Click pictures to see larger
Cal 29's-Frequently Asked Questions - -Page 2
How big an Ice box or Fridge do I need? -Page 1
How about a fully battened sail? -Page 1
How did you install a holding tank? -Page 1
Change the windows/was the rudder a concern? -Page 1
What to check on a survey? -Page 2
How about a fully battened sail? -Page 1
How did you install a holding tank? -Page 1
Change the windows/was the rudder a concern? -Page 1
What to check on a survey? -Page 2
What about a staysail? -Page 2
How about propane? -Page 1
What Software for navigation? -Page 1
A New Cabin Sole - Page 2
How about propane? -Page 1
What Software for navigation? -Page 1
A New Cabin Sole - Page 2
What to check on a survey?
Your survey may have caught most everything BUT just in case, here are some of the things to watch for when buying:
- chainplate fittings on the bulkheads below. The forward -lower ones can be the problem. They attach to the forward bulkhead between the head area and the v-berth. If the boat has been stored for the seasons in cooler climates with some heat on board, condensation on the plates causes rot under the plates. This is not readily visible since the plate initially covers the rot but it does after time spread out. Push a screw driver under the plate and if it goes in you have some rot. It can be fairly easily fixed by scarifying in new wood. There is a school of thought (sail makers) who claim the lower forwards do nothing on the boat since the mast has not bend fore and aft anyway. I was told once to get rid of them and it would make passage around the deck easier. I did not do it since I was chicken and could not believe the designers just put them there for show.
- Keel. The keel is made up of god knows what scrap in-cased in glass. First look up at the top where the keel meets the hull-fore and aft. If there are any cracks - even hairline - then the keel has banged into something at some time and been driven back a bit. This can happen to the best of us but it needs fixing. The water gets inside the keel and starts to work on the stuff inside which is not good. If the boat also scrapped bottom hard the bottom of the keel may have break away of glass and then you will see rusty goo dripping out when the boat is on the hard. Again it is all fixable. It involves grinding the bottom of the keel off, letting it sit for a few weeks to dry out (it seems to take forever) and then re-glassing the broken or ground areas.
- The standing rigging seems to last forever and I would suspect that your 1974 would have the original (my 76 did in 1987) so replacement may be smart and critical. If you are going offshore, go a size larger on the rigging. More windage but a good feeling of confidence.
- the rudder can show problems. It is strong and I was informed that it is unusual as the glass is formed over an internal stainless steel rudder of sorts rather then just webs. Off shore, every few 1000 miles the trailing edge would start to separate and cracks appear on the leading edge. It never failed but was a cause for concern. I fixed it with new glass at every long stop on the hard. If I had to do it again I would rebuild the rudder completely with reinforcement. On the Cal the rudder really gets a lot of flexing on long hard passages. It is exposed so susceptible to snagging stuff. I recommend a shaft line cutter. There is an English one that is far less expensive then the U.S. ones and is easy to install, maintain and works super.
- soft spots. The boat's coach house roof is balsa cored so if fittings were improperly bedded water get in and rots out the core. Your surveyor may have found some of these spots by tapping around with a small hammer. If they are small and in non critical places fear not. Just re-bed any fittings to stop the any more water and call it a day. If large - well - it can be fixed but its a nasty job and the boat never looks the same.
- blisters. I am sure you must have some. Unless they are huge and all over the bottom I would not give them a thought. First, after 25 years they will have stabilized and not cause any further issues. Second the hull of the Cal is so strong and thickly build that it would take another 100 years for the blisters to cause any structural problems, if then. As an anecdote, in 1989, I put my Cal on a rock reef here in BC doing 6 knots under engine at night. It bounced twice and ended up laying on its side, high and dry on the rocks after an instant stop. The next day when the tide went up it was still stuck so I had a tug just drag it off backwards into the deep water. Result, some scrapped bottom paint and I had to fix the keel again but no water in the boat or any other damage.
-Electric's - in a boat this age, the electric's will all be old and with some corrosion. The Cal wiring is not very extensive anyway so figure on doing a re-wiring job with tinned wire and new panel(s). It is a do it yourself job and just takes time and planning and a couple of hundred dollars. Well spent money.
Suitability for live aboard. You can judge this better yourself since it is so determined by your life style expectations. I have several suggestions I can give for improving comfort but later. There is certainly the room of a 32 footer.
