Fairing Thru-Hull Patches and Bow, Fabricating Saildrive Mount

May 17 & 18, 2019

I began Friday afternoon by preparing for the fabrication of the sail drive mount.  Well, more like a recessed space that the Torqeedo's sail drive mounting pad could be recessed into, helping to achieve proper alignment.  Previously, I had used the router to remove a significant portion of the laminate aft of the rudder and in the surface of the counter.  I had routed deeper into this area in the forward portion, and gradually made shallower cuts as I moved aft.  The purpose for this change in depth of cut was to produce an angle that would put the sail drive in a slight descending orientation.

With the rough opening prepared, I took measurements for a mounting "tray" that would be fiberglassed into the rough opening.  The planned "tray" would include a recess that the Torqeedo's sail drive mounting pad would fit within.  The overhead work required that I do this in two parts: first created a rough opening, then create the recess for the mounting pad that ultimately could be glassed into/onto the rough opening.

Anyway, I took measurements of the rough opening to understand the maximum dimensions that I had to work within for the mounting pad "tray".

Using a piece of pressed board, I cut four sections that would create a mold to lay up fiberglass for the mounting pad's tray.  

I taped all surfaces of each of the four pieces, including the mounting pad itself (the black teardrop piece on the photos), to prevent the epoxy resin from sticking to them.

I then cut the required pieces of 1708 biaxial fiberglass cloth for the tray itself.

I prepared the fiberglass cloth by applying epoxy resin to wet it out, and then assembled the mounting pad and mold.

I first laid the fiberglass cloth in the mold, alternating a layer across the bottom, then a wide layer that ran up both lengthier sides, then two narrow strips running up both ends, and a final wide layer.

I placed the mounting pad itself into the mold - fully taped to protect its surface.  I then mixed batches of thickened epoxy resin to pour into the mold.  The resin was thickened just enough to still allow it to flow, and it did nicely - filling in the voids around the mounting pad.  I then placed the mold into the shop's refrigerator to help control the kick (heat) of the epoxy cure.  While the epoxy kicked off, I moved onto other tasks over on the Allied itself.

Those "other tasks" will be duly noted, but first, let's get back to the mounting pad tray...  I used the oscillating tool and cut along the center line of the now partially cured mounting tray, and then removed the Torqeedo's sail drive mounting block.  I was left with two parts, cut along the center line, that perfectly replicated the shape of the mounting block.  Since I wanted a fit that allowed for some bedding compound (Sitka Flex 291, or the like), my intention was to glass the two halves back together, but with a slight spacing imparted in the effort.  To this end, I sanded the surfaces that would be re-bonding to one another, and then cut-off the excess glass above the mold itself.  Using 10oz cloth, I bonded the two halves together, and then filled the new inner cavity with thickened epoxy.  Once things cure, I will come back and add some additional 1708 biaxial to the tray to further strengthen the tray.

During the day, I worked on the thru-hull patches.  First, I water-washed the previously applied, and now cured, thickened epoxy fairing compound, and I then sanded to knock down the worst of the offenders - those standing far too proud to the surrounding hull.

I worked from starboard forward to starboard aft, sanding with 80-grit discs and the 60" DA sander.

I continued around to the port forward...

...and then concluded on the port aft.  I did come back with the 5" DA sander to work some finer detail into the effort in order to prepare for the final round of fairing compound.

Each of the patches were good enough for bottom paint and then go sailing, but I really needed to address a few low spots and voids....and, well, while I had things down to the bone, I wanted my work to reflect what the owner expects in his old girl!  

I first wiped the surfaces clean with acetone to prepare for additional epoxy work, and then painted out the surfaces with epoxy resin (not thickened, or otherwise known as "neat" resin).

I then used a squeegee to apply thickened epoxy resin to the patches, filling in those last remaining low spots and voids.

I will come back, water-wash and sand, and as a final sealer coat, apply neat epoxy resin to guard against water intrusion.  When the Allied 24 leaves my yard, the owner will be ready for a quick sanding of the bottom and a fresh application of bottom paint prior to splashing his old girl.

