And another coat...

     Sometime in the last couple of days I sanded down my first coat op fairing and applied a second.  Today I sanded down the second and applied the third.  Hopefully that will be the last.  If all goes well I will sand it down tomorrow and know for sure.  I leave you with a very exciting picture of my progress.

Not as good

     Yesterday I went and finished putting down the first layer of fiberglass.  It should surprise no one that it didn't go as smoothly as the day before.  I did manage to get the whole icebox covered, but it was messier and much harder than the day before.  I also got the first coat of epoxy mixed with fairing compound put on to try and smooth out some of the flaws.  I'm sure it will need (at least) another coat or two, but it is still progressing in the right direction.

Finally Fiberglassing

     I have been slacking lately when it comes to the sailboat.  I have lots of excuses for this.  Fishing, boating, gardening, mowing the yard every three hours (or so it seems), trips to the vet, working OT.  All good reasons, but today I felt like I had to make some progress.

     I bought some 8 oz cloth for fiberglassing the inside of the icebox, but this just didn't seem like it was going to be as solid as I wanted for the bottom part.  I tend to be a bit clumsy, and sooner or later I know I'm going to drop something in here.  This called for a little but more thickness.  Thankfully I found a big roll of some really thick glass out in the barn left by the previous tenant.  Score!  I'm not sure what it is, other than thick, but the price is right.  It isn't like the typical glass you think of, it isn't matting, and I don't think it is roving.  Its fibers all run in one direction, on an angle, and it has what seem to be little strings running through it holding it together.  It likes to fall apart when you handle it at all, but it seems like it will be much tougher than what I have.

     The inside of the icebox was already sanded, so I just had to clean it up before attempting this.  I used a damp rag to get out the remainder of the dust, and after that dried I used a rag with some acetone to make sure it was all clean and good to go.  I cut out a piece a little bit larger than what I needed and laid it in place and then went at it.

     The picture on the left shows the view from the top out in the cockpit, and the one to its right shows a view from an angle inside the boat.  They were taken before I finished up the edges while I was mixing up some more epoxy.  In the picture on the right you can see up top where there is some overlap.  The thicker stuff is on the bottom and the 8 oz cloth is up towards the top.  I got all the edges wet down and in place as well as glassing the little cut-out on top where the cooler hatch will fit in to place.  Tomorrow I will be going back out ( I hope ) and finishing up the rest of the uncovered areas with the 8 oz cloth.  I will cut pieces to fit on the sides and wet them down.

      All in all this went smoother than I was anticipating.  The corners worked out much better than I had even hoped for.  I'm not going to say I had an easy time, but for my first attempt I am pretty pleased.  I don't think I swore even once, so that has to be a good sign.  After the side pieces are in place and semi-cured I am going to cover all of it with another layer of resin with some sort of sandable filling agent mixed in so I can fair it out nice and smooth to make cleaning easier.  Another thing to buy.  Once that is sanded out ( and I do my second coat to fix my screw ups ) I can paint it and then seal the lid in place.  I'm sure that will involve some more sanding and fitting because of changes the fiberglass is making, but I'm getting closer.

Epoxy work

     I spent most of this lovely day out and about on the water with my wife and dog, but I did manage to do a little sailboat work as well.  I got the top piece to fit a little bit better and then I busted out the epoxy.  I refinished the little cutout I had to put in for the larger hatch and covered the bottoms and sides of the lids and the far right top piece.  This would make more sense if I bothered to take a picture, but my hands were so disgusting that I figured I should wait until later to touch the camera.  Maybe if you are lucky I will put up a picture tomorrow.

Foiled again, and again, and....

     I was hoping to get to the sailboat and spend a couple of hours sanding and fitting on the icebox, but it was just not meant to be.  As I was eating my breakfast this morning the neighbor backed in to the yard and started hooking up the trailer.  I guess today is the day to put the fishing boat in the water.

     Knowing this day was coming I had prepared everything to make sure it went smoothly.  You can guess how well that turned out.  The first problem was that I couldn't find the drain plug.  Aggravating, but easily fixed.  We'll just swing by WM on the way to the launch.  Turns out they only sell them in packs of two.  Sigh...

     We backed the boat in smoothly, but when I turned the key I got nothing.  Couldn't even turn the radio on.  I just charged the battery up over the weekend and it is already shot.  I knew this day was coming so I had thoughtfully charged up the second battery as well.  Hook that one up and nothing.  My day isn't looking so good so far.  How can two just charged batteries be bad?  Thinking it might be the wiring I checked the voltage on it....4V. 

     Thankfully my neighbor has two new batteries he will be installing, so he ran home to get one of those.  After breaking a lug removing the second battery I finally got his in place.  Success!  I putted up the creek to the dock without anything else going wrong.  Amazing.  I took his battery out, went and bought a new one, and put it in.  Of course this involved new connectors and heat shrink because of all the stuff I ripped up during my little adventure.  Never as easy as it could be, is it?

     Once that I got that chore taken care of I figured I would head to the marina.  On the way my friend called and said him and his girlfriend were on their way down.  Guess I need to clean out the cooler and bring it out to the boat.  I needed a nice relaxing rest of the day anyway.  The sailboat is just going to have to wait a bit longer.  This is how I will be spending the rest of my day.  Have I ever mentioned how  much I love my work schedule?

All Three

     I spent a little bit of time on all three boats today.  The kayak got taken out for a little spin, but sadly, I didn't see any wildlife other than ducks this time.  The fishing boat got the swimming ladder installed, so it is ready to be put in the water as soon as the sealant dries.  I'm working tomorrow, but the day after that is looking good.  It's rockfish season after all.

     My time at the sailboat was spent on the icebox, of course.  I got the last of the plywood coverings installed and most of it sanded down.  When I ran out of sandpaper I decided to call it quits for the day.  The next step is fitting everything together to make sure my measurements are correct.  Judging by the way the project has been going so far I have a feeling I will need to make some adjustments.  Once everything is fitted together I will give all the plywood a coating of epoxy to seal them up.  After that I just have to lay the glass inside, paint everything, and close it up.  What a glorious day that will be.  I think the top cooler is going to be put on hold for a while until I get some other things accomplished.  It will be nice to take a break from it.

Overtime

     I signed up for a 3 hour overtime slot this morning and got it.  Then it turned in to 10 hours.  While this is good for the paycheck, it means no boat time today.  Hopefully tomorrow I will dive back in to the icebox.  I'm getting anxious to have this finished so I can move on to other things.

I'm a smurf!

     I spent the day yesterday painting boats and ended up looking like a smurf.  I helped my neighbor paint the bottom of his, and in return he gave me the left over paint and a couple of cold ones.  Being dutch (and a big fan of beer) I just couldn't turn this down.  After we finished his up I moved on over to mine.  I was already blue, so I figured I might as well keep painting.  It didn't take nearly as long as I thought it was going to, but it sure is nice to have it done.  Another couple of days and I'll be out on the water.  It may not be on the sailboat, but it's better than watching everyone cruise past me while I'm in the yard.