Restoration Work Resumes: Sanding!

It seems like forever since I have been able to work on the boat.  Well, I must admit that I have not been overly motivated in the past few months, and no doubt missed out on great working weather.  It'll be hot soon here in Florida - very hot! - and I am sure I'll regret not taking advantage of Florida's winter months.  

I resumed bottom sanding on the 11th of April, and was able to finish hand-sanding the bottom over the next two days.  I used sheets of 80-grit paper, and worked the initial fairing compound down to a smooth surface.  There are places on the bottom that will require additional fairing compound, so I will get those during the next application.  The picture shows the port bottom, with the first round of fairing and sanding almost complete.

Fairing Preparation

I have concluded the sanding of the bottom, from the boot stripe to and including the keel, and am about ready to begin fairing the hull.  I do have yet to sand the portion of the hull currently hidden behind the jack stand pads, but that will be a quick job.  I do have some questions regarding the small gelcoat blisters that had formed, and now, through sanding , are breaking loose and leaving very small circular voids that are roughly the depth of the gelcoat.  My thoughts are to: (1) grind around these areas to remove the cracking and pitting areas, (2) wipe down with acetone, (3) brush on a layer of neat epoxy with a high-density foam roller, (4) apply thickened epoxy (West System 407) for filling and sanding (repeat if necessary), (5) apply a couple more coats of neat epoxy for West System 422 additive for a barrier coating, then (6) apply bottom paint.

If anyone has any recommendations, then I would love to review them...so, please take a moment and provide me with your comments.

Fortunately there are no major dings in the hull that need to be dealt with; however, I will be replacing 

the through hull fittings, and will likely glass over the old holes to start fresh with new fittings.

Stay tuned...

Initial Bottom Sanding Work

I quickly came to the realization that I needed a tool better suited for the job, so I picked up a 6" power sander with a soft backing pad, and switched to 40 grit paper - purchased from McMaster-Carr (Atlanta, GA).  McMaster-Carr is a one-stop shop for me due to their incredible inventory and amazing service - If I order materials in the morning to early afternoon, then I have them by the next day!  In the process of removing  the old bottom paint, I came across a through-hull fitting that had been plugged with  what looked like a wittled piece of wood fitted into the opening and then faired smooth - yikes!  I will be replacing all of the through-hull fittings and seacocks...a nerve-racking proposition at the moment.  I also found a large patch job on the port side hull, just below the water line.  Not sure what happened here, though I plan on examining this interior portion of the port hull to try and determine if the patch was at one time a hole or just fairing work. 

If anyone reading this has worked in a full Tyvek suit in the humid Florida summer, you know my pain!  I just couldn't seem to get enough fluids throughout the working time to avoid dehydration headaches in the evening.  From mid-August through late September, I removed the old bottom paint and most of the boot stripe.  Prior to the start of fairing the bottom, I will sand the entire bottom with 60 grit disks and my DeWalt VS randon orbital sander to reduce swirl marks.  I am not going for a racing bottom, but I do want to try and get things as smooth as possible.

Total time spent removing the bottom paint across six sessions was 19 hours.

The starboard plug....

The mysterious patch job....

Bottom Sanding - 10/4/08

After taking my daughter for a Saturday matinee and stuffing our faces with popcorn and candy, I decided to spend a few hours continuing the sanding of the bottom. On October 2, I completed sanding the port side bottom with my 5" VS random orbital sander and 11 60-grit disks. Today, I continued with the starboard side bottom acheiving roughly half of this side. My focus at the moment is taking all of the swirl marks out which were caused by my Craftsman 6" power sander and 40-grit disks...and a beginner's technique. I must admit, however, my technique steadily improved as my time spent in full Tyvek increased! I have another afternoon in order to complete the starboard side, and then I will begin mixing up batches of epoxy for the fairing of the bottom.