Final Prep on Brightwork and Applying Teak Oil (and misc. painting)

February 2, 2018

Ahead of a partly sunny (no rain) Saturday, I needed to get the brightwork ready for the application of teak oil.  Joule's owners elected to have her new teak oiled rather than varnished, which I thought a good decision given the beauty of the new teak and the ease of ongoing maintenance.  The teak oil that was selected the Starbrite Tropical Teak Oil, and requires UV rays to 'catalyze' the oil....thus the no-rain requirement.

So Friday evening I got busy with the final prep work: on-deck drain/limber holes on the aft end, or tails, of the coaming boards, and working through the remaining pieces with 80, 150, and 220 grit paper.

The on-deck drainage holes was simple enough to create, and I worked the edges with sandpaper to ease the transition lines.

After I had finished addressing the tail ends of the coaming boards, I moved over to sanding and wrapped that up.

Total Time Today: 2 hrs

February 3, 2018

I awoke early, 0700 (for a Saturday!), and went straight to work arranging the brightwork on the work surface - four saw horses set-up to receive the brightwork.  I wiped the surfaces of the brightwork with solvent to remove any remaining sanding dusts - always amazed at how much residue material comes off just prior to painting, varnishing, oiling, etc.  With the surfaces clean, I went ahead with the first coat of teak oil.

The Starbrite Tropical Teak Oil comes out of the can looking like some misplaced and forgotten pot of curry, simmering away for days on some backroom, wood-fired clay oven in Denpasar...but it applies beautifully and brings a luster to the natural tones of the wood.  I applied the oil with a foam brush.

Just prior to a morning appointment, I managed to apply the first coat of oil.

I was pleased with the results and looked forward to getting back to apply the second coat.

With the sun now transiting westward, I was forced to move the sawhorses to catch what was left of the day's direct sunlight.  After moving the material, I applied the second coat of teak oil and then began to prep a temporary covering due to threatening inclement weather.

I placed clamps on each ends of all four saw horses, and simply dropped a sheet of 2mil plastic across the newly oiled teak.  I then came back with spring clamps and further secured the sheeting from the frequent gusts of wind coming through.  I placed a few strategically located slits in the sheeting to capture and drain any rain and dew that we might receive over the next day or two.

With the brightwork finished, I moved back into the shop to apply a coat of cabin paint to the underside of the companionway slide hatch.  With paint left in the tray, I made my way over to Joule and emptied the contents of the tray onto areas that required it.

Total Time Today: 3 hrs

Taping-off Deck & 1st Coat Finish Paint on Deck and Cockpit

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

Foredeck Vent Install and Brightwork Sanding

January 28, 2018

With inclement weather on the horizon, I decided to move forward with the installation of the small foredeck vent  - a MARINCO solar-powered mushroom vent.  I opened the box and dug into the instructions to ensure no surprises mid-way through the install.  Armed with the required set of measurements, I made my way on over to Joule for begin locating the area on the foredeck for the installation.

I went below and took a couple measurements off the foredeck cleat's forward most fastener hole on the port side: 9" forward and 6" outboard.  Back up on deck, I repeated the measurements, and located the center of what would be come the 3.75" diameter hole for the vent.  I placed the actual vent on deck, in the area that I marked for center.  I tilted my head to the left and back to the right, in deep cogitation, deciding on the best location for the vent.  In the end, I moved the vent 1" further to outboard and marked the location on the foredeck.  To protect the surrounding deck surface whilst removing the 3.75" disc of top skin/core/bottom skin/overhead liner, I taped off the area generously. 

With compass in hand, I halved the 3.75" dimension, giving me 1 and 7/8 inches.

I marked this 3.75" circle onto the tape, and prepared for the removal of this portion of the foredeck.  Prior to the cutting, I wen back below and secure a sheet of plastic across the area to be cut.  This protective plastic sheeting was to capture the flurry of fiberglass dust surely to be created by the efforts to come.

Using a spiral saw, I slowly made my way around the marked diameter.

After removing the 'disc' of material from the foredeck, it was was easy to see the top skin, core, bottom skin, and the fiberglass liner....mmmmm, tasty moonpie!  I vacuumed the debris from surface of the foredeck, the inside cavity, and then carefully removed the plastic sheeting below.  I finished the clean up by vacuuming the v-berth area.

As good as the seal may be that shipped with the MARINCO vent, and even with a suitable amount of polysulfide applied with the installation, water just works in mysterious ways.  So to guard against that clean, dry, and firm foredeck core from rot caused by water ingress, my next task was to ream out a portion of the core surrounding the opening and fill it with thickened epoxy.  I accomplished this by using an old allen wrench fit into the chuck of a cordless drill.  I had an assistant below deck hold the vacuum firmly up against the underside of the opening.  To the vacuum, I attached a large funnel to capture all shavings that were sure to fall from the process of reaming the core.

With enough core material removed, I thoroughly vacuumed the opening, and then applied a rag and solvent to clean up the small bits remaining, as well as any residue that might interfere with the epoxy bonding.  Next step was to tape off the underside of the opening.  I applied a firm 'backing plate' to the overhead as well; the backing plate was to ensure that I didn't get any unwanted squeeze out dripping onto the v-berth.  I again wiped the inside of the opening to remove and last bits that were loose - some fell and stuck to the taped surface below.  With things cleaned and prepped for epoxy work, I went ahead and mixed an ounce of 'neat' epoxy (not thickened), and thoroughly wet out the surfaces of the remaining core and exposed fiberglass.

Back in the shop, I mixed a small batch of thickened epoxy - 406 colloidal silica and 407 microlight - and pushed / spread into the void.  I worked my way around the diameter of the hole, ensuring an adequate amount of thickened epoxy was spread into the opening.  Finishing the opening will involve the perfunctory water-wash to remove the amine blush, and then a thorough sanding to a smooth inside surface...and tape removal. 

I finished out the work session with more time in the shop, bringing the brightwork to a sanded surface that would be ready to receive the teak oil.  Again, with looming rain in the forecast and the teak oil requiring UV to 'catalyze the oil, I decided to get the various pieces of brightwork at least ready for oil.  To that end, I started with the horizontal trim of the companionway, and then the aft cockpit trim, and finally the cockpit seat trim.  I just ran out of time with a planned daddy-daughter date, but I managed to get through these pieces with 80-grit, 120-grit, and then a smoothing with 220-grit.

Total Time Today: 4.75 hrs