Lackey Sailing | Further 38

February 3, 2023

Further 38

Friday

Another good round of sanding to start the day, and finish off the week. This time, I sanded the coachroof with the finishing sander and 80-120 grits, leaving only detail and hand work for another time in order to finish off the prep there.

In the cockpit, I sanded the instrument patches and cockpit bulkhead with the same finishing grits, then moved on to the three recent repairs at the aft end. Since I was in the area, I chose to sand the nonskid in the after part of the cockpit as well, saving the rest of the cockpit for next week’s agenda. Then, I lightly sanded with the finishing grits the minor repairs to the top edge of the transom, and the counter through hulls.

On the foredeck, I sanded the skim coat, which left only the expected low spots at the edges and centerline, where I was blending the nonskid with the recessed smooth borders.

After a thorough cleanup of cockpit, sidedecks, and foredeck, I applied additional fairing compound to the cockpit repairs and foredeck as needed.

Next, I focused on some detail fairing, using my little filleting squeegee to install epoxy fillets along the after sections of the toerail, in the toerail scuppers, and a few other areas around the boat.

This work set me up well for a brisk start to the next week. To finish up the day, and begin knocking off a low-tolerance task on my list, I worked on removing old sealant from around the opening ports, beginning on the starboard side. The owner had removed the trim rings but left the well-bedded port bodies in place, as there was no need to remove them, and now there was plenty of butyl sealant left behind that I needed to clean up before final surface prep on the cabin sides, which I’d yet to touch. I used a small and larger scraper to remove the sealant, which was tenacious in its own way even though it wasn’t too difficult to remove. I also scraped away old silicone from the edges of the fixed deadlights on this side. With bright sun streaming through the windows in the late afternoon, belying the frigid air outside, this less-favorite job proved a quiet and productive way to end the week. I’d do the same with the port ports some other time in the near future.