Once we moved to the boat, we focused on getting Alaya’s “basic” systems running.
Priority 1: Refrigerator
Last year, we removed the small cold plate and old compressor from Alaya. During the winter, I sanded and varnished the fridge doors and interior. After much research, we purchased a Cruise RO Technotics compressor and cold plate. We also added insulation between the fridge and freezer units. Everything was ready to go, now it just needed to be installed.
This was Lucas’ first priority once we moved aboard. We had cold food by the end of the weekend, with final wiring completed a few weeks later. The cold plate sits on the freezer side and there is a large hole at the bottom of the divider wall, allowing cold air to flow between the freezer and fridge. Lucas installed a small fan at the top of the divider to help pull warm air out of the fridge to the freezer for the cycle to begin all over again. He wired thermostats to the outside of the unit, so that we can monitor temperatures. Overall, it works well. There’s more opportunity for insulation around the freezer which we will add soon.
Priority 2: Toilet
As discussed a few posts ago, we removed Alaya’s existing toilet, black water tank and subsequent hoses over the winter. In their place, we purchased an AirHead, a composting toilet. Once we moved aboard, we needed to install the toilet. Luckily, we could walk the marina’s bathrooms until we had our toilet working but that walk got pretty old pretty fast.
To install the toilet, we had to rebuild the shelf that it sits on (as you can imagine a wooden shelf under a toilet for 30 years doesn’t smell great). Once the new shelf was built and Formica glued on, we then attached the toilet. Composting heads require a 12v fan venting air from the solids compartment to the exterior of the boat. We planned to use an existing dorade vent for this purpose but we had to run a 12v wire from the toilet to the batteries to power the fan. This meant tearing up every floorboard in the boat to access the main wire run. It was a lot of mess for a tiny but important wire. Once completed, the toilet was ready to use. Although it took some time getting used to, we are now big fans of a composting head!
Priority 3: Running Water
Last fall, we decided to replumb the fresh water system on Alaya. We ran most of the PEX lines during the winter, using quick connect fittings. We polished and reinstalled the 100-gallon stainless steel water tanks before our winter haul out in 2022.
All that was left to do this spring was to finish the PEX runs to the shower and cockpit shower, install the water pump and filtration system. Lucas tried to reuse the existing water pump, but after three valiant attempts to rebuild its leaky fittings, we had to buy a new pump. Once running, our water pressure was amazing and we no longer had to do the dishes in the poolhouse bathroom!
A couple of weeks later, we finished installing our new gray water pump and took our first showers on board. For the record, we had been showering, we just had to walk to the poolhouse every time.
Organize and Stow
In between these projects, we began to unpack and stow items. We organized items into broad categories and noted how easily we need to be able to access it. We then ranked our various storage areas (bilge, under settees, drawers, etc.) by ease of access. Finally, we started storing items based on their appropriate category. We continue to be amazed how well things stow in Alaya, everything was really coming together.
Goodbye Employment
While all of this was going on, Lucas was still working full-time. He finished up his work for Ford in early June. It was bittersweet to walk away from a team he really enjoyed working with. To celebrate his new unemployment, his co-workers had a lovely send-off for him and then we attended a Taylor Swift concert in Detroit!
We are now both unemployed and living together on 43-feet, wish us luck!
