May 15, 2020
Fritz 5
Friday
After a light sanding–much of it by hand because of tight access–I deemed the centerboard trunk repairs ready for primer.
Because one-part paints and primers don’t cure properly over fresh epoxy, and because schedules always demand moving forward rather than waiting some days or weeks for the epoxy to cure sufficiently to allow these paints to work, I always apply what I call a tie-coat of two-part epoxy primer, and this was my next step. After masking off the area as needed for the primer and subsequent coats of paint, I applied a coat of the epoxy primer over the fresh work (staying away from the existing painted surfaces, which I imagined were one-pack paint). Should any further fine-tuning of the fairing work be required, I could take care of that once the primer was cured and sanded.
To complete the structural (as it were) part of the through-hull hole repair, I applied two layers of fiberglass over the inside of the patch, and a single layer of light cloth over the exterior.
Afterwards, I completed the brass rubrail installation on the port side, working my way down and installing fasteners every 6″. The length of the boat required a short second section of the rail to reach the transom. I’d planned on doing the starboard side during the afternoon, but a change of plans required my presence elsewhere. With a few days ahead requiring short painting sessions, I’d easily finish up the rest of the project list early in the week.
Total time billed on this job today: 3 hours
0600 Weather Observation: Cloudy, 40°. Forecast for the day: Cloudy, showers in the afternoon, 55°