole panel unzips, allowing quick access to the side deck if we have to quickly go forward.

The red line in the photo is the jib furling line. The lower part of the panel must be unzipped in order to bring it to a winch. The lower part of the panel is vinyl while the upper part is Makrolon.

Stopper Access

The stopper access is provided by another panel that incorporates both vinyl and Makrolon. There is a rectangular cutout in the Makrolon into which vinyl is sewn across the top. This forms a vinyl flap that allows our hand to reach out to the stoppers while providing water protection. The stitching is not in a very good place - it falls right into the line of sight for crab-pot-float-watch. We're discussing options for changing it. Fortunately, this is a small panel and we can try several different things to see what works best. This panel stays up all the time, just like the dodger panel to its left.

Helm Zig-Zag

The hardtop has an interesting zig-zag at the helm sliding top. Carol and Mike came up with a great design to handle it.

Hand-Holds Are Accessible

The hand-hold on the hardtop support also needed to be exposed, which was a big item on our safety list. You can see how the side panels slides into the track that the side sun shades use. There are zippers at the top of the panels, allowing us to change to bug screens and to include the side sun shades that expand out to the lifelines.

Hand-Hold Interior Strap

A velcro strap holds the enclosure in place around the hand-hold on the hard-top support.

Aft Seat Locker Access

Access to the aft seat locker (Liferaft locker) is also accommodated. Unzip the two panels that connect to the locker, including the zipper between the two panels, reach between the panels for the seatback support 'handle', then lift the seat.

Port Side Panels

Aft Panel

The port side panels keep the rain water out. The runoff from the hard top used to come down next to the seat, making it a wet place to sit. It is now "dry and comfy".

The aft panels fit very nicely. The Makrolon is almost like looking through glass. We can't roll them up, but with the zippers all the way around, it is easy to unzip a panel and stow it. Mike & Carol used an old sail to build a storage bin in the forward v-berth area to store all the panels.

Here is Carol, adjusting the fit of a panel.

Fitting a Panel

Working With Dodger Template

Carol used the SailRite recommendations for building templates. Here she is, working from the Dodger template to make a new dodger, the panel that runs across the front, connecting the cabin top to the hard-top.

Finally, here is the enclosure during final fitting, just before adding snaps. The vinyl door is zippered on both sides and across the top. It can be easily removed or unzip the sides and rolled up. On our trip south, it was just like sitting in a sun room. Sometimes we had to remove the rear panels to cool off.

Enclosure Fitting

The next project is to make bug screen panels to transform our sunroom into a screened back porch.

  -Terry

Hey! A Little Privacy Here, Please!

If you have been following along, you already know about Carol's elegant solution for screens in the head. They work great! But, if you know the crew of the LUX, you'll know that there's always an added twist. We always have to push it out a little further. And so, here's the tale of the upgrade for the screens in the head.

If you've ever spent time in a marina, you know that the portals in the head(s) are always placed in just the right location so that the casual passer by can have a peak into the head. This can occur at any time, including those times when a crew member might want a little privacy. So, we needed a solution for that! We needed a privacy curtain.

That's the easy answer. What makes it complicated is the environment where that privacy curtain must live. It's the DOUBLY wet marine environment. Our answer was to create a privacy curtain out of a shower curtain! Why? A shower curtain is already made to resist mold and mildew. It is also thin.

Our plan was to create a curtain the exact size of the screen. 

The first step was to fussy cut a shower curtain into the correct shape. Why fussy cut? Well, the shower curtain came covered with fish! We certainly wanted a cute scene with fish rather than just the blue or the seaweed!

Next, the new privacy curtain had to have the edges bound.

Then, the screen had to have Velcro attached to the side facing into the head - where we would attach the new privacy curtain. That Velcro piece would be the loop side. We did that so the edge of the screen would not scratch you if the privacy curtain was not up.

Finally, the hook side of the Velcro had to be attached to the new privacy curtain.

You probably have noticed that the bottom of the privacy curtain does not have Velcro on it. That's because we still wanted air to come in. This allows the 

privacy curtain to flap in the breeze!

Once again, we have a low budget fix. Granted, many boat people will not be impressed because their boats came with built in screens. But, I bet those screens don't have cute fish on them!

A Successful Screening

LUX is a wonderful Leopard catamaran. We rarely find things we would consider negative. Of course, all of that changes when you actually have to order parts. As you might have noticed in the blog, we tend to do both repairs and upgrades more than regularly. So, we have a lot of experience with 'authentic' parts, pieces, and units. In most cases, the parts are truly just wear related. But, sometimes you come across something that just makes you wonder. Seriously, did they make that part in that way just so you would have to replace it over and over and over....

Such is the case of the screens on LUX. The manufacturer's model is a delicate little thing with flexible plastic edges. You are supposed to just 'pop' it in. So far, I have managed to 'pop' 2 screens in...and on through into the water. No big deal, you think. Then, you find out what the replacement cost is. 😱

Yes, the cost is high enough to make you cry, "Oh No! A little screen can't cost that much!" Oh yes, it can. We have replaced a few screens, but we've also spent time thinking up easier and less expensive ideas. Luckily, we have Carol the sewist on our team! And, we had the perfect place to start. On any boat, I am willing to bet that the portal that gets opened and stays open the most would be the one in the head. That, at least, is true for LUX. And, as a result, it's the screens for the portals in the heads (yes,we do have two heads on this boat) that have most often found their way overboard. 

