tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75046194257137956232024-02-19T02:23:22.296-08:00Ronin's Overdue RebuildThis blog is about letting friends and family keep track of progress on the refit of our sailboat Ronin. RoninRebuildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03817700065649175310noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7504619425713795623.post-8819490853387297962019-02-02T13:07:00.001-08:002019-02-02T13:30:28.091-08:00Pulling (pushing?) PEX.<p>Part of the refit job involves updating the plumbing. In my planning software under Plumbing are items that encompass things like through-hulls, seacocks, bile pumps and hoses, head and holding tank updates and fixtures. You get the idea.</p>
<p>Years ago while doing cabin sole replacement number one, I managed to run a screw right into the high-pressure supply line to the head while fastening the cabin sole in place. It didn’t take too much time hearing the pump along with its favorite sister, the bilge pump laboring away to figure out that I had a problem.</p>
<p>So, being the “let’s get’er done quick” kind of guy that I am, I simply cut out a section of the original grey tubing, fitted a section of clear Shields polyester reinforced PVC hose, double, double hose clamped it ‘cause I found out that single hose clamps on a non-barbed fitting, well, don’t last too long. The fix is under the floorboards so out’a sight, out’a mind...</p>
<p>Now is the time to make things right. In addition to adding a new hot and cold cockpit shower to the system, I am replacing the faucets in the galley and the head. So rather than put a dirty sock on a clean foot, I decided to replace all the factory plumbing. This also aided with tying in my new hot-water tank.</p>
<p>I didn’t spend too much time evaluating material choices. I read of Onne van der Wal doing this on his Pearson 36 refit and the “PEX” solution seemed the easiest. I used 1/2” SeaTech polyethylene tubing and their line of connectors. I ordered them through the Paxton catalog that my yard uses and had them put the costs on my bill.</p>
<p>Being a noob to plumbing I will say that the job was pretty simple and straightforward. The revelation for me was the fact that the tubing is not terribly flexible. I was under the impression, delusion really, that the pipe could be contorted into all sorts of tight bends and angles. Not so. This required a bit more in the way of connectors, mostly elbows that I had not planned on when I drew up a schematic of the new system. Paxton and my yard were happy to remedy that shortcoming.</p>
<p>Pulling all the old tubing and running the new probably took about a day and a half. Not too much elbow grease necessary. Wherever possible I used insulated marine electrical cable clamps to secure the tubing and in some cases to shape the radius of a curve. Pro tip: buy the tube cutter. </p>
<p>One item that I envisioned doing was to create a manifold for the freshwater supply from the two 30-gallon tanks located under each main-cabin settee. C&C’s original approach was to add a valve to the supply line on each tank. When one went dry I pulled up the settee cushions and switched it closed and the other tank I put in open. Pretty simple. But in my usual “turn a sow’s ear into a silk purse” I figured I could combine those two valves into one and be done with it.</p>
<p>The more I thought about where to put the manifold and the extra time it would take I realized that it wasn’t worth it to me. I’m not going voyaging and we don’t use the boat enough to justify it. And I am waaaaay behind on this project.</p>
<p>The only “manifold” that I did construct was for the high-pressure side that supplies hot and cold water. Because I was going from two to three high pressure supply lines, I constructed a manifold that distributed to each using stackable “T’s” and elbows. There was no need to incorporate any valves in these, especially since the whole structure would be under the floorboards.</p>
<p>One thing that I did do as sort of a lark was to incorporate valves into each fresh-water tank’s vent line. I’ve known of instances where saltwater intake in the tanks happened, generally on long legs at deep heel angles. We’ll see how that works in the real world of the Chesapeake Bay and coastal cruising. My money is on overkill...</p>
<p>Next up: installing the new faucets and shower.</p>
<p>Note: Red lines used for the F/W tank vents are due to me running out of blue...</p>
<p><img style="float: left;" title="Old bilge old plumbing.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7I9DZ2FCtyZEKZU-PlVJMnJ5YHQIWIGKDvykXixL5byRpb25GQPhMoYeZNul4bcIgPZW5t_n9qFXU0A0FyWyv0PROW39IfMaN_6ZIu0h1dHGrg-NGfXT4uDOAPTkW2Z192xJwbieJSmGr/s0/Old+bilge+old+plumbing.jpg" alt="Old bilge old plumbing" width="640" height="480" border="0" /></p>
<p><em>Yuck….</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><img style="float: left;" title="FW tank fill shutoff.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOKfVDAaOoMbjRsbXFTAx3dnS7uNBLUBNCAumEUv8E1Lxj1r_fNLdIhlXG19DPTVQe7NSbits5oNuKG6OC82KJPNnW_ZVoKLsRdZk01ByWFHjKVf-QLXzmOfotjQqTravmu2ht47mxlmqi/s0/FW+tank+fill+shutoff.jpg" alt="FW tank fill shutoff" width="640" height="480" border="0" /><em>New filler hose with valve on vent line:</em></p>
<p><em>Starboard F/W tank hoses:</em></p>
<p><img style="float: left;" title="Starboard FW tank plumbing.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtS5h5Vm9ZAiRM-AbTXoQL7QUf2raVxJ403AHzKJQX9CAWKOlrPSY4llrFFJH5ZyawcDd4DxjFfx6-BLGcduPhJuGHIV8Ow5VmGxtRx1XH4fyfmILPaQ-__Jfd7GbAwQF22uMxs48nxXRW/s0/Starboard+FW+tank+plumbing.jpg" alt="Starboard FW tank plumbing" width="640" height="480" border="0" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Shot showing the fresh-water pump, expansion tank and hot-water heater hookups:</em></p>
<p><img style="float: left;" title="More PEX.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8QIdPAh0B-arA8NT3l4AuDP-H3mMrTGGPFcpCaTZsV9zFQLhriqz91VFteIcA_O7NOMJ7BEBtRh3PWC0TNnn2Y2oosTlZQsUYP1HxXcju8H1qcY74OKiqN9MNmy6ollfePc9S5z4tIGag/s0/More+PEX.jpg" alt="More PEX" width="640" height="480" border="0" /></p>
<p><em>Almost there:</em></p>
<p><img style="float: left;" title="Like the colors.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisMHLLMFUc-GZyVVxycB0HlBRBs8kD1dCu5FtTAG-OqDkQv1ysmLKlJDlKr23zFheS6SLYubeClZ9HT2OWy3qxrvuLUpXTmVnvYcXahWDxTZRyUK4c9ME77PEyCfXPaA0Kl1dl2K5WVC2C/s0/Like+the+colors.jpg" alt="Like the colors" width="640" height="480" border="0" /></p>
<p><em>And I will never see those line ID’s..</em></p>
<p><img style="float: left;" title="Completed manifold.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgExbL3_NhXb_TWI3UBbTyTeypL_clPSb9qczuwv6TLWmTPmX-cw5RJR6b9hkCD4s-Zob2qxYt03EU3Cbc_QeiM9jCoeWf_IgQhsvi_izN_nszJwE6uvxP9Np8stH0G8boRv5OdBjiUG_rP/s0/Completed+manifold.jpg" alt="Completed manifold" width="640" height="480" border="0" /></p>RoninRebuildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03817700065649175310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7504619425713795623.post-77317638473856939562017-09-29T15:00:00.001-07:002017-09-30T16:02:57.344-07:00I'm getting better with the spray gun. Sort of...<p>When I last left the deck painting task I had just finishing spraying the gloss topcoat. Even though I knew that I would probably get locked out by the falling temperatures I wanted to keep going as much as possible on the deck paint task so after pulling the tape and the paper, I started in on counter-taping for the definition of the non-skid areas. I probably finished about three quarters of it before Winter set in. </p>
<p>I decided to leave everything in place and come back in the Spring to finish off the non-skid application. One decision was to leave the tape in place. I discussed this with a couple of painters and got differing options. Leave it it place because it wasn’t exposed to UV. Pull the tape because it would harden up and become difficult to pull. And lifting old tape might take some paint with it. I went with leaving the tape in place and avoiding re-taping the same areas again in the Spring.</p>
<p>I returned when the weather warmed up in May 2017. I finished taping the boat in order to apply the non-skid. I decided to use the AwlGrip recommended technique of rolling on the paint and “salting” the Griptex into the paint. This technique is nicely described as the best way to go for rank amateurs like me.</p>
<p>Actually, I had done some test panels last year and I thought the results were pretty good. I followed the instructions to roll on the Awlcraft topcoat. I used a 4” rounded-edge foam roller to apply the Awlcraft. I then came back with the Griptex, in a large plastic yogurt container with a bunch of holes punch in the lid and used the “salt” application method. The key is to keep shaking. That ensures that it covers evenly. After doing that I let the first coat of paint and Griptex sit for about 30 minutes then rolled another coat of Alwcraft. Waiting another 30 minutes I “salted” more Griptex, mostly to ensure that areas that may have been a bit thin were adequately covered. After yet another 30 minutes I rolled a third coat of Awlcraft on to seal the Griptex and take some of the edge out of the non-skid.</p>
<p><em>First coat of non-skid applied.</em></p>
<p><img title="DSC_0021.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiUZ-MifT75PDcY91D4KK1vvaJBlOllrxBsYyIjnjtexSXB3fyKjL1COl9yIEH5JTYXYb2uhktSId3wpGTBvdKMoJoDYbcJEsmB99s1J2GblFr9oSkdNXPAGgKpxjIcTA5ZbzFX2UWf3e4/?imgmax=1600" alt="First coat of non-skid..." width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p><em>Better photos of new non-skid.</em></p>
<p><img title="fullsizeoutput_43f.jpeg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR6rp77K9bT8iJDjT3DOZgFt59i7ztv_zYyDxARSEuwzOjBn9kaLrfwv651qJEn-SgM1r7Fxc4sqnPkqC4WN5Sx4YKmA0uWDVCi5S67Jgntma_qrTJYnazgQ8Q0YMshJ4QHatTapZXadgs/?imgmax=1600" alt="Fullsizeoutput 43f" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p><img title="fullsizeoutput_440.jpeg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieUOSFmEiLS2UIF-C-LX0l6S105aVg1BKU6bbxPg5MktNM0SRBBZ-bTTT0TTd9pA7OEhej0jWd_XT0erGSSGdpg_ClLksm_f-rr8YkRlCVHKT8scMc-BbAukko8pOeWIBeFnd2crlrrBLk/?imgmax=1600" alt="Fullsizeoutput 440" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>One of things that I decided to do when repainting the decks was to upgrade the look of the deck. On Ronin there was non-skid everywhere. If the surface was horizontal, it had non-skid. If it was vertical is was painted gloss. As part of my obsession with turning a sow’s ear into a silk purse I decided to delineate the deck edges and hardware pads so that there was a glossy relief around each item. For instance I added a 1” gloss strip adjacent to the toenail which had never existed before. Eh, why not?</p>
<p><em>Kinda hard to see the fancy edging...</em></p>
<p><img title="fullsizeoutput_3b0.jpeg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ozpTInSdOYLRSvxc6BcGE4idHqi3Q3cgYb8jZ0vzOGrE4XvTttw25OQbKp9CjdGVbamivSK4obHVRrjh1jJepJZzDwub_ikFEyKZoXDL9q5aas0yDA2grmiEerLIAUATwuVmtb5Y54ws/?imgmax=1600" alt="Fullsizeoutput 3b0" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>I was pretty pleased with the way it came out. But that was before I started to clean up.</p>
<p>Well, it turned out that when I started to removed the tape and paper the 3M tape all came off quite nicely. Good clean lines. However, in three areas, a good bit of the gloss topcoat lifted right off. On inspection it wasn’t the problem of leaving the tape on for too long. It seemed pretty clear to me that I had not prepped the surface well enough before laying down the topcoat. Large sections of perfectly sanded yellow epoxy primer were exposed. Dang.</p>
<p><em>Not quite the effect I was hoping to achieve.</em></p>
<p><img style="text-align: justify;" title="Exposed primer.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-bdQskynOs9uwnnTisSogkmhIIny8JvL4pfH3YkmsPWA6-olnNiMAfNQ3bfw-SJ3qv1AdeFbTpYtOGDVLORm13OgkgO1OVeyq1XsTmSppeNGiaiRJTwVkTsKKvGm6C_fCk3UmnlpeX8u7/?imgmax=1600" alt="Exposed primer" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>Exasperated, I just kept going knowing full well that more painting would be involved. Since I’m not charging myself for the job I wouldn’t be “losing" money, only my patience.</p>
<p>After re-covering the entire hull I sanded down the affected areas and back-tapped prior to shooting. Pulled out the mighty 3M spray gun and applied another coat of Awlquick primer. I let that set up for a couple of days and then came back and sanded with 320 grit for adhesion. On a good day with temperatures in the low 80’s and low humidity I resprayed the exposed areas with Awlcraft 2000. When finished I felt pretty good about my efforts yet again.</p>
<p><em>Fix it again….</em></p>
<p><img title="Primer for repair areas and hatches.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqp4NqjIccAURK8weW49oniEdCdFkdJtIGdGO_FT5_cIyh-WpDYyw2Rcx0Z3y0xIIAGMAB3NnS_eCAsF37NACCTZi-OUEb85vLcQPnmPeE_BvYDWDaCJFh6F1IdDIx97Ce2YDD_OBMBewg/?imgmax=1600" alt="Primer for repair areas and hatches" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p><em>Looks good in this light.</em></p>
<p><img title="After respray work..jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl1YkyRBU7sXZazccbv0cy408Pnmn_sglR5M_gNWBaeom9f0MqRxLhZkSjmtiTA-vR_-BqbpALZrskRJ_pthpDECPhTqtHfDiiit-ETGHOmdiv5-TMEf0i5HjxHldcK7kfGiMOo3da_aF1/?imgmax=1600" alt="After respray work" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>When I came back the next day and pulled the plastic and tape I saw that I STILL had not gotten it right. I had used a different sized (smaller) tip in my spray gun and at the same time adjusted the thinner, using a bit more than the original spray job. The result was that although the paint flowed out more evenly and better than the original effort, the film thickness was too thin. Compared to the original paint the yellow of the primer in the respray areas was evident. Dang. And dang again...</p>
<p>So, as is my wont, I took the summer off and did other things. Spain, Slovenia, sailing in the Adriatic off Croatia. Riding. </p>
<p>I’m now just getting back to fixing the fixes.</p>
<p><em>Green tape marks touch-up areas….</em></p>
<p><img title="Job done.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzVQBBICuXyxwuPDYW6jj17LflkqX6Wxcclc05G89vGiXCe601jmapDLsRkhIgTiRJpc4_LBZGnQ3g52IjWMDVpvaJ5HcJ-xJ2UmZqbm3v30fwvxJFRPncfyolj3CpCbl95yP9NVRAXJVv/?imgmax=1600" alt="Job done" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>Anyway, I was out at the boat today and a gentleman who bought an original Cal 40 found in the yard and is now in the process of restoring came by to chat. Asked when I thought I might have Ronin in the water. I gave him my standard reply to that question: One and a half years. No matter when I’m asked...</p>RoninRebuildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03817700065649175310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7504619425713795623.post-13097603699575687132017-08-30T17:24:00.001-07:002017-08-30T17:24:27.264-07:00Hello? Hello? Is this mic on? Hello?<p>Jeez, it’s been so long since I’ve posted I’ve forgotten how to do it.</p>
<p>Have I been beavering away on the refit project? Nope. Are things getting done on the boat? Yes. And no. Do I feel guilty about it or stressed? No.</p>
<p>To really hammer it all home I read the articles in Cruising World magazine by Onne Van Der Wal about purchasing an older Pearson 36, him hauling it into his driveway and spending less than a year doing exactly what I am doing. But really, what he did and the time frame that he completed it in is truly impressive. My new boat refit hero!</p>
<p>So, where was I? Oh yes, finished spraying the gloss topcoat on the decks just before winter shut the painting opportunities down. Nine months have gone by. Almost a year. I had high hopes that with heaters and moderate temperatures I would spend a good deal of time in the shed working on interior projects but that didn’t pan out. Some of it due to the fact that many of the projects involved having the deck hardware back in place. Which I couldn’t do because I had not finished the deck repaint task. The gloss was on and the boat taped in anticipation of applying the non-skid. Temperatures were too cold to apply the Awlcraft 2000 with non-skid so I just left the boat taped and spent the winter watching TV.</p>
<p>No, actually I don’t watch TV. Did go to Sarasota Florida and race in the Corsair Nationals. Trip to California to ride my Ducati with a good friend. Another off-road motorcycle riding week in Utah with my brother and friends. Did the Down the Bay race in May as the “Two" part of the Two-handed race on an Andrews 28 sport boat. We finished first, almost getting line honors but passed by a J-124 in the last mile. Fun in starting conditions of 25 knots, gusts over 30 knots. Back to Barcelona, Slovenia and Croatia for a month. Spent a week on a 54’ Jeanneau in the Adriatic. I wished I had been on our C&C 37, a much finer sailing machine.</p>
<p>One thing I did do last year was contact a local rigging company and get an estimate on replacing almost all the standing rigging and all of the running rigging and lifelines. We discussed replacing the original Navtec rod rigging with stranded wire, especially in light of the fact that Navtec had just gone out of business. I opted to stay with the rod rigging, especially given that I had already spent a good amount of money on the new tang fittings years ago. </p>
<p><em>Pulling the rig apart.</em></p>
<p><em>.</em><img title="fullsizeoutput_421.jpeg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7gh4Jyn5gUgexx_TlI8CQGQ3Zg1bnc6bBCMww0GQ_KlMAm-VhWJbkj1eGYGNbAImq_L8MirOr332qhyphenhyphenWOXKsKvglaFn1exruA867FINlZpa4NPcJyu495xSMFIVoJ8KLJTpLnzwJGAigZ/?imgmax=1600" alt="Fullsizeoutput 421" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p><em>Old aluminum.</em></p>
<p>.<img title="fullsizeoutput_420.jpeg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7qb5sOWEkv8u1Xg7teA4hpW_Ay2jSTwCwAZqwBaQyPTO6qD84jiFcPfVB5BzouOGqn3kWIsBVS1x0jcFK1dkQxbi8jt1XfOdHIRm-mHXCnbdOcpi76Ivc6KGQS67_lrHCVBsdFfahGYHq/?imgmax=1600" alt="Fullsizeoutput 420" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p>Having all new rigging is going to give me a good bit of confidence in the safety of our boat. Worth the money and effort.</p>
<p>Next post: The trials of not being an expert spray painter. Or even a moderately good one...</p>
