November 26, 2017
After a week of weddings - INCLUDING MY OWN! - I got back to work on Joule with an ambitious to-do list for the day. I started by water-washing the previous session's epoxy work, specifically: the foredeck recore, the cabin sole, and a couple miscellany.
After the water-washing was completed, I donned the sanding gear (RO sander with 40 and 80-grit paper), and got to work on taking the foredeck recore down so that it was no longer standing proud of the surrounding deck surfaces.
Through the sanding, I periodically checked the level of the patch to the adjacent deck. I ended this sanding work with some additional fairing to come.
After vacuuming and solvent-washing the surface of the recently sanded foredeck recore work, I applied neat epoxy with a foam brush to create a good bonding surface with the thickened epoxy yet to come. I mixed up a batch of thickened epoxy and applied it to the surfaces, and did so that the surfaces stood proud of the surrounding deck. In my next opportunity to work on the foredeck, I will sand the faired surfaces down to blend in with the balance.
With the remaining cup of thickened epoxy, I addressed a couple spots on the starboard interior liner, as well as old fastener holes (also on the interior liner) that required filling.
My next order of business would be the cabin sole. I had just sanded the previous fairing work, vacuumed it, and wiped it down with a solvent. The forward portion of the cabin sole was not recored, since I had cut out the top skin of the sole to a point where in which I revealed structurally sound core. However, the forward portion of the cabin sole did have a few not insignificant cracks in its top skin, so I wanted to 'beef' this area up a bit with another layer of 1708 biaxial. I also decided to apply a layer of glass that extended out to the guide slots in the liner that accepts the vertical partition separating what is typically a portable head. I will come back to fill the weave and blend the layup in with the surrounding surfaces.
With the water-washing, sanding, fairing, and glass work out of the way, I turned my attention to Joule's hull. I hand-sanded the hull with 180-grit sheet sandpaper, working my way from the stern and counter to the bow and back. The goal of sanding here was to knock down the prior primer application and create a surface for a good mechanical bond for second coat of this two-part paint. I mixed the Interlux Primekote in a 3:1 ratio, set it aside for its 15-minute induction period, and readied the hull surface by vacuuming it and wiping it down with solvent.
After the 15-minute induction period past, I thinned the primer paint by 20-25% and got to work painting the hull.
I started with the poop deck, and from here went to the stern.
From the stern, I worked my way along the aft portion of the starboard topsides, to the bow, and back to the aft portion of the port topsides.
I have to say, Joule is looking much better that her previous paint scheme!
As I finished the topsides, I moved over to the prepped companionway hatch.
I ended up applying two coats of the primer before calling it a day.
Total Time Today: 6.5 hrs.
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