When mounting hardware to or through the newly painted overhead panels there are some things to consider. The main lesson about the handrails was that the mounting pads stuck to the primer paint after they were left up for a few days. When removing the rails later, some paint came off and even some of the plywood separated and tried to stick to the pad. To prevent this I cut sewing pattern paper to match the pads and put them back up for the 2019 cruising season. When I took the rails down this winter a few of the 10 pads still stuck. The handrails are pressed firmly to the panel because they have to support a person's weight. I elected not to cut the panels around the pads for two reasons: 1) it would have been a pain to cut and then make it pretty, 2) the 1/4-inch thickness of the panels would cause my finger joints to come in contact with the panel when using the handrails. The reduced clearance for the grab areas really sealed the deal to mount the rails to the new surface.
I decided to try using felt cloth on the pads. As the time to install the handrails got close I cut the (ten) pieces of felt to fit each pad. The felt is cut a little small because I don't particularly want it to show after the rails are up.
The round pads for the dome lights are similarly equipped with felt "insulation" in a donut shape. This will keep the edges from pressing against the surface. Although the light pads are not held as tightly against the panel I still took this precaution. The three-hole pattern (each with a different spacing) for these pads was inherited from the previous installation on my friend's boat. The light pads are mounted to the panel with 3/4-inch #10 screws. The screws come through the panel from above. The dome lights' mounting holes do not quite match the previously installed fixture, but fortunately the rim covers the old hole pattern. The fixtures are installed with the switch facing the aisle.
The wiring for the lights is 18-2 untinned stranded copper in a stiff outer cover. I found the wire at the local chandlery for $0.42 a foot. The individual wires are red and black which works great for positive and negative polarity which must be observed with the LED "bulbs." I rewired each fixture using this wire. I connected the three salon lights to the cabin light circuit in the left underdeck at the forward end of the salon. I found several trailer type connectors there and eliminated two of them. They were installed properly and not corroded. I left a pair that didn't need to be disturbed for now. The 18-2 wire follows the mast wiring and across the overhead insulation in little cuts I made to try to recess the runs. I terminated two salon light wires with phono plugs and receptacles initially, but have switched to Anderson Powerpoles for the other two and future work. Due to variations in the dome light mounting holes vs. the switch location, each light is labeled and assigned a particular spot.
The cabin circuit wires on the right side of the boat, in the galley area, did not have a good path to follow into the overhead. No bulkheads or hidden existing paths. So, the galley light (right side of boat) was connected to the same circuit in the left salon underdeck, but at a further aft location, at the nav station bulkhead. The run is completely hidden and follows the run across the ceiling with other wires for nav gear.
It's time to go cruising.
I decided to try using felt cloth on the pads. As the time to install the handrails got close I cut the (ten) pieces of felt to fit each pad. The felt is cut a little small because I don't particularly want it to show after the rails are up.
The round pads for the dome lights are similarly equipped with felt "insulation" in a donut shape. This will keep the edges from pressing against the surface. Although the light pads are not held as tightly against the panel I still took this precaution. The three-hole pattern (each with a different spacing) for these pads was inherited from the previous installation on my friend's boat. The light pads are mounted to the panel with 3/4-inch #10 screws. The screws come through the panel from above. The dome lights' mounting holes do not quite match the previously installed fixture, but fortunately the rim covers the old hole pattern. The fixtures are installed with the switch facing the aisle.
The wiring for the lights is 18-2 untinned stranded copper in a stiff outer cover. I found the wire at the local chandlery for $0.42 a foot. The individual wires are red and black which works great for positive and negative polarity which must be observed with the LED "bulbs." I rewired each fixture using this wire. I connected the three salon lights to the cabin light circuit in the left underdeck at the forward end of the salon. I found several trailer type connectors there and eliminated two of them. They were installed properly and not corroded. I left a pair that didn't need to be disturbed for now. The 18-2 wire follows the mast wiring and across the overhead insulation in little cuts I made to try to recess the runs. I terminated two salon light wires with phono plugs and receptacles initially, but have switched to Anderson Powerpoles for the other two and future work. Due to variations in the dome light mounting holes vs. the switch location, each light is labeled and assigned a particular spot.
The cabin circuit wires on the right side of the boat, in the galley area, did not have a good path to follow into the overhead. No bulkheads or hidden existing paths. So, the galley light (right side of boat) was connected to the same circuit in the left salon underdeck, but at a further aft location, at the nav station bulkhead. The run is completely hidden and follows the run across the ceiling with other wires for nav gear.
It's time to go cruising.
