[Rhodes22-list] custom parts?

Thu Sep 18 09:20:37 EDT 2003

Peter,

The below enclosed links are photos of Dynamic Equilibrium's galley.  The
2-burner LPG-fired stove is made by Kenyon.  As you can see, there are
stainless steel heat shields above & to the left of the stove.  The hinged
stainless steel stove lid forms the rear heat shield when it is raised, thus
providing a fire resistant barrier on 3 sides of the stove.  However, you
can also see I made use of varnished teak for the dish holder/paper towel
rack & the hand hold/towel rack.  I am not committed to the use of stainless
steel everywhere.  For example, I made use of plastic for the socket &
filler plate which holds the hot water pump thermos and also for the socket
which holds the LPG tank under the port side cockpit seat.  The result,
although not elegant, is completely functional & enables Dynamic Equilbium
to cruise without resupply for as long as a week.

http://www.rhodes22.org/rhodes/pics/Galley-3.jpg
http://www.rhodes22.org/rhodes/pics/Galley-4.jpg
http://www.rhodes22.org/rhodes/pics/Propane-1.jpg
http://www.rhodes22.org/rhodes/pics/hotwater_1.jpg
http://www.rhodes22.org/rhodes/pics/hotwater_2.jpg

By the way, the teak hand hold/towel rack is thru-bolted thru the half wall
with two 10 24UNC 18/8 SS flat head machine screws.  The "backing plate" is
an identical teak hand hold/towel rack on the forward side of the half wall,
in the head area.  It turns out the 18/8 SS nuts will be drawn right down
into the screw holes in the teak hand hold & become invisible, with nothing
protruding to cut yourself on &/or snag clothing.  The hand hold in the head
area is very handy to facilitate staying on the throne when conditions are
rough!  These hand holds are mounted low for two reasons:

1. My two sons were ages 4 & 1 when I installed them.  They spent a lot of
time down below playing in the
    cabin under sail.  The hand holds are mounted at a height appropriate
for a small, unsteady child.

2. The hand hold in the head is mounted at a height appropriate to give good
leverage for staying in place when
    seated on the toilet.

The following enclosed link is of the stern of Dynamic Equilibrium, showing
the boarding ladder & fixed step.  The boarding ladder is a 3-step
aluminum/plastic model from  Ez-In.  The fixed step is a model 501 000 CHR
chrome plated bronze unit from Perko.  Note the use of 16 gage stainless
steel plate as a "kick plate" behind the ladder.  This plate also spreads
the loads from the steps over an area of the transom which is large enough
to accomodate the forces of a heavy person standing on the steps when the
boat is pitching in a heavy sea.  There are similar sized backing plates in
the lazarette compartment & both the fixed step & the folding step are
thru-bolted.  The transom is relatively thin in this area.  In my
engineering judgement, the transom needed to be reinforced in order to
handle the loads in this application.

http://www.rhodes22.org/rhodes/pics/bimini_room_1.jpg

The picture also shows my custom made stern mast crutch in the up position,
ready for mast raising or lowering.  For trailering, the crutch is lowered
down to the level of the plate on the stern pulpit, which is also custom
made.  The mast is held inside of a padded clamp.  The upper & lower
portions of the clamp open up like the two halves of a connecting rob
bearing on a car engine.  My mast trailering system uses three of these
clamps; at the stern, mast tabernacle, & bow pulpit.  My mast is never going
to come off on the highway!  Yet the system is quick & easy to
assemble/disassemble.  Note the use of a standard off-the-shelf boat trailer
roller on the front of the mast clamp.  This roller facilitates the
transition from the mast being centered in the boat for trailering to hung
way out over the stern ready for raising.  One person can hold the bottom of
the mast & walk with the mast rolling over the roller until the bottom of
the mast is aligned with the mast tabernacle.

The Bimini Room in the above photo is also custom made, starting from an
off-the shelf bimini & bimini mounting hardware.  But, that's another
story...