Before knocking off for the day, I moved up to the bow deck.  There was a bit of unfairness to the surface of the bow that still needed to be addressed, so with the 6" DA sander in hand, I knocked down the high spots.  I solvent-washed the surface and headed back to the shop to mix up a batch of thickened epoxy.

Using a lengthy trowel, I applied the thickened epoxy to the freshly prepared surface, working the fairing compound into the low spots.  Satisfied with the fairing application, I'm now looking forward to sanding with a longboard to bring the surface to the point where I can apply primer.

Total Time Today: 7.25

Painting Lockers & Bilge, and Fairing Thru-Hull Patches

May 11, 2019

A milestone day - paint in the lockers and bilge!  In order to move forward with the final installation of the new v-berth platform tops, I really needed to get the lockers painted, and would have been done sooner except for the recently installed small bulkheads at the aft of the existing fiberglass v-berth and the supportive cleats on the primary bulkheads to support the new platform tops.  Well, with those two lingering tasks completed last week, I was now ready to paint the lockers.

Last week I thoroughly vacuumed and solvent-washed the hull surface inside the lockers, but I repeated the same exercise today to ensure that I retrieved any newly found debris.  

With the prep work complete, I returned to the shop and mixed the two-part epoxy paint that I'd using to paint the lockers and bilge surfaces.  I chose an epoxy barrier coat paint that stands up exceptionally well to oil, grime, and even water intrusion.  This paint is designed to be applied above and below the waterline, as a barrier coat prior to bottom paint.  The TotalBoat TotalProtect epoxy primer and barrier coat product will perform well in this environment. 

I got started in the forward center locker, and then made my way aft by first painting the port side locker and then the starboard locker.  As can be seen on the photos, I also painted out the small cubbies aft of the v-berth platform and forward of the primary bulkheads.  With the new v-berth platform top installed, as well as some netting to secure stowed items, these cubbies will serve as useful storage for items regular called in to service.

I dropped down to also paint the small void below the old head platform - the two thru-hull patches can also be seen (with sanding and fairing work yet to be done on them both).  I new top will be installed here, with a hatch to access and clean the space below.

I continued moving aft in the boat, and painted out the primary access to the bilge.  The support structures proved a bit of a nuisance to brush and roller, but I valiantly completed the mission.

Next, I moved up to paint out the lockers beneath the cabin settees.  I started to port, and then moved over to the starboard settee.  I left a roughly 7" x 7" square in the inboard-aft portion of the locker for future installation of new seacocks to handle the cockpit and side deck drains.

With the lockers painted, I then moved to the portion of the hull surface just aft of the saloon settees and back to the athwart ship bulkhead spanning underneath the midpoint of the cockpit well.  the pictures above and below show the painted surfaces. 

I also painted the turn of the bilge and down into the bilge itself (shown below).  In all, I applied three coats to all surfaces described in the text above.  I painted continuously, since by the time I completed one coat, the paint had tacked to the point that it was ready to overcoat with the second coat, and finally the third coat.  

With the painting finished for the day, I moved outside the boat to complete the patching work on the old thru-hulls that I had removed.  I started forward, on the starboard side of the boat.  This thru-hull patch required another layer of 1708 biaxial cloth since my timing in the first attempt was a bit tardy and the epoxy kicked to the point that I could not apply subsequent layers of 1708 cloth.  So, I started with a water-wash of the cured epoxy, and the towel dried the surface. 

I moved around the boat, removing the peel ply that I had applied to the cured patches consisting of multiple layers of 1708 biaxial cloth.  

It wasn't necessary, as was the case with the forward starboard patch, to sand the balance of the cured patches since I used peel ply to remove the amine blush (wax), but I did do a light sanding with 80-grit discs on the small 5" DA sander. 

I quickly sanded all four of the cured patches, but spent more time on the forward starboard patch since another layer of cloth would be applied today.

