Applying The Non-skid

     On Saturday, May 21st, I decided to move forward with application of the non-skid.  With the smooth portions of the deck having received their third coat of finish paint, it was time to provide some contrast to the deck itself by painting on the non-skid.  The patterns were essentially already laid out.  One of the early projects on Froonie was to sand the decks down to primer coat / gel-coat - ridding her from the clutches of some hideous shade of gray.  The deck had a factory molded non-skid pattern applied, and it was raised slightly off the plane of the deck's smooth areas - maybe just over 1/8".  So while I was removing years of paint, I went ahead and sanded the pattern off of the deck as well, but was careful to maintain the slight elevation difference between smooth and non-skid portions of the deck.  My original idea, and what I maintained as the plan, was to paint on an Interlux product by the name of Interdeck.  This is essentially a one-part polyurethane with a fine silica additive that provides traction, but will not abrade and harm bare feet.  I began by removing the 3M 233+ tape used to protect the border between the non-skid and the smooth portions of the deck, and solvent washing what was to be the new paint line.   (Picture: showing recently removed tape on port side and soon to be removed tape on the starboard side.  You can see the shadow cast by the raised portion, the non-skid portion.  The round opening in the deck (upper-left) is the deck-pipe fitting's rough opening.)

     I continued working around Froonie's decks: removing the old tape, solvent washing, and then applying the new tape line in order to apply the non-skid paint and stay on the original raised, molded pattern.  

Poop deck ready for non-skid...

Non-skid applied to poop deck.

     The application of the non-skid was very easy.  In fact, a thinning agent was not even used.  I simply mixed the paint thoroughly to distribute the silica particles, and then began application with a small-diameter foam roller.  The decks took two coats of the non-skid for the most even looking coverage.  The color of this product had more of a fleshy look than I had wanted.  I have decided that my next application of non-skid will be a custom blend of paint, and I myself will add the silica particles to the paint prior to application.  The ready-made Interdeck colors (4 total) just are not that exciting, but this will do for the next few years.

First Coat Deck Paint

     Long last, it was time to put the first coat of finish paint on the deck - on the smooth deck, the non non-skid portion of Froonie's deck.  On a very windy 16th day of April, I prepped the deck for finish paint.  The entire deck, smooth and non-skid portions, have been painted with three coats of Interlux Primekote - an epoxy based primer.  Again, the original plan was to use Interlux Perfection, but with an eagerness to get sailing and a hesitation in taking a chance on ruining $75 / quart paint, I opted for the one-part polyurethane Brightsides.  So, I made it through a windy day sanding the smooth deck portions only, but did not have a chance to tape off the seams dividing the smooth and non-skid areas.  I finished the sanding day with wiping off the decks with wet rags, taking up most of the sanding dust. 

     After an early arrival the following morning, and completion of painting the topsides out of the way, I turned my attention to solvent washing the decks to pick up any remaining sanding residue, and taping off the non-skid areas.  The wind tunnel I worked in yesterday did not manifest itself on this day.  In fact, the weather on Sunday was an absolutely perfect day for engaging in the marine topside finishing arts: a trace breeze, low humidity, in the 70s, and not a cloud in the sky!  I finished taping off the areas to be painted, using a 3M fine line tape, and proceeded to thin the Brightsides Off-White with Interlux 333 brushing thinner.   

     Again, the first coat of finish paint went on well - having so much practice painting the interior as well as the topsides.  I again used a throw-away foam roller that, after some tweaking of technique, produce nearly a rolled-and-tipped result. I worked my way around Froonie painting the smooth deck portions - I will save the non-skid for after completion of this painting process.  The non-skid will be a cream color (light beige), with the smooth deck being off-white - a classic deck color profile.

Nice glossy finish...

The last item on my list for this Sunday in April was to install the access plate to be located in the engine well.  The engine well has taken on a rather dramatic transformation from when Froonie first arrived on the hard here in Florida.  Aside from the fiberglass work, I have applied three coats of Interlux Primekote, and two coats of Petit Easypoxy finish paint.  It was now time to install the access plate.  The access plate will provide, as the name implies, access to the aft chain plate, stern light, and other deck hardware for installation purposes.  The installation was more of a semi-finished / dry-run installation.  I did everything but seat the plate flange in polysulfide sealant.  So, next visit, I will back out the stainless screws and apply a generous bead of white polysulfide to the back of the access plate flange.

First picture is of the removable plate...well, removed:

...and back in place.

::Yawn::......Sanding Primer

On Saturday, the 11th of September, I got a fairly early start on Froonie - after the ritual stop at the 'big orange box' store for restoration sundries - and proceeded to set-up for some sanding work. With sanding you have to mentally leave your body, at least this is necessary when it comes to the amount required through a boat restoration. How much sanding? Well, let me count the ways...there is removing the bottom paint, removing the layers (yes, plural and bold for emphasis) of old topsides paint and primers...there is countless fill and fair sanding, and then you get to the "putting-back-together" stage, and this requires a few coats of primer with - you guessed it - sanding in between coats, and finally finish coat(s) with sanding in between. The outrageous run-on sentence still does not properly give you context, so you'll just have to trust me on this one (or go do your own restoration). So, I mentally prepared myself, and began...

