October 27, 2022
Holby 40
Thursday
After another round of sanding, the outboard well was looking better than anticipated, leaving only various (and expected) low spots requiring additional attention. The forward sides of the new work were nearly where they needed to be.
After cleanup, I applied a third round of fairing filler as needed.
Similarly, I sanded the smaller patches currently underway–for the obsolete livewell control lever, and the two small gelcoat patches forward–and applied additional fairing material as needed.
In two “lifts” of thickened epoxy filler, designed to reduce heat buildup, I filled the old gauge holes in the console. For now I left the compass hole alone, as I wasn’t sure whether or not it was worth relocating the compass into the bulge in the molding intended for it, or better to leave it as is, which happened to be directly in line with the helm.
I cleaned up the channels in the deck surrounding the fuel tank, and also the edges of the fuel tank hatch, then reinstalled the hatch, using butyl sealant on the bonding surfaces beneath the hatch, as well as around the screw heads, where I also installed a washer to improve overall bearing and sealing capacity. I chose butyl in this instance since the hatch wanted to be easily removable for maintenance.
Meanwhile, I hand-sanded the edges of the livewell hatch to prepare the original gelcoat for primer and paint.
Total time billed on this job today: 6 hours
0600 Weather Observation: 61°, fog. Forecast for the day: Becoming sunny, 65°