week 12

This week was all about painting. I mixed the topsides paint, Interlux Hatteras Off White 1990 with a white primer and rolled it on the topsides and boot. This was sanded, and I managed to brush on 3 coats of the off white sanding inbetween with a scotch brite. The resulting finish looks really nice. Its not perfect, but its really nice. Then, I brushed on two coats of red boot stripe, cutting up to the topsides paint. With this finished, the paint job is essentially complete, besides the jackstand spots on the bottom and where the keel is blocked up that need touching up before she goes in the water. I moved all four jack stands to patch their spots with seam compound and paint, but the keel areas will have to wait until the day of the launch.

My next project was working on the toe rails. I already made and sanded them last week, so i just needed to fit them up on the boat with the bow chocks and fasten them down. This went pretty quickly and really adds a nice touch to the look of the boat. I bedded them down with natural bedding, bunged the screw holes, and hot coated three coats of Allspar varnish. The first coat was thinned with the elixir mix to help seal the wood.

At the end of the week, I took the boatyard's advice and filled the boat up with water on the inside. This is done before an old boat goes in the water to see if there are going to be any surprises when shes launched and also to help the wood swell before she is totally submerged. I was expecting a rush of water to pour out of the seams but to my surprise only a few trickles came out of the keelson seam. Once the keelson swells, this will be reduced even more. I am taking this as a good sign and it is easing my mind since she is due to launch on May 10th.

Next up are the rub rails and cockpit coamings. If I can get these two things on before she's launched I will be a very happy guy.

week 12

A coat of 50/50 primer and topsides paint is brushed on to the hull

STBD side 2nd coat of primer.

And here are 3 coats of finish paint.

looking at the bow, 3 coats of interlux Hatteras Off White 1990.

Its always satisfying to pull the tape.

The red boot gets cut up to the topsides.

Here is one coat...another to go.

The bronze rudder fitting is screwed back on.

Tape is being pulled off the boot after two coats of paint.

Now begins work on the toe rails and bow chocks.

Both sides dry fit and two finish coats of interior paint.

A shot of the port chock and toe rail.

They are removed and reinstalled with natural bedding compound, and bunged.

The interior got a finish coat of paint as well, and after the hull was done, I filled up the bilge with water.

To my surprise, she only leaked a little from the keelson. I expected a lot more water then this.

By the end of the day, the new toe rails had 3 coats of varnish hot coated.

Week 11

To start the week off I was able to roll the first coat of primer on the topsides. Although I hadn't filled any seams yet, and still had some work to do on the hull, it was good to get the primer in any open seams. While that was drying, I got a couple coats of red boot stripe on the rudder and some bottom paint. Then, I got some purple micro balloons mixed with epoxy spread over the transom to begin the process of fairing that out. Once fair, I installed the vertical support beams as well as the backing block. These were bedded with natural bedding compound. My bilge pump arrived in the mail, something I will surely need for the launch day, and so I was sure to install that in the lowest part of the bilge and install the thru-hull for its output.

Then, to get back to work on the hull, I added a spline that had appeared to have fallen out at a seam forward on the STBD side that left a wide open seam, probably a full 1/4". So I glued in a nice Cedar spline to reduce the gap to 1/8" on the outside to nothing inboard. While that was drying, I went around the boat and rolled in cotton to any open seams that needed it. In some cases, where the cotton and compound were loose, I had to reef out the seam and add new cotton, but this was not necessary in many places. Constantly, between jobs, I was mixing up body filling material to cover screw holes, pin pricks, or any indentations in the planking to get her as fair as possible before painting. As far as the seams, there are two different compounds used, one for anything below the waterline, and another for seams above. Above the waterline you use straight seam compound. For below the waterline, there is a special seam compound designed to be underwater, and to flavor it up a little, 1/3 roofing cement and a dobble of Pine Tar is used. Brad taught me this mixture, and says it has been used for ages, and the pine tar especially reminds me of what an old sailing ship smells like. These compounds are pushed into the open seams with a putty knife, then wiped clean with thinner. While that stuff drying, I got out my Fir and cut out the Port and STBD toe rails, shaped the ends where the chocks fit in and scarphed on longer pieces to make them roughly 16 ft long. Then I milled out Fir for the rub rails and scarphed together two pieces to get abour 24 feet. These are dry now, and will be dealt with once painting is finished.

The painting really started today, Friday, with a coat of primer to the interior. This was pretty tedious and took most of the day and a quart and a half of primer. This work was really taxing on my knees, and although it will need to be completely sanded down, painted, and sanded again before the final coat, it feels good to have it done. After this was on, I went around the bottom with my green Interlux CSC bottom paint and got the first coat on. A good way to end the week...although all my weeks blurr together. The boat is really starting to look fresh and by the end of the week she should be completely painted.

Week 11

First coat of primer goes on the topsides

A shot of the bow, primed.

The rudder gets bottom paint, boot strip and primer.

The transom was faired after being skreeted with fairing compound. The two vertical supports and backing block are installed.

A Rule bilge pump is installed in the bilge. This will be an important tool.

The new thru hull fitting for the bilge pump.

From the outside.

A new spline is added to the garboard forward on the STBD side to close the gap some more.

Cotton is rolled in where needed.

And filling the seams being. Here, Sika Flex is squeezed in between the ballast and keelson.

For under the waterline, a mixture of water proof seam compound, roofing cement, and pine tar is used.

Above the water is simply seam compound.

I cut new toe rails out of Fir and fit the bow chocks in.

