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Thursday

After unclamping the fiberglass forward hatch frame, I cleaned up the joints as needed to remove excess epoxy, trimmed the excess length from the foreward and after pieces, and finished up shaping the bottom (bonding) side so the assembly fit the deck properly and as intended.  I rounded the four corners to correspond with the rounded edges of the hatch itself.

After cleaning all the surfaces as needed, I bonded the frame to the deck in a heavy bed of thickened epoxy adhesive, ensuring the top remained flat and level during the process (clamps mainly to bring the starboard side down just a touch for level).

Next, I wet out and installed all the through hull and deck hole patches (fuel fill and pedestal) in the after part of the boat, including several old transducer locations, the cockpit scupper openings, and old engine intake fittings.  Some additional through hulls in the forward parts of the boat weren’t yet ready for the interior patching, as I’d not yet sanded or prepared those areas.

Total time billed on this job today:  2.75 hours

0600 Weather Observation:  65°, mostly clear.  Forecast for the day:  Sun and clouds, 70s

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Wednesday

Now equipped with the raw materials I needed to continue with the forward hatch installation, I got started by preparing the 1″ thick fiberglass stock, sanding off the smooth factory finish and ripping four pieces 1-1/4″ wide.  I took the forward and after pieces up to the deck so I could scribe the shape of the cabin trunk  and shape the pieces accordingly.  I cut the curves with a jigsaw and fine-tuned with a sander as needed.  For now, I left the transverse pieces overlong for later trimming and additional fine-tuning later.

I measured for and cut the lengths of the two side pieces, which would require angled cuts or shaping on their bottom sides, but used nearly the full 1″ depth all around because of the substantial camber.  Looking at the dry-fit pieces, I decided there was little enough shaping required that it’d be easier to glue the parts together as is, and finish the minimal shaping once I had the square assembly all together.

After final preparations, I glued the fiberglass frame with epoxy adhesive, leaving the transverse ends overlong for trimming once the epoxy cured.

Later, preparing ahead for interior structural work whenever I had the opportunity, I pre-cut layers of fiberglass for the inside portion of the through hull repairs, the outside of which was complete in all 12 locations.

Total time billed on this job today:  2.75 hours

0600 Weather Observation:  55°, clear.  Forecast for the day:  Sunny, 80s

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Friday

I spent the morning working in the bowels of the boat, cleaning up the inside of the hull in the engine room, beneath the cockpit, and cockpit lockers–everything aft of the main after bulkhead.  My goal in these areas was to clean and prepare the existing surfaces to ready them for new paint later, and any other new work that would be required (such as new engine foundations).

The beginning condition of these areas varied.  There was paint and/or gelcoat brushed over many of the surfaces, particularly in the cockpit lockers and areas above the turn of the bilge.  The engine room space itself was raw fiberglass, which had become dirty over the years, though I’d cleaned up a lot of that back when I soaked the bilge earlier in the project.  Now, with coarse sandpaper, I cleaned up the surfaces as needed, removing any rough edges left from original construction and just generally scuffing the surfaces.  Where old paint came off easily, I removed it, but in most cases the existing coatings were well-adhered and needed only a good scuffing to prepare for new coatings later.  I also sanded smooth and clean the old through hull fittings that I’d patched from outside before, preparing the inside of the old holes for new fiberglass that I’d soon install to complete the job.

Later, I began work on the new forward hatch, which had arrived in the day’s courier delivery as expected.  I used the hatch itself to create a simple cardboard template of the opening, making the template just a bit larger than the hatch itself to allow for some leeway as well as additional fiberglass that I eventually planned to use to secure the new hatch coaming.  With this template, I marked the deck to indicate the new cutout, starting with the old opening as a guide.  I cut out the excess with a jigsaw.

To support the hatch on the cambered deck surface, I’d need to build a raised coaming that fit the deck profile.  With the hatch in place in the new opening, I measured the minimum height required for  the sides of the coaming–just under an inch– and ordered prefab fiberglass so I could build the assembly in the near future.

