Friday, January 23, 2015

We just got the trailer back from Phil, the welder, and now it needs to be rewired and the new parts primed and painted.  Phil did a great job as usual, and he still is making the brackets to hold the support braces on the trailer.
We had a struggle with the two part paint we used on the boat.  The first coat did not go on well at all, and it was our fault.  We didn't put enough thinner in it to start with, and then we used a paint pad instead of a roller as the instructions recommended.  The paint pad fell apart half way through, it just didn't perform well.  So, we ended up sanding the first coat, a lot of extra work.  We followed the manufacturer's directions on the second coat, using a 1/4 nap wool roller cover and thinning the paint down more.  The paint went on much better this time, so we ordered another quart from the company and will finish the job with that.  Two part urathane is hard to work with, as we knew before we started, but we decided to use it because of its hardness and durability, especially when the boat is on the trailer.  So hopefully the third coat of paint will be a good one and we will be done with the bottom and be ready to turn the boat over.  The pictures included are of the extended trailer, the first coat of paint on the boat being sanded, and the second coat.



Tuesday, January 20, 2015

We just recently returned from a quick trip to the coast-mostly looking for used boat stuff, and getting out of town for a few days.  We found some stuff- two good stores in Portland, but not much in Seattle.  There used to be a really good used boat parts store in Seattle but it is no more.  Anyway, we are now back to working on getting the boat ready for bottom paint.  The sanding is almost done and then comes shop cleanup-a huge job right now.  The fine sanding dust from the fiberglass and also the high build primer is on everything.  We can't really paint until most of the dust is out of there. 
We are having our welder friend work on the trailer right now.  We need to extend it a little more than 2 feet.  As soon as it is done we will put it in the shop and get it all put back together-wiring, lights, etc.Then
we will be ready to turn the boat over and set it on the trailer.  We are still working on how many people we will need to do that job.  (Maybe twelve?)  The picture included in this post is of the things we found in Portland-not a lot, but some good finds.

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

The boat now is white!  We put high build primer on the bottom and sides and are very happy with how it is turning out.  We also put another layer of 6 oz. fiberglass cloth on the transom and more coats of resin.  We used 6 oz cloth because we want to be able to see the wood on the transom.
The boat didn't stay white for long, because now comes the finish sanding, finding all the high and low spots and leveling them.  More sanding and more sanding, but we are happy with the progress and looking forward to the next job, paint on the bottom.  The shop is a mess with so much sanding dust on everything, so after this sanding of the primer, we will try to get stuff out of the shop and blow everything off.  We need to do this before we paint and then turn the boat over.  We are still trying to figure out our technique for turning it over, but we are getting closer to figuring it out.



Sunday, January 4, 2015

Happy New Year to all.  We took a break from posting on the blog, celebrating the holidays with our younger son, Mathew, and our Grandaughter, Cheyenne and their dogs, Katie, and Willy.  All this time Richard has been sanding, and more sanding.  There is a lot of sanding to do to get the bottom ready for painting.  We also put another layer of fiberglass cloth on the hard chines to add strength to that area.  We are also putting another layer of light fiberglass cloth on the transom as we want to finish the transom bright (bright means natural)  That is tomorrow's job, I think.
 We added stern rub rails, which show in one of the pictures.   We are getting closer to the point when we will be able to turn the boat over and on to the trailer.  That will be very interesting, as we are not sure how we will do that-hopefully with lots of helpers!  However, first comes the fine sanding, the primer and then the paint on the bottom.