R Aft Head

Guest Head Aft - The toilet in the aft guest head had been removed and much of the floor covering torn out. The mirror and light fixtures were also gone. The head was being used to store assorted wood molding and personal flotation devices.

Everything that was not fastened down was removed. Next came the initial cleaning and then a detailed inspection.

Guest Head Aft ~ Forward Bulkhead - The open deck seams and loose deck fittings caused rainwater to leak down into the sub decking and cabins below. The leaking rainwater caused the wood to rot and develop mold and mildew on the walls and overhead.

The forward part of the common wall between the aft guest head and the saloon was soft to the touch. Opening a hole in the wall revealed that the wall was being held together by it’s many layers of paint and that the wood was wet and spongy.

Guest Head Aft ~ Forward Bulkhead - The repair work began by removing the bottom molding on the doorway that leads from the controls station down into the saloon. The portion of the wall that was visible in the saloon was covered with a 1/4” Luan skin. Removing the Luan showed that the wall had been patched several times. A thorough inspection revealed that the the top outside half of the wall was delaminated and rotting. The deconstruction continued with the removal of the mahogany skirt board attached to the inside of the starboard side – aft, saloon window. This showed that the end of that plank was rotting. Additionally, the end of the deck carlin was not supported, attached or tied-in to anything, just floating free.

It was also discovered that deck beam that the top of the common wall attached to had previously been repaired. The repaired piece was attached with a simple 45° No glue, no screws, it was held in place by being fastened to the common wall which meant that the repair provided no structural support whatsoever. Last, the deconstruction exposed that the starboard bilge blower was fitted to the upper hull but the hose that was attached to the blower was not fitted into the engine room. It was just resting on top of the saloon decking.

Guest Head Aft ~ Lower Cabinet - The hull frames, seam battens and planks were scraped and vacuumed. Even though it would not be seen all the inside planking, seam battens and hull frames were cleaned with a mixture of water, TSP and bleach. In order to present a clean neat appearance, any unused brackets, screws, plumbing or wiring was removed. Any protruding screws were cut off.

In preparation for the finish paint, two coats of Interlux – Pre-Kote White primer were rolled and tipped using a 1/8� nap foam roller and a 2" foam brush. After each coat had dried, the paint was smoothed with 220-grit sandpaper. The primed wood was then rolled and tipped using a 1/8� nap foam roller and a 2" foam brush with two coats of Interlux Brightside - White. After the first coat had dried, the paint was smoothed with 220-grit sandpaper. Before final painting, the wood was vacuumed and then wiped-down with a tack-rag and paint thinner.

The wire and plumbing runs were hanging either loose or randomly clumped together into bundles and clamped together with cable ties of varied sizes and types. In order to present a clean neat appearance, any unused brackets, screws, plumbing or wiring were removed. Any protruding screws were cut off.

Abandoned screw holes were plugged with hardwood dowels. The dowels were buttered with West System 105 / 205 epoxy and then driven into the screw holes. Later the top of the dowels were cut off and the wood sanded smooth with 120-grit sandpaper.

The old cable ties, clamps, mounts and fasteners were removed. The loose wiring was segregated by voltage and type and then the plumbing and wire were neatly dressed with nylon cable clamps. The clamps were fastened using #8 – ½” pan head stainless steel screws.

The insides of the upper and lower cabinets in the head were in poor condition from dry rot and in need of replacement. Given their condition, the decision was made to rebuild the cabinets. The vanity and upper cabinet was originally built by Chris-Craft as separate subassembly. Removing the screws around the inside edges of the cabinets freed them.

Guest Head Aft ~ Upper Cabinet - Using the old cabinets as a template new face panels and counter tops for the lower cabinet was cut from �� mahogany ply. Just like the originals, cutouts were made in the front panels for the sliding doors.

The wood was covered with Almond laminate. Almond was chosen as a neutral contrasting color to the White and mahogany. The mastic was rolled on the wood and laminate and allowed to set-up. Dowels were laid down and the laminate laid on top. The dowels were then removed one at a time and the laminate pressed down with a "J" roller. The edges of the laminate were trimmed using a laminate trimmer with a flush-cutting bit.

