| Bolero
Project |
November 29, 2007 This morning, I sanded the topsides, using 120 grit paper on a finishing sander. Since the existing paint was in good condition, this was the recommended preparation for over coating with Alexseal primers and topcoat. Other than minor spot repair, this sanding would constitute the bulk of the hull preparation required. After these photos were taken, I removed the vinyl stick-on letters on the transom and cleaned and sanded that as well. |
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While I was at it, I sanded the bottom. The bottom was coated with Regatta Baltoplate, but the owner wanted to recoat with e-Paint. Research into the compatibility of these paints revealed that overcoating was possible with minimal preparation--a positive thing since the bottom was in good condition and had been at least reasonably well prepared to a racing-level finish of smoothness and fairness. The less additional work required before repainting, the better. As recommended by e-Paint representatives, I sanded the existing paint with 80 grit paper--again using the finish sander. The paint sanded easily. Later, I'd have to sand the areas beneath the pads, but for now I left those alone. |
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The supposedly "new" standing rigging that came with the boat--likely replaced in 2000 when the spar was also replaced by previous owners--was in disappointing condition, as initially revealed during my first inspection of the boat during the summer. Therefore, we decided that it would be best to replace it all, and several weeks ago I'd sent it to my rigger, Jay Maloney. Today, the rigging was complete, and Jay delivered it late in the morning, along with several other rigging jobs for other boats that I'd sent out at the same time. Here it is. |
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With the worst of the bulk sanding out of the way, I spent some time on a rough cleanup of the shop and boat to improve the working atmosphere; all the sanding dust and debris built up over the past week adversely affected the air quality in the shop, but it hadn't made sense to clean up before now. This cleaning took care of the worst of the dust and scattered plastic sanding disc backers. I gave the hull a quick acetone wash to remove most of the dust; this led to the streaked appearance seen in the photos just above. The deck had apparently been damaged in the past--there was a dim report of a dismasting that led to the new spar in 2000, and this seemed the most likely cause of this deck damage--and there was a large crack visible on the deck surface, with a corresponding repair of sorts below. The deck side of the crack had been filled with epoxy and gelcoat to attempt to match it with the surrounding deck, and the structural component of the repair belowdecks--while strangely bulky and of odd execution--seemed sound enough, but there were fine cracks on the deck that, at a minimum, I feared might show through the finish paint later. So I decided to reinforce the top surface of the repair with a layer of fiberglass to encapsulate the repair and strengthen the overall surface, as well as preventing any further minor cracking. I ground out an area in way of the two sections of the cracks (the foredeck adjacent to the mast and a section of the sidedeck several feet aft) that was wide enough and deep enough for the single 4" layer of 1708 fiberglass material that I planned. |
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Afterwards, I cleaned the areas and cut material to fit, using several pieces butted together to accommodate the curvaceous shape of the crack. Then I epoxied the fiberglass in place, leaving it to cure overnight. |
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