Here I have taped off the companion way and forward hatch, as well as the ports to reduce the amount of cleaning the sanding would necessitate if left untaped. All sanding of the primer was accomplished with 220 grit (sheets and 5" ROS pads).

Not a lot of detail in the picture, but here is the foredeck after the sanding was complete. The process I followed was to begin with small sheets of paper (ripping an 81/2" x 11" into quarters) and hand sanding the tight areas: transition from non-skid area to smooth deck, inside corners, deck to cabin roof sides, etc. After the hand sanding, I moved to my 5" DeWalt variable speed ROS finish sander using hook and loop pads, and covered the larger areas of the cabin roof, deck sides, foredeck, poop deck, and cockpit.

Because my mind had left my body there to deal with the sanding torture, without thinking I immediately turned to the primed topsides after completing the deck sanding. The topsides have been primed three times, so this was the third sanding of topsides primer - with one more to go. I used 220 grit with the 5" DeWalt ROS on the topsides as well. After a marathon session of 8 hours sanding, 4 bottles of water, 2 bottles of sports drink, and 2 Diet Mt Dews...I was ready to clean surfaces...did I mention it was 98 degrees outside?

After vacuuming the decks to remove most of the primer dust, I solvent washed the decks and topsides to remove trace amounts of sanding residue. The primer that I am using on the decks and topsides is Interlux Expoxy Primekote. The product is made for surface preparation for two-part polyurethanes such as Interlux Perfection - which I am going to be using. It does a great job filling tiny imperfections in the surface, but after a couple applications. The first application of primer to the decks provided me with a number of areas that needed additional filling and fairing. Albeit small, the voids would require epoxy-based fillers in the process of bringing the decks to fair. The picture below shows the foredeck after applying fairing filler: West System Epoxy with 406 colloidal silica and 407 low-density fairing filler. The starboard foredeck was by far the worst offender, I hit places here and there on the balance of the decks.

With everything buttoned up for the evening, I gathered my mind and reunited it with my body and left for the evening. Here is the Prius "work truck"...

First Coat of Primer for the Decks

Wednesday, August 18th, I decided to put the first coat of primer on Froonie's decks. During the evening of the 16th and the 17th, I solvent washed her decks and sanded with 100 grit paper to "freshen" things up a bit. It had been awhile since I had removed the various layers of paint and down through the original paint layer, so I wanted to remove the dirt and debris that had settled over her decks through this restoration. The two evenings were spent getting ready for primer; and since I had taken a vacation day to apply the primer, I wanted to be ready to go first thing in the morning.

Here is Froonie with" freshened-up" decks, and solvent-washed. You can see the thickened epoxy applied in various spots (orangish in appearance) serving to fair the deck or to fill old fitting holes.

The product that I chose for the priming is Interlux Epoxy Primekote. This product is made for two-part epoxy paints, and is the same product used on the topsides. If you read my post on the topsides painting, you will remember that I had attempted to roll and tip...and had disastrous results with the first coat of primer to the topsides. After speaking with technical reps for Interlux, and conferring with other 'plastic classic' enthusiasts, I discovered that primer does not want to behave in a roll and tip process. So after I sanded off the entire first coat of primer on the topsides, I simply rolled on and then worked 220 grit pads over the cured surface. I chose the same process for the decks. I did run into one minor issue during the painting of the decks - the solvent used to thin the two-part epoxy primer was wreaking havoc with my cheap, big-box retailer foam rollers. I went through about seven of these rollers through the entire application, but eventually succeeded.

Here is a picture of the port-side companion way bulkhead. You can see where the primer just ends at the aft portion of the cabin, marking the end of the first batch or primer.

I had run out of the thinning agent for the two-part epoxy primer - Interlux 2333N. So, I changed shirts (soaking-wet from 95 degree temps and high humidity), and went to visit my local marine chandlery. I also took the opportunity to pick up some decent foam rollers, but chose not to pick up any of the smaller rollers for the tighter corners (i.e. where the cockpit sole meets the vertical surfaces of the cockpit seating). It is evident in the picture below where the primer has been applied - I essentially was able to prime 85% of the cockpit, deck, and cabin roof surfaces.

Showing progress...

Finally, here is a picture of the poop deck, showing primer applied. The engine well, just in the upper portion of the picture is faired and ready for primer as well.

Sanding...sanding...sanding

No power tools used for the Fourth of July weekend....

...and I have the rough digits to show for it. For the 3rd, 4th, and 5th of July, I focused on the areas of the deck that needed sanding and that my Porter Cable 7335 could not get to. So I turned to the most useful of tools - my hands. I went through probably 15 sheets of 60 grit as I move around the deck, following the raised non-skid deck pattern. The slight elevation of the non-skid forces the use of sand paper, applied by hand. I tried my Porter Cable, my Dewalt VS Randon Orbital, and bought and returned a Ryobi corner sander. Nothing produced results like fingers and sand paper!

