Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Non-Skid Applications

Just received the last of the deck pictures today from Brad.  The crew in Florida is working hard. The final non-skid application has gone on and the deck is officially done! Oh Happy Day.

After years of looking at the old faired fiberglass it is nice to finally see it completed.  That does not mean that the boat is completed of course.  The cockpit needs to be painted and the interior work will continue this fall when the weather cools down. Working on the inside your boat in Florida during the summer would literally fry your brain.  

Quoting an old boatyard friend of ours "Deno", "forward progress has been made".  That was Deno's motto.  As long as your making progress who cares.  It is at the point where more of the boat is done now than needs to be done.  A good feeling.

 Non-skid on the bow
 Overhead shot
 First section done
 Starboard side
 Deck from starboard side
 Bow
 Another bow shot
 Full Deck shot, lifelines back on
Nice!

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Final Paint

Work continues on Wildthing.  It has been a nice spring in Florida, the cooler temps and dryer weather have allowed work to progress on the paint. Below are some new pictures of the final Awlgrip paint that has been applied to the caprail and bullworks.  Nice work guys, she really shines now.

 Starboard side
 Bow
 Starboard stern
 Stern
 Deck
 Bow
Starboard stern

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Roll and Tip Paint Application

All the weeks of hard work and preparation have payed off.  I has taken countless hours of glassing, priming sanding, fairing and more sanding to get to the point where the paint can start flowing.

As most of you know, there are a couple of ways to apply Awlgrip two part paint. If you had the boat in a boatyard spraying it on might be easier and take less time. This job is being done with the boat in the water, so to keep the neighbors happy, the roll and tip method is being used.  Rolling and tipping refers to the application method of the paint.  The paint is rolled on evenly and it is then tipped with a fine hair badger or china bristle brush to smooth it out.  The tipping takes out all the bubbles and allows the paint to flow out into a mirror like finish.

After another sanding of the primer the surface was wiped down and the painting began. The pictures below show the process. One person is rolling on the paint and one is following behind tipping.  Three coats will be applied with a lite sanding in between.

Wow, it takes a lot of work to bring this old boat back to life.  In the end it is a labor of love, making something that has been neglected and old new again, seeing an old classic restored to her original beauty! There is an extreme amount of satifaction knowing that new life has been given to this grand girl!

WHY WE CALL A SHIP A ‘SHE’

We always call a ship a "she" and not without a reason.
For she displays a well-shaped knee regardless of the season.
She scorns the man whose heart is faint and doesn't show him pity.
And like a girl she needs the paint to keep her looking pretty.

For love she'll brace the ocean vast, be she a gig or cruiser.
But if you fail to tie her fast you're almost sure to lose her.
On ships and dames we pin our hopes, we fondle them and dandle them.
And every man must know his ropes or else he cannot handle them.

Be firm with her and she'll behave when skies are dark above you.
And let her take a water wave - praise her, and she'll love you.
That's why a ship must have a mate; she needs a good provider.
A good strong arm to keep her straight, to comfort her and guide her.

For such she'll brace the roughest gales and angry seas that crowd her.
And in a brand new suit of sails no dame looks any prouder.
The ship is like a dame in that she's feminine and swanky;
You'll find the one that's broad and fat is never mean and cranky.

Yes ships are ladylike indeed, for take them altogether
the ones that show a lot of speed can't stand the roughest weather
Author unknown

 Starting up front on the bullworks
 Down the port side to the stern
 Up the starboard side
 Touching up around the chain plates
 Starboard side
 Stern completed
Look at the shine

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

The Pink Fairing Goo!

After the fiberglass mat was epoxied down the long process of fairing has started.  The pink goo was spread across the whole deck in hopes of making it smooth at a babies bottom. Speaking of babies my brother Brad became a Grandpa today with the birth of his daughter's son.  Now back to fairing. The pink goo is called Awlfair, it is an Awlgrip product that is an integral part of the whole process to smooth out the deck. 

You can all see the pictures below of Brad and his crew.  They have spent countless hours on their knees fairing, sanding more fairing and sanding. Spot filling those missed spots and sanding again.  Brad sent me another set of pictures today with the caption "It's a beautiful thing".  He was referring to having completed the last coat of primer on the deck after the fairing process.

This has been a project that started with the buying of the boat in 2003, that is 8 years ago.  The project really began with a young man who had a dream of adventure and wrote famed captain Irving Johnson to see if he could run away and join the crew of the Yankee Clipper.  He held onto that dream even after his father failed to mail his letter.  Dreams are a funny thing.  If you hold onto them long enough they magically become reality.  This day is more than pink goo and snorting sanding dust, it is about working everyday to make your dreams come true.


The pink gooo!
 Faring on the deck
 Fairing 
 Fairing Sanded down
 Spot filling
 Priming after fairing
 Priming the starboard side
 Priming the deck
 More deck priming
 Priming the port side

Friday, April 15, 2011

Reglassing the Deck

The Florida crew just keeps on amazing me on how much they can tackle and get done.  All the PO 46's had teak decks applied at the factory.  They were all built in the early 1980s and most need replacing if they have not been already.  Many owners have redone the decks in teak and other have opted for a greener option.  With teak prices being what they are and teak wood becoming rarer it made sense to save a few trees and just glass the deck.

There are many benefits of just glassing  and painting the deck.  Teak decks are beautiful but require maintenance and sealing to keep them looking good.  The fiberglass deck on the other hand is bulletproof and requires a hosing down and scrubbing once in while.  The boat is in Florida which is another reason the glass and brighter surface made sense.  Dark brown teak decks create an oven down below during the summers in Florida.

The object of this rebuild after all was to maximize the enjoyment while minimizing the maintenance and work that it take to keep a boat up.



 Cutting and rough fitting the fiberglass mat
 Dry fitting mat
 More mat
 Bow view
 Port side
 Fiberglass resin rolled into the mat
 Priming the starboard side
 Primer on the foredeck

More priming
 Priming
High build primer starboard side
Primer on the deck

The next step is to fair the deck using Awlfair and then she will be ready for the non-skid application.

Friday, April 1, 2011

Fairing and Priming

The crew has been busy in Florida fairing and sanding the bull works.  I am sure their knees are sore by now.  The starboard side was primed today April 1st, 2011.  The rest of the primer will go on the port side tomorrow. Great work guys! The Awlgrip will go on after the primer and then onto the non skid for the deck. A little progress each day.  The end is in sight.

Priming the starboard bow

Starboard bow

Starboard Stern

Starboard Stern 

Starboard

Port

Starboard bow primed

The crew taking a break!