As this photo attests the weather here in Antalya the past few weeks has been spectacular and very Spring like.  Last Sunday Christine and I took a break to go for a nice Sunday drive along what is apparently called the “Gulf of Antalya” which is a crescent shaped coastline that runs approximately East/West with the majority of the city of Antalya stretched in thin strip along this coastline for over 30km. 

We were not the only ones out enjoying this sunny Sunday and one of the parks we walked through had lots of colourful kites for sale with grinning children at the ends of balls of string  and their kites flying high above us.

I’m writing this a week later on another equally as brilliant of a sunny Sunday and hopefully I can get this posted in time to go out and enjoy it more.

The warmer and sunnier weather seems to have a Spring in the step of everyone else on Team Möbius as well and as a result there is lots of progress to show you so let’s get started.

ALUMINIUM TEAM

Uğur, Nihat and Okan had a very productive week applying their significant skills with aluminium to several projects and one of the most gratifying to see was the completion of the four Dorade Vent boxes on the Forepeak. 
The simple concept of Dorade Box Vents have been used on boats for a very long time as they provide a way to bring fresh air inside the boat in rainy weather or high seas while keeping all the water OUT side where it belongs.

The work this week was to mount the new Vetus Cowls on the AL Dorade Boxes, finish installing the shut off lids in the Standpipes and then weld the Dorade Boxes to the ForeDeck.
You may recall previous posts showing the construction of the Dorade Boxes and here Nihat is creating the slots or “Scuppers” along the bottom edge that ensures any water that enters the Dorade Box flows out onto the deck and overboard.
Uğur then takes over to mount the White/Red silicone Cowls to the tops of each Dorade Vent.  The Cowls act as big air scoops to grab all the breezes blowing over the bow and direct them down into the Dorade Box and then down the Standpipe into the interior below.

Nice simple mounting system with these silicone Vetus cowls which use the Grey plastic threaded ring in the foreground which is bolted and sealed to the top of the Dorade Vent Box to provide the attachment for Grey threaded collar you see at the base of the Cowl.

A slight loosening of the collar allows the Cowl to be rotated to any angle you want or turned 180 degrees to face aft if there are larger waves bringing water onto the decks.
Before welding the Dorade Boxes to the Foredeck, they needed to finish installing these threaded Standpipe Storm Lids.  This drawing I created shows how these work by having a center threaded rod with a knob on the bottom you can turn by hand to lift or lower the round lid to open or completely seal off the Standpipe.
The Standpipes and the internal radial support were welded in place several months ago and so this week they worked on building these Lid assemblies.
For a bit of added sealing, there is a groove cut half way through the thick Black rubber gasket.
We applied our KISS approach and just used double SS nuts with Loctite to attach the AL Lids and Knobs to the threaded SS rods rather than welding them just in case they ever needed to be removed.
This is the end result with the Lid fully raised to let in the maximum amount of fresh air.
Or fully closed and sealed off.  The vast majority of the time we will leave these Lids fully open and only close them when heading into eXtremely severe seas when there might be the possibility of waves breaking over the bow and overwhelming the Dorade Boxes draining capacity.
The Vetus Cowls have the option to be fully removed and replaced with solid discs that would seal them off but this would still leave the Standpipes open so we took the “belts & suspenders” approach and added these adjustable lids to enable us to fully seal off these vents.

Looking up inside one of the Standpipes from inside the Master Cabin you can see it is easy to reach up and turn the knob.  This ability to close these Standpipes while you are INSIDE the boat was a big safety factor in our decision to go to the time and expense of adding this additional shut off capability. 
As with so many aspects of building the boat, all the time goes into the preparation leading up to the final installation so after several months of working on the various parts of these Dorade Boxes,
Nihat and Uğur can at last weld them to the deck.
A quick hit with the brass wire wheel cleans up the welds and work surfaces and the Dorade Boxes are all done.  We’ll leave the Cowls off until we Launch to keep them out of the way as work continues on the ForeDeck and Bow areas.
We used the same system of fully sealable lids on all the vent pipes coming into the interior in other places such as this plate which bolts to the ceiling above the Main Helm area.
There is a large box or air plenum behind the Red slots in the Pilot House Roof overhang you see here
This plate, standing on its end here, then bolts to the ceiling to form the bottom surface with these five vent pipes to direct fresh air into the Main Helm area.
Work on Vent Boxes continued with Uğur and Nihat welding up these side covers which bolt in place on the inside vertical surfaces of ……
……. the two Extraction Air Wing Boxes on either side of the very Aft end of the Pilot House on the Aft Deck.  You can see one off to the Right of the spiral staircase and the other on the far Left. 
The Vertical Milling machine made quick work of cutting all the slots and holes in these eXtraction vent cover plates and then …..
Uğur welded these boxes to the inside.  A large axial fan will bolt to the top surface you see on top here and when turned on this fan pulls air out of the extraction pipes inside the Wing Box which run into the Corridor, and Guest Head/Bathroom below.
Switching from venting to wiring, Uğur and Nihat also installed the penetrations through the Engine Room Enclosure walls for electrical cables to run through. 
The two in the upper Right in the photo above and center here, are for the AC wiring for lights and switches inside the ER.  Once the wiring is all run these will be filled with special watertight caulking to keep the ER and the Workshop fully separated and WT.
Diagonally opposite on the ER they welded in this similar penetration down on the aft Stbd/Right corner of the ER where all the high amp DC cables from the two 250A @ 28V alternators and carry up to 14kW over to the DC distribution box that will be mounted up above the Workbench on the Stbd/Right side of the hull walls.
Finishing up with AL work for this week;
Okan put the finishing touches to the hinged rack that will soon hold three of our 300Wp solar panels on the front roof area of the Pilot House.  More on that once we start mounting the solar panels.
Uğur welded the plates for the Paravane rigging winches to the bottom of the hinged Arch.