Suitability for offshore - with mods for such a life, the Cal is more then capable. As you can tell from above the hull is strong enough for banging on a reef or bashing a bit of flotsam (read, big logs around here) aside, the boat tracks well and its righting moment is such that it will come up from any knock down (I think the righting figure is 124 degrees, she will carry much more than the factory installed water line indicates (I raised mine 6 inches when I went offshore), she is a little tender when the winds poop up so offshore sailing at speed is usually 3 reefs in the main and a staysail (more another time about putting one of these on). The worst I encountered was 52 knots true 500 miles off the coast of California in June of 1997. I deployed a sea anchor in anticipation of the storm but after a couple of hours retrieved it, said to hell with it and sailed on albeit roughly. I heard on the radio that night of 4 coast guarders killed nearer the coast in rescues of much larger boats in serious trouble and they had less wind then I. The smaller size has all sorts of advantages: easier gear to handle, less cost, easier to anchor securely, smaller wharf space and a real feeling of togetherness with the boat. In summary, were I to go offshore again I would not hesitate to choose a Cal 29.
Your survey may have caught most everything BUT just in case, here are some of the things to watch for when buying:
- chainplate fittings on the bulkheads below. The forward -lower ones can be the problem. They attach to the forward bulkhead between the head area and the v-berth. If the boat has been stored for the seasons in cooler climates with some heat on board, condensation on the plates causes rot under the plates. This is not readily visible since the plate initially covers the rot but it does after time spread out. Push a screw driver under the plate and if it goes in you have some rot. It can be fairly easily fixed by scarifying in new wood. There is a school of thought (sail makers) who claim the lower forwards do nothing on the boat since the mast has not bend fore and aft anyway. I was told once to get rid of them and it would make passage around the deck easier. I did not do it since I was chicken and could not believe the designers just put them there for show.
- Keel. The keel is made up of god knows what scrap in-cased in glass. First look up at the top where the keel meets the hull-fore and aft. If there are any cracks - even hairline - then the keel has banged into something at some time and been driven back a bit. This can happen to the best of us but it needs fixing. The water gets inside the keel and starts to work on the stuff inside which is not good. If the boat also scrapped bottom hard the bottom of the keel may have break away of glass and then you will see rusty goo dripping out when the boat is on the hard. Again it is all fixable. It involves grinding the bottom of the keel off, letting it sit for a few weeks to dry out (it seems to take forever) and then re-glassing the broken or ground areas.
- The standing rigging seems to last forever and I would suspect that your 1974 would have the original (my 76 did in 1987) so replacement may be smart and critical. If you are going offshore, go a size larger on the rigging. More windage but a good feeling of confidence.
- the rudder can show problems. It is strong and I was informed that it is unusual as the glass is formed over an internal stainless steel rudder of sorts rather then just webs. Off shore, every few 1000 miles the trailing edge would start to separate and cracks appear on the leading edge. It never failed but was a cause for concern. I fixed it with new glass at every long stop on the hard. If I had to do it again I would rebuild the rudder completely with reinforcement. On the Cal the rudder really gets a lot of flexing on long hard passages. It is exposed so susceptible to snagging stuff. I recommend a shaft line cutter. There is an English one that is far less expensive then the U.S. ones and is easy to install, maintain and works super.
- soft spots. The boat's coach house roof is balsa cored so if fittings were improperly bedded water get in and rots out the core. Your surveyor may have found some of these spots by tapping around with a small hammer. If they are small and in non critical places fear not. Just re-bed any fittings to stop the any more water and call it a day. If large - well - it can be fixed but its a nasty job and the boat never looks the same.
- blisters. I am sure you must have some. Unless they are huge and all over the bottom I would not give them a thought. First, after 25 years they will have stabilized and not cause any further issues. Second the hull of the Cal is so strong and thickly build that it would take another 100 years for the blisters to cause any structural problems, if then. As an anecdote, in 1989, I put my Cal on a rock reef here in BC doing 6 knots under engine at night. It bounced twice and ended up laying on its side, high and dry on the rocks after an instant stop. The next day when the tide went up it was still stuck so I had a tug just drag it off backwards into the deep water. Result, some scrapped bottom paint and I had to fix the keel again but no water in the boat or any other damage.
