January 31, 2018
My first item to address was the foredeck vent opening on Joule. In the previous session I cut the opening out, removed a portion of core material around the circumference, and then filled with thickened epoxy. Now, after a quick water-wash to remove the amine blush, I began sanding with the vac running down below. I progressed from 40-grit, to 80-grit, and then finished with 120-grit paper to get the opening to the diameter I required.
With a quick clean up of the deck and v-berth below, I moved to test-fit the vent's trim ring from below. I kept sanding until I achieved a good fit.
I finally arrived at a snugness of fit that I was pleased with for the trim ring. I did not push the trim ring all of the way into the opening as I snapped the photo - the shadow around the ring is the result of not pushing all the way into position.
The photo below shows the vent in the final installation position.
With the vent opening dimensions established through sanding, and the trim ring fastener holes oriented below in such a way as to not interfere with the base-plate fasteners, I set out to mark and over-drill for those base-plate fasteners. I wanted to ensure no water would make its way into the core material, so after marking for the base-plate fasteners, I over-drilled with a forstner bit
The orientation of the base-plate fasteners was decided based upon how the trim ring fasteners were positioned - so they would not interfere with one another. I drilled the deck with a 3/8" forstner bit, vacuumed the sanding debris, and solvent-cleaned the inside of the drilled cavities.
Next, I painted out the drilled holes with neat epoxy to wet the core so as to not "starve" the thickened epoxy to follow. I mixed a small amount of epoxy thickened with West System's 403 micro-fibers, and filled the holes for the vent's base-plate fasteners. With the vent installation taken as far as I could for the day, I turned my attention to the deck and cockpit - sanding. My intent was to sand, tape-off the boundary of the non-skid and smooth finish paint, and then apply a coat of the Interlux Perfection Mediterranean White.
I worked over the cockpit well and deck with 320-grit paper with a focus on the areas where the Interlux Perfection would be painted. I did not snap any photos of the sanding - sanding is sanding!
With the sanding complete, I thoroughly vacuumed the surface and then wiped it down with a solvent to prepare for taping and painting. I first went around the deck and cockpit sole, taping the boundary of the paint lines, and over-taped in areas that would show a smooth radius curve. With the tape in place, I move to trimming the radius corners (oxymoron?), using a compass and a razor blade.
I established the radius, and then cut along the pencil line laid out by the compass.
I also taped-off the cockpit well drains in the process.
I taped-off the aft end of the deck's non-skid pattern, with the reverse radius at the base of the cabin sides.
After addressing the cockpit well drains, I moved aft to the rudder post, and completed the radius work there.
On the foredeck, I completed the taping work required there...and was set to mix a batch of paint.
I mixed a pot of Perfection, set it aside for the 20-minute induction period, and moved back to Joule for a final wipe-down. With the induction period expired, I thinned the paint roughly 15% with the 2333N thinner, and set about painting the first coat of deck/cockpit finish paint.
I worked my way around Joule with a focus on getting a good base coat applied.
In the coming days, I will be painting second and final third coat, so any imperfections from the first coat did not weigh on my application effort.
I finished on Joule's aft end, and cleaned up for the day.
Total Time Today: 5.75 hrs