Continued Fairing & Sanding on the Coachroof, Cockpit Well, and Foredeck

July 5, 2019

Continuing the work on fairing surfaces in preparation for primer paint, I continued work on sanding the coachroof, foredeck, and cockpit well areas (the remaining large repair areas needing attention on the exterior).

Using the 6" Bosch and 80-grit pads, which by the way have a near worthless hook and loop system, I began on the coachroof.  This iterative process of applying a skim coat of fairing compound and then sanding is a delicate and, unfortunately, time consuming one.  The silver lining to the coachroof, and foredeck as well, is the rather large and unimpeded work area.  The cockpit well, with its many surfaces in various orientations to one another and including tight spots that only one's fingers will fit into, is a labor intensive beast.

I worked from the starboard side over to the port, and finished with hand sanding the small radius at the transition from the raised forward hatch frame to the coachroof surface. 

Moving forward, I rather quickly completed the sanding of the thin coat I applied in the previous work session.  What remained after this sanding were lines left from the 6" knife's sharp edges.

I mixed a small pot of epoxy resin and then thickened it with West System's 406 colloidal silica and 407 low-density fairing compound, and applied this to the coachroof with a smaller plastic squeegee.

I then repeated the application to the foredeck, concentrating on filling those small lines left by the rigid knife's edges.

What I did not manage to take a photo of was the post sanding of the cockpit well.  I applied the first coat of fairing compound in the previous work session - a short session on the 4th of July.  Today, I not only sanded the large area aft, where I had installed new balsa core, but also the perimeter of the cockpit floor where it meets the vertical surface of the seating.  I used the same concoction of West System products for the fairing compound, and applied it to the sanded areas requiring an additional skim coat.  I am hoping the next sanding will reveal only spot areas needing another skim coat.

At the conclusion of the sanding and fairing, I took a few minutes to adjust the bow to stern orientation of the boat - getting ready to secure the waterline in advance of sanding the topsides of the hull.

Total Time Today: 5 hrs