Yogurt cups work well for mixing epoxy.
To save time while making lots of small batches of epoxy I used lots different used vessels to save on costs. I found that yogurt cups, cottage cheese cups, and even drinking cups with the PP logo on the bottom are compatible with epoxy. And as you can see from the picture I used several at a time.
Well, after the port lights were removed to prepare for painting the deck, it was clear that the core needed to be replaced. I did not want to use epoxy as it would have taken more than a gallon… and that stuff is EXPENSIVE! Looking through the West Marine catalogue I stumbled across Dynatron Ultra Lite. It is a two part filler-putty that is relatively easy to work with, and definitely easier to mix than epoxy. However, it did harden more quickly than epoxy. For the six port lights in the main cabin I used about 1.25 gallons plus an additional 0.25 gallons on wasted batches. It also had a terrible odor, and so I would recommend using ventilation and a respirator with VOC cartridge if using this product in a confined space.
This is an example of the original port light gasket.
This is a view of a sample of original port light gasket material. I am now looking for a new source to replace this 32 year old material.
The cover to Post Captain.
I finished the second of the Aubrey books, and overall I didn’t think it as good of a read as the first book. While I did enjoy the representation of the potential workings of the English Admiralty, several parts of the book were so ludicrous as to be beyond belief. Sneaking across Spain in a bear costume… Really?
On Saturday there will be a fiberglass clinic at Kansas City Sailing in Lawrence Kansas. There are several issue with the boat that I need to work on including:
Filling the holes in the cockpit where old instruments used to be located.
Repairing the hull damage from sanding that is present all over the freeboard.
Well, it was another beautiful January day in Kansas, so I decided to put on the respirator and finish the hull sanding. During the week I purchased a new Bosch random orbital sander and decided to use the debris catcher in the hopes of preventing paint and fiberglass material from burning out the motor. I also alternated using the belt sander with 40 and 80 grit belts and the orbital sander with 40 grit pads to not over-heat any one motor.
And the result is a boat hull that has been sanded… sanded down to the BONES! The attached pictures show the starboard side sanded down, and an example of the damage that the surface has sustained. I will have lots of hull repair and sanding work in front of me now, but I think that all of the latex paint is now gone.
I finally returned to the boat to sand off the remaining paint that I was unable to scrape off. While it may sound odd, it was good to be back in the full face respirator again and getting some work done. I used a belt sander to do the rough sanding and a random orbital sander to finish for more detailed work. I finished the port side. Then I finished the rough work on the starboard side, and while using the random orbital sander for the detail sanding it caught on fire! Ugh. On the whole it was a good day of work.
So that’s how you throw away a boat!
Two Years Before The Mast
My first book review can be found in the media section. My intention for the media section was to catalogue technical books used in the sailboat project; however, it appears that I am including other sailing related novels as well.
At least I am at the ocean, and trying out the remote posting capabilities.
Alex Adrift 