Birdwatcher-2 Finishing Details
Birdwatcher-2 Sailboat, designed by Phil Bolger
While constructing the structural parts of a boat, such as the hull or mast, I try to imagine all the possible ways that failure might occur. This puts the empasis on function, a spirit that goes back to ancient times in boat building. In contrast, the finishing details, functional as they might be, allow one to play with ideas and materials, mixing in some aesthetic elements! This can be fun, and a welcome change from the structural approach. This page shows some of these parts of the boat. I anticipate that many more items are to come, making the boat more organized, and things easier to find, hopefully!
The aft wet locker is accessed from the deck. The hatch cover overlaps the raised lip of the locker.
The "slot" covers can be seen with the aft access cover folded back. The two small doors can be opened with the companionway hatch closed. More clear polycarbonate, of course.
The two flag poles were made functional. The starboard side carries a flag and the stern 135 degree white light on top. The port side has a built-in VHF antenna "groumd plane", with a 17-inch whip out the top. I am concerned that these poles might look very handy in a docking "event." They may be strong enough to serve that role, but I'm not sure!
The forward area has 6 water bottles, a 27 size battery and the potty. The water and battery are ballast, since the mast and center board are off center. When a water bottle is used up, it will be temporarily filled with whatever water is available. Janet made a set of curtains for the forward and center compartments. The forward two curtains are seen in place here. They all attach with Velcro and are easy to put up or take down.
The starboard side has the compass, away from magnetic devices.
The port side has the mini-nav station. The VHF radio, GPS and depth sounder are all here. The depth transducer is inside the station box, with the bottom thinned in that area. A sealed box holds the transducer, and is filled part way with mineral oil, to transmit the acoustic signal. All wiring terminates here with terminal strips, 6 fuses and the 8 switches. The log book has a holder on the side of the station. The small shelf below the radio folds up to make more room and also forms a cover for the electronic gear.
An addition in 2010 was this mini-galley. It does not include any cooking facility, as that is generally done on deck. But, this area has running water! A single gallon plastic bottle is changeable from a removable panel. This supplies water to the hand pump. A second bottle catches the gray water from a sheet copper sink. Two drawers provide stowage for cooking items. The slanted area on the side of the boat is a garbage compartment, accessed by a top cover.
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This was last revised 20 Aug 2016. Bob Larkin, Corvallis, Oregon