Total time billed on this job today:  5.5 hours

0600 Weather Observation:  59°, mainly cloudy.  Forecast for the day:  Becoming mostly sunny, 70s

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Thursday

Throughout any project, I continually re-evaluate and re-prioritize my work list, taking into account the timeframes of work underway and completed, and upcoming schedule requirements to help adjust the work flow accordingly.  I set up this job in phases, taking advantage of space in the shop schedule to work in various bursts and with specific goals each time, and fitting in with the owner’s schedule and requirements.  With an agreed completion date well in the future, and other projects on the docket for the upcoming fall, I’d always intended Phase 1 to be focused on the major exterior repairs and surface preparation, with the ultimate goal of finishing the exterior surface prep with high-build primer before new boats arrived at the shop for work in the fall, at which point I’d need to temporarily move Scupper to outdoor storage till the next intensive work phase later in the winter.

The whole inside of the boat–lockers, bilges, and interior spaces–required substantial surface preparation (i.e sanding), and all along I had hoped to complete this work during the current phase.  I felt on track with my overall schedule and plan, but with vacation time coming up through the prime summer months, and the exterior virtually ready for the primer, I chose now to refocus my efforts on completing any final tasks that needed to be done before I could spray the primer (which I considered part of the basic surface prep rather than part of the painting process).  Once I finished with the high-build, I could spend the rest of the time during this phase working on the interior prep.

To this end, I ordered a new deck hatch to replace the original wooden hatch in the forward cabin.  I needed this hardware now so I could cut the enlarged opening, and build the coaming required to support the hatch and have it all glassed and faired in before the primer.  The hatch would arrive in a day, and I could then get to work as needed.  I chose a Vetus Magnus offshore escape hatch, a product I’d installed with good results in the past.

The rearrangement of my immediate goals left me temporarily unprepared for the work I now needed to do.  I could have and would have spent the day sanding on the interior of the hull–something I looked forward to completing for various reasons–but my air compressor, which I used frequently during sanding work as a blow-down tool for the boat and myself, had inexplicably died during my last break, and I was reluctant to do the filthy sanding work inside the boat without it.  I’d ordered a new one as soon as I discovered the problem upon my return earlier in the week, and in fact it arrived in mid-afternoon as expected, but before then I needed something to move the project forward in some way.

I decided to tackle the rudder shaft packing nuts, which I’d so far not been able to loosen.  I needed to remove these so I could eventually drop the rudder and repair it.  The rudder blade featured a number of issues, from a crack along the leading edge to the damage at the top edge caused where the rudder had been turned too far and contacted the hull.    The only thing really holding the rudder in the boat was a bronze shoe and pin at the base of the skeg, as well as (somewhat) the packing box itself.

Although I couldn’t drop the rudder while the boat was in her current position–the shaft was too long to allow the rudder to drop straight out, so I’d need the boat either raised higher, or dig a hole beneath the rudder, something I couldn’t do on concrete–I could at least take care of all the initial removal steps so that the final removal would be as straightforward as possible.  I planned to remove the rudder later, whenever I moved the boat outdoors:  at that time, I could either raise the boat high enough on the trailer (possibly), or else hang the aft end over an embankment I have near the shop.  But now was the time to do all the initial work required to drop the rudder later.

Armed with a big wrench, I tried working on the packing nut from one of the cockpit lockers, but the angles were all wrong, and I couldn’t get any leverage.  Instead, I crawled through the now-empty engine room to reach the nuts from that side, and this worked a treat:  with no trouble at all I released the main packing nut and backed it off.  I also broke free the locknut, and backed it up to the top of the threaded stern tube to prevent any damage to the threads when they were exposed.

Back outside, I turned to the bronze rudder shoe, which was secured to the skeg with four carriage bolts and nuts.  Three of the four nuts came free without issue, but the last one spun the head of the carriage bolt, so I had no choice but to cut off the nut with a grinder.  I loosened the bolt studs, but left them in place to hold the shoe on till I was ready to actually remove the rudder.  I was able to easily lift the rudder just off the shoe, so it looked like removal wouldn’t pose too much problem when I was ready.  Rudder repair would be a good thing to take care of in the shop while the boat was stored outdoors, and in any event the rudder prevented good access to the aperture and for shaft/propeller installation later, so it might as well be out of the way for much of the remainder of the project.

While I was working in the area, I decided to remove part of the propeller shaft stern tube assembly in order to access the old Cutless bearing, which would require replacement.  The bearing was held in place in a bronze housing by a bronze casting that was bolted through the deadwood; inside the boat, the nuts at the ends of the two bolts were accessible on either side of the bronze stern tube.

