| Kaholee Refit |
February 23, 2007 The epoxy holding the blocks around the fuel tank cured overnight, and this morning I prepared the areas for a layer of fiberglass, which would strengthen the installation and help spread the load over wider areas of the hull. The epoxy adhesive alone was probably enough to hold things in place, but some additional reinforcement seemed prudent nonetheless. I had to grind away a little bit of the gray Bilgekote paint in a couple areas to ensure that the fiberglass would be able to bond to the hull, rather than simply to a layer of paint. I applied epoxy fillets around the base of each block, and then installed a layer of 4" wide 15 oz. biaxial tape over the blocks and onto the hull on three sides of each block. I chose the 15 oz. biaxial material because, lacking any backing chopped mat, it is more flexible and conforms more easily to sharper transitions, such as was the case with these blocks. It laid down nicely over the blocks and onto the hull. |
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I sanded the first coat of semi-gloss paint in the cabin with 320 grit to prepare for the next coat; I was careful to just lightly sand the surface and not sand through the paint anywhere, which could cause difficulty for the next coat to cover properly. Then, I applied a second coat, same as the first. I thought it looked like this coat would be the final, but we'll see. These photos show the paint the next morning, after it had cured to its satin finish. Pictures that I took immediately after completion show the paint still wet and far shinier than it would end up. The satin finish is a good choice given the inherent imperfection of the raw, unlined fiberglass surface; frankly, the satin paint is a good choice for any interior, since it looks richer and more subtle than a high-gloss finish, which is typically out of place in an interior setting. Those cleats on the starboard bulkhead are to support a pre-existing sink base unit, which is slated for reinstallation soon. |
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