To that end, I made a template of the required layer of 1708 biaxial and then removed it from the material I had in the shop.  I returned to the boat and wiped the surfaces within each patch with solvent to clean them prior to epoxy work.  With everything prepped, I mixed a batch of epoxy resin and wet out the forward starboard final layer of biaxial, and wet out the surfaces on the boat themselves with the balance of the leftover neat resin.

I returned to the shop and mixed a batch of thickened epoxy resin - thickened with 406 colloidal silica and 407 low-density filler - and prepared to take it to the boat.  I took the now wet final layer of cloth to be applied to the forward starboard patch, and the thickened epoxy, over to the boat.  I set the final patch in place, and with a large trowel applied the thickened epoxy over the patch, filling the weave and the balance of depressions around the patch area.  

I then moved aft on the starboard side and applied thickened epoxy to this thru-hull patch.

I made a quick trip back to the shop to mix another batch of thickened epoxy, and returned to the boat to apply the fairing compound to the forward port thru-hull patch.

Finally, I moved aft on the port side to complete the fairing of the thru-hull patches.  In the coming days, I will water-wash the cured fairing compound (thickened epoxy), and sand the surface to fair.  A coat of epoxy barrier paint will be applied over the patched and faired old thru-hull locations, prepping it for bottom paint in the future.

Total Time Today: 5.25 hrs

Sanding V-berth Bulkheads and Fairing Thru-Hull Patches

May 5, 2019

Prior to the necessary margaritas this evening, I wanted to follow up on the recent small bulkheads that I installed at the aft of the v-berth platform.  I had intentions of getting paint on in the interior of the v-berth lockers, but I would run out of time required to lay down "hot coats" of the epoxy barrier protection paint.  Leaving the paint on to dry over an extended amount of time would require coming back to water-wash the surface and then sand prior to subsequent coats of paint.  In the coming week, I intend to apply three coats of the epoxy paint within about 2 hours from the previous coat of paint.

Today, I was able to get to sanding and paint prep.  I began by water-washing the amine blush from the surface of the recent epoxy work, and then dried the surfaces.  I hand-sanded the tight areas, where a tool could not access, and then followed up the balance of the open spaces with the 5" DA random orbital sander.  

I started on the port side of the hull, sanding the forward and aft surface of the small bulkhead.

I then jumped over to the starboard side of the boat and sanded the forward and aft surfaces of the bulkhead.

Once paint goes down in these spaces, the overall appearance will be dramatically improved.

To further get things sorted out and ready for paint, I needed to get the new v-berth platform tops' aft cleats in place.  These cleats would be secured (glued and screwed) to the primary bulkheads and would provide support and rigidity to the platform tops.

Back in the shop, I grabbed some 1.5" x 3/4" mahogany cleat stock that I had previously prepared, and cut two 18" long cleats.  I then pre-drilled for screws (four per cleat), and countersunk for the screw heads.  With the new v-berth platform tops in place, I marked and then secured the cleats in place on the primary bulkhead face.  With the cleat in position, I then drilled a shallow hole to get things started with the fasteners.  I removed the cleat, set the screws, applied glue to the length of the cleat, and finally screwed the cleat in its final position.

These small cubbies on either side of the v-berth cabin would be great candidates for some open netting to be installed roughly half-way up to securely hold its contents but also allow one to see what is being stowed.  They will also be painted out with the epoxy barrier paint.

With the sander still out, I removed the peel ply from the recent thru-hull patches and sanded them to ensure there were no areas standing proud of the surrounding molded fiberglass liner.  

Satisfied that the patches were not standing proud, I cleaned them by vacuuming the surfaces followed by an acetone wash.  I applied epoxy resin next, and then applied thickened epoxy as a fairing compound to fill and shallow spots or depressions.  It appeared that I would be able to get away with but one application of fairing compound; sanding in the coming days should be all that is required prior to primer paint being applied.  That would complete the day's work.