<p> </p>RoninRebuildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03817700065649175310noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7504619425713795623.post-3050462814052181722016-11-19T15:20:00.001-08:002016-11-19T15:23:02.471-08:00A big milestone, the decks get the gloss paint.<p>I finished the taping and masking yesterday at 3:30 PM yesterday. Even though I was pressing to get the boat ready to paint today, part of the day was taken up with conferring with the rigger. He and his partner showed up at the yard around noon and we went over the mast. He’ll get back to me with options and pricing for the work. Which is just the way I like it. We traded boat disaster stories which is always fun.</p>
<p><em>Last of the taping.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Masking done.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-BCNMatgnSDY/WDDeN3KFmFI/AAAAAAAABHM/Jl8fOXGQEMU/Masking%252520done.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Masking done" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>After getting home I had some dinner and the spent the rest of the evening getting all my gear together for painting. This morning I went over to my friend’s house and picked up his generator.</p>
<p>Arriving at the boatyard around 9:00 AM today I started laying out the materials and equipment. As I suspected, the shed ceiling was dripping with condensation and the decks were moist, to put it mildly. I set up a couple of fans to help with airflow and wiped all the surfaces with rags to speed drying.</p>
<p>Sill, it wasn’t until 10:30 that I could start in on the pre-paint deck prep. I vacuumed the decks for the millionth damn time, made a few quick repairs to taping mistakes and then started in on the two-rag solvent wipe-down. After that it was time to mix up the Awlcraft 2000 and let it induct.</p>
<p>By the time I jacked the spray gun in and started at the bow, it was 12:30. I knew right then that I’d be finishing near sundown.</p>
<p>I started out pretty nicely. Easy to lay down the first coat with no problems. Man, I thought I was gonna breeze right through this job.</p>
<p>Yeah. No.</p>
<p><em>Started well...</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="First gloss coat.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-DtsiD4J6ilE/WDDeQqbULhI/AAAAAAAABHY/hiu7rMptfck/First%252520gloss%252520coat.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="First gloss coat" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>What with the fact that I had to contort myself in weird positions without ever being able to stand up straight, my back started to spasm. Oh joy. Add in me wearing these damn booties that kept pulling off my feet and the quality and ease of the work began to fade. If I had a dollar for every time I looked down after stepping in fresh paint, well, you know...</p>
<p>Anyway, I kept at for for three passes. Finished up around 4:30, cleaned up the gun and policed the job site and that was that. Took a few photos in the dimming afternoon light and headed home as the front started to move through. I managed to get the paint on before the season shut me down.</p>
<p>I was pretty happy about that, getting a major task finished. Pumped really.</p>
<p>Next up is to take a day or two off, eat something other than chili or bean soup, meet my wife who’ll be coming back from three weeks in Barcelona. After that I’ll start in applying the non-skid paint areas.</p>
<p><em>Final product.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Better than before.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwmk8i2HgXlzKzBxqrS8ZCGZ228e2H4rkc1AZ1tq9gprGVwPgjYI-ZHeb-3pvDjvmhi_QcEPOV4LTttFL_lFBGj7l1DkRArxsKatmdXZzvGrfls-WLsZ907_cOErFSdPd5WTEOu4nqe3xm/?imgmax=1600" alt="Better than before" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Coat three on stern.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-CrAACBwLUQk/WDDePv0pOuI/AAAAAAAABHU/LE6tUqr7Ffc/Coat%252520three%252520on%252520stern.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Coat three on stern" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="View from the bow.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHTQ-djyl3eyTupEUD0MnKTkWiQEaQRrT9STeZBlM9TpoKhXjfJ1Am79Kz1YGyOmlw3m9tEJGqhcjWngWOD9tczgN3we44YwQtg6yjOGQsyU8s1r8aRpXeZC0dwiNrKeD3AnduY3TuIiFT/?imgmax=1600" alt="View from the bow" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Whats with the orange.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii0AAHt4mu5nApv5zF_z2Ua5H_uRdGiCgt5_bX2A9CoCGVj7FgqgNbleKFKG8moexBSRN4ytZLcgzyZFd3F8zhAGiO1Hiy8hl7sZ47k4DaVU-Ml_KyyjPRnhj2i11Ncii6sdI3nOthxh2C/?imgmax=1600" alt="Whats with the orange" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>I’m going to take some better photos tomorrow. You know, the ones showing the shiny glossy paint. With the bugs and footprints in it...</p>
<p> </p>RoninRebuildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03817700065649175310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7504619425713795623.post-23153934032689798202016-11-16T15:42:00.001-08:002016-11-16T15:42:18.895-08:00Pushing to beat the cold front.<p>Looks like this coming Saturday will be D-Day for getting the gloss topcoat painted. Weather forecast for low to mid sixties followed by a cold front. I suspect that the cold front will finally signal the end of our warm weather.</p>
<p>I’m pushing pretty hard most days to get the taping and masking done. I figure that I’ll be done with that by Thursday evening, early Friday morning at the latest. That will give me Friday to do a final clean of the decks, clear away the area around the boat and get all the gear running and tested prior to shooting the Awlcraft on Saturday.</p>
<p>With the cooler nights every morning there is a fair amount of condensation dripping off the ceiling of the boat shed. Temperatures warm up pretty quickly once the sun is out so I should be able to safely start spraying by around 11:00 AM on Saturday.</p>
<p>There’s no cushion in my schedule but I’m confident that the first gloss coat will be on by Saturday afternoon. After that I can “leisurely” roll on the non-skid surfaces. Of course that involves more re-taping and masking those areas. Which is not a simple job as I’m finding out.</p>
<p>Some photos from the last three days.</p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Starting at the bow.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-T5S3tPosT24Q-T6osBJIk0pn-OCH_N2wDb2GKaqPCTHsR93JJ4nQkyaWP07arqpjServYzHqsVl1NJ12ZoRDMydG780_iphw6ZyMxfxdh0JhoGNEo53OJErgIL0acQFN6yAYGbP7hTqD/?imgmax=1600" alt="Starting at the bow" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Track placement.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-u2CRAvRfAmM/WCzuzpX2yOI/AAAAAAAABGc/6BY-OW_DdfY/Track%252520placement.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Track placement" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p><em>Starting to tape the upper deck structures.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="First pass on upper deck.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vzSvPt1RI5g/WCzu0JRmSDI/AAAAAAAABGg/eSfmb5-TbmQ/First%252520pass%252520on%252520upper%252520deck.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="First pass on upper deck" width="599" height="337" border="0" /></p>
<p><em>Spent all of today placing and outlining the hardware fitment.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Scattered bits.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-zPhxMP2NDuI/WCzu0kfnGZI/AAAAAAAABGk/y_qOf7npGQQ/Scattered%252520bits.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Scattered bits" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Pushing into the afternoon.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6ZiW5sd0ob8/WCzu1YrQIfI/AAAAAAAABGo/EWv1vbnPoj0/Pushing%252520into%252520the%252520afternoon.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Pushing into the afternoon" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>For some reason I became concerned about some chips in the upper port side of the companionway entrance. I had ignored them because I mistakenly thought that the new teak surrounds that I made last winter in the shed would cover them. Nope.</p>
<p>I mixed up some Awlfair, slapped it on and put the heat lamp on it. It will get a basic fairing job which will not be ideal but will have to do. I can come back next Spring and fix it up as need be. </p>
<p><em>Fitment looks okay.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Checking new surrounds.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUicfKWXDMHQI2XnevG4h6ezidfbJjgAk8Mt8GuYl4F4QwDUwEjR57_C5Esj7vpXAINdbRq2X3p_UNO3EEle4akTC8plAdePzpDPVrEFPcoYhunYF6jSPGDc66r93tsuQouAE4qtd52Rhy/?imgmax=1600" alt="Checking new surrounds" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p>Back at it early tomorrow.</p>RoninRebuildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03817700065649175310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7504619425713795623.post-58877696520855105862016-11-06T16:14:00.001-08:002016-11-07T13:27:39.378-08:00I think I'm done with the sanding.<p>With the weather cooperating and after getting back from helping my brother and sister-in-law put on a 3-day, 100-mile endurance race in the Shenandoah Valley, I’ve been pushing to get the deck ready for the gloss topcoat application.</p>
<p>Over the years I’ve surfed the internet for examples of others painting their boats in order to get some sense of what I’m up against and how to go about it. It seems to me that all those guys get their tasks done pretty quickly and efficiently. That is not what I am experiencing.</p>
<p>I’ve spent two or three days just block sanding and machine sanding the primer with 320 grit for the final surface. My fingers are raw from digging into the corners and along the toerail. I finally started to “cheat” and use my Mirka sander because time is running out with the onset of the Fall season.</p>
<p><em>Protection is key.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Tired of finish sanding.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-gphGM8Xdzr0/WB_HKB95f9I/AAAAAAAABFY/y2oGi5Y0cu0/Tired%252520of%252520finish%252520sanding.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Tired of finish sanding" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p>With the final sanding complete I did a quick vacuum and then pulled out the masking supplies box and got to work. I started with the cockpit sole because I was tired of grinding sanding dust and yard dirt into the clean sanded primer and wanted it protected with some sturdy paper.</p>
<p><em>Protected.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="This took an afternoon.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-KgFK7zfxfJA/WB_HLOkmRxI/AAAAAAAABFc/cVf8rptZ4JM/This%252520took%252520an%252520afternoon.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="This took an afternoon" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>What to me seemed a quick and simple job took an entire afternoon. I knew right then that I was not going be spraying the gloss coat after three days of taping as I had planned. </p>
<p>Okay, I decided to take a deep breath and go into Zen mode. The prep work will get done when it gets done. The ace up my sleeve is that I called my brother and asked if I could borrow his 125,000 BTU diesel fired radiant heater. Confirmed. Just in case the temperatures dropped out before I could pull out the spray gun...</p>
<p>So, every day I get up, get breakfast, drive to the yard and start the very, very slow process of taping out the gloss areas with 3M 218 Fine Line tape. Lay it down, draw out the outline, cut out outlines for each stanchion base, cleat and mounted hardware. Incredibly time-consuming. It will take many days of this process. And my knees are wrecked.</p>
<p>I hauled the pushpit over to the yard and set it on the stern. With that in place I could outline the stanchion feet, flagpole base and an area for some miscellaneous wiring for the stern light and GPS antennas exiting the deck.</p>
<p><em>Why does the stern looks so small?</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Tiny butt.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-xxaF836HEf0/WB_HM8ReVgI/AAAAAAAABFg/nq8kMrlXSQ8/Tiny%252520butt.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Tiny butt" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>Old habits are hard to break. Every damn time I would climb up the steps to start into the cockpit I would grab the top rail of the pushpit for support. And every damn time it would start to rock back off the stern. You’d think I would learn...</p>
<p><em>More taping.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Starting to mask.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvImRtC6OiByW8avIN059QqQ7c3eFkB3PPeS0WuYXeqL9NxpHYTt9QZr-p2ZvH7KAMWM8PAqg6Hgea_3vxccP5IU1Y_e7E2d0_G971O2VqnHaYMzpLQMKjpFVoZ7O6jZ_zPPsYwLDJBYHn/?imgmax=1600" alt="Starting to mask" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Tape is expensive.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZGQ4ZU-wHcQ/WB_HNl8R84I/AAAAAAAABFk/ZDaPg91ditU/Tape%252520is%252520expensive.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Tape is expensive" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Expose the gloss areas.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-HwQXjBLofbY/WB_HPLfS2vI/AAAAAAAABFs/T9KN_El6zms/Expose%252520the%252520gloss%252520areas.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Expose the gloss areas" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>After about 3 days of work I am just finishing up running the tape up the starboard side. Lots of stops along the way to figure out the outlines for the gloss areas for the rest of the stanchion bases, diesel and water deck fills and the head pump-out deck fitting, a plate for the chainplate and the channel sides for the deck scupper drains.</p>
<p>Now, full disclosure; I have no one but myself to blame for this. None of those cutouts and fancy curves existed in the original deck layout. C&C simply sprayed non-skid over 90% of the flat deck areas. It was me that decided to sex it up a bit and add the gloss cutouts and line along the toe-rail. Some of the impetus for that was to make sure that any fittings were sitting on smooth surfaces so that there would be a good seal when I stared to put the deck fittings back on. And mostly because I just thought given all the time I’m putting into this effort I might as well make it look like a Hinckley.</p>
<p>Yeah, good luck with that...</p>
<p><em>One day’s worth:</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Running the starboard side.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Hdet9hXUghQ/WB_HQlAA1PI/AAAAAAAABFw/qtyYIutyxl0/Running%252520the%252520starboard%252520side.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Running the starboard side" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Sophisticaled tools.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8-dUHJuV9Gk/WB_HRqiZI6I/AAAAAAAABF0/Q5etkjGY8tE/Sophisticaled%252520tools.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Sophisticaled tools" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>As part of the project I’ve gotten in touch with a local rigger. He’ll be out in the next week or so to go over my list of tasks for re-doing the rigging. Looks like new rod and most certainly new running rigging, wiring and coax.</p>
<p><em>Sad old mast.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Tired old rig.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-RLc4_YV0tM8/WB_HSk9KFbI/AAAAAAAABF4/tWiRHOdjEm4/Tired%252520old%252520rig.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Tired old rig" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>And I wished that we would just stay on Daylight Savings Time...</p>RoninRebuildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03817700065649175310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7504619425713795623.post-73020268433649676932016-10-25T17:45:00.001-07:002016-10-26T14:22:01.713-07:00If I never see another pinhole it will be too soon.<p>I’m trying to spend more time on the refit project especially with the favorable weather that we’re having. After getting back from the Dominican Republic I have redouble the final effort to put on the Awlquick primer and sand it in preparation for applying the topcoat.</p>
<p>I knew before leaving that there were some serious mistakes that I had made fairing nicks, gouges, cracks and glasswork in preparation for the gloss topcoat. The number of those mistakes were a bit depressing. Especially after I came back and and filled them with Awlfair. I sanded all the builtup fairing compound and applied more Awlfair, let that set up for a day and then sanded again. After doing this I mixed up another batch of Awlfair and spot sprayed.</p>
<p><em>Fix those cracks and scratches.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Awlfair touchup work.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-lC-eT0qkK0o/WA_8tsYmcWI/AAAAAAAABEs/154FPuL8BDQ/Awlfair%252520touchup%252520work.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Awlfair touchup work" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p>And lo and behold, more pinholes appeared. Some in areas that I thought I had fixed and some new ones. Frustrating.</p>
<p><em>Too tiny to see in the photo but they’re there.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Awlfair failure.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgto4OU9fLclKWhrEoxSoFvowkDNdJ2uWcl-CC_LzV_UGp0awkXbIufHgSciUGJVt-gLQeoztr2NYiSWJCSXYYWPiXv-CKhQvZy1tKdYAipMUQg9tir5qtgKG463py9z8Q1GTqhDKyp77YK/?imgmax=1600" alt="Awlfair failure" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>One section of the port scupper drain showed another set of holes that had blown open next to an area that I filled. Closer investigation with a sharp knife revealed yet more glass layup failures. I should have really tested the entire length of the affected area to ensure that I repaired everything prior to spraying the primer.</p>
<p><em>Bad layup blown open.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Another set of layup failures.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-tshdCjvZz6Y/WA_8tKO2O-I/AAAAAAAABEo/_3odeqqcz0U/Another%252520set%252520of%252520layup%252520failures.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Another set of layup failures" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>The voids in the scupper drain required something more industrial. Out came the West System mixed with colloidal silica shoved into the opened cavities. This area would not be ready for sanding and painting within the day but I’ll just do that in the next day or so and “paint” that area with primer.</p>
<p>So, with just enough of the original gallon of primer left I tried a different tack with the pinholes. 3M Arcyl-White Glazing Putty. I should have used that earlier. It is easier to apply in small amounts and has the benefit of being ready for sanding after 30 minutes. I did a closer inspection of areas that I knew were suspect, smoothing on the glazing compound as I went. Sanding with 220 grit sandpaper was enough before painting.</p>