Removal posed no particular problems, though I had to unwind the long bolts completely from outside, thanks to the sealant within that prevented me from otherwise pulling them free.  This exposed the end of the bearing, but pulling that free would be a chore for another time, as there wasn’t an immediately easy way to remove it since it was flush with the housing.  Now fully exposed, the bearing was clearly in poor shape, and I’d  continue removal efforts in due course.

It hadn’t been the day I’d necessarily planned, but in any event I had my priorities realigned and was ready to move forward effectively from here.

Total time billed on this job today:  3 hours

0600 Weather Observation:  65°, overcast.  Forecast for the day:    Mostly cloudy, temperature steady around 70°

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Wednesday

While I was away on a break, the various spots of epoxy fill on the hull had lots of time to cure, so I continued work on the hull with another round of sanding to smooth the latest epoxy application and generally complete the sanding for the hull.  I worked through 80-120 grits on a finishing sander, bringing the hull to its final readiness before high-build primer.  I’d actually expected to need another round of filler here or there, so completion now was a bonus.   I’d take care of any minor areas that remained after high-build, which would also inevitably reveal additional small flaws to correct.  But for now, I’d taken the hull as far as I could, or needed to.

With the hull work done for now, I moved the staging aside for better access, and to await its further need later.  I decided to take advantage of the clear access at the moment and restrike the waterline (i.e. top edge of the bottom paint).  The original waterline was still visible, but the original lines were a bit wonky, and had clearly been too low (especially amidships), evidenced by the scum line and boottop paint failure I’d observed early in the project, and photos of this boat and sisterships found online, including this one.

I strove to correct the existing waterline (and, later, the boottop), as well as raise the waterline to improve appearance and help avoid paint damage that would occur if the new hull paint was submerged.

To begin, I first checked the boat for level.  When I moved her into the shop, I’d only leveled by eye, since it was winter and the boat happened to still be covered at the time.  The repair work hadn’t required the boat be perfectly level, but she was pretty close all along, leaning just a bit to starboard.

I spent a few minutes adjusting the stands to bring the boat level from side to side.

Based on my earlier observations, I decided to raise the waterline 2″, and used a level and steel rule at stem and stern to make reference marks above the existing line (still clearly defined by an original scribe mark and top edge of the bottom barrier coat).  Then, I set up horizontal beams at each end, leveled side to side and located at the new marks I’d just made at the bow and transom.

Next, one side at a time, I strung a taut line between the forward and after beams (essentially creating an planar analog for the water’s surface) and made a series of reference marks where it touched the hull, bringing it closer by increments and taping it in place as I went.  Faithful readers have seen this any number of times over the years.  I started with the after half of the boat on the port side, then the port forward side, then repeated the whole process on the starboard side.

With the waterline marked, I applied masking tape just below the tick marks.  I’d apply primers and paint to the top of this line, and bottom paint below.

Total time billed on this job today:  6.25 hours

0600 Weather Observation:  60°, clear.  Forecast for the day:  Sunny, 80s

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Thursday

I finished up work on the porthole openings.  Fortunately, the three on the starboard side (which hadn’t ever been subject to whatever trauma had so greatly affected everything on the port side) were much less contaminated with silicone, so the job to finish the final four went more quickly than just doing the first two earlier.

I had one short round of final (final for now, anyway) sanding on deck to take care of a couple areas where I’d applied epoxy filler last time.

With that, I decided it was time to refocus on the hull, and also on the interior surface prep, so I spent some time resetting the staging down to a lower height to make working on the hull comfortable once again.

I’d already done a round of fairing filler and related sanding on the various small (and some larger) areas requiring it on the hull, but after a round in most areas I’d decided to wait till I had better access before continuing.  I’d lightly sanded all the spots after the first application, taking care not to go too far pending additional sanding to the entire hull that would be part of the process in the near future. The hull side of the new hull-deck joint fairing would also require final attention and finish sanding.

To prepare for another round of fairing filler where needed, I solvent-washed the entire hull, ensuring that I could spot-fill anything I found along the way that might need it.  Afterwards, I applied more epoxy fairing compound as needed.

Total time billed on this job today:  4 hours

0600 Weather Observation:  48°, mainly cloudy.  Forecast for the day:  Sun and clouds, 60s

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Wednesday

Using a finish sander, I smoothed the last application of fairing compound on the coachroof, and continued sanding the coachroof through the grits to 120, completing the refairing work on this area.  One small spot, a remnant of a trowel mark, remained on the starboard side and would require some additional fairing compound.

