Coming Home

After four years away, Summer Place was moved from Olympia to Portland, OR in early April and now calls the Columbia River home. We're moored at Salpare Bay Marina in Portland while waiting for a slip at Kalama Marina, located just seven miles from home.
I never thought I'd make a move back to the river but grew weary of the 85 mile drive to Olympia. With the boat located just a few miles from home, afternoon daysails are a possibility along with plenty of wind and numerous close cruising destinations.

We'll see how it goes

Coffee Table

The back corner of the cabin is a great spot to sit for morning coffee so we added this little coffee table. Its also big enough for a laptop computer or a toasted bagel on a plate. Constructed from 1" Afromosia (African Teak), it hinges up for access to the little door where you check the engine oil. It removes completely with a couple of thumb screws for when you want to remove the stair and panel to access the engine room. Horizontal support comes from a stop mounted to the stair. An pin is available to hold the table in the up position while working through the small engine room door.

I was lucky to find a piece of Afromosia that was 15 inches wide allowing the table to be cut as a single piece. For now, no fiddles will be added. That may change later depending on how much junk gets dumped on the floor.

Cockpit Table Extension

One of the first projects completed on SummerPlace was a small cockpit table that could be used while underway. One of the last projects was an extension leaf that allows 2 people to sit at a cockpit dinner table.

The extension is built from 3/4" plywood with a Formica top surface and teak edges. A square base fits closely into the fiddles on the small table and is retained by a screw-in knob. The whole thing removes for stowage in a few seconds. Its kept in the port lazarette in a case custom made by Sandy.

Shoestring Digital Voltmeter

A 2000 watt Honda generator is used on SummerPlace to maintain the batteries while on cruise but the analog panel meter doesn't help much. I wanted a digital meter but a replacement panel mount unit is ~$175 if one can be found to fit. Harbor Freight often has digital voltmeters on sale for three bucks. I wired this one up to a handy spot in the closet.

Now I can watch my batteries charge up without my checking account draining down.

Galley Shelf

There's adequate countertop space on Summer Place as long as you dont want to get into the ice box or bread box. The doors to those spaces also serve as counter top. While preparing meals, you often need to shift things around to pull something out of the refer. It was a juggling act. To help matters, I added a small shelf to gain a few square inches of precious horizontal space.

The shelf is constructed out of 1" thick Afromosia (African Teak) purchased locally. Afromosia is about half the cost of teak and provides a good match of grain and color. The shelf is supported by 2 small hinges and a hook.

Handy

Jarrell Cove Sketches

I took my iPad on a recent cruise to Jarrell Cove. I snapped some photos of intersting boats (including SummerPlace of course!) and drew sketches from them on the iPad. Its an enjoyable activity for a cruise and a good way to strike up conversation with the other boaters. Click on the thumbnails above to see the full-size image on Flickr.

Outboard Motor Bracket

I needed an outboard motor bracket for the 8hp. Tohatsu used on the dink. I found two types to be available, a plastic or teak one that mounts at a rail intersection and costing $40 - $50., and one made by Edson that mounts anyplace the cost just under $300. (gasp!)

Having neither a rail intersection nor $300. to spare, I decided to make my own using Starboard. Total cost from TAP: $11.50 using a scrap of teak and assortment of screws from the junk box. Looks decent IMHO.