February 7, 2019
I spent just a bit of time on the restoration today, and focused that time on the integrated mast support beam. I began by removing the protecting plastic sheeting and taping a perimeter around the exposed balsa core material. The tape was to prevent water from making contact as I water-washed the amine blush from the cured epoxy. I used a 3M scouring pad and fresh water to scrub the cured epoxy, repeatedly rinsing the scouring pad in the water as I went. With a clean towel, I followed the scouring process with quickly drying the surface. With the water-washing complete, and the amine blush removed, I sanded the cured epoxy to create a rough surface which would aide in the mechanical bond process of subsequent lamination work. However, applying top skin to the recently cored coach roof was not on the books for today.
Instead, I used plastic sheeting to create templates for layers of 1708 biaxial to fill the integrated mast support beam. I decided to begin with 3 layers of glass, along with some thickened epoxy both prior to laying the first layer as well as across the weave of the third layer.
Back in the shop, I removed three layers of 1708 biaxial fiberglass from scrap material for both the port side as well as the starboard side. With the fiberglass prepped, I mixed 1.5 oz of neat epoxy and applied that to the port and starboard cavities. I then followed that with a thin layer of thickened epoxy - essentially to fill any small voids that remained in the open areas.
I returned to the shop to wet out of the fiberglass. I removed the excess epoxy and carried the fiberglass to the boat, and applied them to their respective sides and in the proper orientation. I finished the lamination by applying a layer of thickened epoxy over the fiberglass, and, finally, applying peel ply fabric to avoid having to water-wash in the next work session. From here, I will install balsa core material prior to laying down the new top skin for the coach roof.
Total Time Today: 2.25 hrs
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