| Iota Refit |
January 18, 2008 First thing, I finished up sanding the cockpit, using 80 grit paper on the previously-painted surfaces to remove the last vestiges of the paint. I also used 24 grit paper and significant grinding pressure to remove the last bits of the old nonskid material from the cockpit seats outboard of the locker openings. Next, I sanded the fairing compound on the decks, after first washing with water, as always. I began with my long board and coarse paper, and scuffed all the areas to get an idea of the high and low spots. The new decks were remarkably fair. |
|
|
|
With the scuff marks as telltale guidelines, I machine sanded the areas just to smooth them and remove any ridges or high areas. I left the low areas untouched. At this stage, I deemed the recore to be essentially complete for all intents and purposes, with the additional minor fairing work associated with the job to be considered part of the overall deck surface preparation process. |
|
|
|
Next, I began the process of reaming out old fastener holes and grinding away any significant stress cracks or other damaged areas in the remaining parts of the deck, including the poop deck and cockpit. This occupied quite a bit of time, as the poop deck in particular required quite a bit of grinding and prep work, with numerous cracks present. |
|
|
|
After thoroughly cleaning the dust from the decks with broom, vacuum, and solvent, as well as cleaning up the shop itself after the week's work, I applied epoxy fairing compound to the newly-reamed fastener holes (as required), ground-out areas, and, of course, to the sidedecks and foredeck. For this round of filling, I was generally content to concentrate on the lower areas, striving to achieve a smooth and fair surface before worrying about any minor filling of the cloth weave or other areas. |
|
|
|
|
|