Starting next in the cockpit, I used a palm sander and worked by hand as necessary to complete the final rounds of finish-sanding, taking care of tight corners, rounded edges, and the gutter areas around the cockpit lockers through 120 grit.

I continued on the sidedecks with minor final detail sanding as needed at corners and other spots, including lightly sanding the new deck edge.

I removed the temporary screws from the new lazarette hatch coaming, and after some light sanding and reaming out the screw holes, I applied some epoxy filler to seal up the holes.

On the coachroof, I cleaned up and applied a spot of fairing compound to the one small groove that remained, along with some touch-up on some mast step wiring holes that I’d only decided to fill at the last minute, as well as some additional screw holes in the cockpit locker hatches.

Later in the day, after a break to work on an unrelated project, I was contemplating the virtually-completed deck repair work and deciding whether to move the staging so I could continue the final work on the hull, when I realized I should clean up the port openings before continuing.  While I’d worked around the openings throughout the deck work, I’d basically ignored anything inside the deck’s outer skin, as my attention was on the significant repairs underway.

It was only after I got started on what I initially thought would be a simple, quick job that I discovered that much of what I’d thought was fiberglass inside the opening was in fact heavy dosages of The Hated silicone, leftover from the el-weirdo port lens installation that I’d removed early in the project.  So instead of quickly cleaning up the perimeters of the openings and moving on, I found myself laboriously attempting to scrape away the gobs of rubbery sealant from the tight space between the outer cabin trunk shell and the inner cabin liner, all the while trying to avoid damage to the outer surface that I’d only just finished preparing.  I worked my way through two of the openings on the port side before calling it a day, and looked forward to finishing up the remaining four next time.

Total time billed on this job today:  5.25 hours

0600 Weather Observation:  55°, partly cloudy.  Forecast for the day:  Sunny, chance of showers and thunderstorms, 75°

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Monday

Continuing  the deck work, I once more sanded the coachroof fairing repairs, bringing the surface enticingly close to final contours with this round, other than several minor low spots and some pinholes that would require additional work.

I spent the rest of the morning sanding the other deck areas, including the bridgedeck, cockpit, and cockpit well, where I finish-sanded through 120 grit the skim coat over the existing nonskid to smooth those areas, as well as sanding the original gelcoat in the cockpit well, coamings,  my earlier repairs, and other areas to prepare everything for primer and any additional work beforehand.  I’d still need to come back and sand corners and tight areas by hand or with another machine later.

On the sidedecks and foredeck, as well as the cabin trunk sides and coamings, I finish-sanded all areas through 120 grit, removing the skim coat over the foredeck nonskid and portions of the starboard deck in the process and bringing these areas essentially into their final stage before primer, other than an additional round of detail and hand sanding as needed for those corners and tight areas.

The twelve through hull patches on the bottom (including three in the topsides) were looking pretty good after sanding the light second coat of fairing compound,  and I deemed the work complete, though the patches on the topsides would receive a bit of extra attention when I turned to the final preparations for the hull in the near future.

After cleaning up, I spot-applied additional fairing material to the coachroof as needed, focusing mainly on a few low spots (mostly trowel marks) and some obvious pinholes in some of the previously-faired areas.  The instrument panel patches below the bridgedeck required a bit of additional fairing as well.

To round out the day, I built a coaming for the new lazarette hatch.  This raised coaming would prevent water from entering the opening, and support/align the new hatch to close the opening.  From 1/4″ thick prefabricated fiberglass, I milled 1-1/2″ wide strips to cover the exposed edges of the opening and continue above the deck surface far enough to do the job, without projecting so far as to make access to the hatch unnecessarily uncomfortable.  I dry-fit the new strips around the perimeter for a friction fit, secured temporarily to the exposed plywood core edge with screws.

With the coaming satisfactorily fit, I removed the strips and, after final preparations (including cleanup, solvent wash, and application of unthickened resin around the hatch edge to seal the exposed core), installed the strips in thickened epoxy adhesive, securing them again with the temporary screws and creating small fillets in the corners and around the outer edges of the strips where they met the existing deck.

Total time billed on this job today:  7.5 hours

0600 Weather Observation:  48°, clear.  Forecast for the day:   Sunny, 75°