My first thought was to make the panel from 1/4 inch stock, but considering the things I planned to screw to both the front and the back, I ultimately decided on 3/4–inch stock.
I used my computer's CAD program to layout the placement of the various items on the panel. After several tries, I was able to print off a dimensioned drawing for the panel layout. King Plastics, the maker of StarBoard, recommends using a china or grease pen to write on StarBoard as other markers may stain the surface or may be hard to remove.
I chose to cover the entire front surface of the panel with blue masking tape. That made layout easier to read and follow. Once all the cutout locations were marked, I drilled an access hole in each opening for the jig saw blade.
The accurate layout and careful cutting of the openings required very little follow up work on my part, the components fit where they needed to be and resulted in a neat looking panel.
Paul EsterleThe electrical panel during a trial fit.
FLARE CANISTER MOUNT
Your flare gun is one of those things that you need to have aboard but never want to use. That being said, should the time come when it's needed, you'll want to find it quickly. That means having it accessible, not buried deep in some locker.
I decided to mount my orange flare canister inside the cabin, just under the companionway opening. My first mount was made from several pieces of mahogany. This unit performed well but, being made from wood, required periodic refinishing. In my quest to reduce varnishing to an absolute minimum I decided to replace it from one made from StarBoard.
As luck would have it, I had enough scrap material left over from past projects that I didn't have to buy any new material. The lesson: don't throw away your scraps. You never know when they'll come in handy.
The backboard is a simple rectangle made from 1/2–inch stock, while the cradles are cut from 3/4–inch stock. A couple of stainless steel self–tapping screws hold the cradles on the back board. A small hole in the bottom edge of each cradle accommodates a short length of bungee cord. The top of the bungee loop is held by a hammock hook, a commonly available part in most marines stores used to hold hammock style gear nets.
The flare canister is placed in the cradle and the bungee is looped over the top and hooked into the hammock. Adjust the length of the bungee hook to keep the canister firmly in place, but loose enough so that it can be quickly released. I can reach inside the companionway and pop the canister out of its mount with one hand.
HANDRAILS
The wooden handrails on my 20–foot project boat required regular sanding and revarnishing. Years of doing this whittled them down to the point they were thin enough to be unsafe. Having been given some samples of Kleer, I decided to see if I could use it for replacement handrails.