The interior is prepped for primer. The teak sole is covered with paper.

A coat of primer is applied to the entire interior.

A shot looking aft of the finished coat of primer.

and....BOTTOM PAINT! I can't believe I am at this stage.

It is extremely satisfying to see the entire bottom covered with new paint. Tomorrow the second coat will go on followed by the topsides and boot stripe.

Week 10

I didnt feel as productive this week as most, but im not sure why. Looking back at the pictures from the week, I think a lot was done and maybe im just feeling the stress of the final weeks before launching.

I was able to get a coat of a two part epoxy primer on the dynel deck and later two coats of hull paint. A mixture of Kirby's cream yellow and white. This was rolled on. Afterwards, the deck looks just like canvas, feels like canvas, only with a small overlap down the center, which doesnt bother me too much.

Then I started focusing on the hull. I first made plugs using a hole saw and backing blocks. The backing blocks were screwed down from the inside and the bungs placed in the holes with a lot of G Flex epoxy. Since the hole saw uses a pre drill to make a guide hole, the hole in the center had to be bunged as well. As these were drying, I got distracted by the teak sole, and went at it pretty hard for the next two days. It came out really well and the bungs were put in on Saturday. I made the entire center of the sole, three planks wide, lift out for easy bilge access. Afterwards, I got out my old friend the long board and began fairing out the hull with 80 grit. When both sides of the topsides were done, I used a two part light body filling compound to fill all the screw heads in. The topsides are basically ready for a primer coat before I start to re-fill any cotton or seam compound. Look forward to some paint being put on next week.

Week 10

The dynel gets a coat of epoxy primer.

A view from the bow.

Then, two coats of paint. This is a 50/50 mix of Kirby's cream and white.

Rolling the paint aft.

All old thru-hulls are plugged with wood, epoxy, and backing blocks.

Here you can see the three backing blocks for the old thru-hulls.

The teak deck starts to get lain.

A bunch of tricky notches are cut into the planks.

One side is done.

And now complete. The entire center of the sole lifts up for bilge access.

As you can see here.

Bungs are put in

With hull paint on the way, I began by priming the rudder.

At the end of the day SAT, I had some fun cleaning up my bronze hardware in the sand blasting machine.

Now it all looks brand new!

Week 9

To start the week off, I added a little extra strength to the aft bench area by adding four more supports connecting all the horizontals. I also tied it into the horn timber aft. With this done, it should be sturdy enough. The rest of the week was spent mostly on the deck, besides getting two coats of Bilgekote in the bilge area. Taping it off was easy, and sanding it was fine, but finding a place to kneel down while painting was tough on the knees. But the result is satisfying. When I finished, I decided that I should extend this area forward two frames and get a 3rd coat on overall. I also had to make an extra trip to Rhode Island to see my buddies at St. Angelo's Hardwoods to pick up the Teak for the cabin sole. I went down on Monday thinking I knew how much I needed. I milled out eight 3 inch wide strips at 6 1/2' only to realize I needed twice that. So on thursday, I went down again and picked up some more. Now all my teak is milled out and ready to cut to fit.

On the deck, I needed to fit the top layer of 3/8" okume plywood ontop of the first layer making sure to stagger the joints. I was lucky to find a full sheet of plywood in the shop that I could use, and it was just enough. I traced out where the deck beams where and as best I could any major fasteners and lathered up the plywood and fastened it down with #10 2" SS screws. The next day, I was able to fair out the new deck, on the outboard and inboard sides, finished fairing out the coaming lines and skreet fairing compound over the joint where the new deck meets the old and over the entire foredeck to fair out any lumps. All fasteners were filled with fairing compound also. After this went off, I used a longboard with 40grit then a random orbit sander with 80 to fair it out. Then I finished cutting out the space of old deck where the coaming ends just aft of the mast step with a jig saw and chisel. I added my 4inch wide oak supports inbetween the old deck beams as per usual and faired them to shape. A second coat of fairing compound was skreeted on any low spots I may have missed. This again was faired. With the deck fair, it was time to break out the dynel. I thought it was going to be very difficult to lay out the fabric without creasing it, but it proved to be pretty easy. The hard part was finding a place to walk along the boat in my socks to not scurry up any dust. I had marked out the centerline with a 1 inch overlap and taped the dynel down. Then, using epoxy with laminating resin, I began coating it out with a roller from the middle working out towards the ends. Everything went smoothly and by the end of the day I had the entire surface coated. Now, the deck is complete. It only lacks paint, which will be soon to follow.

week 9

Here I added some extra oak supports to the aft bench seat beams.

Laying out the 2nd layer of 3/8" okume plywood deck.

Detail of the fit at the transom.

The 2nd layer meeting the old deck.

Detail of the layout of screws.

Both sides glued and screwed down.

The screw holes were filled with micro balloons and epoxy as well as the entire foredeck for fairing.

First layer of fairing compound being sanded fair.

Last bit of the old deck is removed to where the coaming will end.

One more coat of fairing compound is skreeted over the foredeck.

I taped off the bilge area for painting.

Here are two coats of Bilgekote sanded inbetween with 120.

The dynel is brought onboard.

One side is rolled out and rough cut and taped to the center line.

Both sides are fit, cut to trim, and taped down.

A detail of the chain plates.

Wetting it out with laminating resin epoxy.

Another detail of the chain plate area.

There you have it. The deck is finished. Now all that is needed is a coat of primer and a couple coats of paint.