Preparation and Design Takes Time

Power Train Install: Project Analysis
Power Train Install: Project Analysis

Most tasks require a lot of preparation. Doing the task per se requires little time. A good example is the installation of an engine control panel. A naïve planning strategy would be to think of cutting a hole in the cockpit and then fasten the control panel in the hole. Et voilà!

This is what I had in mind prior to the installation. It is so far from reality. My biggest lesson learned is that it helps to be precise, pragmatic and figure out each aspect of the design. First, cutting any hole through the hull means exposing the core to elements, especially water. If it is not protected, it will rot. Thus, cutting the hull implies drilling a recess in the core and fill it with thickened epoxy. Epoxy takes time to cure.

Second, finding how the control panel will be fixed requires planning. Protecting the panel from corrosion means it must be recessed in some protective cover. Moreover, protecting the cables connected on its back from the lazarette usage implies a protective box behind the panel. Finally, the design of how the whole package (controle panel + recess box + rear protection) is fastened to the cockpit deserves some thinking as well: bolt size, matching drill bit, etc.

It took me a day to figure out the design I wanted. I was then in need of pieces I had not planned on purchasing (which takes time). It also took two days to build and paint the parts that could be made on the spot. So overall, what I thought would take me a day (installing the control panel) took me more like five to six days, excluding the curing time, but including the delivery of parts. Once everything was assembled and ready, installing the control panel took 20 minutes. Thats a lot of sundae for a single cherry.

This is just an example, but the pattern generalizes pretty much to any task of a project. Fiberglassing the engine bearers takes 20-40 minutes at most, but cutting the pieces and prepping the surface takes at least a day. As a general rule of thumb, you may want to multiply the core installation time by three: one day to design and order parts, one day to prep the region and finally one day to execute the task. This, of course, assumes you have the proper equipment.

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Have a look at the « boatwork » section of this website for more practical tutorials and techniques.