December 19, 2017
The day's first priority would be to sand the second coat of primer on the deck and cockpit, as well as the spot fill work that I had down to fair pinholes that were revealed through application of the last coat of primer, and then to get the third and final coat of primer on those surfaces.
To that end, I got straight to work with 150-grit sheet paper hand-sanding the fill areas (cockpit hatch gutters, recently patched navigation light openings in the cabin sides, and a few here-and-theres).
The gutters were challenging due to their fairly deep and tight widths, but alas I prevailed. Below, I am tackling the port side molded gutter for the cockpit seat hatch.
With the port side complete, I moved over to the starboard side of the cockpit.
I faired a few spots on the seat and vertical surfaces, but the majority of the time and energy was spent on the seat hatch gutter.
With the cockpit faired smooth with sanding work, I moved forward to start at the bow and move aft, sanding the balance of the second coat of primer.
I vacuumed the majority of the sanding dust and then returned to the wood shop to prepare the primer paint. With the 2-part Primekote paint portioned out, combined and mixed thoroughly, I set it aside for its 15-minute induction period. While waiting through the induction period, I returned to Joule to wipe the surfaces with a solvent to capture any remaining sanding residue - always amazed at the amount of dust left on the surfaces even after a good vacuuming.
I started painting the third coat in the cockpit well and worked my way up to the vertical coamings and the aft surface of the cabin bulkhead. I left the side decks unpainted and chose to move to the bow and work my way aft.
I painted the bases of the bow pulpit stanchions and the stem fitting with a foam brush, tipping the surface prior to moving onto the next. With the 'cut-ins' complete, I once again used the foam roller to apply the primer to the field of the foredeck.
I moved aft and paint the cabin sides and cabin top, and finished with the side decks. I had some paint left in the pot, so decided to sand and prep the companionway slide hatch by sanding and wiping down with solvent. I cut-in with the foam brush on the rails of the hatch, and then switched to the foam roller for the top surface. The don't see a need for additional coats of primer to any of Joule's surfaces above the waterline. So, beginning on the weekend, I will begin to layout deck hardware (cleats, mainsheet block, motor mount, etc.) so that I can over-drill, fill with epoxy and drill and tap for fasteners. The purpose of over-drilling and filling with epoxy is to isolate the new/old core from any future water ingress, thus preserving the structural integrity of the deck and the performance of the installed hardware. In addition to the hardware, I will continue fine-tuning the new brightwork and gluing up the new toe and rub rails for eventual dry-fitting.
Total Time Today: 4.5 hrs