<p><em>Glazing compound. Should have used it sooner.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Glazing putty to the rescue.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1h8rKxHU3kg/WA_8t-qX3FI/AAAAAAAABEw/qAIrGRlYADw/Glazing%252520putty%252520to%252520the%252520rescue.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Glazing putty to the rescue" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>While waiting for those areas to set up I started in on final sanding the surfaces that will be painted with the gloss topcoat. I had already machine sanded the entire first primer coat on the decks with 320 grit sandpaper. The key to getting a nice finish with the Awlcraft 2000 is to final sand those areas using 3M Dry-Guide and more 320 grit sandpaper. Block sanding by hand.</p>
<p>Hand sanding the primer isn’t very hard and the results using the Dry-Guide are sublime but it does take time. I anticipate several days of that coming up.</p>
<p><span style="font-style: italic;">Smoothing the surfaces.</span></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Dry guide sanding section.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9DoStEelXef0MDd7zIbNSUD6gy5IyC_B5EdXBGnCSKALYX9hKW_Fc6KKu9FktjPSJG56vMT0FaXDxfztbuZP4zxzXzALakWjXHE4Z-EcY2ufxECwh-9c0PgBu_W57SyesBTL_IaMsGRgN/?imgmax=1600" alt="Dry guide sanding section" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>Once the glazing compound set up and sanded I fired up the compressor, mixed the last of the Awlquick and applied covering coats.</p>
<p><em>More primer needed.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Final spot repairs.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-IuzmzWYErCY/WA_8u187BWI/AAAAAAAABE4/qfeQU7g-LaE/Final%252520spot%252520repairs.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Final spot repairs" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p>So, at the end of the day I am 99.99% done with applying Awlquick epoxy primer. Next installment, after I get back from four days of helping my brother and sister-in-law run a 3-day Endurance ride in Fort Valley I will finish the block sanding and start in on masking the non-skid and gloss patterns.</p>
<p><em>Covered.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Awlquick touchup pass.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-fYwGMMujAn8/WA_8vYxjv0I/AAAAAAAABE8/_nEvfEEsFoQ/Awlquick%252520touchup%252520pass.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Awlquick touchup pass" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p> </p>
<div><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div>
<div><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div>RoninRebuildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03817700065649175310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7504619425713795623.post-58974448009067729912016-10-06T15:21:00.001-07:002016-10-06T15:21:33.502-07:00An actual accomplishment. With an assistant...<p>September proved to be yet another pretty warm month. I just used that as an excuse to screw off and do other stuff. Spent a week in Top Sail Island for a destination wedding. More motorcycle riding. I spent some time helping a friend with an offer on a used Post 42’ but unfortunately the offer was not accepted.</p>
<p>When the temperatures broke the rain moved in. On the reasonably good days I continued to work on small fairing jobs, mostly stuff that I had missed initially. I do that quite a bit. Think I’ve covered everything when I haven’t.</p>
<p>In late September I started to ready the boat for the Awlquick Epoxy Primer shoot. While it was raining outside I busied myself with washing the entire deck surface with a 3M Scotchbrite pad and cleanser. The next day I came back and vacuumed the entire surface.</p>
<p><em>Got a fair amount of water down below</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Washing the decks.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-E5I1zuBBMFU/V_bNx0GjTHI/AAAAAAAABDU/-CaUcX2vNZI/Washing%252520the%252520decks.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Washing the decks" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>I ran 3M Masking Film along the inside edge of the toe-rail and left it wrapped up to be pulled down over the hull right before I started to paint.. After that I started masking the ports and hatch openings. With those items done and ready to go I waited for a clear day with low humidity.</p>
<p><em>3M products everywhere...</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Masking start.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-TJ1JJXDLIus/V_bOAogci2I/AAAAAAAABDs/c0laAxNpLP8/Masking%252520start.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Masking start" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p><em><br /></em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Nifty tool.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZxQ_HTEiRZw/V_bNzFv6P1I/AAAAAAAABDY/1OH4TsFmVuY/Nifty%252520tool.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Nifty tool" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Stern paint protection.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSUf-bFQe1uMn7zpjBEe5CK-_4wpUiP1_JYojhyMPBS7N57tEN740EQgqIa59yVEwxYshwXAUUJeOQ939Rijc4CWgovam7DyXTpvU_dKzs1kc6c3iYaXWn5kRiMkI76-7WFI5MnscIHeNH/?imgmax=1600" alt="Stern paint protection" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p>The next day I came back to finish up a few more Awlfair spots that needed sanding and discovered that a helper had climbed up on the boat and was waiting to give me a hand.</p>
<p><em>I’m not sure how he got up there.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Found the next morning.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-uttwi8WZuTI/V_bN4MZf1dI/AAAAAAAABDg/lV-5knrS6QA/Found%252520the%252520next%252520morning.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Found the next morning" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p>I was glad to have the company. I let him make sure that I completed all the items on my work list.</p>
<p><em>I think he had a hard time read my handwriting</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Helping with the lists.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWEW_bR14fR3c9jRVHzifyLQf8nmUrhSA8wx0Ua4ttTYzyOpOuZYt9T1OGQ2d-Hv162aWKr4r6KndRGiA3GDscYMYR6wFrI7rM7WesD39zpG2o5d2bM5Hlzdgl8OqLHflcUlVg9ZEQD5NF/?imgmax=1600" alt="Helping with the lists" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p>Tuesday, October 4th provided the right conditions here in the Mid-Atlantic. I had all my tools and supplies in crates and boxes ready to go. Threw all that into the truck, hitched up the trailer with the generator and compressor and headed for the boatyard early.</p>
<p>Although it was a beautiful early Fall morning I quickly discovered that it was “raining” inside the shed. There were large amounts of condensation on the ceiling of the shed that were dripping onto the deck.</p>
<p>I put on an old foul-weather jacket and went along the deck smacking the fabric trying to get most of the moisture to fall off. Which it pretty much did but I still had to wait for a a couple of hours for it to become completely dry.</p>
<p><em>Off to a late start for the day</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Morning condensation.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-VI6W1uo4eMs/V_bN_KEizZI/AAAAAAAABDo/RxY5IjzX0MI/Morning%252520condensation.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Morning condensation" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>Next on the prep list was to wipe the surfaces with Awlprep Plus Wax & Grease solvent using the infamous two-rag method. That accomplished I went back, starting at the bow and working aft, and vacuumed the surface. That was followed by a complete wipe-down with tack-rags. Burning through the day though.</p>
<p>With everything ready to go I suited up, put fresh NIOSH filters on my respirator, mixed painted and prepped the spray gun and ran the air-hose in carabiners suspended overhead on the centerline of the shed so that they would drag along the deck.</p>
<p>Painting commenced and pretty much went well. Shooting primer doesn’t take much technique so I was safe there. It did however take longer that I thought it would. I waited 1 hour between coats to go back and apply another coat and that was too long. Thirty minutes would have been fine for walking on the previous coat.</p>
<p>Anyway, I didn’t finish the second of three coats until 6:30 PM. With the amount of time that it would take to wait and then shoot the final coat I would have been working in the dark. Time to go home.</p>
<p>I cleaned up the tools and materials, closed up the shed and pulled the trailer home with the plans to start in early the next morning.</p>
<p><em>Waiting for the shed ceiling to dry</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Paint mixing setup.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigtpxrbHmfqGunlXpM__nqI3cTVLXE4XbxYcJWWioCtysrDx0Jue7mZzZLxzG9vI9gHqSo9eF7y_NbPkifVJNsQ_6eklf3VWOO-wo5mNDkaNNoBZarb2MM7vCsern-cNXs6gzVwecffuPD/?imgmax=1600" alt="Paint mixing setup" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>Wednesday was another nice day. Without the condensation issue from the previous day. I quickly got things set up and finished the third coat.</p>
<p>The results were fair. I knew that I would find areas that showed slight imperfections but there were more than I anticipated. Mostly pinholes that blew open when I ran the spray-gun over them. I mentioned that to my friend who painted the hull and he smiled wryly and said that was why he shot two primer coats...</p>
<p>I’m off to fly over Hurricane Matthew to the Dominican Republic for our regular medical mission work for the next week so round two of the sanding, fairing and primer work will have to wait for week and a half.</p>
<p>Although I approach this project as a hobby, it feels good to get the big things done.</p>
<p><em>Primer</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Drastic change.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM8VEMG1wSrpyYEvn3CE1umjgAcKBUGtNCV0VefS7OLhFL30kKD7wdYb4TO7wjl21VyOVoxSm5jAuLR-ZdRdNQzSjcFg5IGdsOfVTpPpsfSgfweWFUtCFcJTOR6U_Ht5juNOYuxCtUuKch/?imgmax=1600" alt="Drastic change" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Job done.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_3psGkWCPd4/V_bOOpuk1pI/AAAAAAAABD4/DK8r4_0me-I/Job%252520done.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Job done" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Looks good from a distance.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5JOx3Bge7V8/V_bORfweEeI/AAAAAAAABD8/e_07D2st70A/Looks%252520good%252520from%252520a%252520distance.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Looks good from a distance" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p> </p>RoninRebuildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03817700065649175310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7504619425713795623.post-45379823435238988122016-08-16T20:16:00.001-07:002016-08-29T14:50:47.690-07:00Just gotta sweat.<p>Well, I’ve not had much to post in some time. The weather here on the East Coast has been brutal. A prolonged heat-wave for most of the time. It has been just too hot to work on the boat, either in the boat shed or at my shed.</p>
<p>Which provided me with enough of an excuse to go ride to Ohio and fly out to San Diego and ride my bike in Northern California. Where it was just as hot or hotter. But, “it’s a dry heat…”.</p>
<p>Since the last post I have, over a period of weeks, sprayed the Awlgrip High Build Epoxy primer on the hatches. After letting it cure I sanded with 220 and 320 grit sandpaper prior to bringing out the topcoat. After cleaning the surfaces I masked and taped the non-skid areas in preparation for spraying.</p>
<p>It took awhile but there was finally a morning where the temperatures were in the mid-80’s. I mixed up a small amount of Awlcraft 2000 Matterhorn White and set it aside. After doing the two-rag wipe down of the surfaces I started to spray the exposed gloss surfaces.</p>
<p>The results were okay. There was a minor amount of orange-peel, a couple of sags which I was able to polish out and some small areas where the paint did not flow out enough.</p>
<p>After researching it and showing it my to friend who painted the hull, it is almost certainly the result of too little air-pressure at the gun and not enough material flow.</p>
<p>A week later I re-taped and masked over the gloss coat and prepped the exposed non-skid areas. This time I used a roller to apply the first coat. After about 10 minutes I “salted” the area with a 50/50 mix of fine and coarse Griptex. After letting that sit for about 30 minutes I removed any excess Griptex with air pressure and rolled on a second coat of Awlcraft 2000. Another “Salting” with the Griptex mixture to get an even distribution of particles. After another 30 minute wait and excess Griptex removal I rolled on the third and final coat of Awlcraft.</p>
<p>The non-skid areas came out pretty nice. Just the right amount of grip but not too rough.</p>
<p><em>Prep work.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Find the low spots.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-GhEkNlCnAkk/V7PW_W9p_tI/AAAAAAAABCM/gOUGwHMfczo/Find%252520the%252520low%252520spots.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Find the low spots" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Masked.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-RFTWScwM9R8/V7PXAGi4W3I/AAAAAAAABCQ/nPV48Lt94Dc/Masked.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Masked" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p><em>Painting.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Gloss coat done.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-cIFFmyPgs38/V7PXA1n3U_I/AAAAAAAABCU/O_bmYLjUCYw/Gloss%252520coat%252520done.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Gloss coat done" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p><em>Finished products.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="DSC_0078.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-lGFXb2ykyKg/V7PXBJOBtfI/AAAAAAAABCY/2eqFWzXXL7s/DSC_0078.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="DSC 0078" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="DSC_0080.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht5eHvVrSJJWWa-tCi2WuSfYC5SPJYbXQrIJAOW0lXwL-Fpvvp9iSDMURWIuL9ESlvUSZ3YZiXySoPEhVOYB0AjqimEP1RxOI4zPoowY6ocIC-ObTiPt9A_KPiVqQ65oIPomOEjFewYb42/?imgmax=1600" alt="DSC 0080" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Out in the rain.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-jU9WTcvS4Fg/V7PXCLWx6WI/AAAAAAAABCg/n20UGNOCWDM/Out%252520in%252520the%252520rain.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Out in the rain" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p><em>And trial fitting...</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="A bit different.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiORv4YxDoHxe_8zvnifC_ItunGRNGHo-4IWXtAiQlk7b0Wvko2rWvyf37eyqeXeeE3QDPOBeTga4torRerPXdpmpsEPD_BM5JK1id09d1R5lerKiC0J0FyAJSyqU78-4KGdAY92IxFm49y/?imgmax=1600" alt="A bit different" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Hatch cover test.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-iqSMPxIr918/V7PXE0f4DII/AAAAAAAABCo/nJJcqMXno8s/Hatch%252520cover%252520test.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Hatch cover test" width="598" height="398" border="0" /> </p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="DSC_0077.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0fE1u2tTNT8/V7PXFVy_3eI/AAAAAAAABCs/wYsZ7TrqpOo/DSC_0077.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="DSC 0077" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>Now I wait for a break in the weather to start in on the deck. Looks like September...</p>RoninRebuildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03817700065649175310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7504619425713795623.post-6668893957390459272016-06-16T16:58:00.001-07:002016-06-16T18:03:03.027-07:00Gotta sweat the small stuff.<p>Been a few weeks of small work. Filling and fairing. Finding spots that I missed even though I marked them for fairing. I’m fairly confident that this part of the deck painting project is pretty much done. Even so, without my lists I’d be lost.</p>
<p><em>Remember to do what?</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Gotta have a list....jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ID_bxGnL94w/V2M8sm469OI/AAAAAAAAA_8/_dbp7YUHkK4/Gotta%252520have%252520a%252520list....jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Gotta have a list" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p>The decks have been left alone since removing all the non-skid last fall so I spent a day or two vacuuming and cleaning. One item that never occurred to me is that all the empty screw holes, bolt holes and cutouts needed to have the sealant and butyl removed. That took an entire day.</p>
<p><em>Cleanup.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Chainplate cuts.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjckiGajv9D9t4oTTaFmZ-kHCZZJUJN_nPh69Yv7oUOkQS7ux1IZ71i7jekHe9mfKcPW9PqX2Ttwe8quWxpp0voY147x5H2Oc_EzcL0PK8EKTUUVGRHaFobsRTeDWTWCrlaqXL9sqs7Nx7l/?imgmax=1600" alt="Chainplate cuts" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p>Other items that I hadn’t considered would need attending to also. All the deck fill openings exhibited dried out core from previous water intrusion so I cleaned them up with the Dremel tool and filed them with Awlfair to seal them.</p>
<p><em>Cleaned, filled and curing.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Deck fill destruction.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi900LKKim6ckSo76dwsRHTyfUiuHSY2jgSNNABc9BU6zBArohADX5TeD4Cu97cYbj2sL1peML2sqK0wTCfV3a9XSJS86aGF-aizn0HV7yrcoUYN7pP5pZ3mrnlfwGgWECVl78HpcZFdpOa/?imgmax=1600" alt="Deck fill destruction" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Keep the core dry..jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-H57ssnakSsA/V2M8qTTvqHI/AAAAAAAAA_g/_SrN26epytk/Keep%252520the%252520core%252520dry..jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Keep the core dry" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p>At the same time I became concerned about how the main hatch was going to be remounted. It’s only held in by large screws and has been out at least once before. I decided to fill the screw holes with West System and colloidal silica so that when I remount the hatch there will be a better purchase.</p>
