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Friday

Once more, I lightly sanded the varnish work in the cabin, then cleaned up and applied the fourth base coat of gloss varnish.  I hoped this would be the last base coat before switching to the final coat or two of rubbed-effect satin varnish.

Down in the shop, I continued work on the small parts, sanding them lightly, cleaning, and applying the second base coat of gloss varnish.

Total time billed on this job today:  6 hours

0600 Weather Report:
30°, clear.  Forecast for the day:  mostly sunny, 40s

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Thursday

Following my usual pattern, I worked in the cabin to sand, clean, and varnish (base coat 3) the trim and bulkheads.

Afterwards, I finished cleaning up the shop and all the small parts, laying them out on various benches for access, and then applied a sealer coat of varnish to all pieces.

Total time billed on this job today:  6 hours

0600 Weather Observation:
40°, heavy rain.  Forecast for the day:  rain ending, partial clearing, around 50

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Wednesday

I took a moment to test-fit the new hatches I’d built for the trash receptacle and port aft bulkhead to ensure they worked as I’d hoped before continuing work on the new pieces.

In the cabin, I lightly sanded the first coat of varnish with 320 grit, then vacuumed, solvent-washed, and tacked off the wood to prepare for the second coat of varnish on all surfaces, which I did immediately.

Later, I tackled the pile of newly-stripped loose parts in the shop, sanding everything clean and smooth to prepare for varnish.  Afterwards, I cleaned up the shop, but with dust in the air I decided to hold off on final cleaning and varnish sealer coat till next time.

Total time billed on this job today:  6.5 hours

0600 Weather Observation:
37°, cloudy.  Forecast for the day:  sunny breaks, then clouding over and rain overnight

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Tuesday

I quickly finished up the masking on the port side, and made other final preparations for beginning the varnish in the cabin.

Afterwards, I applied a sealer coat of thinned varnish to all the trim and  other bare wood.  This brought out the wood’s color nicely and gave a hint how the cabin would look when complete.

During the rest of the day, I focused on the myriad small pieces trying to tie me to the ground (I paraphrase; bonus points if you can see what I did there), including various doors and drawers as well as the cabin table and companionway steps.  Most of this trim would require stripping and sanding, though there were two doors that had been refinished earlier and would only require a light sanding and revarnishing.

There were a few things requiring additional attention first.  The flat hatch that fit over the trash container in the galley countertop was damaged along its edges, where the thin overlay had broken away over the years, and rather than attempt to repair the original hatch, I chose to make a new one from some leftover teak on hand.  I milled the new piece, matching the original dimensions and rabbet details, and set the new hatch aside for sanding.

The edge trim from the nav station cabin sole had broken when I removed it, so I milled a replacement piece–left overlong for now–from some new  teak.

One of the two large hatches covering the electrical access openings at the aft end of the cabin liner had been replaced sometime in the past with a piece of structural plywood, which worked fine and looked OK for what it was, but the grain and overall appearance left something to be desired and didn’t match the original on the opposite side (though frankly that was nothing special either, though it would look better once refinished).  So from a section of 1/4″ teak plywood that I had on hand, I cut out a new hatch, using the old one as a template.  To make it easier to fit the new hatch, and create the overlay detail, I trimmed the rabbeted part of the original hatch away, then glued the remaining section to the back of my new teak.  This would require only minor modification to the hinge risers now before the panel should fit easily into place.

Now I used heat gun and scraper to strip the old finish off the rest of the doors, hatches, small trim bits, table, companionway steps, and drawer fronts as required.  The old finishes were all over the place, from minimal to thick and drippy, and everything in between.  This took up the rest of the afternoon.  Next:  sanding.

Total time billed on this job today:  7.5 hours

0600 Weather Observation:
26°, cloudy.  Forecast for the day:  showers, then rain, 40

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Monday

During the morning, I sanded the teak trim and bulkheads on the starboard side, much as I’d done on the other side earlier.  Where the panels were to be primed and painted, I focused on sanding the existing coating smooth and abrading the whole surface evenly to prepare for the primer.  I learned that the white Formica sliding panels hiding the storage areas abbove the settees and galley were easily removavable, so I did so to make sanding and finishing easier.

I discovered that the section of teak cabin sole plywood that I had on hand, and which I’d planned to use for the nav station sole replacement, wasn’t wide enough to use for the space after all, at least not with the planks running the “right” direction, i.e. fore and aft like the rest of the boat:  it came up a couple inches short.  It wasn’t worth purchasing a whole new sheet for such a small area, so instead, I stripped the original sole and sanded it clean for refinishing; it was still in good condition and would look good when refinished.

