Most of Team Möbius was MIA again this past week but once again the combination of those who were working along with the outside contractors working this week, a LOT of very eXciting progress was made this past week of Dec. 21-25, 2020.
And somehow or another Christine and I also managed to include a wonderful Christmas celebration to end our week and carry on through to tonight, Sunday, when as soon as I finish writing up this blog post we will sit down to enjoy Christine’s turkey soup which is one of the many great outcomes of all the work she put in to create a fantastic gourmet Xmas turkey dinner with all the fixin’s’, dressing and gravy! Guess what? Turns out that I’m not the only turkey in Turkey! Who knew??
As in some previous weeks, there were a lot of “small jobs” that we were able to check off the punch list this week and taken together they add up to a very big deal. That saying “Don’t sweat the small stuff; and it’s ALL small stuff” could not be truer than in a big boat building project like this. So I may jump around a bit but there is one eXtremely BIG job that got done this week and is an equally big part of the title of this week’s Progress Update.
But this blog post is between me and dinner so let me jump right in with what will likely be a very rapid fire Show & Tell which I hope you will still enjoy.
EXTERIOR PREP WORK:
We only had Uğur on the job for Monday and Tuesday this week but he still managed to be his usual productive self and looked after several important jobs such as this one.
The shot is taken from down in the Engine Room looking up through the big open hatch overhead to catch Uğur finishing up the AlucoBond paneling that surrounds this hatch.
Up on the Aft Deck now, you can see how he had attached the AlucoBond outer liner to the Hatch itself last week, and also installed those beautiful Bofor dogs and latches that keep this hatch solidly in place and fully watertight.
This week he is finishing up the work on the AlucoBond walls and ceilings in the ER by using Sikaflex to adhere and seal the AlucoBond paneling that is bent up around the inside circumference of the opening such that the whole ER is fully sealed now.
eXciting for us to see as well was when this was the first area to have all that protective film with the Red & Black AlucoBond printing on it and reveal these very reflective satin White plated aluminium surfaces.
Another one of those “small things” but what a difference to see these finished surfaces at last!
There is still a LOT of work to do to finish Möbius so these areas will be seeing a lot of foot traffic, tools and materials so the cardboard will help keep them clean and new till Launch Date.
The dogged door on the Right is the HazMat locker for any flammable or odiferous items we want to store onboard and keep completely isolated from the interior of the boat. Winch handle is how you open the Bofor dog latches.
FINISHING UP the HOTWORKS on the TENDER:
This is the Aft Port/Left corner of the Tender with the Engine Bay lid opened up. Nihat is grinding all the welds down flush and then doing the final sanding of all the AL surfaces with a random orbital sander with the same finish that he has perfected from all his work doing the same to the outer surfaces and hull of Möbius.
This will likely end the work on the Tender until after we launch Möbius and I can spend the time to do all the outfitting installing the Yanmar 110HP 4cyl diesel inboard engine and the jet drive.
SNEAK PEAK at the FINISHED INTERIOR:
An American couple and their son, who are also faithful followers here on the blog and have become very interested in having an XPM of their own, came by on Tuesday for an extended tour on Möbius and visit with Naval Yachts and the Free Zone.
So on Monday we all pitched in to remove all the protective plastic and cardboard covering up all the interior surfaces so they could see what is underneath and the quality of work that Team Möbius is capable of producing. Möbius received a much needed and very thorough cleaning to look her best for these prospective new XPM owners.
Both their visit and seeing Möbius at her clean and shiny best were equally eXciting for Christine and I, so let me capitalize on this opportunity to give all of you a sneak peek of the interior. I will go through this in very rapid fire fashion, so hang on as we take you on a quick whirlwind tour of the freshly cleaned and exposed finished interior of mv Möbius
MASTER CABIN:
Flanked by the Washer & Dryer behind the Blue/Green leather doors on the Right and the Shower on the Left.
Almost complete and just waiting for the 2 thin strips of mirrors on either side of the soon to be mirrored door above the sink.
Note the combo 120V + 240V plug behind the sink and spread throughout this “world wired” boat.
On the Left side is the door into the Head/Bathroom as well as the adjoining Shower hiding behind that etched glass corner wall.
Bidet VacuFlush toilet is just visible on the bottom Right and the adjoining Shower is on the far Left.
