Boat Construction Update 5 – Lots to do…

Lots of people have been suspicious looking at the pictures. Kosmos looks pretty done, yet we say we will be taking possession in May. They even see the boat happily driving along in one picture. What could there possibly be left to do? People wonder if they are holding our boat hostage or something. Shall we swoop in with swords and pirate hats to take the boat right now? Calm down, here is some picture proof there is more to do.

First of all, there is lots of outside rigging yet to be done.. This includes the mast, smokestack, paravanes, and boom.  Let us look at Kosmos vs. a done boat:

Kosmos 2006-03-12 14-17-05_0030_resize.JPG vs. done 2005-12-30 11-23-56_0094-resize.JPG

The anchor and rollers need to be installed as seen here:

2006-03-12 14-15-46_0025_resize.JPG 2006-03-12 14-15-56_0026_resize.JPG

But that is not all.  There are more items to be installed, that include generator bypass switch, battery monitor, outdoor mesh window covers, storm plate covers for salon windows, mid stateroom mattress, antennas, wind gauge, and a few things we are still deciding on to install now, later, or maybe never.

Then there is testing. Lots of testing. The boat has an amazing abundance of wires, hoses, tubes, values, pumps, and switches.  For example AC power, DC power, diesel fuel, lighting, hydraulic steering, hydraulic stabilization, fresh water, grey water (sinks and showers), black water (toilets), and salt water (deck wash down as well as cooling loops for generator, wing engine, and air conditioning). And do not forget there are 3 diesel systems aboard which are main propulsion, wing propulsion, and electric generator.

Yep, it all adds up. And yes, it is hard, but very necessary, to be patient as everything is worked on. There has been progress since our last update.  The bottom paint has been completed:

2006-03-11 10-58-36_0016_resize.JPG 

Kosmos does stand out in a crowd, at least we think so.

2006-03-12 15-12-02_0036_resize.JPG 2006-03-12 15-11-19_0035_resize.JPG 

And finally here we are happy that the boat is making progress. Stay tuned.

2006-03-11 10-58-22_0015_resize.JPG

10 thoughts on “Boat Construction Update 5 – Lots to do…

  1. Hi Christi and Eric,
    nice to see so much pictures about your motor yacht.
    Why does it is so important, that the NH must have paravanes and or stabilizers? I know the funktions and understand both of them, but I never have seen paravanes in the Northsea, Balticsea, Biscaya etc.; also, you never will find fishing boats with paravanes in our area? Is this a part of the hull from NH? Is this a question from the main focus ( I mean weight under water to weight over water?)
    What are the comments from PAE?
    Best regards
    Peter

  2. Nice work!!!
    I bet you are anxious!!
    Make sure you do a thorough job of vacuuming the hidden areas, it will save you some hassles later.

    Bob J

  3. Good questions Peter. The way I understand it stabilization (active fin or paravane) is all about long range comfort. You can live without it. But a certain roll period, the kind found on many full displacement boats, will irritate humans to various degrees. It can manifest as light fatigue or can be debilitating motion sickness in certain conditions. Even light fatigue can add up over several days. The general consensus from PAE and many Nordhavn owners we have talked to is stabilization is worth its weight in gold on long passages to keep the crew healthy and happy.

    I am aware that some hull designs roll more than others. Full displacement mono-hull boats with reasonable proportions are going to have some rolling issues. I do not think there is anything particular about Nordhavn’s hulls when it comes to roll compared to similar designs. It becomes more of a question of tolerance and intended use.

    The active fins are the single most expensive system on Kosmos, and it was one of our hardest choices. When they work they work really well. By many accounts they provide almost a magical level of comfort. A simple switch in the pilothouse turns them on, meaning no need to go outside to setup anything. And there are no depth requirements to use them. All that magic comes at a price. First there is cost to install, but then there is the overall complexity. They can break in some potentially dangerous ways. People say the active fins are the hardest working system on the boat; especially in conditions when you want some comfort the most.

    The paravanes are the backup comfort system and a bit more. They also are useful as flopper stoppers at anchor. We did not want to sacrifice comfort on our trip while a potentially long repair process takes place on our active fin system, hence paravanes seemed like a good choice.

    Paravanes have to be part of the design the boat. The design impact has some tradeoffs that many builders probably do not want to make. For most people the active fins are probably enough. That would be my guess why many boats do not have paravanes.

  4. Looks as though you have taken on quite a project Eric. I am more of a landlubber as they say. In any case good luck.

    A friend of mine is currently restoring a boat down at the MCRD docks. He spent about a $10,000 for a new diesel engine. Not sure why since those engines are designed to be rebuilt unless the block was warped or cracked..

    Later

    Randy

  5. Hi Randy! Good to hear from you. Yes indeed, the Kosmos is quite a project. A little more hands on than writing code. 🙂

    Properly maintained diesels can last practically last forever. However it is possible to have issues with them for various reasons if they are abused too much. Sometimes it is nice to get new, and we certainly leaned that way when it came to getting a boat. Now just lots of testing and shakedown to make sure everything is performing well.

  6. It looks as though your boat is docked near Shelter Island…?? I live fairly close in Point Loma. Have fun with your project.

  7. Currently the boat is in Dana Point while construction continues. Hopefully we will have in San Diego in September, and it might be on Shelter Island. You will have to check it out.

  8. Ok send me a email when you get the boat back.
    Sounds like a long ways to get boat work done, considering how many shipyards there are in San Diego. If you need some marine paint email me A friend of mine works at Pro-Line (div of sherwiin Williams) and I can probably get you a deal.

    When you at Shelter Island check out the Brigantine during happy hour. They have some of the best deals on happy hour bar food in SD.

    Later Randy

  9. Actually “back” is not quite the right word. We have never had possession of the boat yet. It is brand new. The construction is being completed by the builder, and their facilities are in Dana Point.

    Thanks for the offer on the paint, hopefully we will not need any for a while.

    Good info on the Brigantine.

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