<p><em>Sand and fair...</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Redo the old screwholes.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib1owYu9sxBVDecwOAXesTd1sWoaP4v3iYoqC90X98V82i7TThKmT-47b8mQzcKFLMJcngCQLKr3XTZ-3FoyniSJNQad1-JhYFog-0h4TVo7LKDq49S8MkDX5n9GrKC1_56MmTMdYlZCt3/?imgmax=1600" alt="Redo the old screwholes" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p>Another forgotten item was replacing the foamed-in filler for the starboard opening port. C&C used some sort of filler to fill the space between the cabin laminate and the interior liner. This had given up the ghost and fallen out. I worked up a small piece of wood and expoxied it into place.</p>
<p><em>Clamps are your friends.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Goop replacement piece.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-VaQWzXB8g90/V2M8uQ-sWfI/AAAAAAAABAQ/GE25_hb0lc4/Goop%252520replacement%252520piece.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Goop replacement piece" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Attaching skins.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2duvEZ0rTiw/V2M8t2so4nI/AAAAAAAABAI/tiFnUgpMQX0/Attaching%252520skins.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Attaching skins" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>With most of that taken care of I started getting things ready back at the shed. I pulled all the hatches and took them home. I serviced and prepped the compressor, added connectors to the new 3/8” air hose that I bought and started in on sanding, filling and fairing. There are those words again...</p>
<p><em>This should be the last of it.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="First hatch prep curing.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Qt9WN4twqyE/V2M8tGGkCMI/AAAAAAAABAA/6XZvxUN4ahI/First%252520hatch%252520prep%252520curing.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="First hatch prep curing" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p><em>New work area.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Shed workstation.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rWFonecue3w/V2M8vetH2ZI/AAAAAAAABAc/4jdM3_v9HV8/Shed%252520workstation.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Shed workstation" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>Some time back I had contacted a fellow C&C list member about buying a new Lewmar Ocean 60 hatch to replace the original Atkins & Hoyle hatch that I had stupidly destroyed removing it. The new hatch arrived early this week and I dry-fitted it to make sure that it would work and that I had prepped the area effectively prior to painting.</p>
<p><em>Looks like it will work well.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Prep for new hatch.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-QgHr-smZLYI/V2M8v5zQg5I/AAAAAAAABAk/yYwecLZdoxA/Prep%252520for%252520new%252520hatch.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Prep for new hatch" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="New hatch positioning.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-sOJ5m2ncJM0/V2M8wkySW5I/AAAAAAAABAs/v8F0ItIvePE/New%252520hatch%252520positioning.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="New hatch positioning" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>With all the prep work close to being finished, I worked up my materials list, gave it to my buddy Charlie at Jennings and two days later I have, I hope, everything that I need to start in on painting the decks.</p>
<p><em>Awlgrip and 3M fanboy.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Christmas presents....jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZAF9JUUiJpo/V2M8xarOLII/AAAAAAAABAw/287OoBKl0jU/Christmas%252520presents....jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Christmas presents" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>Next step, attempt to be half-way decent spray painter. Oy!</p>RoninRebuildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03817700065649175310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7504619425713795623.post-9620754572077201112016-05-31T16:25:00.001-07:002016-05-31T16:25:15.859-07:00The project limps along...<p>Literally.</p>
<p>Work on the boat pretty much stopped back in mid-April. I developed a pretty nifty infection in a toe on my right foot and couldn’t navigate very well. In addition, I went on my annual week-long trip to Utah to do some off-road riding and pretty much spent the entire time sick as a dog. Got back from that the and the infection in my foot went nuclear. Stuffing my foot into a rigid dual-sport boot was probably not a great move. Multiple doctors visits and antibiotic regimes later, I’m finally able to hobble around a bit.</p>
<p>So, in the past few days I’ve started to get back on track. I still can’t climb around under the cockpit to finish off the work on putting in hoses and thru-hulls for the new bilge pumps but that can wait for a little longer.</p>
<p>I’ve promised myself that I will have the decks painted by the end of June, come Hell or high water. Finding a suitable compressor for the jobs was a bit of a problem. I needed something that will push a good amount of air and most units require either a gas-powered rig or a big high-volume electric unit. Turns out my brother had a nice Ingersoll-Rand electric compressor in his garage that was collecting dust.</p>
<p>I bought a small utility trailer and on one of my many doctors visits I dropped by my brother’s and got him to load it onto the trailer with his tractor’s bucket. It’s heavy enough that I will not be moving it by hand. With that on the trailer and a powerful gas generator (not enough electric service in the yard…), I should be in good shape. It also allows me to drag it to and from the boatyard and avoid having it go “walk-about” if it were left there.</p>
<p><em>Should do the trick:</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Air pump.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yxYQHXGldmw/V04dTYDmc2I/AAAAAAAAA-w/BY3jKzwbCTE/Air%252520pump.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Air pump" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p>I’ve ordered two 50’ sections of Goodyear 3/8” air hose, a 3M PPS paint system and other painting sundries to allow me to start in on the decks. I already have a couple of serviceable spray guns.</p>
<p>With that taken care of I am going back to the yard and starting in the final sanding task, the cockpit. I purposely left that because I knew that I would be stomping all over that area and wanted to wait until last to get it prepped.</p>
<p>I’ve sanded the vertical gloss areas of the cockpit and am gradually working on removing all the non-skid. As I do this, I’ve been repairing nicks, voids, scratches and cracks. I figure on another 2-3 days of that sort of effort.</p>
<p>I’ve pulled most of the hatches off and will use them to practice painting and applying the non-skid. That taskt will happen behind my shed. That way when I really screw up no-one will see it and I can try it again...</p>
<p><em>Cockpit sanding:</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Back to work.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-K3-YfHp4rMA/V04dUMSz52I/AAAAAAAAA-0/wsi_YBuUit8/Back%252520to%252520work.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Back to work" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Sand and fair....jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-XUAyy33FIwY/V04dUpSQyeI/AAAAAAAAA-4/iW9nNPb4f4o/Sand%252520and%252520fair....jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Sand and fair" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Removing cockpit sole nonskid.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2r3gJe-S3ydgXLJBVJHC5RthThn1zC-2gUCaqCLmfcOD0UR6JVbz6OlZ8jGbRME4ebg7U25VtYo4t7urfu0JjxB02lNvsrepXTFqXeHGxSZQUIgqeOBN-ZiqZtNzmstzSzhORrBDxG33_/?imgmax=1600" alt="Removing cockpit sole nonskid" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p>There were a few areas that had some bad glasswork which created voids. Some quick work with the Dremel tool, some Awlfair, sanding and it should be good.</p>
<p><em>Grind it out.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Grinding bad layup....jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtl7Eo8WVUMMjDbuQ1i8pSLvMLlQHa-5VvARtwChTx9OMR8jGMIrHX8FTY_yJIyAyrSDtuHO4SBEQ-eBzys_pCdFma84wmpwZNxglWmuQmE0YwJ5zK_w7awsgnHJVK1fRADKrZlM_RHipO/?imgmax=1600" alt="Grinding bad layup" width="450" height="600" border="0" /></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Voids in the layup..jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaYFZu6KsSiiMnuqs7M0UdUcY9eVLOR9CJFN8n9TRtm0yhO19hp1rIO9QkyFnTlDCFkq5li6hHjEa-nxmB2gK99qzDfxSlwiTv73U5c1UZsh3th1M_r0vsumKZv20TKbl5cIuF3G7hWqwW/?imgmax=1600" alt="Voids in the layup" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p>Well, despite the delay, it’s good to get back to work. Next up, ordering the paint...</p>RoninRebuildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03817700065649175310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7504619425713795623.post-73897190799366229992016-04-10T15:22:00.001-07:002016-04-10T15:24:18.066-07:00Houdini, hoses and a box.<p>Using the list of materials that I put together for the new and upgraded bilge pump systems, I pulled out the credit card and got to the real work. Ordering stuff. I’m good at that. Actually putting the stuff into and on the boat, Less so.</p>
<p>A few days later the hose that I ordered started to arrive. Three boxes of 50’ each, 1 inch, 1-1/8 inch and 1-1/2 inch respectively. With those in hand I cut segments of each and went over to the boatyard and had Charlie order some Scandvik 316 S.S. hose clamps and Ancor cushion clamps. Included in that order was a Forespar Marelon vented loop/siphon valve for the new Rule 2000 bilge pump system. Other orders coming in had new cockpit Marelon cockpit drains, two new Marelon thru-hulls, one for the existing manual Whale pump and the other for new Rule bilge pump. The Whale Super Sub Pump 650 pitched up on my porch too.</p>
<p>Armed with my "box o’ bilge supplies", I started making short trips to the yard to get some measurements and ideas of how to run things. In-between those trips and because the weather in the Mid-Atlantic region has been awful for weeks, I continued to work on the storage box project in my shed.</p>
<p>Taking the sheets of 3/16” FRP I ordered from McMaster-Carr, I cut out the side panels and a floor panel using an old dull table-saw blade. Worked pretty well actually. With the pieces assembled I “tacked” the structure together using some West System Six10 that I had lying around. With that set up I ran some fillets along the inside corners using Awlfair so that there wouldn't be tight corners that were hard to clean.</p>
<p><em>Wear a respirator!</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Cheap blade.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-n8E3GYUbPTs/VwrQI0dp19I/AAAAAAAAA9w/o1BQgOX_3Jk/Cheap%252520blade.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Cheap blade" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Not enough sides.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP7s9nyIDf-1cXeqgTi-g0Tqo9K7uRIDRAlbSJPmGd43mXoSaQ8ZVSn5-mVTofXRgqdhg-JeuxTFoBy6Af-BKtaNekH82IzzXLXbIXFy-ZXgoPa5XTwzJE0kPxt6qEn4kmSSKUqIUezGHy/?imgmax=1600" alt="Not enough sides" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>After getting the entire box put together I started applying strips of 4” tape along the edges to give it some structural integrity. That was a mistake. Trying to get a bond between the glass and the sharp corner was unpossbile. I stopped and set that project aside for later work.</p>
<p><em>Don’t try this at home.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Fail.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1W3mVX4nj04/VwrQkv57nDI/AAAAAAAAA94/F1WSMMQEHkA/Fail.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Fail" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>So, back to the bilge systems. Like many of the items on the project list, I always assume that the effort required will be, well, effortless. </p>
<p>Pulling that new bilge hose put paid to that nonsense. Running the 1” line from the small Whale sump pump, no problem. Running the 1-1/8” line from the new Rule 2000 alongside the motor and aft to the transom, a bit more effort.</p>
<p>Then is was time to replace the 1-1/2” for the original Whale Gusher 10. Lord, that sucker kicked back. With a combination of external ribs, intrinsic stiffness and a very shallow bend angle, I spent 2 hours pushing and pulling. And to make matters worse, trying to run the same route as the original was a bust. Because the new hose was unable to navigate some tight turns it ended up kinking badly. I had to start sawing away at little bulkhead into the bilge in an effort to get a direct line through but that wasn’t going to work no matter what.</p>
<p>I also had to cut the hose in order to get (force) it through that opening. That hose size prefers to run in straight lines. One connector and four hose-clamps later I had the line rum from the front of the bilge back to the pump location near the wheel. And I have the scratched and bloody arms to prove it.</p>
<p><em>Starting to look okay.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Hole saw work.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-FulUaUfSxTA/VwrRKwNfnVI/AAAAAAAAA-A/xAgCfwRzp8o/Hole%252520saw%252520work.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Hole saw work" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p>With the hoses pulled I started to dry-fit the connections and pumps. I placed the cushion clamps to get an idea of ideal locations but will not secure them until later when all the pumps and connections are finished.</p>
<p><em>Should work.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Clamp placement.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi26NonuMgaNQ3tsZfKOdeq-CraapShmA2gzWnXXZ8IuY3PaQpsZRapSy3M-nbDGNFJ9EIQYiJqFox0gRVpXIoEHDGOQvMyBFEcyGhdIIKYPEoiPeN749hshtRavdVgf8CaTfxO8JZV9llS/?imgmax=1600" alt="Clamp placement" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="More dry fitting.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Ydnl5es8KDI/VwrR8e37cFI/AAAAAAAAA-Q/l1NuUMxR-Co/More%252520dry%252520fitting.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="More dry fitting" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p>The next day I came back to the boat to start in on getting the new bilge pump system (Rule 2000) in order. To do this I needed to crawl underneath the cockpit and get to the stern. I’ve mentioned previously that this requires one be a top-level yoga instructor. And thin.</p>
<p>I grabbed as many tools and supplies that I figured I would need and started to contort and wiggle my way aft. Once there things went well. I pulled the hose and secured it in places with clamps. Those that went into core were drilled and filled with caulk. After that was done I started to figure out the placement of the vented loop. I thought that securing it to the stern would work fine. And it would except for the fact that the mounting screws would poke right through the transom and my new paint-job. Okay, time to stop.</p>
<p>I went home and grabbed some wood, cut and painted it so that the vented-loop screws into it. After the paint drys I will once again make the journey to the stern, epoxy it into place and when the epoxy cures, secure the hose.</p>
<p>Oh, and once that effort is done, I need to start obsessing about drilling a new hole in the hull for the discharge. Oh boy.</p>
<p><em>It’s stuffy in here.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Tight fit.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YhNFSk010jE/VwrSGcj-uRI/AAAAAAAAA-U/guBr61TEqUU/Tight%252520fit.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Tight fit" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p> </p>RoninRebuildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03817700065649175310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7504619425713795623.post-20837771402369484972016-03-27T15:20:00.001-07:002016-03-27T15:20:55.711-07:00Planning takes more time than I thought.<p>Still working on the new and upgraded bilge pump systems. After measuring and climbing underneath the cockpit a week ago I started to finalize my thoughts about how to go about the project.</p>
<p>First thing that I knew I needed is a list of materials. I sat down and started with simple line drawings of the 3 basic systems and then got “creative” on the second iteration. In that plan I scoped out each length of hose and its diameter, any connectors and thru-hulls required, the pumps and types of hose clamps. After refining that a few times and finding simple mistakes I had my list of materials.</p>
<p>I gave the list to Charlie at the boatyard in the hopes that I could get some business steered that way but they had a hard time with some of the pricing. So I went out to some of my regular sources and started ordering. I should have most of the items this coming week.</p>
<p>On thing’s for sure, I going to have a good bit of bilge hose left over. In one case it was cheaper to buy an entire single 50’ roll for about 22’ and in another the 50’ roll price was exactly the same as buying 26’, each on a per foot basis. Maybe I’ll have some use for that hose in the future.</p>
<p><em>Not to scale:</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Rough Plan.jpeg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1nIKXW6pE10/VvhckBmKTcI/AAAAAAAAA8o/OpnmJPGQaIE/Rough%252520Plan.jpeg?imgmax=1600" alt="Rough Plan" width="599" height="424" border="0" /></p>
<p>From there I returned to the new storage under the port helmsman’s seat project. I cutout and hot-glued together a box section of 1/4” luan plywood and gave it a quick test fit. It fit, perhaps even a bit loose. Once I was convinced of the feasibility of the modification I ordered up some 3/16” thick FRP sheet stock from McMaster-Carr. That order will show up this coming week also.</p>
<p><em>Crude but effective:</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Scratch built.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-K83AQe3Ftro/VvhclUT3MII/AAAAAAAAA8s/RETYxYjeNyE/Scratch%252520built.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Scratch built" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p><em>Slots in nicely:</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Don't drop it.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3aXi_gocHLyr7GHKG5upvdCgO78bm42zKrTKOp9lTNkDk3dgm981DXo1NxdvjYzo01IoI3wxuIMkvqLFaFSWJFTCKzeap7w3JXZs5ASESM4TP1E7m700LwXFIzQCiUVPn9jfFjWOXX7fb/?imgmax=1600" alt="Don t drop it" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p>The real planning effort, one that I have rolled around in my head for quite some time without any great ideas springing forth is the hardware and rigging updates for the decks. This has to be done before I can start painting the decks and I’m pushing to get that going sometime in late May.</p>