ELECTRICAL WORK:

Most of Hilmi’s work this week was not very visible as he raced ahead of the interior installation teams to put in the wiring for things like the 120V, 220V, 12V and 24V receptacles spread throughout the boat.

But this quick peek into the Aft Electrical Distribution box off the Corridor by the Guest Cabin will give you an idea of what he has been up to.
Hilmi has also been spending more and more time in the Workshop as he wires up the various system components which are mounted there. 

This is the control box for the Watermaker
Which is off to the Right here and some of the other AC & DC wires and cables leading to the area on the Left where the Workshop Distribution panel will mount.

PLUMBING:

Speaking of the Watermaker, Cihan was busy this past week doing more of the plumbing for it such as the foil covered high pressure lines you see here running from the Watermaker up to the four membranes on the ceiling.
On the far Right side of the WM, near the WT door from the Swim Platform, Cihan has now got most of the plumbing in place for the Webasto BlueCool AirCon unit which has been moved out of the way for now. 

To Red accumulator tank and the Supply/Return lines for the sea water cooling lines are in place and ready to be connected to the Chiller unit.
Always a good sign for me to see that little red hose in the background as that’s where Cihan will attach an air line to pressurize and test the plumbing for leaks.
And more good signs as we see the soapy solution being applied to the joints to see if there are any leaks.
The system is left pressured overnight to see if it all holds, which it did.
The IsoTherm Calorifier or Hot Water tank has most of its plumbing in place; Safety Valve bottom Right, Mixing Valve for In-Floor Heating lower Left, Mixing Valve for DHW upper Left.  Two more lines bringing hot water to/from the Gardner and the Kabola diesel boiler still to be added to the White capped off fittings.
Both pumps for the Domestic Water pressure fully plumbed and covered in protective bubble wrap.

MASTER HEAD & SHOWER:

Transitioning from Plumbing to Heads & Showers, the Composite Team has been busy glassing in the Master Head on the far Right and Shower on the Left.  They use flat sheets they make in house for the large flat areas on the walls and then build molds for things like this corner box section that makes the transition from the walls to the ceiling. 
Rectangular cut outs on the Right are where the large 2 mirrored door Medicine Cabinet will be mounted and provide access to systems behind the wall.

Areas such as this Shower Seat are first laid up in molds in the Composite Shop
and then brought onboard to be glued in place with resin.
Faruk on the Left and Osama are extremely skilled at this and everything fits just right.
Once they have the pieces affixed they start taping up the joints in preparation for filling them in.

Now they are busy building the molds for the large floor and ceiling pans and you should see those next week.

MASTER CABIN:

This wider shot helps to show how things are shaping up in the Master Cabin with the Shower in the center area and the Head behind it. 
Wardrobes and bureau of drawers lining the Stbd/Right hull and the wall beside our bed on the far Left here.

Şevki and Selim are now staring to put the Port/Left hull wall back together
And prepping the ceiling with mounting blocks for
…. the ceiling grids.  Weight reduction cut outs marked
….. and cut out……
…… and attached.
More excitement as some of the removable wall panels emerge from the Upholstery Shop!

SUPER SALON:

The SuperSalon has been rather vacant of late with most of the cabinetry over in the Finishing Shop to be varnished.  This is looking aft towards where the Galley will be in the Aft Left corner, stairs up to the WT door in/out of the SuperSalon from the Aft Deck, double Fridges go in the cabinet on the far Right and open hatch into the Basement in the bottom Right corner.
But the tide is turning and finished cabinets are starting to flow onboard with their lustrous varnished surfaces all aglow.  Double opposing door Fridges in the background and double drawer style Freezers in the Foreground.
We, well OK me, is a bit maniacal about eXtremely well insulated Fridge and Freezer boxes so even though our Vitrifrigo units come with the latest and greatest insulation from the factory we are adding at least 50mm/2” more rigid foam insulation around all sides and the backs of all four units and 100mm/4” on the bottoms.

Omur has the Freezer cabinet upside down to put in the insulation in the bottom area before he mounts this to the floor in the background which has another 50mm/2” of insulation.
Up front the Main Helm has been getting its own insulation, this time for acoustics.
Header for the door into the Master Cabin is now fitted.
As are details such as this transition piece where the upper rear corner of the Fridge cabinet meets up with the big thick SuperSalon glass windows.