Carol's solution is elegant in its simplicity, and it uses our favorite product- Velcro. Carol first drafted a pattern of the portal opening with the hatch fully raised. She cut plastic screening to size, and she used ribbon to bind the edges.

She applied the loop portion of the Velcro to the sides of the portal. 

She applied the hook portion of the Velcro to the screen.

And, voila! A screen for the head that did not cost an arm and a leg!

Portal Shades for the Berths

On previous trips, we've spent some time pondering how to keep the cabins as cool as possible. The hatches all have built in screens and shades that are connected.  During the heat of the day, it is possible to adjust it so that it is part shade and part screen. Keeping out some of the sun makes it cooler.

But, the side portals didn't have any shades. Newer boats have built it adjustable shades. LUX was not so lucky. During the heat of the day, traveling at just the right angle allows the sun to come in the side portal and nicely heat up the cabin. Too bad we don't travel in really cold weather, right?

Okay- a little truth in writing here-- last year, we left for the Bahamas at the end of October. Until we reached Florida, it was COLD! And the extra heat from the sun was appreciated. But, on most of our trips, a little more cooling in the cabins would be appreciated.

So, we thought about simple fixes that anyone could easily do. Our answer- blackout shades. But, not just any shades. These had to be easy to take on and take off. They had to be machine washable. They had to be easy to store. Here's our solution:

Yes, it does appear to be just a fabric oval. But, it is attached to the portal! And, it has room darkening qualities as well as insulating qualities.

We started with an oval pattern cut to the measurements of the outside of the portal plus the basic 5/8 inch extra for the seam allowance. Using the pattern, we cut one oval of blue cotton fabric, one of flannel, and one of Roc-Lon, a fabric made for lining curtains to give them the room darkening feature. As you can see, we have embroidery sewing machines. So, we put it to work embroidering our logo on the blue fabric. We then backed it with the flannel (spray fabric adhesive came in handy here) and we quilted the two pieces together. Because it already had some adhesive, we just quilted waves underneath LUX!

Then, we put the quilted piece and the Roc-Lon right sides together, and we sewed them leaving an opening to turn the piece right side out. Finally, we stitched around the entire edge to not only close up our opening, but to give a finished look to the whole piece.

Now, it was on to installation. In case you didn't know this about us, we hate putting holes in the boat. Each time a project requires holes, we have long discussions about the actual necessity of the project. So, we didn't want holes for the portal shades. Our answer- sticky back Velcro.

The first step was to figure out where to put the Velcro on the boat. We only needed small pieces to hold up the top, so we installed those pieces between the hinges.

But, the other side of the project was making sure it was easy to install. So, we sewed Velcro all across the top of our shade on the reverse side where the fabric is Roc-Lon.

No matter where you try to attach the shade, you'll have the appropriate amount of hook Velcro. You don't waste time trying to match up little squares of Velcro.

For the sides, we used more Velcro- again the loop portion.

In all cases we used the loop side of the Velcro on the boat. That way, you couldn't accidentally scratch yourself when the shades are not on the portals.

On the back of the shade, there are corresponding pieces of the hook portion of the Velcro on the sides.

The aft cabins also have a smaller portal. Those needed shades as well. For the port cabin, I used an old piece of quilt.

In all cases, the new shades work well. Because they are lined with felt, they give us a little bit of thermal insulation. The Roc-Lon does double duty. It does work as a room darkening shade. And, because we used a cream color, it helps to reflect the sunlight.

The shades really work. And, they are easy to store. Since they are fabric, you can pull them off and roll them up for storage.

Finally, the best thing about this project was that it was done on a shoestring budget. The blue fabric and the flannel fabric were both left over from earlier projects, as was the quilted piece. The Roc-Lon came from the remnant rack at 50% off. You don't need special fabric. You probably have something at home already. For example, we had actually thought about starting with an old thermal backed drape. But, you could also use an old pillow cover. Or how about that fleece blanket you hate? We love finding fun things to use  with our LUX projects!

Cool Sewing Project: Keeping the Salon Cool

We've looked at some of the expensive Ocean Air shades, but with LUX being in charter service, we wonder how long they will last. So we came up with a simple, inexpensive solution to helping keep the salon cool when the sun is shinning in the forward window. One of the requirements was that we be able to allow viewing through either the upper or lower parts of the windows.

Georgiana acquired several of the fold-up sun shades for cars. Carol created a design for using them. Georgiana sewed two of the shades together and added several additional pieces of elastic to the corners. Carol and Peggy mounted 3M Command Strips so that all four corners and the two sides are supported. This allows us to use an entire shade or to fold it in half to shade on either the upper or lower part of the window.

They make a big difference in reducing the heat gain from the sun. We've not added shades to the side windows, which have an external white mesh that blocks some of the sun. We could make shades for the sides, but haven't found it necessary so far.

  -Terry