<p>The boat has had a really jury-rigged setup for years and I’ve told myself that I would make it right. The problem is that I am not a really good “ideas” guy with it comes to this sort of thing. I’ve worked with pros and it’s clear that I’m not one.</p>
<p>One of my primary goals has been to reduce the number of lines led aft to the cockpit in an effort to reduce clutter. As I’ve said, we don’t race this boat so quick and efficient line-handling isn’t critical. I was hoping to go from four cabin mounted winches down to two. That idea didn’t survive the hours I spent moving loose hardware around and running string to simulate line runs.</p>
<p>In the end, it was clear that I would need to bring the old Barient non-self tailing winches back to their original placement. And here’s the best part, I now have even more lines led aft. Clever...</p>
<p><em>Just keep at it:</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Spider webs.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZM3FiAdwb8I/Vvhcnj11IaI/AAAAAAAAA80/Tt3_LKlqBOY/Spider%252520webs.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Spider webs" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Tape solves everthing.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yipE9zgTLjE/Vvhcpsq7WcI/AAAAAAAAA84/nwjBz7iYwyo/Tape%252520solves%252520everthing.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Tape solves everthing" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Old winch with blue tape.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWVrT3T6fRFkjRvXi_QpPWlTVCo0UvQ7mWLxpZLMu1uKEOOdDiP0ePLdFHoIkIWR6dm9QlkRKf7_K1PB1JWUlHyjiTwGtQ4jOBQUmw94gcGdPr7ZA9XWj0nQhLsZyt6SIo3ClW7sxpRW6_/?imgmax=1600" alt="Old winch with blue tape" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="The way it was.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Eoyqb5Q-ewc/VvhcrhGCn_I/AAAAAAAAA9A/WjgFE4HNrCA/The%252520way%252520it%252520was.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="The way it was" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p>After taking notes on the layout I spent an afternoon working up a rough schematic of the lines and equipment needed. That forced me to undertake an inventory of all the hardware that I had on hand. Some of it came off the boat and some was sitting in boxes in my shed.</p>
<p><em>Hope I didn’t cross lines:</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Keep the costs down.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBYCTQP4ES_LbejtaXr0WO5PZX7Z-0wadF_tQAmfj5jNzFn1hzlZyhVz_U-BWeb_O12i0aIPcrYQG41JyLXjqzCN-NMgdY6eXLRK8rvbZJK3wvZ_RFikmKe7sd4tR43K51oE915JTBFKWn/?imgmax=1600" alt="Keep the costs down" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p><em>Original hardware from the factory.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Unused old hardware.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8Ec9ETZKPZE/VvhctlXPozI/AAAAAAAAA9I/Fd6FqBS5JMg/Unused%252520old%252520hardware.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Unused old hardware" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p><em>Some new and some newish:</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="New and old hardware.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcXyfmIlbjW_dHI-WDGxHERGqtg9q3-zbtgSEolxWJly21zy8GeIaTlo_NdLO9T_vyvhu4DWp0kEFCGEzdUjFTYkvjE_P0J4plBfi57R3ZIVN6itiQkv1SCtmuTZzwLJkU-O-EaZ_Jc6n3/?imgmax=1600" alt="New and old hardware" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>When I wasn't working on the boat project I did do some fun stuff.</p>
<p><em>Ninth Annual Sock Burning Party:</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Socks burn nicely.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-VOkpOG0Z2Tc/Vvhcv2Bg2KI/AAAAAAAAA9Q/9ag-a0bI1wM/Socks%252520burn%252520nicely.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Socks burn nicely" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p><em>Not quite 16 knots. Next time...</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Fast is fun.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Y_rAknYefdc/Vvhcw6NOjuI/AAAAAAAAA9U/K4PsII8RW7Q/Fast%252520is%252520fun.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Fast is fun" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>RoninRebuildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03817700065649175310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7504619425713795623.post-78937527686702820522016-03-14T15:32:00.001-07:002016-03-14T15:32:38.531-07:00Ramping up. But it's a low ramp angle...<p>Last Friday my wife and I took a day trip to the big city of Richmond to catch the Rodin exhibit at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts before it moved on this week. It was, not surprisingly, very nice. We both agreed that the next time we go see an exhibit like that that we do some research before going.</p>
<p>Afterwards, to put a nice end on the trip we drove over to the new Stone Brewery. We’re beer snobs and have been to the original brewery in San Diego and loved it. Great surroundings, food and extremely good beer. Unfortunately the new Stone plant is still not running and the brewpub itself hasn’t even broken ground. They did have some inside and outside seating along with a small bar so we stopped for a beer. </p>
<p>Saturday was the Smith Point Sea Rescue Oyster Roast which we always attend and donate money for. I was asked to join a few months back and I finally got my application in after which I went back to shoveling steamed oysters down my throat.</p>
<p>Sunday afternoon I did a few small jobs just to add a few hours towards knocking off the project list. In the morning I spent a few hours with a pencil and graph paper working up some ideas on creating storage under the port side helm seat. The more I thought about putting some type of soft pocket/bag hanging in the space the less I liked the idea. I was concerned about having a large hole in the cockpit that might allow large amounts of seawater into the hull if pooped or worse.</p>
<p>I decided that I would fabricate something out of FRP. More on that in another posting. But I did spend some time grinding off the filler that C&C used to glue it down. I also ground out the polyester and fiberglass laminate to give it more definition along the edge.</p>
<p><em>Bring out the brutal tools:</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Filler removal.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-v6ywAnE_wjw/Vuc75-aXs_I/AAAAAAAAA74/cnTvb9vvQ-c/Filler%252520removal.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Filler removal" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Ground out and ready.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ts83MqAT0sQ/Vuc7644-avI/AAAAAAAAA78/3rrlXZ6wEic/Ground%252520out%252520and%252520ready.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Ground out and ready" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>Casting about for a quick task to complete I spotted the two plywood shelves that support the 30-gallon fresh-water tanks and gave them a quick coat of white paint. I know that they will never be seen but I’ll feel better about it.</p>
<p><em>Fresh paint.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="It will never be seen.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-JE6xOPkloAU/Vuc77w5uiEI/AAAAAAAAA8A/I0UUIwwzu0E/It%252520will%252520never%252520be%252520seen.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="It will never be seen" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>Before heading off to dinner I put the final coat of satin varnish on the small v-berth ledge teak and holly cover.</p>
<p>Today, after getting back from the YMCA I drove the tool truck to the yard to do some planning and mockups. One thing that I wanted to do is install a secondary larger automatic bilge pump for use in the event of a large amount of water ingress. Hopefully never needed.</p>
<p>The current setup is a manual Whale pump located next to the wheel in the cockpit which exits a though-hull in the port side counter. The new Whale low-profile, low volume pump I’m ordering will continue to dump into a “T” fitting in the starboard cockpit scupper drain the way the original bilge pump did. With the new larger pump I want to run it aft and have it dump out just above and in line with the manual bilge pump through-hull.</p>
<p>Despite having misgivings about the hose exit being very close to the waterline and underwater when powering at speed which is not recommended because of the possibility of back flow into the bilge, I decided to go ahead with the plan. My friend who runs the yard felt that it would fine with a tall loop up to deck level with an anti-siphon vented loop installed.</p>
<p><em>Whale Pumps says 12” minimum with NO submersion:</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Doesn't meet minimums.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-TdOXadem2qE/Vuc78nGcUEI/AAAAAAAAA8E/KzsbPFlHHs8/Doesn%252527t%252520meet%252520minimums.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Doesn t meet minimums" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>So, I started crawling around underneath the cockpit and measuring. Along with a new through-hull I’ll need around 26’ of hose. I have a couple of Rule 2000 GPH pumps in the shed so I brought one along to figure out the placement. It will be higher in the bilge so that it only switches on when the water is well up.</p>
<p><em>Height and location works well:</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Fits nicely.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-T-kYevL-G3Q/Vuc79j1R5II/AAAAAAAAA8I/bqKKBRjKj-I/Fits%252520nicely.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Fits nicely" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>I’ll need to make the shelf removable to allow for easy access to the keel bolt. I’m pretty pleased with the location though.</p>
<p>After getting that task documented, I turned to the pedestal holes in the cockpit sole that need to be closed off. Even though the sounding indicated no softness I somehow convinced myself that the area around the holes should be removed and re-glassed.</p>
<p>Well, that was a dumb idea. After cutting the starboard side and have to pry the laminate off, which essentially broke as I did, I realized that all I need to do was plug the holes and keep going.</p>
<p><em>Not balsa core but quite dry.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Seemed like the right thing....jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyVROfS6KiRekGdKrr2SJkPc8WEZr7lM6wocf2KvQnUZWPIbc60DCYC-dS3LaKOoIWb3SXBu1Ts6qR437d3aTR1vVxSZ10Pf3nvWzAvz_4cABHjqO3MdvNIp7b7Pih3OMYPE-_AnmyfHTC/?imgmax=1600" alt="Seemed like the right thing" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Not Balsa but dry!.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-EidZBtHyNZw/Vuc7_bbLmSI/AAAAAAAAA8Q/2paWwCS98g8/Not%252520Balsa%252520but%252520dry%252521.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Not Balsa but dry" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>I pulled out the West System and mixed up a small amount with colloidal silica to thicken it, found some 3/4” and 1/4” wooden dowel material and put it all back together.</p>
<p><em>Quick fix for now.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Plugged and epoxied....jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTLhCm1OCM6HiwGDgT-fD67kkg-Yz3oH7qX_RKfJDu1iNsq9EuIatMlm6htBtfhyphenhyphenALeIcat2uLV96rU85ZvbmeHGdAr-Ryuv0j_OvwjTinPmhUTQHODdWFzSD43EJFfTsi2taNiQn_pGWb/?imgmax=1600" alt="Plugged and epoxied" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>Later this week I will come back and grind out the area and apply some fiberglass cloth just to make sure that it is tied together and closed off. I expect that I will soon start sanding the non-skid in the cockpit in preparation for painting the decks so no harm, no foul...</p>RoninRebuildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03817700065649175310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7504619425713795623.post-53946243840552316382016-03-10T16:27:00.001-08:002016-03-10T16:28:58.233-08:00So, where did I leave off?<p>Oh yeah, back to boat work.</p>
<p>I thought that with the fancy boat shed I would be able to get a fair amount done in the dead of winter. Not so much. A week in the Dominican Republic doing our regular medical mission volunteer work only to come back to the Great Mid-Atlantic Blizzard and then quickly getting on a plane for another week and a half of sitting on a beach in Florida pretty much ruled that out.</p>
<p>February was just too stinking cold, windy and wet. All I did was check on the boat shed to make sure that it was still there and keeping Ronin dry. Which it was and did admirably.</p>
<p>I would occasionally fire up the heaters in my backyard shed and do some small woodwork and varnishing on the final odd pieces of the cabin sole. Tomorrow I will put a final satin finish coat on top of the last piece that goes on the v-berth step, wrap it in construction paper like the rest of the cabins sole, set aside and be done with that project task.</p>
<p><em>Last bit of cabin sole work:</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="New V-Berth Step.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-F0mB0rKFHQw/VuIQ23v45LI/AAAAAAAAA7A/wQbhiifHrAo/New%252520V-Berth%252520Step.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="New V Berth Step" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p><em>Cabin soles ready to install in some future date...</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Wrapped and warm....jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ECP1wB6JUoE/VuIQ3jP3N3I/AAAAAAAAA7E/DRiDzjp-D1k/Wrapped%252520and%252520warm....jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Wrapped and warm" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p>The past two days have seen near record breaking warm temperatures here on the Chesapeake Bay so I, like many others in the boatyard, got back to work. The first day I did some administrative work, mostly thinking about what tasks to get started on this spring. I did a quick survey of the mast and took notes for when I get together with a local rigger.</p>
<p>Another item that needs to get started is installing a small capacity bilge pump. I’ve pretty much decided to go with one of the new Whale Supersub Smart low-profile bilge pump. It is not intended to move large amounts of water, rather, to just keep the bilge dry during normal conditions. I worked up a quick wooden mockup to ensure that it would fit in my small, narrow bilge. The good news is that it should fit nicely. I was concerned that it might not fit with the keel bolts.</p>
<p><em>Replace with the real deal.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Small Bilgepump Mockup.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-A5v6k2JMn-E/VuIQ4lKuT1I/AAAAAAAAA7I/33bKKNn3jaM/Small%252520Bilgepump%252520Mockup.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Small Bilgepump Mockup" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>I have not done any sanding or prep work in the cockpit for the upcoming deck painting because I knew that it would be a high traffic area. A lot of dirt and grit gets carried onto the boat so I wanted to wait until the last moment to start in on the task. I have spent quite a bit of time worrying about having a soft balsa core in the cockpit and that I would need to completely rebuild that area.</p>
<p>I spent some time sounding the entire cockpit sole in minute detail today. My ears a still ringing from that effort. But, the really good news is that there is no wet or rotten balsa. Both the sounding and a visual inspection from underneath verified that it is strong. That was a great relief and means that I can “save” at least a month’s worth of work that would have been required to replace the core and fiberglass.</p>
<p><em>Solid.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Balsa core sounding.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-XEN-2JxrR1g/VuIQ5VTXlUI/AAAAAAAAA7M/8onduOYX83o/Balsa%252520core%252520sounding.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Balsa core sounding" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>I will need to seal the aft-most two openings that carried the throttle and shift cables when I install the new Edson Classic pedestal that is in the shed. Amazingly the core that was exposed around the holes drilled in the cockpit sole was dry and solid.</p>
<p><em>Quick verification.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Dry-fit new pedestal.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-o5zs_hGxwaw/VuIQ6DJgi2I/AAAAAAAAA7Q/yW2iybbNtAc/Dry-fit%252520new%252520pedestal.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Dry fit new pedestal" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>While I was at it I applied more AwlFair to the old cockpit/quarter-berth opening on both sides. Standard apply and sand off process. A previous owner had slapped a gob of filler of some sort on the aft bulkhead and it kept bugging me so I sanding it down and faired it too. I should be done with this job in the next few days.</p>
<p><em>Pastels:</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Old Port Repair V 2.0.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-p0rlRiXnbZo/VuIQ63qx8HI/AAAAAAAAA7U/jDurxVKmA2o/Old%252520Port%252520Repair%252520V%2525202.0.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Old Port Repair V 2 0" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>And since I was on a roll, I started to think about doing something with the area underneath the port side of the cockpit driver’s seat. It may have been an option from the factory to put a hinged lid over some sort of storage like the propane locker on the starboard side but on my boat is was simply glued downed.</p>
<p>So, using tools that usually get me in trouble, I decided to investigate. Fifteen minutes later I had my answer.</p>
