May 16, 2020
On the way over to the Allied 24, I stopped by a retailer to pick up a small, disposable paint sprayer. In reading some restoration work done by a long admired New England sailor and accomplished boat restoration expert, I came across the use of a disposable paint sprayer. I have for years thought of stepping into the realm of HVLP paint application, but alas the work area I have does not lend itself to atomizing tiny skulls and crossbones drifting over to my neighbors' yards. It's also a bit intimidating to be honest. However, the idea of using these small sprayers was an interesting one, given the part or location on the boat to paint. I decided that I would experiment with this process today, and chose the cockpit locker lids as my lab rats. But first I needed to knock out a couple tasks.
I pulled the lining platform top shelf from the boat and brought it back to the shop. This shelf, platform, would also serve as a liftable lid for the 48V Torqueedo lithium ion battery, and would have trim around three sides of it. I had previously milled the trim boards, complete with miter cuts on the port and starboard corners. Today, I set out to pre-drill and mount them prior to applying teak oil to the surfaces.
After marking the location for the fasteners, I selected nine 1.25"-long #6 screws (three for each side), with a cup washer to finish their installations.
In my excitement to get to the oiling of the wood, and thereby bringing out the beautiful teak grain, I forgot to snap a photo of the dry-fitted assembly. I did manage a photo of one of the side trim pieces in situ; trying to stay considerate of billable time, I decided to not take the ~15 minutes for just a photo.
I pulled the last trim board from the landing platform, and prepared a small amount of teak oil. With a clean rag, I applied the oil to each piece of trim, and then set them to the side to dry.
My next task was to start painting the locker lids, so I went to the boat to pull those three locker lids and take them back to the shop. I started by finish sanding the top surfaces, followed by wiping them down to remove the sanding dust. I then covered the underside of the lids to protect those surfaces from overspray. With the locker lids prepped for paint, I mixed a small pot of paint, a total of 6 ounces including thinning agent, and proceeded to apply the first coat of finish paint, Alexseal Oyster White. I needed about 30 to 45 minutes between coats of paint, so I used the time to address other areas of the restoration.
In between the first and second coats of paint, I grabbed the Makita 1" belt sander and headed over to the boat. After removing the clamps I had installed to secure the deadlights trim rings to the cabin sides through the curing of the thickened epoxy, I sanded any part of the rings that stood proud of the original deadlight opening.
I did much of the sanding with the 1" belt sander, but came behind it with a rough grit paper and hand-sanded the balance. As I completed that task, it was time for the second coat of finish paint on the locker lids. I headed back to the shop, donned the respirator, and headed back into the "paint booth" for an additional coat.
I ended applying three coats of paint, and the surfaces really laid out beautifully. Perhaps a more proper shop may be in my future, as I would love to upgrade to spraying on topcoat paint like Alexseal and Awlgrip. I'm looking forward to handling the lids tomorrow to closely examine the results.
Total Time Today: 4.5 hrs
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