Been a little distracted by other recreations lately, but still getting in work on Centaurea. The head is completely rebuilt, painted, plumbed, and ready for action, excepting the part where I’m not in the water yet (!).
Went on to prime and paint the main forward bulkhead, which made a huge difference in making the cabin really feel lighter, brighter, and more airy. Well, at least after the fumes cleared.
Lately I’ve been throwing myself at the metalwork. That old Gulfstar 50 anchor platform has finally fallen prey to my hacksaw/grinder attacks, and given up a fine amount of perfectly pre-bent 1 1/2″ tubing for the boomkin. Of course, fitting the boomkin meant fitting everything else back aft to check clearance issues. DenaliMike helped me get the rudder on, and Owen gave me a hand fitting the windvane steering gear.
The steering gear mounts are horrid! after puzzling and fussing over the arrangement, I’ve decided that it just has to go. As is, it limits the tiller to 3/5 the total range of travel. This means, of course, more painful/expensive welded bits, but I just have to “do it right” the first time.
Been taking time in the evenings to get aquainted with the polisher/buffer, trying to renew the finish on many other external stainless fittings. I’ve just re-polished the chainplates this evening, and I’m still thinking I ought to replace them (at horrid expense), despite the assurances of some metalworking friends that they’re good enough as is.
DenaliMike, a little bored, and with his own boat largely complete and sailing, has offered to lend a hand with the deck and cabinhouse painting, so the plan is to have those parts sanded, primed, and with two coats on the margins this weekend. Maybe even a first coat of non-skid too…

Little things… Got the last coat of paint applied in the head and hanging locker area aboard Centaurea this weekend. This Sunday afternoon, the paint barely dry, I got inspired and installed the head, vented loop, and all the discharge lines.
The head looks great with the fresh paint! The heights of the molded-in head baseplate pads I made are perfect for a comfortble sitting position, but I’ll probably have to give up on the deck prism idea; my head is just too close to the proposed location.
However, I may just bite the bullet and go ahead and build a pair of Dorade boxes abreast the mast, one venting into the head. This is a good idea in many ways, but I’d been resisting it because I really like the smooth flush deck forward of the low, short cabinhouse. The Dorades would dispupt this clean line.
Who am I kidding? With the liferaft on deck between the cabin and mast, and with the Dorades neatly in line with the mast anyways, I probably won’t lose anything visually anyways. Ah, but there looms the lippery slope… First Dorades, then guards for the cowls, then might as well go ahead with mast-pulpit “sissybars”…
But for this weekend, just paint fumes, and a great, simple, streamlined head install… that I can’t use! I can’t wait to get in the water!

Well, the real progress with the boat this week has been in getting the backlog of information and pictures posted here and on the sub-pages. I’ll be trying a little harder to keep up with my boat-project-related posts on the pages rather than here in the regular blogstream. I’ve been greatly inspired to do so by the real lack of L32-related info online, and am trying to fill the void a little.

Been getting a little work done on the boat most evenings lately. After a swim in the ocean and a dinner break, I’ve been getting back into the shop, if just for an hour or so. Lately, Work has been coming along really nicely on the four new cockpit seats/locker lids.
Only three of the new lids will be hinged. Just as well, as there where only just enough of the “perfect” hinges left at the chandlery for three opening lids.
I swear, epoxy, fiberglass, and plywood is coming out my pores.