FAIRING

The dreaded fairing process started this weekend...or as our friend Nate has dubbed it, 'the dreaded fairy process'. It really has not been that bad of a task thus far.

I'm using Interlux Interfill 830 as a fairing compound. It's a two part mix that mixes up in a 1:1 ratio to a paste like consistency. We're spreading the material on with plastic spreaders and then striking it off with a flexible aluminum ruler. The flexible aluminum allows for bending of the strike off tool to match the shape of the hull.

What we have learned is that you should mix up a very small batch of material. When you strike off the material, there is plenty that comes off that can be used to fill the next area.

I'm thinking, at this point, that it will take us the better part of the week to get all of the material on. Hopefully we'll be sanding it down towards the end of the week.

Here is a picture of the finish after applying and striking off and Nate in the background, inspecting...

EPOXY MADNESS

Yesterday we rolled a layer of Epiglass epoxy onto the bottom. Three of us accomplished the task. We had one person mixing the epoxy in small batches and pouring it into a roller pan. A second person rolled the epoxy onto the bottom with a foam roller. The third hand smoothed the epoxy out with a cut foam roller. The whole process took about an hour.

The day prior to rolling on the epoxy, we had wiped down the entire bottom with Interlux 202 Solvent to remove any surface contaminants. This process took about 1/2 hour. 202 is extremely smelly stuff, so respirators were definitely needed.

Thanks to a few of my crew who were able to help out - Nate, Austin, & Cathy.

Here are a few pics. The first is of the tools and products used.


And the second is a picture of the hull after the epoxy was applied.


The next step will be to rough up the epoxy with 80 grit sandpaper and then begin applying fairing compound. If all goes well, we'll be working on this over the course of the next week (and beyond).

EARLY APRIL UPDATES

The weather is beginning to warm up. I've placed an order for materials so that I can begin to put the bottom of the boat back together. The intended process for the bottom repair follows Interlux's recommendations and is as follows:

1. Apply a layer of Interlux Epiglass to the bare fiberglass. This application is to seal up the small voids in the glass where blisters had existed.
   
2. Fair the bottom. I am intending on using Interlux Interfill 830. I am guessing this will be the most time consuming of the steps of putting the bottom back together.
   
3. Apply Interlux 2000E barrier coat. Based on the information from Interlux, this should be about 4-5 coats.
4. Apply bottom paint. I have not confirmed the type of paint I will be using, but I'm leaning heavily towards VC-17. This is mostly because I am familiar with the product and it has a decent track record.

If all goes well, the materials should be here tomorrow and I will have step 1 completed towards the end of the week.

Other updates...I have the majority of the old sealant cleaned out from around the windows. I did a dry fit of the new windows this weekend. They look absolutely fabulous! Pictures will follow when the windows are installed permanently.

Rebuilding of the rotted bulkhead is in process. I was able to obtain a piece of marine plywood from a friend of a friend who installs road signs. 'WEST 12' will be hidden away in the bottom of Hullaballo, hopefully for years to come.

I used the old rotten pieces of bulkhead to provide as close of a pattern as possible and then fit the plywood in place using a jig saw to make minor adjustments.

Now that the bulkhead is cut to fit, I've been coating it in glass so that it will not rot again. I have laid up one layer of 6 oz. glass on each side of the bulkhead and am now in the process of laying up a much thicker layer of glass on each side.


This is probably completely overkill, but as I have not had much experience in working with fiberglass, I thought I'd use it as a learning experiment.

And the last update for this week...I have refinished the tiller. I had refinished the tiller last year. It had not been finished in many years so it was sanded down, three coats of cetol applied, and 6-8 coats of cetol gloss applied.

After last season, there was a bit of dulling of the finish so I decided to add a few new layers of cetol gloss. I thought I was done with the application but as the last coat was drying, I managed to bump into the tiller several times while working on another project. So I guess I'll be applying another coat.