Last bit o' varnish

I put on the required coats of varnish on the hand rails (4) and all the window trims (10).  I also did the base plate on the mast step and the new stern light pad mount that I made and one additional teak cleat that I found in a box.  I removed all the tape and cleaned up around the edges the best i could.  It is still a 10 foot job.  I have learned so much in my first go around with painting, prepping, masking, etc.

 The next time will be totally different.  I have learned from my mistakes.  Everything that I thought would be a time saver, turned out to be a slower way of doing things with poorer results.  There is only one right way and many ways of doing it not right.  I believe i have done all of the later but that has helped to clarify which way is the best way.

I am concerned with how easy the Toplac topsides paint is scratching.  I need to see if i can touch up these areas when I do the cock pit.  Which is the next area to be sanded and prepped for paint.  Then I get to start bolting thing back on the boat.

A Little Putzing

No real solid blocks of time to work on the boat, just a an hour here and there.  I finished sanding the window trims and exterior handrails.  I taped off all adjoining areas and will now look for a 7 day window where schedule and weather will allow varnishing. 

 Varnish has arrived and now I am waiting the window.  I also ordered the fuses for the mega blocks on the ACR and two more blocks and fuses for the battery banks.  100A on the ACR 125A on the batteries.

 I placed all of the varnished teak items back on the boat some of the hinges mounted but a lot more screws are required.  I mounted the forward hatch and set the hinge in butyle tape top and bottom and added an interior gasket.  The Lexan is still continuing to crack so it looks like I will have to redo that whole operation.  I will wait on that.

  Once the rails and windows are varnished then I just have to paint the cockpit.  As always I am learning as I go.  To do it all over again i would have removed the all of the windows and rails to be finished off the boat.  I just couldn't bring my self to tear it down anymore.  I just wanted to make forward progress.  lets hope that doesn't come back to bite me too bad.  ie, leaking windows and toe rails.  Sounds simple enough.

Teak Caulk

 I applied the teak colored caulk last night.  More like beige to me.  It went in OK.  Better than I had hoped for but not a 2 foot job.  More like a 5 foot job.  It will all go with he 10 foot paint job.

Covers and Hinges

I installed all of the chain plate covers.  the void was filled with Life Caulk and then I set the plate in butyl rubber and screwed down in pre-filled holes.  The pre-filled holes were harder to keep uniform as some drew down and some did not.  I think they are all water tight but time will tell.  I also installed the new lift off hinges quickly last night but they need to be adjusted stll to hang right.  When that is done I can install the latch.  The one door is tight to get off and is set too close to thye jame leaving a large gap in the center.  I need to off set this.  The PO had used cardboard but I will try some SS washers as spacers.  The spine of the hinge should cover it.  The doors look a lot better than in the photo.  I hope to try sealing the joint between the outside of cockpit coamings and the deck.  I have a teak color life caulk for that.  The plan is to tape off and squeegee it in.  It will be messy but that should make it water tight.  It gap doesn't go into boat, just behind the coaming.

Black Goop

More commonly referred to as Life Caulk, poly sulphide sealant.  A permanently flexible sealant used for bedding hardware.  I used it around all of the chain plate openings in the deck.  I had opened up a 1/4" gap all around the chain plates and caulked up to the plate.  I trolled level and tried to make sure there were no voids.  I also pre-drilled and filled solid with thickened epoxy all of the screw holes for the plate cover.  I plan on setting the plates with a layer of Butyl Rubber to seal of and around the chain plates further after tapping all of the holes in the thickened epoxy.

While I had the tube out I made the new Lexan cover for the forward hatch.  Marked all the holes, drilled and counter sunk the holes using the old piece as a pattern.  Upon fitting I needed to sand off some edges to give room for a good bead of sealant.  I then taped off every square inch wood and glass that sealant would touch.  Laid down double lines of caulk on the matting surfaces and screwed in with the 16 screws I had.  I Need a dozen more to finish.  After that I squeegeed the caulk at the seam and scrapped off the drips on the back side.  I will let set for 24 hrs then pull the tape.

Varnish Done

For the time being the Varnish is done.  I still have the cabin top hand rails and the window trim to do but i want to get some other things done first.  I would like to begin setting all the trim plates on the chain plates and caulking up the finished coaming to make it all water tight.  Then wash down before I begin the last little bit of varnish.  I can also finish up the electrical work inside so i can put the cabin back together again.  Lots and lots of little things to do.

More Varnish

 The weather is right for varnish work.  Here in NC I really only have two small windows for outdoor varnish work.  The early spring around Easter and the late fall just before Thanksgiving.  The boat is still tented so it cuts down on the wind and the ever present pollen that consumes our spring.  So the electrical work is put on hold while I sand and varnish.  I am using the same Epiphanes varnish as before but have switched to disposable foam brushes vs the badger hair brush.  I have also switch the brush stroke to a backwards pull into the wet edge.
 The hope is this will minimize any sags in the varnish.  The last bits of teak on the cockpit seats and all the lazzerette lids is is really bad shape.  Most of it is held down with SS screws and is so thin that re-drilling and plugging is impossible.  I am varnishing the teak to squeeze out a couple of more years of service but after that I think I will glass over and paint.  The rest of the teak I am doing is the cockpit coaming, the cabin doors and the main hatch.  I will rehang the doors with lift off hinges and a new latch capable of locking.  I am three coats into the process and it is starting to look good.  Another two coats and it should start to shine.  A cold front is scheduled for Wednesday so i may skip that day and stretch my 24 hr window for re-coat rather than risk fogging the varnish.