New mahogany molding was cut to the standard Chris*Craft size of 1/4" x 1". With the wood rough cut, the molding was dry fitted and pre-drilled for fastening. One edge of the wood was rounded-over with a 1/2" round-over bit. A Dremmel contour sander was used to smooth the rounded edge of the new molding. The front face was faired using 120 and then 220-grit sandpaper producing a clean smooth finish.

The woodwork was painted with the grain with Interlux – #573 C.C. Red Mahogany Wood Filler Stain that had been thinned 50% by volume. After the stain had set-up for approximately 5 minutes the excess was rubbed off against the grain with a cotton towel. After the stain had dried for 24 hours it was rubbed down with a Green (Medium) 3M Scotch-Brite Pad.

The molding was then fastened in place using #16 - 1� brass escutcheon pins.

The molding was painted with three applications of West System 105 / 205 epoxy. The epoxy was thinned 100% by volume with lacquer thinner to the consistency of water. The epoxy was applied with a foam roller and then tipped off with a brush to remove any bubbles. When applied, the diluted mixture soaks into the wood, where the epoxy cures and the solvent evaporates. The process dramatically slows the migration of moisture, but does not act as a "water-proofer." After each application had dried for 24 hours, it was lightly sanded with 120-grit sandpaper. The whited-out epoxy was then vacuumed and wiped-down with a cotton towel and paint thinner.

Guest Head Aft ~ Portlights - The portlights were leaking. In removing the Aluminum portlights, it was interesting to find that the some of the portlights had been bedded and sealed with an assorted mixture of window glazing compound, polysulfide and 3M-5200. It appeared that each layer of goop was applied on top of the previous layer. It was obviously a poor way of sealing the portlight to the hull and flashing. Additionally, over the years, and owners, the type and size of fasteners that were used on the portlights had evolved so that very little was common or standardized. The Aluminum portlights showed years of accumulated paint and corrosion. The decision was made to strip and refinish them.

The old portlight gasket material was removed. A high-speed wire wheel was used to clean the accumulated paint and corrosion from the portlight bolts, nuts, washers and dogs. The front and backsides of the portlights including the aluminum portlight dogs were sprayed with two coats of Rust-Oleum Red Primer. After drying overnight, they were again sprayed with two coats of Rust-Oleum Gloss White Appliance Spray Paint. The bolts, nuts and the inside of the dogs were painted with Never-Seez grease. New gasket was then fitted and secured with contact cement.

The backside of the portlight was heavily coated with 3M-4200 and the portlight inserted into the opening. The portlight was then fastened in place using #14 - 2" stainless steel oval head screws. The screws were lightly screwed in. The following day the screws were tightened down.

Guest Head Aft - Holes were cut in the new vanity counter top for the new basins. The new Scandvik stainless steal basins were then installed and secured in place with 3M 4200. New Series 148 Multi-Purpose PVC 1 �� ID hose was then attached to the basin drain and bronze through-hull fitting. The drain lines were all secured with worm screw marine grade hose clamps.

The hot and cold water feeds to the faucet were made-up using PEX 1/2� OD � 3/8' ID semi rigid Polyethylene tubing and secured with QEST compression fittings. The feeds were taken from the supply lines running along the center line of the boat.

Cabin lighting was supplied by new 12-volt DC overhead florescent light fixture, installed in the center of the overhead. A 110-volt GFCI receptacle with grounded 14 gauges multiple strand wire was installed next.

The top of the upper cabinet was finished by installing a 2 1/2" x 1" Pin-rail. The rail was painted with three applications of West System 105 / 205 epoxy. The epoxy was thinned 100% by volume with lacquer thinner to the consistency of water. The epoxy was applied with a foam roller and then tipped off with a brush to remove any bubbles. When applied, the diluted mixture soaks into the wood, where the epoxy cures and the solvent evaporates. The process dramatically slows the migration of moisture, but does not act as a "water-proofer." After each application had dried for 24 hours, it was lightly sanded with 120-grit sandpaper. The whited-out epoxy was then vacuumed and wiped-down with a cotton towel and paint thinner.

