Allport Marine Survey

I drew on the template a horizontal crosspiece at the lower limits of the instrument cluster, then considered the best way to route the wires that connect to them. This gave me an H-shaped plan with the wires running along the inside of the inboard lower leg. The screening function of the back panel was now defined and I could begin to work additional functions into the remaining space.

I chose to make a permanent home for the things I reach for frequently from the cockpit and that generally clutter up the chart table: my binoculars and hand-held VHF, along with various pens, pencils, and dividers. Before heading back to the shop, I noted the depth I’d need behind the panel to accommodate plugs sticking out from the backs of instruments as well as the sizes of items to be housed in the assembly.

I began construction with an H-shaped frame consisting of two vertical side pieces and a central cross piece. I used 1/2-inch-thick mahogany 11/2 inches wide. I left the side pieces a little too long at the top — about 2 inches worked for me — to allow for scribing them into the radiused corner where the bulkhead meets the cabin top. The angles between the horizontal crosspiece and the sides were slightly off square in this project. I measured them off the template with a protractor and cut them with a chop saw. They only varied from square by 1 or 2 degrees. If you don’t want to deal with this subtlety, you can eliminate it in your design by keeping angles square and not following the camber of the cabin side or flare of the companionway.

I glued the H-frame with epoxy, nailed it together with a couple of brads, and set it on the template while the glue cured to ensure it was an exact match. I used a pneumatic brad nailer, but you could also hand-nail or screw the parts together if you don’t have access to nail guns.

The frame was fragile at this point, so I glued in and nailed secondary recessed blocking to support the upper panel. This consisted of 1/2-inch mahogany, cut to 1 3/16 inches wide, glued to the insides of the upper “U” of the “H.” I left it short at the top to avoid having to scribe it. This secondary blocking was not only to support the upper panel but would also be drilled and countersunk to discreetly fasten the framework to the bulkhead. Once the glue had set and the frame was strong, I took it to the boat to check its fit and to scribe the tops of the vertical pieces to fit against the cabin top.

Scribing is a procedure used before cutting a piece of wood so it will fit tightly against another irregular surface. It is used to ensure a close fit between planks on the hull of a wooden boat and when installing built-in cabinets against a wall.

While you can do it in a variety of ways, the method I used employs a drawing compass. Set the compass to match the width of the largest gap observed when you hold the two edges together for a trial fit. Then, holding the point of the compass against the cabin top and the pencil point against the wood, draw a line on the wood. As long as you hold the pencil point directly opposite the compass point, it will draw a line that’s consistently parallel with every curve or wobble of the mating surface.

Scribe the tops of both side pieces with the same compass setting before you cut. That way both side pieces will be in the proper relationship with each other. Cut to this line and trim as necessary with a sharp block plane, file, or sandpaper for a near-perfect fit. Only the outside faces of the sides will be visible; don’t worry about the inside faces that will be covered by the upper panel. When scribing, the pencil point follows the compass point, drawing a line that mimics the shape exactly.

The rack for the binoculars and the VHF radio needed to be deeper than the rest of the frame: 23/4 inch as opposed to 11/2 inch. I tapered back the vertical pieces of this sub-assembly at the top to match the depth of the overall frame. I nailed the side pieces into the inside edge of the wire chase and the inside lower outboard leg. Once again, this called for slight angle adjustments at the top. I applied the bottom next, then installed the partition. Finally, I nailed three slats, evenly spaced, onto the face of the sub-assembly.

I drilled a small block with various sized holes to accommodate pens, pencils, and other instruments and glued this to the wire chase. I sanded and rounded off all the sharp corners and edges and finished the wood with Interlux #42 brown mahogany stain and three coats of Interlux #60 Goldspar satin varnish.

As the economy falters, I have found more time but have had less money for boat projects. This project fits that scenario perfectly. It calls for some creativity and a little bit of skill and results in a dramatic organizational and aesthetic improvement. I built it over one weekend with scrap wood. It’s a good-looking upgrade that can be accomplished easily by anyone familiar with woodworking techniques. While building it, I developed a satisfying sense of the true value of things.