After thoroughly cleaning the interior and all surfaces with vacuum and solvent wash, I began masking around the trim to prepare it for varnish.  With more bright surfaces than painted, and the way things were configured, it made sense to me to do the brightwork first, then the paint.  I worked at masking for the remainder of the day, completing the starboard side and parts of the port side before running out of time.

Total time billed on this job today:  7 hours

0600 Weather Observation:
24°, clear.  Forecast for the day:  sunny, 42

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Wednesday

The main bulkhead on the starboad side featured a built-in bookshelf and folding table.  Before continuing with the old finish removal, I decided to remove the table.

I hadn’t necessarily planned on doing a lot of refinishing work to the bookshelf itself, but as I examined it it was clear there was no way I could leave it be, and I’d need to refinish the outer surfaces at a minimum.  Access to the bulkhead areas within the shelf was tight, and eventually I determined that the shelf unit was simply screwed to the bulkhead from the back side, in the head.  So I went ahead and removed the shelf, which would make it easier nnot only to work on the bulkhead refinishing, but also on the shelf itself.

Now I could finish up the stripping job on the starboard side.  During the remains of the morning, and a short work day, I finished up the main bulkhead and the forward side of the galley bulkhead, as well as the trim at the shelves at the top of the settee.  This completed the stripping on the boat itself; sanding the starboard side would be first on the list for next time.  In addition, there were lots of small pieces down in the shop awaitingstripping and sanding, but all in due course.

Total time billed on this job today:  3.75 hours

0600 Weather Observation:
30°, clear.  Forecast for the day:  sunny, 40s

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Tuesday

Yesterday, I’d been unhappy to find that I had no spare scraper blades on hand (I always have them on hand), so I made do with the one blade out of several scrapers on hand that was still OK, though by the end of the day it was approaching uselessness.  So since I’d have to await delivery of replacement blades till sometime in the afternoon, I chose to go ahead and work instead on sanding the newly-stripped port side.  During the morning, I sanded all the stripped trim and the other surfaces  with 120 grit, smoothing the bare wood for a bright finish and preparing the other areas for primer and paint.  I’d go over all the trim with 220 grit later.  At this writing, I didn’t yet know if the settee back panels would end up finished bright or painted; there’d been minimal old varnish on them, and although I’d not stripped them the existing finish was OK as a base for new varnish if desired, or else primer and paint.  I thought the final choice of new upholstery fabric for the seat backs might end up making the decision more clear–a dark fabric might like the contrast of a white panel, or vise-versa–but in any event this decision would soon be made.

In the nav station footwell, I removed the trim along the sole, exposing the area so I could pattern and install the new sole to match that in the main cabin.  I’d refinish the existing trim down on the bench with all the other small pieces.

I had to bide time for a little while after lunch while I waited for the delivery with my new scraper blades, but afterwards I prepared to strip the trim and various bulkheads on the starboard side.  As with the other side, the original condition of the old varnish was varied, but generally poor.  The trim on the engine hatch cover was in better condition, and I saw no reason to strip it, though I’d sand it and varnish it along with the other trim too.

By the end of the afternoon, I’d stripped the trim in the galley, plus the handrail and window trim and part of the galley bulkhead.  I’d continue next time.

Total time billed on this job today:  5.25 hours

0600 Weather Observation:
30°, clear.  Forecast for the day:  Mostly cloudy, 40

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Monday

The minor keel repair work was complete, and I water-washed and lightly sanded the epoxy coating that I’d applied last time, then applied some bottom paint to cover.

Before beginning the work in the cabin, I removed the two lamps from the forward bulkheads.

The existing condition of the old varnish on the trim and bulkheads was poor enough that stripping would be required before refinishing the areas that would be varnished anew; areas to be painted wouldn’t require as much prep work or stripping, but the old finish was uneven and drippy in places (it looked like someone might have even used Cetol over it in some areas?), and all in all there’d be ample prepwork throughout the cabin.

With a heat gun and scraper, I worked through the day to strip the old finish from those areas requiring it on the port side:  trim; handrails; main bulkheads that would be refinished with varnish.  The underlying wood and veneer was in good condition, and with sanding would be ready for varnish.

The lower settee bulkheads and areas around the nav table were to be painted, and I’d prepare those areas with sanding later, at the same time I sanded the now-stripped trim.  I’d continue with the preparations on the starboard side next time.

