GT27 Build (Wes K)

[Bogieman]

Very nice progress

[wkisting]

Thanks all. It's coming along.

For the aft cabin door, I'm thinking a sliding door makes most sense to prevent the need for the door to swing out into the leg-well of the cockpit. Does anyone know of good sliding door kits for that kind of thing? The mounting hardware would need to be marine-friendly. There's just enough room for the ~20" wide door to slide all the way open without running into the face of the cockpit seat on the opposite side, so that would be ideal if it can be made to work.

With so many windows, I'm now thinking I'll only put one roof-mounted Maxx Air fan instead of the two I had planned. If I locate it centrally, it should work great in lieu of a vent hood and bathroom exhaust fan, since it'll be almost directly over the kitchenette and head/shower.

Still have to work out what to do for grab rails on the roof as well. I'm wondering if I should be looking at just a basic hand rail, or some kind of rail/rack system that I can also use to attach solar panels later. Pretty certain I'll mount at least a couple solar panels in the future.

Open to any suggestions or product recommendations...

[wkisting]

Well, after a LONG wait, I finally received 8 very nice 800x500mm dual pane acrylic windows from Anhui Maygood in China. $148 per window plus about $300 shipping (door to door) for a pallet of 8. That's a total cost of $188 per window! Much cheaper than the ~$500+ per window (before shipping!) for any other source of these windows. It was a long, obnoxious process of difficult communication, but ultimately, well worth the hassle, I think.

[Jeff]

Good stuff Wes!!! Jeff

[fallguy1000]

Well, after a LONG wait, I finally received 8 very nice 800x500mm dual pane acrylic windows from Anhui Maygood in China. $148 per window plus about $300 shipping (door to door) for a pallet of 8. That's a total cost of $188 per window! Much cheaper than the ~$500+ per window (before shipping!) for any other source of these windows. It was a long, obnoxious process of difficult communication, but ultimately, well worth the hassle, I think.

Dual pane?

I'd be terrified of seal failures.

Let us know how they look and I am hoping you get lucky on the seals.

[jonnymac]

glad to hear the windows came in! It will be exciting to see them installed. I’ve been jonesin’ for an update.

[BB Sig]

Well, after a LONG wait, I finally received 8 very nice 800x500mm dual pane acrylic windows from Anhui Maygood in China. $148 per window plus about $300 shipping (door to door) for a pallet of 8. That's a total cost of $188 per window! Much cheaper than the ~$500+ per window (before shipping!) for any other source of these windows. It was a long, obnoxious process of difficult communication, but ultimately, well worth the hassle, I think.

Great news! Are they installed yet?! I'm guessing you tested the sample very heavily before placing this order!

[wkisting]

I cut out the 8 holes for the windows today. It's really neat--much brighter inside. The 800x500mm (31.4" x 19.7") size is perfect. I'm glad I went with eight of them, as visibility off each quarter of the cabin will be very good.

I made 8 frames that will get glued on in the coming days. They'll add some strength and provide a solid point for the window frames to clamp onto securely. Should work out well.

Also got the side decks along the cockpits installed, so the exterior is nearly finished except to make some framing for a roof fan, some backing blocks for a handrail on the cabin, some mounting points for cleats, and the usual fairing/sanding. Of course, I still need to make doors and figure out the windshield also. I'm guessing plexiglass may be in short supply and hard to get.

I tried posting pictures but I keep getting "HTTP error" and the pictures won't post.

[Jaysen]

Wes, what method are you using to upload pictures?

[wkisting]

I was just using the typical "Add Attachments" and uploading JPEG files as usual. It didn't work yesterday, but now it seems to be working again...