| Kaholee Refit |
August 20, 2007 After sanding all
the varnished pieces--locker doors and trim pieces--to prepare them for
their final coat of finish, I set to work again on the cabin sole.
I continued where I left off the other day, and pre-cut and fit all the
strips on the starboard side. Happily, I found that the starboard pieces worked as excellent templates for the port side, streamlining the fitting process on the second side. The cabin sole wasn't exactly symmetrical, but the port side was close enough that using the matching starboard strip as a template allowed for a close fit with only minor adjustment needed. So the work on the second side went much more quickly. Still, it was a time-consuming process all in all. Afterwards, I permanently installed the strips in thickened epoxy adhesive. As necessary, I temporarily secured the pieces using drywall screws driven between the planks, with large washers above, to hold the edges of the strips in place; in other areas, I set smaller pieces as if they were tiles, simply pressing them into the epoxy, where they stuck satisfactorily. I made sure all the strips were properly aligned, and left the cabin sole to cure before continuing. Watchful eyes may note that there are two very small pieces still required near the forward end of the sole; I'll cut and fit these once the field is complete. Also, I left the strips overlong in the center, for trimming later with a router. |
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I did some preliminary work to get the bilge access hatches ready for their own pieces of the sole material, and a few other odds and ends that escape me now, and then turned my attention to the varnish. I applied a coat of rubbed effect satin varnish to all the interior pieces, including the locker doors and trim; this should be the final coat. I also applied a second coat of gloss varnish to one side of the coamings, a process I'll repeat daily till the finish is built up sufficiently on both sides. No work tomorrow: I have to go and collect a boat from Connecticut. |
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