Your spring project reports are due soon. (10 pts)

What sort of projects have you been doing to
improve your boat? Report in, or take a dozen
lashes!

My report: Hull Fairing and Painting Project

The last few weeks I've been fairing the hull of my
big boat with a goal of getting it in the water by May
30th. I've just about completed the bottom of the hull,
and plan one more layup of fairing material on the hull.
So far I must have over 24 hours of sanding, and my
brother has another 16 hours logged.

Time to move the poppets and fair the areas under them.
I've been fairing the thru-hulls to take them from nipple
size down to the opening diameter.

Here's what I've learned about fairing a hull.

1. Make small batches of fairing material and apply each
batch carefully. Excess has to be sanded off. Mix your
own and use lots of filler to make it easier to sand.
Several thin layers are easier to work than a single
thick layer. I used West 410 filler and found it mixed
well, and was not too hard to sand. 407 filler was harder
to mix but sanded much easier.

2. Fair every inch of the hull--don't be lazy. I used
a 6" knife to spread it. I cleaned it with solvent when
applying more than one batch. When leaving overnight,
It was faster just to break the plastic off the knife
the following day.

3. The best sander to use is a 6" orbital hook and loop
--6 hole hook and loop--60-80 grit paper. I also used an
air powered longboards for final sanding--use 80-100 grit.

4. Use a vacuum cleaner with the sander and get plenty of
bags.

5. Stay upwind of the sander, and pick a cool, windy cool
day and get the job done quickly If you stay upwind of
the grit on a windy day, you won't need a repirator.

6. Repeat the fairing and sanding a few times and it will
look good.

7. Use a respirator when you are underneath the sander.
Always use eye protection.

8. Take asprin or other pain killers before you start
working--trust me on that one. You'll get more done.

9. Drink at least two beers after every hard day and go
to bed early, so you can start in again early the next
day.

Future work: The keel needs a little more sanding and
fairing, as does the rudder. I've discovered my rudder
is actually slightly concave. It was repaired at some
point. My feeling is I need to fill the hollow spot six
inches in from the trailing edge to make it flat or
slightly convex. I'm worried that as it is--slightly
concave, it'll make the rudder prone to stalling.

Next comes barrier coat and bottom paint. I'm going with
copper-poxy, which needs lots more sanding, but lasts
years longer and can be sanded in the water. It also
serves as a barrier coat, which might save some work.

The shrink wrapp comes off soon. It is starting to get
in the way. So far we have had very little rain, most
of that has passed to the north and missed the boat. My
wooden platform is also getting in the way. Time to bite
the bullet, buy a longer ladder, and improve work access
to the topsides.

After May 1st, I'm going to borrow a mast dolly, sand
and paint the mast, replacing some shives, and work on
the masthead. I want to stick a couple of extra Ham
antennas up there and haven't figured out how to do that
yet.

Bart Senior