The July heat just made it incredibly fun. Not! I bought a 20" box fan for $16 to provide some air circulation. I would not have lasted two hours without it; and with it, I put in approximately 18 hours across the three days.

I also removed the port toe rail and genoa track. The exposed edge of the deck will require some filling and fairing prior to the new toerail installation - which I still need to design. In the

days I plane to etch the boom and prime it. I will then fill the unwanted holes and prepare for topcoat painting. Whew, long hot weekend.

Removing Portlights and Deck Hardware

I spent the better part of a rainy 6^th of June removing Froonie’s portlights, starboard toe rail and most of the deck hardware.  The day’s first priority was to set up a new tarp, which has proved itself far superior from the former – the work area stays completely dry now! 

I also spent this June 6^th reflecting on the sacrifice so many made on this date in 1944.  One of my heroes is my grandpa, Alva Howard – parachuted into France with the 82^nd Airborne – the stories he told us were simply amazing and humbling.  Thanks grandpa!

The portlights, both starboard and port, came out with no fuss whatsoever.  The plexiglas was crazed and scratched to the point where it no longer functioned as a window –they will be scraped.  The portlights’ metal frame sat in bedding compound, and were secured with bronze wood screws affixed to 1” trim pieces on the interior.

The round portlight in the fore cabin wall was a bit more difficult to extract, as the location made it challenging to disassemble the stainless screw and nut combination.  Still, the portlight came out with ease.  The portlight itself appears to be cast iron due to its surface corrosion and weight; I am unclear if this portlight was original to the Sea Sprite design – original boat specifications due not show this portlight.  I think the addition of the portlight is fine though, and I will most likely come back with installation of an opening 5” bronze version.  

The forward hatch came off today as well.  It’s construction was teak assembled with simple butt-joints, a piece of plexiglas for its cover, and attached with a stainless piano hinge at its aft.  I am planning to replace this hatch with a teak hatch of my design, and my work.  I have limited experience in woodworking, but plan to build on that through Froonie’s restoration.

Finally, I concluded the day with removal of two bow chocks, a bow cleat, a line and chain deck tube, and a few forward sections of the starboard toe rail.

Cockpit Sanding

For Tuesday, the 12th of May, I spent a couple hours sanding in the evening's cooler temps.  I have noticed that just ridding Froonie of the old paint (bottom paint and topside paint) is making her look so much better.  The topside paint job was horrible - just looks like it had been slathered on.

While I am waiting for ordered materials to arrive (for the patching of the old head through hulls), I have turned my attention to the cockpit.  I am sanding off the old paint - a very poor second paint job - and nonskid surfaces, as they were rendered useless by the paint job.  My intent for the deck and cockpit is to remove paint down to the original gelcoat, and then prepare surfaces for filling and fairing.  I am using a 6" random orbital sander with 60 and 80 grit pads.  The work is going fairly well, but I am running into some problems in the tighter areas: inside corners, and the space along the raised lip of the nonskid surface.  This will most likely need to be dealt with using the elbow grease tool.

Restoring The Companionway Hatch

Monday evening, November 10^th, I began addressing the companionway hatch.  The companionway hatch paint is flaking, and generally in rough shape.  The teak rails have not been taken care of and are weathered pretty bad.  There are nicks and gouges here and there on the hatch that will need to be filled and faired.  The first step was to remove all brightwork and wood bracing.  Removing the wood and setting aside, I then turned my attention to the initial rough sanding of the hatch.  I used a 5” VS random orbital sander and 60 grit disks to remove the old paint, and in the process exposed a lot of stress cracks running the entire width of the hatch itself. 

The companionway hatch itself is pretty flimsy without the wood bracing, so I have decided to take a few measures to strengthen it.  I will first fill and fair the existing screw holes.  Next, I will wet-out the top with epoxy, lay a layer of 6 oz cloth over the entire top surface, and then completely wet-out the cloth.  After curing, I will come back to fair the top and drill screw holes for reinstallation of the teak rails.  After test fitting the teak rails, I will prime and paint with a two-part polyurethane. 

You can see from the photos that I have finished sanding the companionway hatch.   In addition, I have wiped it down with acetone to remove remaining dust, and am ready to begin filling the screw holes.   I have also sanded the wood bracing and teak rails: starting with 60 grit paper, progressing to 220 grit, and finishing with 320 grit for a very smooth surface.  After vacuuming the wood to remove a majority of the dust, I wiped the bracing and rails down with mineral spirits to collect the stubborn dust particles and ready them for either teak oil or an epoxy barrier coat.

Finally, here is the companionway hatch with screw holes ground out from the top, and filled with West System epoxy and low-density filler.  After this cures, I will scrub off the amine blush, lightly sand and then ready the top for a layer of glass.