Total Time Today: 3 hrs

V-berth Platform Tops & Aft Bulkheads

May 4, 2019

I wanted to get the v-berth platform tops completed today, and ultimately prep them for final installation.  To that end, I needed to complete the locker lids and the supportive cleats: port, starboard and the forward center hatch.

I began by installing the already prepared cleats on the port half of the v-berth platform. I had cut out the locker hatch lid in a  previous work session, and I also had prepared the cleats for both the port and starboard lockers.  I marked the orientation lines for the four cleats, and one by one clamped them in place to pre-drill for fasteners.  With the fastener holes drilled, I wiped the surface down and then glued and screwed each cleat in its final resting place.

I wiped the excess glue (squeeze out) from the surface and then flipped the platform over to test the hatch lid.  Completed port half of the v-berth platform.

I repeated this exercise for the starboard half, but also had to cut out the hatch lid.  I did this by marking the hatch itself on the underside of the platform, and then used an oscillating tool to cut along the lines in order to allow my jigsaw to then access and cut the lines.  With the lid removed, I marked the center and cut out the finger hole.  I then installed the cleats by gluing and screwing, and the starboard half was then complete.

My next task was to create a new hatch lid for the locker that is forward and on the center line of the platform.  Since it was necessary to create the v-berth platform in two sections (to fit through the companionway), the center line hatch lid needed to be created from a new, single board.  I used the two halves to create a rough outline of the new hatch lid, and then created cleats to support the lid.

I installed the port side's center hatch support cleats.

I then installed the starboard side's center hatch support cleats.

With the two halves in situ, I then sanded and trimmed the center hatch lid to the point of it fitting well.  The v-berth platform is now complete, and nearly ready for final installation.

Before I epoxy the v-berth platform in place, I needed to get to the small bulkheads located at the aft of the v-berth itself.  The v-berth was open at this location on both sides, and to prevent items from rolling around the cabin or coming loose from their intended locker, I wanted to close off the aft ends of the v-berth to allow for more secure storage.  

I created templates of what would eventually become bulkheads, beginning with the starboard side.

I then completed the port side template.

Back in the shop, I laid the templates out onto 1/2" meranti plywood, traced the outlines and removed them from the material.

The bulkheads required a bit of fine tuning, but I quickly resolved them to their required dimensions. I checked for plumb - port bulkhead.

I repeated the shaping and fine tuning, and checked the starboard bulkhead for plumb.  With both bulkheads in place and plumb, I marked their outline on the hull itself, both forward and aft.  This would allow me to place a layer of thickened epoxy on the hull to help bed the bulkhead during installation.  I then wiped all surrounding surfaces down with acetone to prep for resin application.

Back in the shop, I prepared the lengths of 6" 1708 biaxial tape for the tabbing: four pieces at 20" in length, one on the forward and one on the aft side of each bulkhead.  Next, I mixed a small pot of resin and wet out the total surface of each bulkhead, and then the surface of the hull to prep for the bulkhead installation.   

I then mixed resin to wet out the tabbing material, the lengths of biaxial tape.  With the leftover resin, I thickened it with 406 colloidal silica and 407 low-density, and spread a layer along the hull where the bulkhead would touch it.  I placed the bulkhead into position, using a small tool to press the thickened epoxy into the gaps and clean up the excess.

With the bulkheads in place and the tabbing wet out, I then mixed more thickened epoxy resin and applied it to the forward and aft intersections of bulkhead and hull.  With the same small tool, I created a fillet along the length of the bulkhead-hull intersection.  This radius would allow the 1708 biaxial tabbing material to lay down without any voids forming, it would have continuous contact from bulkhead to hull.

I then applied the tabbing material to the forward and aft sides of the bulkhead.  This tabbing would strengthen the bulkheads installation by tying it onto the hull itself, spreading load across the length of the tabbing and up into the bulkhead - not that a low of load is expected for this little bulkhead.

I cleaned up the excess resin and then wrapped it up for the day.  It is likely that the next work session will involve sanding the recent epoxy work (no peel ply material was used), and then painting of the lockers prior to the v-berth final install.

Total Time Today: 5.75 hrs