Just wait till you see this space filled with a hanging 3D textile sculpture of our Möbius strip which our artist / niece Lindsey created for us!
The door which goes here is one of our Swiss Doors that I’ve shown in previous months which do double duty by being a door in two positions. Here it is the door in the large full height Wardrobe on the Right as you walk in here, and then this same door closes this entry into the Master Cabin itself. Brilliant! if I do say so myself and eliminates one complete door here and two more back in the Guest Cabin.
* the HVAC Air Handler is housed below inside this platform
* provides easy access for Christine getting In/Out of her side of the bed
* easy access when making the bed
* when on long passages and covered with a custom fit memory foam mattress, this platform transforms into a very safe and comfortable bed for whichever one of us in Off Watch in really rough weather where the high sides keep you safely snuggled into bed no matter what Mother Nature is doing to Möbius on the outside.
SuperSalon, GALLEY, MAIN HELM & LOUNGE areas:
Main Helm on the Left here and the forward end of the L-shaped Dinette seat on the bottom Right.
Two 19” touchscreen daylight readable monitors will soon be mounted into those two rectangular openings on the Black leather covered panel front and center of the Main Helm dashboard.
Look closely and you will be reminded that all the 26mm triple laminated safety glass windows are now fully installed around all 360 degrees of this truly SUPER Salon.
Stairs up to the Aft Deck and the Outdoor Galley on the far Right here surrounded by windows, windows, windows with views, views, views everywhere you look.
Table is down close to its “bed” position here and the Black release handle for the XY slider is hanging down below waiting to be mounted to the underside of the table next week.
Then the bottom portion pulls all the way out towards you and turns this into a full Queen size bed.
Need more bed space in the Guest Cabin you say? No problem, flip up two latches ……………………..
So here’s the deal folks. It is now past 21:00 for me here in Antalya at the end of a wonderful Christmas weekend and the Chef has been eXtremely patient with me, yet again, and keeping her Turkey Soup on the boil. I still have not gotten to that BIG exciting job that happened this week and is the key to the “Much Clearer” part of this post’s title BUT, I’m going to have to disappoint you or at least keep you waiting until next week to cover all that.
For now, let me just end by wishing ALL of you a VERY Merry Christmas and that you all find ways to make this last week of 2020 as good as it can possibly be. I’ll be back to you next weekend with the latest Weekly Progress Update and really hope you will join me again then.
-Wayne
Amazing transformaton now as the finishing materials fall into place. Truly beautiful, especially with the Rosewood!!
I spell it Ro$ewood for VERY good reason as it did cost us a fortune Elton, BUT, it also still puts a smile on our faces and deep joy every day so it was SO worth it and will continue to pay such dividends for as long as we live on her every day, which we intend to be a VERY long time!
Look forward to having you check it all out when you’re aboard some day soon.
-Wayne
I can’t wait to have a tour
And we can’t wait to give you that tour Kim. Trust me, the Pacific North West is calling our names VERY VERY loudly so we are headed West out of the Med as soon as we get Möbius underway and we are allowed to enter BC.
See you soon!
-Wayne
sooo close, really looking great, I can’t wait to see the launch
Have you picked out a mini mill/lathe combo yet? I have a vague memory of a post that discussed tools but after much clicking and searching I have given up trying to find it.
Mea Culpa! Quite right Andy, I have not yet followed up on that post from the past so good catch. However I have continued to work on the list and more so the specifics of what makes and models that would serve me best. I have several very good friends who are exceptional machinists and so I have been tapping their brains to help me with this list and I will publish that after we get Möbius launched and underway.
The other factor is that is would be much more difficult and expensive to get my hands on this machinery here in Turkey or the EU for the most part. So I will get some items such as a good TIG welder and some other bits of kit but for the other items such as milling machines and such I will likely hold off until either we are in the EU and that works out or when we get over to North America and I have so many more choices and easy of shipping.
Stay tuned!
-Wayne
“as well as the safety aspect of keeping all sunlight off of these panels so that they are not generating any power that could cause problems to equipment and workers”
Btw, you can safely safety the panels by shorting them, this way they are safe. This can be done even in full sunlight, the panels won’t be damaged this way, and as there is no voltage there is no power. Much safer than leaving them floating with whatever the voltage potential, current and power they happen to produce.
Thanks Andy, that’s what we’ve done for now until we launch and get some real sunlight on all these panels