Deck box

April, 2017
Building the box

One of Alan’s priorities for this year is to build another instrument box for the cockpit to keep the new depth gage and compass dry.  He build the first one last year and it works really well so now he wants to expand it to the other side of the deck.  Weeks were spent on the design but finally he was satisfied and ready to buy the wood.  Last year we had called the local lumber year which is also a cabinet shop and told them wheat we needed.  When we went to pick it up there was a lot of paperwork but not a problem.  This time when we showed up they would not sell us any wood.  It was a holiday.  The manager was not there.  They needed paperwork.  No matter what we said, there were no pieces of wood for sale.  Very strange.  We finally decided to enlist the help of a local.  He look the measurements, made some phone calls and over a week later our wood arrived, cut to order.  It actually came from the same shop that had refused to sell to us.   We found out later that this is the modus operand in Fiji.  Lumber yards stock logs and when you need lumber you call with the measurements and they cut it to order.  Apparently you can also buy a pallet of scraps but that is not going to work for us.   Sort  of puts a damper on the DIY business.  This might also explain why Fijian houses never seem quite finished.

Figuring and measuring and sanding and varnishing took weeks but the new box is finished and the instruments are mounted and wired in.  It is beautiful and practical and blends in perfectly with the design of Rhapsody.  The wind gage and depth gage are at eye level where I can see them easily and there is an adjustable bracket for the iPad.

The cover did not turn out so well.  The current box has a sunbrella cover which wraps around, protects the varnish and keeps it dry when the weather gets stormy. But the shape of the new box makes a cover very difficult.  Eventually, with the use of a lot of velcro I came up with something.  It is not elegant and flaps around when there is heavy wind but it does keep everything dry which is the point after all.  I have six months to fiddle with it before we leave for Hawaii.