Guest Head Aft ~ Ceiling Boards - Before Chris-Craft began installing headliners they originally installed mahogany ceiling moldings on the outboard edge of the open deck beam ceiling of the below deck cabins. Their objective was to provide a clean look and screen the view of the bolts, nuts and backer plate hardware that secured the many deck stanchions and cleats. Sometime in the past, these skirt boards had been removed in most of the cabins. The decision was made to reinstall overhead moldings wherever they were missing.

Using the few ceiling molding boards that were still onboard as a model, new 3� x �� mahogany moldings were cut. The edges were then rounded over with a �� round-over bit. With the slats cut to length, the wood was smoothed using 120 and then 220-grit sandpaper producing a clean smooth finish.

The woodwork was painted with the grain with Interlux – #573 C.C. Red Mahogany Wood Filler Stain that had been thinned 50% by volume. After the stain had set-up for approximately 5 minutes the excess was rubbed off against the grain with a cotton towel. After the stain had dried for 24 hours it was rubbed down with a Green (Medium) 3M Scotch-Brite Pad.

Using a 1/8" nap foam roller and a 3" foam brush the woodwork was rolled and tipped with six applications of Interlux - #95 - Goldspar Varnish. Before the last coat was applied, the previous coats were block sanded with 220-grit sandpaper then vacuumed and wiped-down with a tack-rag and paint thinner.

Guest Head Aft ~ Ceiling Boards - The overhead outboard ceiling edge molding was fastened to the exposed deck beams using #6 - 1� oval head screws and finish washers. The slats were positioned with 1� spacing in between the two slats and away from the out board edge.

With the help of the Internet, original Kirsch 7000 series Window Treatment Roding Hardware was acquired from auctions.

All of the hardware was soaked in full strength ammonia for a week in order to loosen all of the old paint, stain, varnish and green patina. The parts were then scrubbed with a stiff bristle nylon brush and rinsed clean. The mechanical parts were sprayed with WD40 to lubricate and protect them. All of the hardware was then reinstalled using same size and types of fasteners.

Guest Head Aft ~ Flooring - The previous owner had removed the old sheet vinyl linoleum flooring. After talking to other wooden boaters and flooring installers, the decision was made to install TrafficMaster Allure (Cherry) Vinyl Flooring from Halstead International in the head.

The abandoned screw holes in the floor from the old toilet were drilled out and then plugged with hardwood dowels. The dowels were dipped in West System 105 / 205 epoxy and then driven into the screw holes. Later the top of the dowels were cut off and the wood sanded smooth with 120-grit sandpaper.

Before the installation begins it is important to make sure the floor underneath is smooth and flat. Any tacks, nails and screws were removed. The floor was then sanded-down to remove bumps. Nicks, dings, gaps or uneven sections, etc. were filled with a fairing compound made of West System 105 / 205 epoxy that was thickened with System Three - Phenolic Microballoons. After the fairing compound had cured, the floor was sanded using 120-grit sandpaper, then sweep and vacuum before starting to put down the flooring planks.

Guest Head Aft ~ Flooring - The new flooring was moved aboard the boat two days before the installation began in order to let it acclimate to temperature and humidity levels.

Per the manufacture�s installation guidelines a 1/8� gap was maintained around the perimeter of the floor. 1/2" quarter-round molding was fastened to the wall and not the flooring, so the floor can float.

Guest Head Aft ~ Toilet - The previous owner had removed the old toilet in the Aft Guest Head along with the mirror and lighting fixtures. Since a Sealand VacuFlush sanitation system had previously been installed in the owners head the decision was easily made to install a second VacuFlush toilet in the Aft Guest Head and plumb it in to the existing system. A standard height VacuFlush 5048 White Toilet High Profile was chosen for installation.

The fresh cold water supply feed to the toilet was made-up using PEX 1/2� OD � 3/8' ID semi rigid Polyethylene tubing and corresponding QEST compression fittings. The tubing was routed through the engine room to the back of the toilet. The tubing connects to a QEST Angle Stop Shutoff Valve. The QEST Angle Stop Shutoff Valve is then plumbed into the back of the toilet.