Looking back over the past couple of weeks… In order to get the boat in the water we had to accomplish quite a bit, this is just a sample.
Prep and prime the masts:
Paint the masts:
The paint came out quite nice. Bob is installing and wiring the tv antenna and wind generator mounts:
He also installed sail track on the main mast so we can store the spinnaker pole vertically rather than across the deck:
Rigging the masts (in the pouring rain):
Get the dinghy ready. Mom washed it, Tanya and Joan prepped and bottom painted:
We finally finished stripping 34 years of paint off the bottom:
Then we had to fair the bottom, removing the majority of surface imperfections:
Then we applied a waterproof epoxy barrier coat, first white then gray. We (Tanya, my sister and I) applied four coats:
That first coat gave us a real psychological boost. It was nice to see one solid color:
We waited the appropriate dry time then started a new coat of gray:
Painful wrist, but the bottom sure looks nice:
Then we applied two coats of anti-fouling bottom paint:
If you notice in the back it is pouring rain. You’re not supposed to paint in the rain or with high humidity. We didn’t have a choice, we were not missing our launch date, so we painted anyway. I sprayed three coats of Awlgrip Aristo Blue and it came out quite nice considering the conditions at the time:
Completely new exhaust system exiting through a new three inch stainless exhaust outlet which Tanya installed:
We finished installing the chain plates and covers:
I’m sure I missed quite a bit but that’s a brief summary of what it took to get the boat back in the water. Thanks to everyone for helping us meet that deadline!!!
We will add the launch pics in a few days.