September 17, 2026

August West Phase 2-1

Thursday

The main task on my list for August West this time around was to repaint the nonskid on deck.  The boat still had all-original gelcoat and nonskid throughout, generally in good condition, but the owner felt it was time for a refresh.

After moving the boat indoors the day before, I began the project by setting up staging around the boat to give me good access to the deck areas.  I also removed the mast and stored it along the wall, to improve my ability to move around on board.

The owner reported that he thought someone had built a nest inside the sea hood–he was unable to push the hatch all the way open–and had begun to remove it himself, but apparently ran into difficulty breaking the seal of the sealant, so he asked me to remove the hood and clean out beneath.  I’d installed this sea hood, which came off a Cape Dory 22, several years before, and it didn’t take too long to release the sealant (butyl) and remove the hood, revealing a large, dirty nest and acorn shells beneath.

The deck was generally filthy from storage anyway, so next I cleaned things up as much as possible, sweeping up large debris and then washing the decks with soap and water, both of which helped at least with generally cleaning up the smooth areas that would better allow me to mask and prep the nonskid.  My brush was not aggressive enough to fully clean the nonskid areas, but left things good enough for what I needed to do.

Total time billed on this job today: 4.75 hours