<p><em>Not subtle.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Don't Break It.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_cYv05iC9TH-Jtb__ewihDKZo31l9iPoit17lFt-K7uPE-rMrt681tzAWsXLK0248TTHIdmH0FjsPQMqlD2vkaP_INN49eVA_stHfFR025HMJRueMUQAwvIQAmd95pUB07cxG0r0rwmUP/?imgmax=1600" alt="Don t Break It" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p><em>C&C “stuff:"</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Off in one piece.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0w1O-QnDJfg/VuIQ8l86YgI/AAAAAAAAA7c/cLvgO8Cq5i8/Off%252520in%252520one%252520piece.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Off in one piece" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>I’m going to work up some sort of storage underneath this. Most likely a removable soft pocket of some sort. TBD.</p>
<p><em>Looks like an one-hole outhouse...</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Starboard pit toilet.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-In3QzBt9_d4/VuIQ9XWKiAI/AAAAAAAAA7g/flX0cViwMjI/Starboard%252520pit%252520toilet.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="Starboard pit toilet" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>Oh, and I did some Frostbite racing in Annapolis last weekend and yesterday put on some shorts and went sailing with my good friend and home builder Vincent on his Corsair 24. Fun.</p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="First Sail 2016.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-581vo91QdOk/VuIQ-NbeLJI/AAAAAAAAA7k/NDy15IVQ8Qc/First%252520Sail%2525202016.jpg?imgmax=1600" alt="First Sail 2016" width="600" height="450" border="0" />Early start.</p>RoninRebuildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03817700065649175310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7504619425713795623.post-4079109335304432892015-12-29T15:11:00.001-08:002015-12-29T15:11:48.455-08:00Getting the bilge ready.<p>I’ve been mostly working on small things for the refit, finishing odd pieces of the cabin sole that need special attention, applying the final coats of satin finish over the coats of gloss AwlWood to the large cabin sole sections. When those were complete I wrapped them in construction paper and put them up for storage in shed.</p>
<p>The Butler skiff had been sitting on sawhorses at the Railway. I decided that rather than splash it, drag it back to the slip and worry about keeping it floating over the winter that I would just store it there. The yard owner fell 6 feet of a strong-back the broke and was out of commission for a week or so. This week we moved the boat, flipped it over and I wrapped that up for the winter too.</p>
<p><em>All it needs is a nice red bow.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Snugged down for the winter.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-tgn_rg8cOE8/VoMTJOPkjAI/AAAAAAAAA6A/2Avpm51B3zk/Snugged%252520down%252520for%252520the%252520winter.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="Snugged down for the winter" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p>Before Christmas I spent some time cleaning the bilge. Originally I thought that I could get it ready to paint by simply scrubbing the 33 years of crud using household cleaners and a stiff brush. I was disabused of that idea pretty quickly. So, my fallback method was to bring out the heavy equipment. The power washer. I picked a day that was raining, put on old foul-weather gear and after cleaning with Simple Green and letting it work a bit, I started in.</p>
<p>Not a job to be taken lightly. I blew crud and crap all over the boat. But, it did the trick. There was dirt, dust, old stainless steel hardware and fiberglass bits that came out of every crevice in the hull. I crawled down into the cockpit locker and cleaned the seldom seen areas around and behind the rudder and quadrant. It took 3 days just to dry out properly. </p>
<p>After that I spent 3 days sanding, grinding and scrapping old paint and caulk. Another afternoon spent washing all the surfaces with thinner and I was pretty much ready to go. I took one day to tape up all hoses, lines and exposed surfaces.</p>
<p>Today I donned my Tyvek coveralls and went to work with rollers and brushes. Not an easy job because I had to spend most of my time on my knees and bent over. At the end of the day I had one coat applied.</p>
<p><em>Getting started.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="First coat start.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCjJEPkca-y041BCZHRp29nqFEqrjw5zam9F1bdw_f0witDtR5mJ1yE40CukcPNognit2w-Hu7yxT0eLGdM8EZJF2mIT_tI8Qy9xs2VNy3oeK8jBsyugvglsN_FgaMRpPU5OSncWeIo44q/?imgmax=800" alt="First coat start" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p><em>First coat on and drying.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="First coat done.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-oIIadARY-ps/VoMTK0A4q6I/AAAAAAAAA6Q/MsZo5RAdcJ4/First%252520coat%252520done.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="First coat done" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Will need second coat.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yb6Eb4kStGc/VoMTLuGdzpI/AAAAAAAAA6U/Umc0f5s1Oks/Will%252520need%252520second%252520coat.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="Will need second coat" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>I may have mentioned in another post about the interesting boats in this yard. A “unique” sailboat showed up a week ago. I was intrigued and walked around it admiring it for a good 15 minutes before it dawned on me what it was. A “modified” Cal 25. I used to own and race one in Annapolis. Stunning.</p>
<p>Years ago I was fortunate to be able to do a tour of a Cal 40 being completely rebuilt and upgraded for racing with the late designer Bill Lapworth. He was firm about the reasons for some of his design elements and felt that changing them might be a bit of overkill. He would not have approved of this change.</p>
<p><em>Somewhere in Heaven Bill Lapworth is weeping...</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Pirate Ship.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPZQocgy5tg9AtgXRgnhvPdvqZQKoX31tNreHXs_cbAgM4lsjO5wd-dSouISHzIypSfzKIuRaO5WphU0utfG4Cc-sHvnKXTi1LXyIGN2Wao11IYWWDhGWyN-G6QsycMArp70995dw4sbGa/?imgmax=800" alt="Pirate Ship" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>RoninRebuildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03817700065649175310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7504619425713795623.post-2291649435570555822015-11-30T16:39:00.001-08:002015-12-01T05:16:23.537-08:00Clean, plan and move forward...<p>Ronin deserves better.</p>
<p>It has been better than a year since she was given any attention other than painting, sanding, unscrewing bolts and running wires. And in the time, she has slowly acquired a patina of dirt, mold and just plain scum. In my zeal to keep working on the “big” projects and get them done, I had not really notice how run-down and tired she had become. I think she was trying to tell me that the project was more about me than her.</p>
<p>I work on Ronin in a boatyard that had more than a few abandoned boats that were chopped up, sent to the landfill and quite a few more that although the yard fees are being paid, it is pretty clear that those old boats are probably never going to see the water again. You can see it and feel it when walking around the yard. They’re faded, tattered and covered in a faint verdigris. Projects started and then stopped with a hasty cover thrown over the work with what I am sure is a resolve to get back to it in the spring. But it doesn’t seem to happen.</p>
<p>That is one of my biggest fears. That I will get to a point where I walk away from an unfinished project. I’m not cowed by the costs, the labor involved or the technical difficulties. I’m not fazed by the shear scale of the project.</p>
<p>I fear that I will just lose the drive and the concentration necessary to complete the refit.</p>
<p>But I have a partner is this effort. He’s been with me for years and is aways on the boat waiting for me to show up and get back to the tasks at hand. He’s fearless. He doesn’t take No for an answer and he certainly isn’t sentimental. When I see him, I smile and get back to work.</p>
<p><em>“Salty” the croc...</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="I'm watching you....jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZEWMYlPmNlA/VlzsJNIKdCI/AAAAAAAAA5Q/WEDCuUoO_OU/I%252527m%252520watching%252520you....jpg?imgmax=800" alt="I m watching you" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>So, the other day I downed power tools and sandpaper and picked up a bucket, brush and cleansers. After doing yet another vacuum of the boat I scrubbed down the entire interior. The fiberglass liner that I had painted was showing dirt and spots from the wasp “ejecta”. The melamine covering the cabinetry was covered in large swatches of mold. The teak paneling was growing a new species of moss as near as I could tell.</p>
<p>It took two days to get it nice again. A huge difference in feel just going below despite the fact that with everything removed it looks like an industrial site.</p>
<p><em>Brighter.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="A wash is good.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LMEHUqsRcCs/VlzsKQDb7xI/AAAAAAAAA5Y/Ckq3HBfwfDY/A%252520wash%252520is%252520good.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="A wash is good" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Clean aft.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-MByk_N6Kmkk/VlzsLBHfVCI/AAAAAAAAA5g/dky_a-xg7Jc/Clean%252520aft.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="Clean aft" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>When I was done with the cleaning I moved on to next important item. Project planning. This is where I will fall down and not complete this project if it is not updated and followed. The refit will become just another random set of chores with no completion.</p>
<p>I’ve been focusing on the larger effort required to get the decks ready for painting this coming spring. That’s pretty simple on a day-to-day level; grind, fill, sand, fill, sand, etc., etc.</p>
<p>But as that effort is starting to wind down, I need to focus on the remaining large tasks and what can be achieved during the winter months. I sat down at the nav-station with my notes, project plans and Salty to work on a list of jobs that could be worked on in the colder weather. </p>
<p>After that effort I’ve got a nice list of items and a renewed sense of where to go and what to get done in the next 3-4 months.</p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Paper technology.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-CB9QXIF6EjY/VlzsMQdK2jI/AAAAAAAAA5o/L2GsVyqI2YM/Paper%252520technology.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="Paper technology" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>Work continues.</p>RoninRebuildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03817700065649175310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7504619425713795623.post-6249615911600001512015-11-30T15:28:00.001-08:002015-11-30T15:31:02.227-08:00'Glassing in the quarterberth port<p>Thanksgiving with my family and a few doctors visits. Just part of the schedule when trying to get time to work on the boat. All of those events took me away from Reedville for several days. Driving to and from Washington, D.C. can be tiresome. And I will be going back in a few days for some minor out-patient surgery.</p>
<p>In-between the interruptions I continued work on filling in the old round port providing ventilation to the quarter berth. I cut up some layers of 17 oz. biaxial cloth to fit the diameter of the opening and epoxied them in place. From there I used the plastic template I had created some days earlier to cut up successive layers of 6 oz. woven cloth. These were epoxied into place until the entire area was built up.</p>
<p><em>Plug it and cover it.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Glass mat plug.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-JnmSzUnzp6E/Vlzbdtfh2PI/AAAAAAAAA4I/GJnin3jniLM/Glass%252520mat%252520plug.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="Glass mat plug" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p><em>Yes, still more wetting out to be done...</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Old port layup.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2hxgd_Drh6nnN6TnhtkyivWY14nzfWRMrsUzui-cQUdFaVwhQ2JJi3S39zGMhO_JpbioBM1oBKU1eh5EDwFPohTT-oeTEPBP6QVQwiIajs7qNWs_ie18DFy9RzHbTtImvDyurae-IZ0-i/?imgmax=800" alt="Old port layup" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>Pro tip: don’t use paper or tape for the epoxy overrun. The epoxy just ignores it and sets up on the glass anyway. And I knew that prior to taping it up. Dummy at work yet again...</p>
<p>I put a heat lamp on the whole thing and let it set up for the day.</p>
<p>The next day I came back and started in on sanding the hardened epoxy. After a quick wash to remove the amine blush I did a a couple of passes with the 5” grinder and the 6” sander. Despite my weak fiberglassing skills the layup was nice and fair with virtually no high spots that needed working down.</p>
<p><em>Ready for AwlFair.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Old port layup sanding.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6lgPDEWCqKxnFfXyr2WU4blP5FlcR_ovIO3Ks1_WKjJMvrrxEYcS2oogWIpBcKYi098DBmAcTkRDlTsbcOQTbRUgsjQW17jNWayUVJlVEUZfqodNDeXSp3C45HY0fI7uaPEtNpxgWbvPt/?imgmax=800" alt="Old port layup sanding" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>I grabbed the vacuum to remove any dust and then washed the entire area with acetone. After mixing up a batch of AwlFair and troweling it on, I was done with that for the day.</p>
<p><em>I love AwlFair...</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="First coat AwlFair.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3RvqugbEFnc/Vlzbgs6SIpI/AAAAAAAAA4g/96XmuC-TDLE/First%252520coat%252520AwlFair.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="First coat AwlFair" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>I took a quick trip to the bow and sanded the last AwlFair application near the forward part of the anchor locker and it is ready for priming when that occurs next Spring.</p>
<p><em>Done enough.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Anchor damage ready for primer.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-BTMkbYNLLCw/VlzbclpwweI/AAAAAAAAA4A/DZGOYwY9XI4/Anchor%252520damage%252520ready%252520for%252520primer.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="Anchor damage ready for primer" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>When I came back next I discovered the limitations of PeelPly. I had considered just using plastic between the wood backing plate and the epoxy buildup. I should have.</p>
<p>The wooden plug was firmly fixed in place. If it had been in a more accessible location it would have been fairly easy to remove. It was not.</p>
<p>So, breaking out the “Wonder Tool", my Fein Multimaster I was able to cut and pry the plug out in small bits. Ultimately it was notas onerous a task as I had envisioned.</p>
<p><em>Bits and pieces.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="PeelPly has limitations.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-UVOk81Myoks/VlzbhNluX2I/AAAAAAAAA4k/QpUJXXXch-E/PeelPly%252520has%252520limitations.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="PeelPly has limitations" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Favorite tool deals with it.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YViR5zOurD4/Vlzbhy6iDeI/AAAAAAAAA4w/NsKZLe7KjVU/Favorite%252520tool%252520deals%252520with%252520it.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="Favorite tool deals with it" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p>And since I had it ready I changed the blade and chopped off the wooden dowels I used to plug the old winch holes on the cabin top near the cockpit when filling them with epoxy.</p>
<p><em>Eh, no one will see it.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Cut off the bungs.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-tY_k3yL8EDc/VlzbihFSsjI/AAAAAAAAA44/g8ZjUMTi5pM/Cut%252520off%252520the%252520bungs.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="Cut off the bungs" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p>After some sanding with the 6” Mirka DA and some of board filing I applied another skim coat of AwlFair.</p>
<p><em>Break out the heat lamp again.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Heat rays....jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-98tXHU74Cxc/VlzbjtoOhFI/AAAAAAAAA5A/lMwkr-d5kVo/Heat%252520rays....jpg?imgmax=800" alt="Heat rays" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>RoninRebuildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03817700065649175310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7504619425713795623.post-3861176090380809752015-11-19T18:17:00.001-08:002015-11-19T18:22:25.083-08:00Filling and fairing never seems to end.<p>I awoke this morning to the sound of rain beating on our metal roof. There are times when it is a comforting tattoo that signifies a quiet day of coffee in bed, catching up on the goings-on the world (via the Internet...) and finding some small chores around the house to work on.</p>
<p>Not today.</p>
<p>I rolled out of bed early, put on boat-yard clothes, grabbed some breakfast, checked the NYT and then started to load the yard-truck with the required tools for the day's effort. I did a quick run down the street to check in with George Butler to make sure the skiff was covered and dry. Check.</p>
<p>Next stop was “Ronin”. Despite being a dismal drizzly and rainy day the temperatures were in the mid-sixtes. I unloaded tools and set up the work table. The goal was to sand off more AwlFair compound, check for imperfections and continue on the iterative process of getting the decks ready for priming and painting.</p>
<p><em>Grey day.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="DSC_0068.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mTawtfcEbTU/Vk6Cn6pPk_I/AAAAAAAAA2I/3ryszcVs8wc/DSC_0068.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="DSC 0068" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>First thing was to identify those spots that needed sanding and more filler. I grabbed my new LED work light and went around the decks hand sanding the smaller spots. I had filled the hardware holes a few days earlier with West System epoxy and a little bit of micro-fiber filler. At the same time I worked some AwlFair into low areas and scratch marks.</p>
