SHIP'S LOG:
Today was a painting day, one of several I'm afraid. First up was the transom where the former name formerly dwelt. Covered with primer on Saturday, today began with sanding the primer for painting. Lots of fine white dust that just got every where. Thank God there was no wind, or at least not much when it was blowing or the white primer dust would have gotten all over the dark blue paint. I was using a one part polyurethane by INTERLUX and was putting it on with a brush. Balancing on the ladder set down against the transom, well sort of, with a bucket of paint and a brush, trying to get at least as much on the boat as I was getting on myself. The stern of the boat is quite close to the fence surrounding the back yard of the family who have their home adjacent to the shipyard and one can't place the ladder quite square to the transom. Actually, I did pretty well considering the position of the ladder and my lack of reach. The paint will dry and most of the brush strokes will level out, but it will still have to be sanded before the second coat, and then compounded, buffed out and polished. All that to be covered up by the modern sculpture that is the Hydrovane and the repositioned boarding ladder.
The bottom is covered with a "hard" bottom paint. In some places it was chipped below the epoxy barrier coat and those spots had to be filled in Saturday. I had to grind down and fair the epoxy I put on and the grinding released that smell again. Not as strong this time but still a wonderful combination of "STINKING BISHOP CHEESE" and rotting fish. In places where the paint was flaking I scraped it off and then hit all the spots, along with the epoxy, with the only "hard" bottom paint I had. The paint on the boat is red, the paint I had was black, and by the time I was finished, from a distance the boat look as though it were infected with some kind of a marine version of necrotizing faciitis. In a couple of days it will all be covered with new bottom paint. I'll be using an "ablative" paint, which slowly wears away and saves you from having to sand before you paint. Having spent too many Springs laying under boats with a sander in my hand, turning green, or blue or red, or whatever color was the bottom paint I was sanding, I decided with my last boat that "soft" was the way to go.
I have discovered that Genoa blocks on the port were not functioning. There were two cars on the tracks and they didn't move either. It is a plain and simple truth that seawater and aluminum don't mix really well and both the blocks and cars are corroded in place. Breaking the grip of corrosion will be another fun job that was unexpected. Too much pressure will distort or break the aluminum and too little won't get the job done. Time to break out the penetration oil and the Coca Cola. Unfortunately, this is an example of what happens when you let the maintenance go. The previous owner, a gentleman of some 74 summers evidently let things slide for a year or two before he finally decided to sell the boat. Then it sat out of the water for over a year and I am having extra fun dealing with the results.....though the bottle of scotch I found will certainly ease the pain.
I took some time to re-secure the lifeline stanchions which were held in place by cotter pins. It appears that the cotter pins are an original item which I find rather surprising. I used stainless steel machine screws and lock nuts as replacements, easier to put in and get out if necessary. I also got secure my first board in the teak over-deck. I had a long debate with myself in the "Think Spot" on whether or not to rip it out or keep it in place. The slats are held in place by screws set into the fiberglass under-deck. The seams are sealed but after a while the sealant gives way, leaks or just disappears and water penetrates under the teak and it has it choice of hundreds of screw holes to invade and eventually cause a problem with the deck. The again there is no better deck than a teak deck for footing , wet or dry, and it has a great look. So in the end, I left it in place and will deal with the problem as they come up, though when the time comes that it has to be replaced, I will just make it disappear and go with some type of modern underfooting.
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
They hauled a couple more boats out of the water today and the yard is slowly filling up. There is a strange feeling of being out of sync. Here are all these boats getting hauled and I am making an effort to get ready to go in the water. For these people the season is ending or has ended and mine has yet to begin. Even going to the various boating stores, the big supplies are for winter lay-up and not for commissioning. Still there is a wonderful peacefulness as well. As each items is dealt with and the boat grows more ready I just have the feel that i am right where I am supposed to be.
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