-Electric's - in a boat this age, the electric's will all be old and with some corrosion. The Cal wiring is not very extensive anyway so figure on doing a re-wiring job with tinned wire and new panel(s). It is a do it yourself job and just takes time and planning and a couple of hundred dollars. Well spent money.
Suitability for live aboard. You can judge this better yourself since it is so determined by your life style expectations. I have several suggestions I can give for improving comfort but later. There is certainly the room of a 32 footer.
Suitability for offshore - with mods for such a life, the Cal is more then capable. As you can tell from above the hull is strong enough for banging on a reef or bashing a bit of flotsam (read, big logs around here) aside, the boat tracks well and its righting moment is such that it will come up from any knock down (I think the righting figure is 124 degrees, she will carry much more than the factory installed water line indicates (I raised mine 6 inches when I went offshore), she is a little tender when the winds poop up so offshore sailing at speed is usually 3 reefs in the main and a staysail (more another time about putting one of these on). The worst I encountered was 52 knots true 500 miles off the coast of California in June of 1997. I deployed a sea anchor in anticipation of the storm but after a couple of hours retrieved it, said to hell with it and sailed on albeit roughly. I heard on the radio that night of 4 coast guarders killed nearer the coast in rescues of much larger boats in serious trouble and they had less wind then I. The smaller size has all sorts of advantages: easier gear to handle, less cost, easier to anchor securely, smaller wharf space and a real feeling of togetherness with the boat. In summary, were I to go offshore again I would not hesitate to choose a Cal 29.
What about a staysail?
You are asking about a staysail over a rolled genny. They both do such different things and I do not know what sailing you are planning. If you are not going offshore where higher winds then a Cal 29 was really designed for last for days on end then a staysail is really a lot of extra clutter on the boat as well as extra cost. To me the best solution for all but sustained offshore work is a much simpler and for a Cal 29 the most rewarding sail change you can make. I am startled that so few do it.
Get a good quality furling gear then talk to your sail maker and have him build a "Yankee" for the head sail. Get rid of the genny. My definition of a Yankee is a sail of about 100 degrees (max 110) with a very extreme high cut to the foot. This substantially reduces the total sail area your head sail BUT with a Cal 29 you will never realize it. Instead, the sail will be just as powerful in all but the very lightest of winds when a spinnaker (pole-less or otherwise) can be flown. You will go better when the wind pipes up since there is so much less heel and the sail can drive forward better. It will hold its shape better in all conditions. A big bonus - you can see where you are going and do not have the sail sweeping the deck and the pulpit. If the wind really gets up then it can be furled about 25% to reduce area without any fancy padding or such. It will still have good shape and drive the boat. It is also easier to handle at all times and cheaper! Even if you decide to install a staysail make this change to the headsail. You will never regret it and will enjoy sailing so much more.
Now if you are going offshore then to me a staysail is a must and installing one is not a huge job but a big job anyway that costs money.
First you must put on an inner forestay. If your Cal is laid out like mine was then you have a light bulkhead between the v-berth and the anchor locker with a fairly large door in it made as just a cutout with fasteners. Coincidently this bulkhead is ideally placed to use for the lower end of your new stay. I used small through bolts all around the door - about 6 inches apart so that the door was now sealed and became part of the bulkhead for strength. For access I cut a round hole in the door and installed a dingy 6 inch screw hatch. That finished the bulkhead.
Next I obtained a piece of SS strapping about 3/16th's thick, about 10 inches long and about 1 and 1/14 inch wide. A dingy shop had such a piece and I think it is used as a chainplate for a dingy but any shop can make up such a piece. For holes it had one about 1/2 of an inch in diameter about 3/4 of an inch from one end and then 4 holes fairly evenly spaced towards the other end. You bolt this to the centre of the bulkhead with the end with the hole in it sticking through a slot you cut in your deck so it is protruding about 1 and 1/2 inch out. Give the little end a pre-bend so it is as lose to parallel with you forestay as you can guess. (Tension later will straighten it out to the right angle if you are some out. Of course seal and caulk well around the slot and install a plate on the deck around the tang you have sticking out. You can buy these or have it made up. You now have a tang for the tack of the new inner forestay.
