Pilot Berth Conversion

Tortuga's Lie · **Joined:** 27 Oct 2006 10:32 **Posts:** 827

On another thread somewhere on the forum, I talked about the start of my conversion of the pilot berth, I am thinking it was in the introduction section. Anyway, I have finally finished making sawdust and can show some pics. This project started with the idea that I wanted A/C in the boat to cool down our Chesapeake summers and to supply the heat during the winter months. The foot of the pilot berth became the location for the unit and since it was centrally located, I could easily run the ductwork forward and aft without too much in the way.

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File comment: Before surgery

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File comment: After cutting back the platform 5 inches

Starboard renovation and Swans Nov 11 021.jpg [ 2.07 MB | Viewed 0 times ]

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File comment: Shot of the ductwork

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File comment: Shot of the unit with removable panel

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Tortuga's Lie · **Joined:** 27 Oct 2006 10:32 **Posts:** 827

Here's some more pics: Sorry about the grainy images. If you click to open each image, the clarity is much better

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Tortuga's Lie · **Joined:** 27 Oct 2006 10:32 **Posts:** 827

You'll notice that I built a new louvered door at the forward end of the cabinet. This serves as the air return to the unit and allows easy access to it as well. I also have a removable panel that accesses the electrical connections and the circuitry of the unit as well as the chainplates, which is shown in one of the above pics. Just like the rest of the factory installed cabinetry, my unit is modular and I can remove the entire unit in just a few minutes by removing 6 bolts, plus the removable panel. This allows access to the wring, ductwork, stanchion bases and hull-deck bolts. I used all teak for the solid wood components and white melamine faced marine plywood for the carcass of the shelf unit which is similar to what Tartan used. I tried to stay true to the design philosophy of the boat with the exception of the arched top raised paneled doors.
Tom

Ardea · **Joined:** 19 Mar 2007 16:40 **Posts:** 195

That's quite a project. It's hard to make a wood working project look really great. It's even harder to come up with a great looking design for a project. Looks like you hit two home runs on this one. Cheers

Congratulations!

Timshel · **Joined:** 29 Dec 2010 10:24 **Posts:** 191

Very nice,it blends in nicely with the original work. I am currently mounting two Alpenglow LED's in the cabin top,one over the galley and the other over the table,the are a bit 'spendy' but very nicely made.

Down2TheC · **Posted:** 13 Sep 2012 02:58

Off Topic... Did you put in that wall behind the pilot birth in the "before" shot? It looks great and I have to replace my OEM wall due to a leaky stanchion. Can't quite tell if it's individual slats of wood or a paneling type deal.

Tortuga's Lie · **Joined:** 27 Oct 2006 10:32 **Posts:** 827

Down2TheC wrote:

Off Topic... Did you put in that wall behind the pilot birth in the "before" shot? It looks great and I have to replace my OEM wall due to a leaky stanchion. Can't quite tell if it's individual slats of wood or a paneling type deal.

Yes, that is a wall treatment I did many years ago to replace the bland birch plywood that Tartan used on mine. I know that some 37's had teak ply but ours is (was) birch that a previous owner had used Watco oil on it and it was just plain dirty looking.
For the wall treatment, I stripped off the existing ply and ground off the epoxy putty Tartan used to adhere the ply with, Then I fiberglassed 5/8" wooden slats vertically to the outer hull every 16 to 18" +/-. Then I used rigid 1/2" insulation board between the vertical slats to help out on those cool mornings and to reduce the heat gain in the summer. For the horizontal strips, I made those from ash. I planed them to 3/8" thick (resaw from 1" stock) and ripped them to a 2" width then ran a rabbet joint on the edges creating a ship-lap joint. I fastened the strips to the slats using 3/4" pan head stainless screws. I can remove any individual strip if needed because of the nature of the ship-lap joint.
I also applied the same treatment to the vee-berth and the quarter berth. My wife was a little dismayed at first when I covered up all of that ash in the pilot berth, but now that she sees the final product, she's very happy with it. I told her it was a small sacrifice for the air conditioner..............again, she was very happy when it started to hit 95 degrees + Boat Drinks

Tortuga's Lie · **Joined:** 27 Oct 2006 10:32 **Posts:** 827

Ardea wrote:

That's quite a project. It's hard to make a wood working project look really great. It's even harder to come up with a great looking design for a project. Looks like you hit two home runs on this one. Cheers

Congratulations!

Thanks! Once I get my camera fixed, I can take a set of more clear pics, those are from my cell phone and the setting wasn't quite right.

Tortuga's Lie · **Joined:** 27 Oct 2006 10:32 **Posts:** 827

I finally broke down and got a new camera, so here's a better image that's not so grainy

Tortuga's Lie · **Joined:** 27 Oct 2006 10:32 **Posts:** 827

I finally broke down and got a new camera, so here's a couple of better images that aren't so grainy

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Pilot Berth Conversion

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