Final Bulkhead

This weekend allowed me to finish up the bulkheads and cut to fit the final bulkhead that I will be replacing. The others were sealed with epoxy and sanded down. It is 3/4" marine grade plywood but a coat of epoxy, especially on the end cuts will help a lot. These were all set and filleted in place. This week I will will tab them in, both sides with 16oz bi-axial fiberglass cloth 6 " wide.

The final bulkhead which replaces the old one that had the ice box access has been cut, trimmed and fitted. This week I will seal with epoxy but not put in until all the other tabbing is done to allow access. The cut out is 16" x 16" so in theory i can get in to set the back side with fillets and tabs when set in place. It came out quite well with a nice rounded over edge on the cut out. Always risky using a router on plywood but the marine grade was a lot tighter than regular.

The final two partial bulkheads are not really bulkheads at all. They are part of the galley cabinetry support. They have delaminated but I will just fix and apply a 1/8" veneer to clean up.

Back Inside: Bulkheads

Continuing on the inside cabin reconstruction over the last two weeks. The starboard side bulkheads and engine compartment have all been roughed out of 3/4 marine grade plywood. This weekend I will start tabbing them in after sealing with a thin coat of epoxy. The final bulkhead is roughed in but I won't be able to fit until the others are tabbed in to get a good fit. This last one will have a large center section cut out to access the area for storage but also allow me to access the backsides for tabbing. I could get at it from the Ice box lid above in the cockpit but I would need a longer arm. The thought is that even tough I removed the inadequate built-in ice box, I may use this open storage space to be able to slide in a conventional cooler that can be accessed from the cabin or the cockpit. From the cockpit you would have to lift two lids but it will keep thing colder, longer.

The other aquisition this week was a wonderful piece of Sapele, a more readily available Mahogany substitute. Just as dense with some exotic grain but a little bit less intense in color and pattern. The piece I have is a solid 2 inch thick, 14" wide and 30" long. This will be my new bow platform. This boat has never had a bow roller platform or a bow roller for that matter. I plan on upgrading all the ground tackle as it only came with an 8 pound Danforth. On the platform I plan to carry a 22lb Claw (Bruce) and a 35lb CQR. I have laid it out on a drawing but now really need the actual rollers and anchors to finalize before cutting. Unfortunately ground tackle is not cheap so i may spread the $1,200 over a couple of months to soften the blow. When I am done it should look something like this:

Final Paint

The final applications of non-skid paint on the port and starboard sides and the the entire bow area. I think I will ad some around the mast area at a later date but want to see where that will go based on activity around the mast. I will let everything cure for a week or two. This is a huge milestone that closes the chapter on an entire redeck and recore. This boat used to be covered in teak decking which was attached with 2,000 screws. This allowed water to migrate down into the core that is sandwiched between the two layers of fiberglass and provide strength without too much weight. My deck after sitting under cover for a year had dried out enough for me to realize I had a very spongy deck which I almost put my foot through. Very bad.

The entire deck had to be removed. With all the teak gone, the thought was to inject epoxy into the 2000 little holes and let it stiffen back up. This would add a lot of weight up high but I didn't think it would be that bad. After the first $100 worth of epoxy was injected and I had only covered a 2 square foot area, this was proving to be a bad plan. A little research indicated the only way to do the job properly was to cut the entire top layer of fiberglass, 1/4" thick, off. This then exposes the core and it can be removed. This I did saving the skins to relaminate back on. The core was just mush and I relized that injecting all the epoxy I could afford would not have fixed the problem. New end grain balsa was set in with epoxy then the top skins were set back on with thickened epoxy and held down with weights.

There were still some voids that were filled from the top by injecting epoxy into old and new holes and lots of sounding with a hammer to make sure everything was solid. Then the seam where the fiberglass skin rejoined had to ground out and widened then infilled with fiberglass and epoxy layers to strengthen the joint. Then the fairing and filling started all around. This took the longest time (2 years) as it is very labor intensive and very boring. You can never really be done with this part as there are always areas that could be better. Then finally it is prime, sand, wash three times, paint 3 times, then mask and paint the non-skid. Looking back over the pictures it looks a lot easier than it was. Going to take a break and then go back to work on interior. Have 3 more bulkheads to replace then paint the insides and bilges.

Painting Curve

The learning curve for painting with a single part LPU paint is vertical to say the
least. There is no correct formula for how much brushing liquid (thinner) to add for the roll and tip method. It is based on temperature, viscosity, humidity and which way you hold your tongue when mixing. My experiments on a piece of glass looked perfect. The first application on the primed boat was a disaster.

I sanded the entire thing off the next day and restarted all my testing and mixing. I kept a better watch on the temp and humidity. A better job of washing, dewaxing and cleaning. The next time I was faster, being able to keep a wet edge was a challenge when doing it all by myself. The first coat has some runs and misses but was brought back into compliance with a light sanding before the second coat. This is where I wish I had not used the gray primer. Covering in white would be tough. Sand, wash, repeat. Final wash with acetone and then an additional round with the tack cloth. The second coat went on better than the first after a couple of scary areas were immediately redone while still wet.

The next day it looked pretty good and the tape was removed ready for the application of the tape for the deck surface areas to be masked. Cleaned, washed, tacked, etc. Then two days of deck painting, trying not to drip sweat on the surfaces. Finally with all the tape removed and it looked like I had graduated LPU school.

No, it is not perfect, yes there are a couple of runs in out of the way places and some mysterious fish eyes. But it looks great from 5 feet away and a looks like a 10K paint job from 10 feet away. I will finish up this weekend filling in the non skid areas with a tan colored Interdeck mixture.

Preping the Prep

With all the gear removed from the deck and cabin top, there was no soaked core but still some minor crushing. All of the holes have been filled and the low spots faired out. Lots of sanding, taping and cleaning, washing, sanding, fairing, washing, etc.



First of 2 coats of high build primmer were pretty much sanded off, washed, sanded, washed, etc. The third coat has become the base for the new paint. It feels smooth but each time I go over it I find something else. When you put on the primer it is glossy and the imperfections are evident. After it has dried it is a more matt finish and the errors are less visible, making it harder to go back and find and repair. Very dirty work using the gray colored primer.

Strip her down

The removal of the deck hardware with before and after photos has begun. I am removing everything that i can easily remove that is screwed or through bolted with the exception of the grab rails (4) and the window trims (10). The only reason is there is no finish left on the teak so I think I can hand sand and refinish in place. There is no evidence of any leaks or cabin top damage. The bolts are all concealed by a 1/4" cabin top liner that is bonded to the top. It would create a lot more repairs to the interior cabin. The bad thing is I will have to paint around them.
All of the holes have been enlarged and filled with thickened epoxy, faired and need to be sanded out.

Construction Destruction

I have continued the deconstruction of the interior and the stripping and sanding. The starboard side of the engine compartment is gone. The ice box is gone and both bulkheads that surrounded it. The manual bilge pump is removed and being rebuilt. The head compartment has had the bulkheads reinforced and a cherry plywood veneer has been installed. All new tabbing installed with radius fillets. More fillets and tabbing to do on the port side locker and galley bulkheads. Switching to the outside decks now that it has warmed up with plans to take time off over Easter to prime and paint decks. Lots of sanding and prep work, sand, wash, sand, wash. Hopefully finish up port side and bow this weekend then switch scaffold to starboard side and stern.