<p><em>Plugged and some fairing.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="DSC_0034.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqavcp8Ga3uz3t5RhX93cGZDwwdL3uUmLb6dMe-xCYYE-mb03zmq3zh98VPG9ht8P8hpV9XEipxZdS-5i046GSzhTaAkcFNj8Lh6jLjoY06YLoMkaG_3d81deoxAOV48B1xqaKov_Qe8RB/?imgmax=800" alt="DSC 0034" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p><em>Wooden dowels to stop the epoxy leaks</em>.</p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="DSC_0040.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Qf2aWJKiyWA/Vk6Cp0bPJ-I/AAAAAAAAA2Y/E1vJ8-DTfCc/DSC_0040.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="DSC 0040" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>After that I spent some time working the board file on the cabin-top near the cockpit to get the area fair. Still not done yet but getting there.</p>
<p><em>Before and after:</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_5650.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKkUsY5XkGgH9fxG4vRjLhHghOKDFMR9OJ4hTja5DvmOwgmGkUAlkoW6ZaSUAprbfegg0IaBRGUHZv-knPyyfPgUtIRvJaY1e8RAkbgYJBUMjgjRQa35ctACH5uwK0qVCT4YV5rUIw9aXR/?imgmax=800" alt="IMG 5650" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_5651.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-MaHzu8iHzs4/Vk6CruBHKGI/AAAAAAAAA2o/8UWAn6Zs9O8/IMG_5651.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="IMG 5651" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p>Up front in the bow there was an area that had a bad layup and probably some hits that destroyed the deck where the anchor line ran. I had worked up a couple of applications of West System with microfibers to build it up. I machine and hand sanded the buildup.</p>
<p><em>Ugly epoxy layup.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="DSC_0038.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6h5NRp0gpSAQjqb3XICuIJgC8jJswt95g336YN16tlW1kQPQ6SGlbDyunc_OzTRPFhr4fyLNkjGJU30x1zYq21HaxcCLBdY-8ckPzEEpRWIiNyAQY70W8RhoNYDlK91RDYk7GlN2gNnhl/?imgmax=800" alt="DSC 0038" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p><em>Sanded, faired and AwlFair applied.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="DSC_0065.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YisW5xdcubY/Vk6CsghdPnI/AAAAAAAAA24/4um0KINVSZM/DSC_0065.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="DSC 0065" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>The next effort for the day was to prep the old quarter-berth hole for patching. I measured the opening, adding a few inches to the diameter of the backing plate. I cut the backing plate out of some scrap wood that I had lying around the shed but quickly found out that the gap between the hull and cabin liner was pretty tight.</p>
<p><em>Where’s my compass when I need it?</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="DSC_0049.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-imgk9rZcXu0/Vk6CuSjTogI/AAAAAAAAA3I/_V3oj__TZNI/DSC_0049.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="DSC 0049" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>I ran the 2” pneumatic sander along the edges of the filler plate to make if fit. The problem was that it was thicker than than the opening available to me. Next step, fit it.</p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="DSC_0056.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mE_LCZDWASk/Vk6CvccT5LI/AAAAAAAAA3Q/DZs9gdDBPx4/DSC_0056.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="DSC 0056" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>When I went to put it in place,the plug didn't even begin to slide into place. So, since I was going to have do some glass-work to finish off the ragged hole at the base of the quarter-berth I cut it away at the interior liner. </p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="DSC_0051.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-QDNIPQFe_UA/Vk6CtbbhHYI/AAAAAAAAA28/omIP4c5Mju0/DSC_0051.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="DSC 0051" width="598" height="398" border="0" /> </p>
<p>After getting the plug to fit I wrapped it with Peel-Ply and maneuvered it in.</p>
<p><em>Ready for epoxy.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="DSC_0057.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-f86XuZpPwhE/Vk6CxfI3c7I/AAAAAAAAA3g/VIAK48xmrrQ/DSC_0057.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="DSC 0057" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="DSC_0059.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-N5j7qbP49MM/Vk6CwE0myfI/AAAAAAAAA3Y/UbTbEyHty88/DSC_0059.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="DSC 0059" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>The day was getting on and I decided to wait until the next session to finish the repair. I’ve learned to never rush a task.</p>RoninRebuildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03817700065649175310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7504619425713795623.post-11881267215723320542015-11-19T17:10:00.001-08:002015-11-19T17:10:26.953-08:00Race, sand and paint.<p>The weather in the Mid-Atlantic and middle Chesapeake Bay has been surprisingly mild this Fall. I wish I could say that I have maximized all of that great weather on boat repair but I have snuck away for a little riding time on the Ducati Multistrada before it gets too cold.</p>
<p>I also had to attend to some yacht club business in Annapolis so I drove up last Sunday to fulfill my membership duties but not surprisingly I confused the event by one day. The club business was on Saturday and I showed up on Sunday. Doh!</p>
<p>I changed gears and hooked up with my good friend, former Cal 25 crew mate and competitor Charlie Husar to join him for a wonderful day of Annapolis Yacht Club Frostbite Series crewing on his boat "Chicken Little". Two quick races in Annapolis were a great way to remember my racing chops. And realize how much I missed it...</p>
<p>The Butler skiff has been over at Reedville Marine Railway getting some repair work done and is now complete. It is up to me to finish the job. That requires sanding and painting which is right up my alley.</p>
<p>There was a good bit of new raw wood that needed to be dealt with. A hour of sanding with 80-grit paper on my Mirka 6” sander smoothed out the finish enough for paint. Another hour of sanding the paint off the hull prior to putting on new paint completed the effort.</p>
<p>After scrapping off the barnacles below the waterline I slapped on a sheet of 80-grit Stikit on the Porter-Cable DA and readied the sides for some bottom paint.</p>
<p>I quickly painted the new woodwork and sanded hull with a coat of white primer. Simple job with simple tools; a bristle brush and a gallon can of cheap white paint. I like the simplicity of working on “working” boats in a working fishing town. The watermen don’t get to tied up in the perfect finish using the top-of-the-line paint.</p>
<p><em>Work-boats. No fiberglass in sight.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_5633.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Sk274-EMRxY/Vk5y-_lJWaI/AAAAAAAAA1s/P0Wd9i0viWc/IMG_5633.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="IMG 5633" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p><em>Primer coat on and ready for finish paint.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_5640.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-IRS__pbPBns/Vk5zAFziYxI/AAAAAAAAA10/CEdR76MJTdo/IMG_5640.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="IMG 5640" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p>Tuesday’s work was completed but scheduled meetings in Richmond required missing Wednesday’s great weather to apply the final paint. With rainy weather forecast for Thursday I figured on working on “Ronin” in the shed and finishing up the skiff this coming Friday.</p>
<p> </p>RoninRebuildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03817700065649175310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7504619425713795623.post-1760831004387431372015-11-11T14:49:00.001-08:002015-11-11T14:57:11.994-08:00Tools for removing stuff.<p>There’s a fairly long running thread in the C&C email list that I fanatically follow. It concerns the travails of removing and fixing/replacing the fixed ports of some of the new models of C&C’s. I thought that I’d put up a quick post to address some of the questions that others had and to show some tools that posters on the list had recommended.</p>
<p>I knew early on in the ownership of our boat that cleaning up the old Plexus would be a significant effort. I had pulled and replaced to original ports 15 years ago and just used silicone sealant between the new ports and the old, hard Plexus.</p>
<p>Not ideal but worked okay for the subsequent years.</p>
<p>As part of the deck repainting project, I decided to do it correctly this time around.</p>
<p>So, as a response to some the listers who are getting into this project and to answer some questions about what tools to use to remove the old Plexus I thought I’d post a few photos of the tools that I used.</p>
<p><em>3” Angle grinder.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_5221.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OclPGJUHtN8/VkPFQ3D1lrI/AAAAAAAAA1A/oGu3ortG2Z8/IMG_5221.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="IMG 5221" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p>This tool is brutal but effective. It takes a careful hand to keep from really making a mess of the exterior gelcoat but it can be done. This removed large quantities of Plexus.</p>
<p><em>Ingersoll-Rand 2”/3” high speed pneumatic sander.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="DSC_0024.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-k2T5X4yLYJ0/VkPFTMW7LjI/AAAAAAAAA1I/fcxEfnX0z1o/DSC_0024.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="DSC 0024" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>This tool will remove a large amount of material also but it is much, much more delicate.</p>
<p>An air compressor is required for this tool so the overall investment is high. The tool itself is not very expensive and I bought a bag of 50 2” 80-grit sanding disks for cheap money. Like all sanding projects I buy lots of sandpaper and the minute it is no longer pushing dust I pitch it and slap on another. It’s cheaper than my time.</p>
<p><em>Fein Multimaster.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_5577.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD_xlbszl68NhqNHx5uQro5Otye9TlprY8wIU1EVZDeLiB4vtiX5Tk1-zs4Kj-X7OdoRKSMjFkSrtKyNfUDrSmolZ8ksVgwnxSB_pUkKcT13ChxEOlSmsMcVs3SNBSF44CPAimOkWH7nsO/?imgmax=800" alt="IMG 5577" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p>One of my absolute favorite tools. I bought this before the patent expired and before other tool makers were allowed to produce oscillating tools. Were I do buy another I’d still buy the (much) more expensive Fein. The quality is leagues ahead of the new tools. I used 40-grit paper initially and then graduated to 80-grit for the fine detail sanding of the corners and the final passes on the inside flats.</p>
<p><em>Last but not least, hand-sanding blocks.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_5563.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LclgwzEtew8/VkPGAtJjmLI/AAAAAAAAA1Y/rSDbfLdxH4M/IMG_5563.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="IMG 5563" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p>Don’t laugh but a small 3M soft hand block with 80-grit Stikit sandpaper does an amazing amount of material removal. And it has the benefit of allowing me to do some fairly fine and detailed sanding when necessary.</p>
<p>Sanding doesn’t always have to be a chore. Good tools make a big difference.</p>RoninRebuildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03817700065649175310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7504619425713795623.post-84485623261785860952015-11-09T16:12:00.001-08:002015-11-10T03:55:57.169-08:00Repetitive Stress Injury (RSI) and (bonus!) wooden boats.<p>I have been doing quite a bit of sanding, primarily using my Mirka Ceros 6” DA sander on successive applications of AwlFair filler. I’ve been doing so much of it that my left forearm is beginning to exhibit some of the symptoms of RSI. Makes sense I suppose.</p>
<p>Nothing terribly interesting to report as far as the work goes. I continue to fill and sand and fill and sand. One of the things is the disturbingly large number of spots that I miss. I’ll work my around the deck, inspecting and marking potential spots for grinding and filling. After finishing that process and then coming back the next day to sand I am continually finding cracks in need of grinding that have been missed. Worse are those spots that I have ground out and completely missed when it came time to apply the AwlFair.</p>
<p>Nonetheless, although it is fairly uninteresting work I am making progress. I think that after a few more passes on the deck I will be ready to cover them with the construction paper I bought earlier this week. Since it is pretty certain that I will be shooting the primer and topcoat sometime next Spring I want to try and keep the decks dirt, grime and grit free as possible.</p>
<p><em>Second pass with AwlFair.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="DSC_0005.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLdYrI8SG3EXprlVyKxpPC-Lz1jhwtL91iXDrMYWRCEaiBnyqPhjtlYkuH82wGHHcSPqa248UMMAcVaup-p4EC1YhHtQjlEtCFCJdp8x-BQzqsydqn8wDmDYJ6lf3R2nlqRoFOmO3vL54l/?imgmax=800" alt="DSC 0005" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p><em>Filling large depressions and bolt-holes.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="DSC_0009.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-C_KJaGD97b8/VkE2INX86dI/AAAAAAAAAzM/WBUef5fXFVw/DSC_0009.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="DSC 0009" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>Interestingly, in the picture shown above, the large area filled in with AwlFair is a slight depression in the deck that contained one of the original winches, in this case for the mainsheet. I’m assuming (and hoping…) that it was designed in from the factory. The same thing occurs on the port side as well.</p>
<p>The original control setup that I inherited was comprised of four non-self-tailing winches arrayed across the cabin top to work all the halyards and lines that were led aft. Early on I ditched two of the old Barients and replaced them with Harken 40 aluminum self-tailers. When the boat is put back together I am completely re-designing the layout of the lines led aft. A reduction in the number of lines is high on my list but that’s a chore left for later. Bottom line is that all the used and un-used holes in the deck will be filled, faired and painted over.</p>
<p><em>The port side after board sanding.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_5563.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9y0ZGu7a-9wvJYuO-rrPaGEbkh6pI5YOJRYHF1hKgIHAOsmFMinIYNaDn6bgTc5B0zDauEsLEWcpYbdDUUCbzzzcqz_cLJqyIYBzaqChSYXe1vSDo7ikfRC6l-g-31W4FjKn-Iy-te9f-/?imgmax=800" alt="IMG 5563" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p>After that session more filler went on. Before leaving for the day, after cleaning up my tools and equipment I decided to just sit and ruminate. Catch up on progress and to-do notes for the project.</p>
<p><em>Does this qualify as a “man cave”? Not with that pink chair...</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_5569.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-c2BGn4fxW6M/VkE2LCQUUJI/AAAAAAAAAzc/t7lREUV8638/IMG_5569.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="IMG 5569" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p>The next day I came back and, surprise, did more sanding, concentrating on the four fixed port openings. I’ve been paying particular attention to these because of the large radiating cracks in the gel-coat and the damaged backing lip for the ports themselves. I’m carefully prepping these for installation of new ports when the decks are painted next year.</p>
<p><em>Went on heavy and got sanded away.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_5574.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-uzznw_YVV10/VkE2SnXkKZI/AAAAAAAAA0E/jMhU6kGqvkM/IMG_5574.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="IMG 5574" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_5575.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kc4uFJdlTXw/VkE2T8mSSrI/AAAAAAAAA0M/eIvjqMoN_zU/IMG_5575.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="IMG 5575" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p><em>What would I do without my trusty construction pencil?</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_5578.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2CHkmvIwFHM/VkE2U0jhDJI/AAAAAAAAA0U/lJTFyrJfHOY/IMG_5578.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="IMG 5578" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p>While my work effort was proceeding over the past week or so, I managed to move the Butler skiff over to the the place where it was built, Reedville Marine Railway, so that some leaking and rot damage could be attended to. Since I have neither the time nor the skill to do the woodwork on it, I hired a local woodworker and wooden boat repair professional to deal with it. Smart move on my part.</p>
<p><em>Been sittin' for a year and the barnacles were happy...</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_5498.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-y75CEHFFSpo/VkE2MpKkIRI/AAAAAAAAAzk/Kh3npr6qgkg/IMG_5498.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="IMG 5498" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p><em>Rotten wood coming out.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_5503.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-F3bvc_j9e_I/VkE2OdaLyTI/AAAAAAAAAzs/gGZA3_aY0qg/IMG_5503.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="IMG 5503" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_5507.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-17FCgCQJ3x4/VkE2QKU-u1I/AAAAAAAAAz0/_IgkCmZOUfk/IMG_5507.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="IMG 5507" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p><em>I think we found the leak….</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_5513.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qhkfiVwLStM/VkE2RXcA0HI/AAAAAAAAAz8/Rl8zVqW3fbE/IMG_5513.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="IMG 5513" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p><em>New wood!</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_5524.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-GGj0qSQDvn8/VkE2WqI6YiI/AAAAAAAAA0c/AhMPTmDuTwg/IMG_5524.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="IMG 5524" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_5525.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvfBx3ulCdLIoJZDHXy5HtakX_RUm6dK1alUA-FDBzxgFm2tx1HbTTvrgy5C6sbXFimGx016pzsLmqQa_S2Uvh5mHhL2S7OInPN2B9cetZqW_O5__yICyei6Byahxg20eq6HoHFKwbjOp6/?imgmax=800" alt="IMG 5525" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p>Of note: the original mast from the Chesapeake Bay buyboat, "Elva C” shown in the background of the picture below is now a feature in the main room of our house. A bit of local history that fits with the fact that our house used to have a wooden boat building concern in the backyard.</p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_5561.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--OpnlKRbQrg/VkE2Z3Aj_uI/AAAAAAAAA0s/5IwamWm69g8/IMG_5561.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="IMG 5561" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p>Anyway, the woodwork is completed and now I need to do more sanding on this boat too.</p>
