January 12, 2021

Arietta 29

Tuesday

Before getting back to the second coat of nonskid, there were a few installations I could finish first, starting with the outboard bracket.  I’d painted the bracket along with the hull and deck, and during layout I’d prepared the fastener holes, so the final installation was straightforward.  After reaming out the top surface of the four mounting holes, I applied sealant to the back of the bracket, then secured it with four 5/16″ flathead bolts in the already-tapped holes through the transom and built-in reinforcement within.

Afterwards, I cleaned up excess sealant and completed the installation with large washers and nuts on the inside.  The removable portion of the bracket slid easily into the mount even with the additional thickness of paint within.

Next, I installed the oarlock base and socket with two long bronze bolts through the taffrail and hull/deck flange within.

The last thing I could install now was the aluminum trim covering the seam between hull and taffrail on the transom.  I’d removed this before painting and cleaned up the original piece before installation with new screws and sealant.

The remaining hardware, including stern cleats, lazarette hatch, and some padeyes in the cockpit, would await the completion of the nonskid.  So to get on with it, I applied the second and final coat of the nonskid paint, this  time using the special roller to provide the textured surface.  I started with the cockpit sole and the beige paint, leaving behind ample evidence of the worthiness of the extra masking around the space.

With the texture on the cockpit sole complete, I removed the masking tape around the field.  I’d installed the masking in such a way that I only had to remove the strip of tape immediately defining the nonskid field, leaving the remaining masking in place till after the paint cured.  The masking has to be removed with the paint still wet to avoid damaging the paint edge later.

Next, I continued with the cockpit seats and the white nonskid paint.  Here, I had to remove all the masking now, since I’d forgotten to set up the tape the “proper” way as I’d done on the cockpit sole and other areas thereafter when I remembered what I was supposed to be doing.  This didn’t pose a big problem, but just meant a modicum of extra care required in the tape’s removal.

I continued with the poop deck and the cockpit locker lids.  Later in the afternoon, I returned and removed the excess tape from the poop deck surrounds.

After lunch, I picked up the new graphics for the name, hailport, and registration numbers, and spent the remainder of the day installing the lettering on the transom, keeping it more or less in the same position as the original lettering I’d removed earlier in the project.  I’d get to the registration numbers on the bow next time.

Total time billed on this job today:  6 hours

0600 Weather Observation:  20°, cloudy.  Forecast for the day:   Decreasing clouds, 36°