As you can see, my strategy is take standard off-the-shelf pieces/parts &
use them &/or modify them as required for my needs, as much as possible.  I
only make custom pieces/parts when absolutely necessary.

Thanks for the kind words re my attempt at getting a BSME.  With 17 credit
hours including two 3-hour labs that meet once/week, I'm spending 21
hours/week in class.  Figuring 8 hours/week commutting, 2 study hours/hour
in class - week, & 4 hours/week eating because I am on campus from 10:00 AM
to 10:00 PM; I am spending 21 + 8 + 42 + 4 = 75 hours/week in BSME-related
activities!  We purchased a 30" X 60" folding table & set it up in the
basement as a place for me to study at home.  I purchased a digital camera
to take pictures of experimental setups in the two lab classes in order to
save time by not having to make drawings for the lab reports.  It's been 30+
years since my last Statics, Calculus, or Differential Equations classes.
These skills are coming back slowly.  But, I still refer to my 30 year old
notes from Michigan Tech University for solving some of my homework
problems.  There is some down-time between classes, but not enough to get
the studying completed.  I have no classes on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday &
have been making good use of those 3 days to get in the required study
hours.  I have no life outside of school; but, my attitude is still positive
& I'm commited to seeing this adventure thru to the end.   I'm very tired.
But, so far, I'm keeping up.

Roger Pihlaja
S/V Dynamic Equilibrium

----- Original Message -----
From: "Peter Thorn" <pthorn at nc.rr.com>
To: "The Rhodes 22 mail list" <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
Sent: Thursday, September 18, 2003 7:02 AM
Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] custom parts?

> Roger,
>
> Nice job.  From the pics posted, I think you have the best rails in the
> fleet?  Did you do all the stainless below too?
>
> I too want to wish you best luck on your school adventure.  Seems to me a
> courageous and savy response to a bad turn.  You'll  never be a victim!
>
> PT
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Roger Pihlaja" <cen09402 at centurytel.net>
> To: "The Rhodes 22 mail list" <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, September 17, 2003 11:19 PM
> Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] custom parts?
>
>
> > Todd,
> >
> > My railings are custom made from 3/4" Nominal Diameter, Schedule 40,
316L
> SS
> > pipe.  I bent & MIG welded them myself.  Final polishing took forever!
I
> > never did get them polished up to a mirror finish, settling for a
> "polished
> > satin" finish instead.  The top rail of my railings is 30" above the
deck,
> > which I consider a minimum height for it to function as a "real"
railing.
> > Any lower & they will catch you behind the knees & trip you overboard,
> > actually a safety hazard.  The stanchion bases were milled from a solid
> > billet of 316L SS.  They are thru-bolted with four 1/4 20UNC 18/8 SS
> machine
> > screws per stanchion.  The backing plates for the stanchion mounts were
> made
> > from a pieces of 1/4" thick 304 SS, drilled & tapped for the four 1/4
> 20UNC
> > mahine screws.  I purchased my SS pipe, plate, & bar stock from a metal
> > salvage yard in Russellville, AR in October, 1987 & built the the
railings
> > over the winter of 1987/88.  Cost to duplicate if you had to pay
someone?
> > Oh, probably $3000 - $4000!  Yeah, I know I'm out of control; but, it's
my
> > toy & I just like to build things for it.
> >
> > Roger Pihlaja
> > S/V Dynamic Equilibrium
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Todd Tavares" <sprocket80 at mail.com>
> > To: "The Rhodes 22 mail list" <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> > Sent: Wednesday, September 17, 2003 10:40 PM
> > Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] custom parts?
> >
> >
> > >
> > >      I was looking into putting side rails on my boat like Roger and
(I
> > think) MJM have.  I can not however, find the type of side mount rail
> bases
> > used. Does anyone know where I can get these?  Does Stan have these
> > specially made? Stan?
> > >
> > > Todd
> > >
> > > see attached pics (I hope)
> > > --
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> > >
> > >
> >
> >
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
> --
> > ----
> >
> >
> > > __________________________________________________
> > > Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list
> >
> >
> > __________________________________________________
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>
> __________________________________________________
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>