Total time billed on this job today:  6.25 hours

0600 Weather Observation:
32°, light snow and a dusting.  Forecast for the day:  clouds, showers, 40.

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Friday

The port coaming looked good now, so I removed the masking tape.  This completed the work on deck.

I sanded the patches on the rudder and keel as needed, smoothing them and fairing into the adjacent surfaces.

The repairs were small, and my initial coat of fairing compound took care of both areas, so after cleaning up I coated the newly faired repairs with unthickened epoxy.

Now that the epoxy-filled bolt holes had cured overnight, I continued with the installation of the two new winches on the cabin top.  The original winches had been installed through round holes, strategically located at each bolt location, in the fiberglass cabin liner, but with a different bolt pattern and a desire to use larger washers, I preferred to open up a section of the liner completely in order to access the underside of the deck.  Plus, the bolt holes for the new winches were close to the outline of the teak cover panels that I’d removed from these areas, so opening larger square holes in the liner would allow the bolts to remain hidden.  I marked the liner inside of the outline of the cover panel, and cut out the area within to gain better access.  At the edges of each opening nearest the companionway, there was some filler/adhesive material between the liner and the deck, probably the material used to secure the liner during construction, and I had to chip some of this away to allow room for the new bolts and washers.  The tape in the first photos is left over from filling the old bolt holes the day before.

After masking around the winch bases and marking the holes, I drilled and tapped for 1/4″ machine screws, and installed the winches in a bed of sealant in the usual way, securing from beneath with fender washers and nuts.  Reassembling the winch drums, I temporarily installed the plastic screw caps on top.

Later, in an impressively quick turnaround, the replacement (proper) stainless steel winch caps arrived from Lewmar just a day after my request, and I completed the installation by installing them.

The main cabin finishes were mainly original, and the old finish was showing its age in many areas, with varnish beginning to fail and a generally tired appearance.  The owner asked me to refinish the trim and the main bulkheads with varnish, and to prepare and paint the lower settees, nav station, and galley cabinets with white paint to spruce up the appearance.

The main portion of the cabin sole had been replaced (or overlaid) with new teak and holly plywood at some point, but the small section of sole in the nav station footwell was still original.  I happened to have a piece of cabin sole plywood on hand, leftover from something else, and it would work well to finish off this final area.

To prepare the cabin for the work ahead, I began by removing all the contents of the drawers, lockers, and overhead shelves, packing everything into a series of paper bags that I stored on the foredeck out of the way.

Now I went through the cabin and removed all the drawers, hinged door fronts, backrests, and the unfinished teak molding at the edge of the cabin sole, along with anything else that was removable and might impede the refinishing work.  I restrung my work lighting so the  cords were above deck and the lamps attached to places out of the way and where I wouldn’t be refinishing.   I brought all the drawers and doors, all of which would be finished bright, down to the bench for later attention.

Total time billed on this job today:  5.75 hours

0600 Weather Observation:
40°, clear.  Forecast for the day:  Sunny, high 50s

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Thursday

With two good maintenance coats of varnish, I deemed the varnish work mostly complete, and went ahead and removed the masking tape from most areas.

I wasn’t happy with how the port coaming cap had turned out, so I sanded it again to prepare for another coat of varnish, which I’d do later in the day.  Meanwhile, I dismantled the staging, as I no longer needed it.

The new winches for the cabin top featured a different bolt pattern than the old ones, so I prepared the old holes for filling and marked the new holes before using a large bit to overbore the new bolt locations, removing the core so I could fill the voids with thickened epoxy.

Now that the cockpit paint and varnish work was complete, I installed the engine control panel in a bed of butyl tape, securing it with six screws.

The leading edge of the keel, where the ballast met the molded keel stub, had the usual minor crack, which the owner had opened up with a sander earlier, and now, after final preparations, I applied two layers of fiberglass over the hairline crack–a layer of 45° biax, and some lighter 90° cloth over the top.  Late in the day, I applied some fairing compound over the partially-cured fiberglass.  I also filled a small ground-out void in the rudder.

In the early afternoon, I had to take advantage of continuing unseasonably warm and pleasant weather to cover some boats outdoors in my care, but afterwards I finished up with another coat of varnish on the port coaming cap.

Total time billed on this job today:  4.75 hours

0600 Weather Observation:
40°, clear.  Forecast for the day:  sunny, 55