Not much to show for a couple of week's work, but I've updated my blog.  The other builders seem to be making much faster progress than I do, but I am enjoying myself, which is, when all is said and done, the main thing.

Gary wrote:

I would have liked to have used tinned but the budget at the time was limited in its purchase possibilities. I do need to upgrade my LED bunk lights they are not bright enough for my liking.

I may be getting inured to haemorrhaging money on this project (although I don't think I'll end up much over budget), but I didn't think the wire was anywhere near as terrifyingly expensive as I recalled.  However, that's how it seems to be: occasionally I have to be picked up and dusted off when I'm told the price of something, at other times I think, 'Gosh, that's quite cheap!'.  Most of the time I just grit my teeth and swipe the card :-\

I have decided to buy standard lamps and replace the incandescent (or halogen) bulbs with LED.  Quite apart from the fact that so many LED lights are far from attractive, I gather that only a couple of percent are built to the standards one would choose.  And it's not easy to find out which those are.  By having replaceable bulbs, you reduce the risk of getting some duff LEDs and being left with having to replace the lamp, which invariably has its screw holes a few mm from its predecessor.  At least this what seems to happen to me. I do have a spectacularly good LED lamp that, in fact, I bought from Oz.  Sadly, I can't track them down any more, but the good news is that I bought two for 'Fantail' and only fitted one.  So I have an amazingly bright, 3 LED light for my galley, which is 'warm white', to boot.  Or it was when I last tested it. 

Gary Pick wrote:

I was amazed at how much wire Redwing consumed. I used a lot of recycled extension lead and even cut the leads off old vacuum cleaners.

My 'previously enjoyed' Fantail had both original and replaced wiring, much of which was redundant, much of which did nothing and some of which was broken or corroded between switch and outlet.

This boat has brand new, tinned wiring.  I'm hoping that replacing it is going to be someone else's problem.  I can't see that I'll need that much (although I know how much it adds up) for lights, nav lights, DC outlets (sockets, I'd call them), echo sounder and auto pilot (if it still works).  I think that's the lot.

I was amazed at how much wire Redwing consumed. I used a lot of recycled extension lead and even cut the leads off old vacuum cleaners.

It's been cold enough that I had to go and buy some more fast hardener, but the colder weather makes spreading polyurethane paint around that much easier.  I dare say it only achieves a percentage of its potential hardness, but it's still a lot harder than enamel, so that's fine.  Another blog, for those who are interested. (I just tried to attach a couple of picture files, but both were rotated 90 degrees.  Most peculiar.  So you'll have to go to the blog to see them.)