Next run a line from the tang up to your mast as exactly parallel as you can to your forestay and mark the spot on the mast and measure. Have a wire forestay made up allowing for the following. At the mast end it will just have a fitting to attach to a mast fitting. At the deck end it will have an eye fitting. To this you will attach an adjustable fitting. I do not know the technical name. It is like 2 highfield levers opposing each other with a big screw inside. You hold one lever and turn the other and it either tightens or loosens. It is attached to the tang with a snap shackle. This way you can adjust the new stay's tension and can remove it from the deck and move it back out of the way when you wish. You install a block at the mast fitting for your new sail's halyard. The halyard will run down the mast to your jib winch or another you have on the mast to use. A dedicated winch is a real plus and it does not have to be a very big one since it is not taking anywhere near the load that your foresail does.
You now can put up your newly purchased staysail. It should be measure on the luff so that it is attached to the tang with a wire leader about 18 inches long to raise it well off the deck and it goes all the way to the top of the stay. It should be cut fairly flat and when pulled straight back to the mast the leach will be about 6 inches from the mast. It will just go on with brass hanks and you will probably have a deck triangle bag made up when you buy the sail as this way you keep the sail on the deck in its bag at the bottom of the stay. You should put good tension on the halyard to avoid the hanks sawing themselves to death on the stay.
Now to the running rigging. On the Cal 29 you are lucky when it comes to the sheet leads. I presume you have some sort of track for your sheet blocks for the headsail. It works out that the setting for the staysail blocks and the headsail blocks can be the same so you can just put another block on the same fitting with you jib sheet blocks. A couple of bull's eyes along the top corner of the cabin top will guide the sheet at about the right angle from the sail to the new block and then back to your primary winch. If you have your jib sheet cleated off then you can use the winch just fine for your staysail sheets.
Off shore and for high winds and rough seas, running backstays are a must but fairly easy to make up and use. You have 2 wires made up to go on mast fittings on the back of the mast right behind where the staysail stay fitting is on your mast and to each side. On the other end a simple eye fitting and to that you attach a 4 to 1 vang set. These can be quite light with 1/4 inch line and you can either make them up or buy 2 dingy boom vang sets. On the bottom end of the vang you have a snap shackle. When using a back stay you attach the shackle to a fitting near the stern quarter of the boat - about where the forward pipe of the stern pulpit hits the deck is fine or further back is better. You pull the vang set as tight as you can and it is set. To disconnect you loosen the vang, undo the shackle and move the stay forward and attach the shackle to your stanchion, lifeline, a fitting or whatever that is against or near the stern lower stay so it is out of the way after you tighten it up. Whenever you tack using the staysail you must change running stays so that you are using the one on the windward side. Of course, offshore you rarely tack so it is no big deal. That is it.
Offshore if the wind was between about 5 knots and 25 I sailed with both the Yankee and the staysail flying then as the wind piped up took in the Yankee about 25% then fully furled the Yankee. Most of the time I had 2 or 3 reefs in the main.
As you can see a staysail is not a minor installation and it can add to the clutter on the boat so to repeat - it is an absolute necessity in my opinion if going offshore for an extended sail but a waste if not. What I do push is the change of the headsail as I describe instead of those great genoas I see heeled over everywhere.
You are asking about a staysail over a rolled genny. They both do such different things and I do not know what sailing you are planning. If you are not going offshore where higher winds then a Cal 29 was really designed for last for days on end then a staysail is really a lot of extra clutter on the boat as well as extra cost. To me the best solution for all but sustained offshore work is a much simpler and for a Cal 29 the most rewarding sail change you can make. I am startled that so few do it.
Get a good quality furling gear then talk to your sail maker and have him build a "Yankee" for the head sail. Get rid of the genny. My definition of a Yankee is a sail of about 100 degrees (max 110) with a very extreme high cut to the foot. This substantially reduces the total sail area your head sail BUT with a Cal 29 you will never realize it. Instead, the sail will be just as powerful in all but the very lightest of winds when a spinnaker (pole-less or otherwise) can be flown. You will go better when the wind pipes up since there is so much less heel and the sail can drive forward better. It will hold its shape better in all conditions. A big bonus - you can see where you are going and do not have the sail sweeping the deck and the pulpit. If the wind really gets up then it can be furled about 25% to reduce area without any fancy padding or such. It will still have good shape and drive the boat. It is also easier to handle at all times and cheaper! Even if you decide to install a staysail make this change to the headsail. You will never regret it and will enjoy sailing so much more.
Now if you are going offshore then to me a staysail is a must and installing one is not a huge job but a big job anyway that costs money.
