Over the last week, I’ve finally gotten rid of the last vestiges of the old nav-station, and gotten in a new one.

I didn’t get into the whole “before” pics thing until partway through the demo, but you can get the idea. The old station featured a small chart table with an even smaller lift-up portion for chart /papers/old dead flashlights/random junk access.

As well, the old nav-station was almost entirely incompatible with the new quarterberth area layout. Oh yes, and it was ugly.

The old electrical centre was a mess; weird old ceramic fuse-holders, poor access, disorganized wiring, and taking up a huge amount of volume for a relatively small amount of wiring. The new panel is still uber-simple; eschewing the usual $400+ breaker panel, I installed a pair of $21 6-circuit switched fuse panels into the new electrical box door.

The new chart table is slanted… This configuration is largely a matter of personal preference. To favour it in my eyes, the slanted top allows: greater internal storage volume, a slightly larger surface for the area footprint, and easier working, as the top of the chart is closer to the eyes/hands than on a flat table.

A large fiddle at the bottom keeps charts/pencils/rules/loose screws from sliding off, and a fiddle at the top forms a trough for the other usual nav-station effluvia: broken elastic bands, flashlights, pens, cockroach bait tablets, etc.

You’ll also notice an additional access panel in the deck of the storage space. This leads to a previously-inaccessible area behind the drawers. A really large space, at that, large enough for an inverter/charger or additional battery, or maybe just a couple reserve cases of Red Bull… Never too many storage nooks’n’crannies on a boat.

On the to-do list, I’m still wiring, and the bare wood needs a little oil to accent my lousy sanding, which will in turn distract the eye from the even lousier paintjob. Oh, and I guess a few skullskate stickers to jazz it up a bit…
As usual, click through for a closer look.