<p>My arm is not wild about the prospect of that... </p>RoninRebuildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03817700065649175310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7504619425713795623.post-35836611438204936942015-11-02T16:08:00.001-08:002015-11-02T16:08:52.389-08:00Things that shift deadlines.<p>Well, it’s pretty clear that I view deadlines as movable moments.</p>
<p>I haven’t worked on the boat in any real fashion since last August. Even those work sessions were less than highly productive.</p>
<p>My wife took an apartment in Barcelona, Spain for a month starting the last week of August. I flew in on the 1st of September and proceeded to eat and drink my way through the city for the next three weeks. It was my second time there and it is still a wonderful city to visit. A young Marine friend of mine and I rented a couple of Ducati Scramblers and spent two days leaning into turns in the Pyrenees and the Costa Brava. A superb time and a great ride.</p>
<p>After all that I came back, spent four days making sure that things were in order and then took off for a week in Top Sail Beach, NC for my 45th high school reunion. No, I didn’t go to school in North Carolina. Canadian Academy in Kobe, Japan actually but one of the hosts of the reunion live in Top Sail Beach now and it became the destination for the class. Easier to drive to than Kobe...</p>
<p>Came back home from the reunion, checked on the house and cats and then my wife and I flew to Santiago, Dominican Republic for our annual medical mission work. Another week of no progress on “Ronin."</p>
<p>Now I’m getting back to work.</p>
<p>Last week I finished off sanding all the non-skid that was butting up to the base of the toe-rail as the final effort on the deck. Using the Fein Multitool with 80-grit sanding pads worked fairly well. As I was doing this I made a note to run a strip of gloss (non non-skid?) along that edge instead of running non-skid right up to the bottom edge of the toe-rail. Should be easier to shoot and a better look for the finished product. As part of the sanding process I noted that pretty much all deck surfaces were non-skid and I made a note to not re-apply it in areas that have bolts and sealant like I found under the chainplates and jib-track.</p>
<p><em>80-grit works quite well:</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="DSC_0013.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hUnp_xlpo4k/Vjf66HWUvfI/AAAAAAAAAxY/li4mDvmghLA/DSC_0013.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="DSC 0013" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>After that final bit of effort I spent close to a full day vacuuming and cleaning the decks and interior to remove copious amounts of gelcoat dust that was blown in. When I do my next boat refit project I’ll make sure to tape up the ports and openings. No, wait, what am I saying? I will never, ever do another refit….</p>
<p><em>A light dusting, that’s all really...</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Dust Everywhere!.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-JlojPZiix3s/Vjf7AYOodsI/AAAAAAAAAyQ/8oHx6Nvl6WQ/Dust%252520Everywhere%252521.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="Dust Everywhere" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Today I loaded up the tool truck with my Makita compressor and a new Ingersoll-Rand 2”/3” high speed sander and drove to the boat.</p>
<p>After getting the air-hose led and tool attached I started grinding out the small, hairline cracks that were present on the deck. Most were around the stanchion bases and radiating out from the edges of the fixed ports. There were scratches and gouges from previous work that I had done. Edges and corners that had grooves work by halyards that had run directly across them without any edge protection had grooves down the glass. There were divots from old halyard winches on the deck that had been removed and given a quick fill by previous owners that needed a fairing prior to primer and paint.</p>
<p><em>Chicken pox.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="DSC_0039.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYyQPz4Ejkmo1LqnbwsfxZeYI8qD1lZ-Af9tuF1dAepKphRnoo_mPfCSQlF951K8qN9uExmTf_Ca0fbPycadc4IS9b955ReT2AmtEVguYm5M3RhfkJWMEHecr3wFwNQ9Q52POaipgHqhla/?imgmax=800" alt="DSC 0039" width="398" height="600" border="0" /></p>
<p>The fixed ports required special attention. There were significant spider cracks radiating from the edges in addition to the inner surface that the port glues to that needing fairing compound.</p>
<p><em>Never looked nice from the day we got the boat.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="DSC_0015.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPwuIq7jfhG1PztQpOjqhfECGdqvxmYR8sBatNfczpNeAybhbjFZVmhuOc9X7QzWnhWJ0AiBsmPmBUgVbePrsvMyQxz8lSqeJD_yBcoD4CMJb_RSygz1RIJ4Qv2OYL1yM6XG3uM1EYtxV_/?imgmax=800" alt="DSC 0015" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="DSC_0046.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Sz0dM1_MYos/Vjf68u2ZPaI/AAAAAAAAAxw/pC-Yhv0ovmk/DSC_0046.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="DSC 0046" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>It was messy and I was not doing my best work. The upside is that the AwlFair is easy to sand after setting up so the overall level of effort isn’t much. I tend to under-apply filling and fairing compound and then have to re-fair at least one more time, often several. I’m not efficient that way...</p>
<p><em>Mix Part A to equal amount of Part B...</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Mix Well....jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHZcj-u96_3kpIwlnj-cs7Ez3caM3HonWUaSDp7Mlc366hrfMgq4UYEqyqSCIRZ33TFFNwicJwLVDQ1X9WOteQA12AfEd2J6t0WJ8PgpCWPE1PoA3KE9tJgSMB-FJCufLbr0XG9v_4nLRA/?imgmax=800" alt="Mix Well" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>The stern edge of the cockpit coaming had some fiberglass voids that needed work. A couple of passes with a very large amount of fairing compound was in order.</p>
<p><em>Before...</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="DSC_0006.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-lpDmxH16xbA/Vjf6-lBVXvI/AAAAAAAAAyA/mU5QoP4QkEA/DSC_0006.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="DSC 0006" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p><em>and semi-after….</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="DSC_0036.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Gf3Ee874kNA/Vjf6_UuotAI/AAAAAAAAAyI/pFNgoWgwvIw/DSC_0036.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="DSC 0036" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>When the fairing application work was done, I still had an hour to go for the day. Last week I did some research on Lewmar opening ports and decided that I would go with a Lewmar Atlantic 30 port to replace the miserable old round screw-in port that ostensibly provided air to the quarter-berth. After making a template to insure that it would fix, I started in on readying that area for the new port. First thing is to glass in the old opening.</p>
<p>Bringing out my trusty DeWalt small grinder I worked out a rough 12:1 radius surface grind. Later this week I’ll glass it it.</p>
<p><em>More before and after.</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_5518.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0b7yJi8RDEE/Vjf7BC_aqiI/AAAAAAAAAyY/Wor088mjUhw/IMG_5518.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="IMG 5518" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="DSC_0050.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-et4L3jYwZOU/Vjf7B0WngcI/AAAAAAAAAyg/gKh8UQkN-qE/DSC_0050.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="DSC 0050" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="DSC_0052.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXKwg9FV7wqDOqjkRmgBFlTbCfcyaVeKuOhNZfYkH6-CcoPiNeTzudvYTe2L-QlMhLk8MqYfV5kL10Obf8dabK1TMtH1FcRRZpz65c-V_hjWGHyAc98knkuKP5bcs_PQio3sDJl7A7ffvX/?imgmax=800" alt="DSC 0052" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>Anyway, back to sanding. But only after I get back from taking one of our cats back to Maryland in the middle of the week for some vet work at my sister-in-law and brother’s veterinary practice. </p>
<p>There goes that deadline again...</p>
<p><em>Also, too. Holiday snaps:</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_2418.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkkB9tSduND-8e5SjV1OCPkMEeoHVBe_jmfH1ExvyU_QlwE_GV0xAkx4_ib8RBC0OJTlbElSnYjK7sJX5yV9f2_rOd1-p1Kgo97nMi5h3BINanToU8keD1vtFePNkaj92ihFsRQ3FfsO8I/?imgmax=800" alt="IMG 2418" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>RoninRebuildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03817700065649175310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7504619425713795623.post-33804148643080293312015-08-11T16:33:00.001-07:002015-08-11T16:33:39.027-07:00The Zen of sanding.<p>So, precious little work on the boat over the last eight weeks.</p>
<p>I spent a few days delivering my buddy’s Sabre 426 to Rhode Island. The trip was the quickest delivery along that route that I have ever done. Fast, flat and dry. May be bringing her back next week.</p>
<p>The next few weeks were taken up with family and friends. My wife and I had dinner with close friends at The Inn in Little Washington. My first experience there and it was superlative.</p>
<p>I spent a fair amount of time (and money…) prepping my two Ducati motorcycles for a long planned ride of the Rockies in Colorado and New Mexico. After getting those sorted I drove to Denver, met my old and close friend Jim and we rode for three days. After the ride was over he loaded my Ducati ST2 into his pickup and drove it back to his garage in San Diego where it resides, waiting for me to fly in and ride the West Coast with him. Looking forward to that.</p>
<p><em>Lost in Kansas:</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_5251.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-E8f9-L7IuOU/VcqGSGzfOYI/AAAAAAAAAwo/2BKDqPbvEmM/IMG_5251.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="IMG 5251" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p>After getting back I started to sand the decks of Ronin, starting with the non-skid areas. Before I did that though I had to finish cleaning out the hardened Plexus material in the frames of the fixed ports. Not an easy or as a quick a job as it turned out. Took severals days of sanding, chipping and grinding. Those inner frame surfaces will be getting some epoxy work sometime in the future.</p>
<p><em>Tenacious:</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_1101.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-c4TPf5dikkA/VcqGS4XWzqI/AAAAAAAAAww/rLcTcmRr4aM/IMG_1101.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="IMG 1101" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_1102.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Q3O6EKtwiVo/VcqGUPI33jI/AAAAAAAAAw4/y3DwXC4cXQQ/IMG_1102.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="IMG 1102" width="450" height="600" border="0" /></p>
<p>We’ve been having a fair amount of heat here on the Mid-Atlantic, high 80’s F to low 90’s F. I was concerned about the temperatures when working on the boat but have been pleasantly surprised with the working conditions. With an early start, several fans blowing directly towards me and a breeze that generally flows through the structure I’ve been able to work fairly comfortably. On the really high heat and humidity days I’ve pretty much downed tools, cleaned up the site and headed for home around 3:30 PM. Despite the expense, the decision to purchase the shelter was an extremely good move.</p>
<p>I’ve started at the bow and am working my way aft along the port side removing all the non-skid. The gloss areas, primarily vertical, will get sanded on the second pass. Right now I’m sanding away with an assortment of sanders, my old trusty Porter-Cable 7336 dual-action sander with Gold Sikit P80 sheets slapped on. For some of the tighter areas I’ve been using my Porter-Cable 333 DA sander with hook-and-loop P60 Norton discs. I’ve done some sanding with my new Mirka 12VDC sander with some aggressive sanding disks but I’m concerned that it may be a bit fragile for long-term use. We’ll see. It’s a really nice tool and I expect that for finer sanding of some areas and the primer it will be the go-to sander. I’ve been rolling through twenty-five to thirty discs per day.</p>
<p><em>It’s all about dust control...</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="DSC_0016.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9SkO8EYGKfs/VcqGOeDL-HI/AAAAAAAAAwQ/mDtYMCE-8SQ/DSC_0016.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="DSC 0016" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p><em>Removing the West System Low Density filler used to plug the holes in the deck:</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="DSC_0029.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-lbFyro1pZjs/VcqGPZH0GJI/AAAAAAAAAwY/6rp5LOoMyMs/DSC_0029.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="DSC 0029" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="DSC_0031.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpM24AmT9eltlpV4B59z9_DbGR8ZipXuezvcp0Lx-ZxVyuJvStlN7iO5T84tCMShZAq4zRj2unX8pb14naahZeW79IpWMIFj_9Xn_IANsk9YBSPvvzci0imRmpLHze4kgjj1CG0yfcG_91/?imgmax=800" alt="DSC 0031" width="598" height="398" border="0" /></p>
<p>Jennings Boatyard is putting up a web-site and asked me for some action and before-and-after photos of the work on Ronin. I was happy to oblige so we’ll see if she shows up in the future. Hope so, the yard has been a great place to have a boat project.</p>RoninRebuildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03817700065649175310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7504619425713795623.post-49417516806794921402015-06-11T02:57:00.001-07:002015-06-18T14:45:51.111-07:00Quick update and getaway<p>I’m getting ready to roll out and head up to Annapolis this morning to help an old friend deliver his Sabre 426 to Rhode Island. He’s part of the Race Committee for Block Island Race Week. Should be a comfortable and easy trip; mostly Southerlies for the next 2-3 days. This is Delivery Trip A, Annapolis to the C&D Canal, down the Delaware Bay and straight shot from Cape May to Pt. Judith, RI.</p>
<p>I continued to work for a few days on removing ports and the last bit of pesky deck hardware. Nothing special to report except that when I pulled the fixed main ports out I knew that the work load increased.</p>
<p>The Plexus adhesive used to secure the ports is pretty tenacious. So much so that when I started scrapping to remove bits of silicone sealant, it came off with fairly large chunks of the gelcoat. This will mean some small but time consuming glasswork on the inside surfaces of the ports.</p>
<p>And that damn round port that was responsible for my previous rant? Out….</p>
<p><em>Gone port:</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_1069.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pxjrC0Zm36g/VXlbZ3KJ7_I/AAAAAAAAAuw/YK4fokenlxY/IMG_1069.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="IMG 1069" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p><em>Kind of a mess:</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_1078.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-dqY64fQsKuQ/VXlbckRg8XI/AAAAAAAAAvI/Qfvz935wyJc/IMG_1078.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="IMG 1078" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p><em>Fixed ports ready for cleaning and storage:</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_1073.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-UqORVXze7vg/VXlba4_AVPI/AAAAAAAAAu4/lY1QCsCC-J0/IMG_1073.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="IMG 1073" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_1082.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Suv8b7HKdD0/VXlbbxQ_UcI/AAAAAAAAAvA/kUKT598hcfg/IMG_1082.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="IMG 1082" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p>When I was removing the chainplates the good news, again, is that the original installation using butyl as sealant proved its effectiveness. No rot in the balsa core.</p>
<p>But not surprisingly, there was a fair amount of electrolysis at the base of the plates. I had to scrape the build-up off in order to get the cover plates off the shaft. No real degradation to the chainplate itself though:</p>
<p><em>Up and out:</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_1084.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguD-6dY1pKHZ83a4FvCeu9hCVIMToT91XrntX86WSexcP1nGVMhEo12NeREqFlFY-b9YuxQV9Z6NgasJUsun3hywIYGiSo_ZAf_iwkt_nV56IEBmsipVGfUqkUT3LPEEvIO2tot79wdB_O/?imgmax=800" alt="IMG 1084" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_1088.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-d2UQr3yZAyQ/VXlbepHy0iI/AAAAAAAAAvY/Bc4ij_dqBz4/IMG_1088.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="IMG 1088" width="600" height="450" border="0" /><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_1097.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--dtnQyB9ZEQ/VXlbfon0i5I/AAAAAAAAAvg/ZtrKvZ_-i_E/IMG_1097.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="IMG 1097" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p><em>Not THAT kind of white powder...</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_1090.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9le1lMnXu1Y/VXlbgRoCB7I/AAAAAAAAAvo/gUzXWjaUNOo/IMG_1090.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="IMG 1090" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>
<p><em>If I don’t write it down I’ll forget:</em></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_1095.jpg" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ko5UH7LMBdU/VXlbhQhPHQI/AAAAAAAAAvw/fp-M8ClEdlU/IMG_1095.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="IMG 1095" width="600" height="450" border="0" /></p>RoninRebuildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03817700065649175310noreply@blogger.com0