First you must put on an inner forestay. If your Cal is laid out like mine was then you have a light bulkhead between the v-berth and the anchor locker with a fairly large door in it made as just a cutout with fasteners. Coincidently this bulkhead is ideally placed to use for the lower end of your new stay. I used small through bolts all around the door - about 6 inches apart so that the door was now sealed and became part of the bulkhead for strength. For access I cut a round hole in the door and installed a dingy 6 inch screw hatch. That finished the bulkhead.
Next I obtained a piece of SS strapping about 3/16th's thick, about 10 inches long and about 1 and 1/14 inch wide. A dingy shop had such a piece and I think it is used as a chainplate for a dingy but any shop can make up such a piece. For holes it had one about 1/2 of an inch in diameter about 3/4 of an inch from one end and then 4 holes fairly evenly spaced towards the other end. You bolt this to the centre of the bulkhead with the end with the hole in it sticking through a slot you cut in your deck so it is protruding about 1 and 1/2 inch out. Give the little end a pre-bend so it is as lose to parallel with you forestay as you can guess. (Tension later will straighten it out to the right angle if you are some out. Of course seal and caulk well around the slot and install a plate on the deck around the tang you have sticking out. You can buy these or have it made up. You now have a tang for the tack of the new inner forestay.
Next run a line from the tang up to your mast as exactly parallel as you can to your forestay and mark the spot on the mast and measure. Have a wire forestay made up allowing for the following. At the mast end it will just have a fitting to attach to a mast fitting. At the deck end it will have an eye fitting. To this you will attach an adjustable fitting. I do not know the technical name. It is like 2 highfield levers opposing each other with a big screw inside. You hold one lever and turn the other and it either tightens or loosens. It is attached to the tang with a snap shackle. This way you can adjust the new stay's tension and can remove it from the deck and move it back out of the way when you wish. You install a block at the mast fitting for your new sail's halyard. The halyard will run down the mast to your jib winch or another you have on the mast to use. A dedicated winch is a real plus and it does not have to be a very big one since it is not taking anywhere near the load that your foresail does.
You now can put up your newly purchased staysail. It should be measure on the luff so that it is attached to the tang with a wire leader about 18 inches long to raise it well off the deck and it goes all the way to the top of the stay. It should be cut fairly flat and when pulled straight back to the mast the leach will be about 6 inches from the mast. It will just go on with brass hanks and you will probably have a deck triangle bag made up when you buy the sail as this way you keep the sail on the deck in its bag at the bottom of the stay. You should put good tension on the halyard to avoid the hanks sawing themselves to death on the stay.
Now to the running rigging. On the Cal 29 you are lucky when it comes to the sheet leads. I presume you have some sort of track for your sheet blocks for the headsail. It works out that the setting for the staysail blocks and the headsail blocks can be the same so you can just put another block on the same fitting with you jib sheet blocks. A couple of bull's eyes along the top corner of the cabin top will guide the sheet at about the right angle from the sail to the new block and then back to your primary winch. If you have your jib sheet cleated off then you can use the winch just fine for your staysail sheets.
Off shore and for high winds and rough seas, running backstays are a must but fairly easy to make up and use. You have 2 wires made up to go on mast fittings on the back of the mast right behind where the staysail stay fitting is on your mast and to each side. On the other end a simple eye fitting and to that you attach a 4 to 1 vang set. These can be quite light with 1/4 inch line and you can either make them up or buy 2 dingy boom vang sets. On the bottom end of the vang you have a snap shackle. When using a back stay you attach the shackle to a fitting near the stern quarter of the boat - about where the forward pipe of the stern pulpit hits the deck is fine or further back is better. You pull the vang set as tight as you can and it is set. To disconnect you loosen the vang, undo the shackle and move the stay forward and attach the shackle to your stanchion, lifeline, a fitting or whatever that is against or near the stern lower stay so it is out of the way after you tighten it up. Whenever you tack using the staysail you must change running stays so that you are using the one on the windward side. Of course, offshore you rarely tack so it is no big deal. That is it.
Offshore if the wind was between about 5 knots and 25 I sailed with both the Yankee and the staysail flying then as the wind piped up took in the Yankee about 25% then fully furled the Yankee. Most of the time I had 2 or 3 reefs in the main.
