January 14, 2022
Lyra Phase 2-14
Friday
I water-washed and lightly sanded the new fiberglass on the coachroof repair, then reamed out the core from around the exposed edges of the open area.
Similarly, I reamed out the core from the edges of the small repair on the starboard aft coachroof.
From a length of 10 oz. fiberglass cloth, I cut a piece to fit the large coachroof repair. This cloth would help tie together all the various aspects of the inner skin.
With the cloth patterned and cut, I filled all the exposed edges around the perimeter with a thickened, strengthened epoxy mixture, forcing it tightly into the voids. Then, I used more of the mixture to ease any final remaining edges and transitions on the surface to provide an even base for the fiberglass cloth, which I installed next, wetting it out in place once the edge and surface filler had had a chance to tack up slightly. Other than some quick surface prep later, this was the final step required before installing new core.
Belowdecks, I applied a skim coat of fairing compound to the new work, mainly to fill the weave of the cloth and to generally smooth the whole area for acceptable cosmetics and paint-worthiness.
Finally, I applied a 4th coat of varnish–this time satin–to the mast beams. These photos show the varnish freshly applied and still appearing glossy.
Total time billed on this job today: 5.25 hours
0600 Weather Observation: 28°, mainly cloudy. Forecast for the day: Mostly cloudy, chance of snow showers, 40°