Black conduit carries solar panel cables down from atop the SkyBridge roof to the Basement.
Over in the Cabinetry Shop, Omur is also routing out the openings for the hidden hinges such as the one you can see on the far Right here.
Laid down on its side for Omur to work on, this is the Galley Garage that sits atop the marble countertop.
These are small versions of the hidden hinges we are using on the full size interior doors you saw last week and these smaller ones ensure the Galley Countertop Garage doors all open smooth as silk at a touch of your finger on the solid mechanical latches.

GUEST CABIN & SHIPS OFFICE:

Lots of work on ceilings this week and Okan is bringing the freshly epoxy coated ceiling grids for the Guest Cabin and Ship’s Office aboard.

Once the ceiling grids are in place in the Guest Cabin he won’t be able to do this so Okan is taking advantage of the last chance to pass the large ceiling grid panels down through what will soon be the Galley countertops.
Sure enough, a couple of hours later the ceiling grid is in place in the Guest Cabin below and no more access from up above here.
Omer, Muhammed and Okan soon have the ceiling grids all securely fastened and leveled in the Guest Cabin.
Omer is meticulous and detailed so he is going around and sealing any small areas between the ceiling grid and the mounts to the AL frames above and making sure they are fully insulated so there is no thermal transfer.
Next up, Omer turns his attention to installing the Ro$ewood door frame to the Guest Shower.
The floor in the Showers are raised to provide enough room for well sloped drains and the In-Floor heating PEX tubing so …..
…….. the bottom door sill is higher than the other doors.
Once all the parts of the door frame fit, they are glued in place.
Hakan is conferring with Omer on some details with the Shower drains and you can see what a masterful job Omer has done with all the matching grain patterns which flow across all parts of the door frame.  The door itself will be plate glass for added light and openness in the Shower and when walking in/out of the Guest Cabin on the far Left.

FINISHING SHOP:

Let’s go upstairs to the Finishing Shop for a peek at what our Polyurethane wizards are up to;

We can’t let the Rosewood steal the show every week and these Beech shelves are more than up to that task. 

Looks like a wizard of a different kind in the middle here?  What do you see?
The Beech you can see on the inside of this Galley cupboard alongside the stairs up to the Aft Deck, has to my happy eyes, a beautiful contrast with the darker tones of the Rosewood and then also matches up nicely with the Blonde islands that naturally emerge within the Rosewood in many areas.
More of that creative contrast on display within this section of the Galley Countertop Garages.
Even though this back panel that the 50” SmarTV mounts to, setting on its side here, will rarely be seen by most it will bring great joy to my heart every time I see it and just knowing it is there.
This will soon be the top surface of the double Freezer cabinet but right now it is huddling in the back of the Finishing Shop with its brothers and sisters waiting to be carefully wrapped in bubble wrap while they await their final trip onto Möbius.

Mr. GEE our Gardner 6LXB Single Engine

I was able to get away from all my other boat building duties a bit more this week and all day yesterday (Sat) and got some time to move Mr. Gee further along. 

This is a special cylinder honing tool I have had great success with in the past and I’m using it here to put the final just right 45 degree cross hatch pattern on all the cylinder walls.

If you look closely you can just make out the thin line where the new dry cylinder liner has been pressed into the cylinder black casting.  After pressing them in place they are precisely machine bored to original factory diameter which enables the block to be returned to same as new condition.
This cross hatching s a critical detail that ensures that not all the oil is scraped off by the piston rings on each stroke so that there is just the right amount of lubrication to reduce the friction and wear.
The process goes relatively quickly and I soon have all six cylinders in good as new condition.
Next I turned my attention to the major cast aluminium components such as the massive crankcase in the foreground, the cast ribbed oil pan in the far Right background and several smaller cast covers on the Left. 

All these parts had all been sandblasted several months ago and I gave them a light coat of primer so I now gave all surfaces a thorough wet sanding to get them ready for final coat of primer.
I taped off all the openings and hung up the two big AL castings that form the flywheel housing on the aft end of the Gardner.

I am using a special ultra high temperature primer that is good for up to 600 degree C/1112 F which is WAY hotter than needed but works well to stick to the aluminium which is notoriously difficult.
A few hours later …….
once the fan had cleaned out the air ……
…… you wouldn’t know that these castings have been in service for almost 50 years and they were all ready for their final colour coating to bring them to better than new condition.

Stay tuned, much more of Mr. Gee’s renovation to come in the following weeks.

NEW ARRIVALS:

Ending as we have been doing with the New Arrivals here at Naval Yachts things were much slower than the past few weeks but no less exciting for me as this load of thick wall 150mm / 6” OD AL pipe arrived.

Any guesses what this will soon become?
Will it help you to show you that this is eXtremely robust pipe?

I’ll have much more details to show you in the coming weeks but this is for building the Davit system for bringing our Tender on/off the Aft Deck once Yigit has it fully developed in Rhino.
Until then these quick renderings, thanks to Yigit, will have to tide you over.

And that’s what’s all of us on Team Möbius have been up to this first week of March 2020 over here at Naval Yachts in Antalya.

We REALLY appreciate you coming along with us on this adventure and please add any and all comments, suggestions and questions in the “Join the Discussion” box below.

Thanks!

Wayne