As you can see a staysail is not a minor installation and it can add to the clutter on the boat so to repeat - it is an absolute necessity in my opinion if going offshore for an extended sail but a waste if not. What I do push is the change of the headsail as I describe instead of those great genoas I see heeled over everywhere.
A New Cabin Sole
It was not difficult but was time consuming.
Materials: 1 sheet of good quality 1/4 inch plywood with teak and holly veneer. Not cheap to buy. Clear epoxy (lots) and rollers.
Procedure: Get a large sheet of paper (construction paper is great and big enough) and carefully make a pattern of the current sole by laying it out and scoring along the edges. Remember to score out the outside of the hatch to the bilge too. Lay it on the back side of the ply sheet BUT be careful to reverse it since you will be cutting from the backside and all the cut-outs will be opposite. Score through the paper onto your sheet. Use a straight edge and compass to smooth out your lines and then mark them in black so they are easy to see. With the sheet well supported use a fine tooth fret saw and cut out your sheet cutting to the outside of your lines. You have to use a sharp knife to cut through where the bilge hatch goes, insert the fret blade and work it slowly along the lines. Save the cut out piece for your hatch.
Test fit over and over again using weights to hold down to the curve. and trimming with a knife or plane as required to get your perfect fit.
Reverse and remove the protective paper on the sheet if it has that and support the sheet well. Choose your work area carefully as the sheet must remain untouched for days as you recoat and you do not want anything to fall on it. Apply 5 coats of clear epoxy allowing about 2 days between coats. Sand very lightly with 400 grit between coats. One light coat on the reverse side.
Tape off the white holly strips so only they are showing but the rest is protected. Sprinkle the white strips with any of the non skid grits as evenly as you can but you do not have to be too fussy. Apply 2 coats of epoxy to the strips with a roller allowing a good dry between coats. Take off the tape and the sole is done.
To install I used contact cement like they use for vinyl flooring and applied using one of those cement applicators with the square teeth cut out. I applied a liberal coat to both the sheet and the FB floor and then with some helpers standing on the bunks "dropped" it in. Weighted it down for a day and it never was going to come up.
For the bilge hatch, I glued a plank of wood on the under side and trimmed it to fit down into the bilge hole edge, installed a lift latch and I was done.
It sounds long and it is but I must say it made the whole boat look newer and gave me a real sense of pride.
It was not difficult but was time consuming.
Materials: 1 sheet of good quality 1/4 inch plywood with teak and holly veneer. Not cheap to buy. Clear epoxy (lots) and rollers.
Procedure: Get a large sheet of paper (construction paper is great and big enough) and carefully make a pattern of the current sole by laying it out and scoring along the edges. Remember to score out the outside of the hatch to the bilge too. Lay it on the back side of the ply sheet BUT be careful to reverse it since you will be cutting from the backside and all the cut-outs will be opposite. Score through the paper onto your sheet. Use a straight edge and compass to smooth out your lines and then mark them in black so they are easy to see. With the sheet well supported use a fine tooth fret saw and cut out your sheet cutting to the outside of your lines. You have to use a sharp knife to cut through where the bilge hatch goes, insert the fret blade and work it slowly along the lines. Save the cut out piece for your hatch.
Test fit over and over again using weights to hold down to the curve. and trimming with a knife or plane as required to get your perfect fit.
Reverse and remove the protective paper on the sheet if it has that and support the sheet well. Choose your work area carefully as the sheet must remain untouched for days as you recoat and you do not want anything to fall on it. Apply 5 coats of clear epoxy allowing about 2 days between coats. Sand very lightly with 400 grit between coats. One light coat on the reverse side.
Tape off the white holly strips so only they are showing but the rest is protected. Sprinkle the white strips with any of the non skid grits as evenly as you can but you do not have to be too fussy. Apply 2 coats of epoxy to the strips with a roller allowing a good dry between coats. Take off the tape and the sole is done.
To install I used contact cement like they use for vinyl flooring and applied using one of those cement applicators with the square teeth cut out. I applied a liberal coat to both the sheet and the FB floor and then with some helpers standing on the bunks "dropped" it in. Weighted it down for a day and it never was going to come up.
For the bilge hatch, I glued a plank of wood on the under side and trimmed it to fit down into the bilge hole edge, installed a lift latch and I was done.
It sounds long and it is but I must say it made the whole boat look newer and gave me a real sense of pride.