Sanding and Priming the Cockpit and Cockpit Scuppers

December 26, 2019

My ability to get to the boat around Christmas has been challenging to say the least, but as it should be.  I was able to get a couple hours in today, tacking some sanding and paint work.

I started by water-washing the spot-fairing that I had done in the cockpit, as well as a small bit around the cockpit scuppers that I had glassed in.  I used peel ply on the layer of biaxial cloth on the underside of the cockpit well, though I wanted to ensure that all exposed cured resin was "clean".

I then used 60-grit paper, by hand, and knocked down any of the rough edges around the underside of the cockpit scuppers.

Starting first on the port side and then wrapping things up on the starboard side.  I vacuumed and solvent-washed the area to prep for primer paint.  I mixed a small pot of the TotalBoat TotalProtect to apply to the small areas on the underside of the cockpit well.  This work would bring me to the point of being ready to attach drain hose.

I then headed out into the cockpit to sand the spot-fairing.  I used 60-grit paper here as well.  With the small 5" sander and by hand, I moved around the cockpit hitting the areas needing sanding.  With a small pot of TotalBoat TotalProtect (white), I primed the front half of the cockpit well, including the top portion of the interior of the scupper drains.

With the remaining primer, I headed into the shop to prime the tops of the cockpit locker lids...

...and the battery box / landing platform.

The final task I managed to accomplish was application of a skim coat of fairing compound onto the starboard cockpit seating.  I had dropped a hand plane onto the surface of the cockpit seat, marring it, and as a result needed to sand it down and apply fairing compound.  Its getting to the point that I need to begin deploying towels and blankets around the boat to protect the surfaces and finishes.

Total Time Today: 2.5 hrs