November 5, 2017
I managed to get a bit of time on Joule today, and went straight back into the cabin to check the lamination work I had done last night. The new cabin sole is sturdy and strong. The next phase will be to fill in the weave of the 1708 biaxial cloth and generally fair the surface to a satisfactory result. I say "satisfactory" because I intend to lay a final layer of 1708 over this faired surface to tie into the forward portion of the cabin sole and also to wrap this final layer over the raised portion aft of the bilge access.
To start the day, I began by water-washing the surface to remove amine blush. After drying the surface, I sanded the recent lamination with the RO sander and 80-grit discs.
After the sanding was completed, I vacuumed the surface well and followed that with a wipe down with a solvent. The surface was prepped for fairing compound.
Being a high-traffic area, I used my typical recipe of 406 silica and 407 low-density fillers to thicken the epoxy in order to spread it in a controlled manner. I used a 6" drywall knife to apply the thickened epoxy and then hit the tighter radius areas with a small plastic squeegee. I thought about applying the final layer of glass for a hot minute, but ultimately decided to pump the brakes and sand this application of thickened epoxy prior to laying up the final layer of glass. Waiting would also allow me to take an accurate template for the layer of glass.
As mentioned in my previous post, I need to come back to the topsides to address a few areas that required some sanding and spot fairing. The areas requiring further attention are all related to repairs of a prior 'incident'. Since they are on both port and starboard, at the beam's widest, I would wager dock finger piers or pilings were the culprit. Then again, Joule may be the victim of a Friday night beer can race gone horribly wrong. Regardless, I needed to take the questionable material down to solid substrate and then spot fair.
I used the fine dexterity of finger work as well as the RO sander, with 80-grit paper, to remove the questionable material. I then removed the sanding debris with solvent and mixed up some thickened epoxy. The fairing compound I went with this time was West System 410 Microlight - an easily sanded material for fine application. I will likely follow this up with thin layer of 407 since the 410 likes lighter paint schemes.
The last of the day's to-dos was to sand and fill the companionway hatch. I worked both the top and underside of the hatch with the RO sander, vacuumed and cleaned the surface with a solvent, and then applied fairing compound comprised of the 410 Microlight. Finishing the day's work and spending a few minutes organizing the shop, I brought down a couple of the teak boards to begin prepping for fabricating the new brightwork...just around the corner!
Total Time Today: 1.75 hrs
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