What did you do to your boat today

YYZRC

rasbury said:

That's making lemonade! Our dealership is still open and people are buying cars...amazing....

Crazy!! Which brand? 

Cableguy Greg

I uncovered my boat. Got the cockpit cover on, and it started raining. Crawled into the cabin and I found where my leak is coming from. Next on the agenda it to get it resealed so it isn’t leaking anymore. Time to order some 4000UV from Amazon. 

aero3113

@Cableguy Greg , where’s it leaking from?

Cableguy Greg

aero3113 said:

@Cableguy Greg , where’s it leaking from?

Where the bow rail meets the deck by the anchor locker on the starboard side. I need to remove the bolts and reseal the holes, then replace the bolts. 

aero3113

Nice you know where it’s coming from. Are you able to access the nuts on the underside? Sometimes the old sealant will hold the nut in place, most of the time it will spin on you.

Cableguy Greg

aero3113 said:

Nice you know where it’s coming from. Are you able to access the nuts on the underside? Sometimes the old sealant will hold the nut in place, most of the time it will spin on you.

I had to remove the shelf and bulkhead on that side of the boat to repair it. While it was out, I have access to the underside of the rail and the nuts.

PickleRick

Poured some 40 gallons of fuel back into my boat that i had drained from the old fuel tank before it was removed. It was all stabilized so it was good to go like it was bought yesterday.

I then hooked up ear muffs and fired right up on the first bump of the key. It died but then fired back up the second time, i had just put on a new fuel filter so it needed to refill.

I then filled up the water holding tank and while priming the lines found i didn't install the new water heater drain plug tight enough, it blew out and gave my engine bay a good wash down.  


Installed my new battety charger,  she got a little water from the blow out but it's water proof.

My old charger only had one working charging output.

My expoxy barrier coat will be in this week along with epoxy hard bottom coat.  Once i finish sanding/fairing/resanding/painting im ready for launch.  I could launch now i guess but i want that shiney new bottom paint.  Been in the 80s for 4 of the last 5 days.

aero3113

I polished up my windless, anchor pulpit and horn with some Flitz and wax. Got rid of the ugly rust spots!

Dream_Inn

Glitz is amazing stuff!  I use it on anything metal!

aero3113

Yes, Flitz works wonders.

PickleRick

aero3113

@PickleRick , that looks like a lot of work! Are you going to repaint or leave it off?

PickleRick

Look guys, i ripped up the carpet to find hardwood! Er...gel coat.

PickleRick

aero3113 said:

@PickleRick , that looks like a lot of work! Are you going to repaint or leave it off?

I have some blisters to repair, despite popular believe while vinylester based gelcoat is much less susceptible to blistering, it still happens.  If it wasn't for the blisters id just wetsand down to about 2000 gritt and then buff/polish(I'm doing 60 to get paint/gunk off then will go over bare hull with 80)

The blisters are not terrible but there is about a dozen or so ranging in the size of a dime to about a quarter.  

I am removing the cracked gel coat over said blisters and fairing with thickened epoxy.

I will then use an epoxy barrier coat to cover the entire hull below the water line. This will seal in any tiny cracks in the gel coat that could become bigger blisters, those that are too small to see with the naked eye or are too small to fool with.

I will then go over it with an epoxy hard bottom vc paint.  


There isnt much bottom coat left on the boat, it's mostly brown stain from the mud stained river she sat in.  It is a good bit of sanding.  This is all done by hand.  I did about a 1/3rd of the boat today.  Now that it's warm enough to wet sand i will do about 10 to 20 min of wet sanding each night for the next week or two until its done.  

I could use power tools but those require protective gear i cant exactly get right now thanks to the covid issue at hand.  


Once I'm done a soft bottom paint can be added but as i trailer it would be silly to use a soft pant.  The hard paint is white so it will likely not be too easy to tell the difference unless you get up on it.  The epoxy has a superior sealing ability compared to the factory  gel coat.  

So long as any blisters I've repaired are dry enough i shouldnt ever have an issue in the future.

Im almost tempted to sand the boat down now, repair all visual blisters then use until our family vacation.  When on vacation i let her dry for 2 weeks on the hard and paint her the week we get back.  

All this wet sanding is sure to re saturate the hull.  If water/moisture is out of the hull and can't get back in the blisters cannot grow or continue to crack, in theory.  

aero3113

I started replacing my blower ducts. I have no idea how they can get in such bad shape. Also, they weren’t routed low under the engines in the bilge. On the starboard side I ran one up close to the generator. I have a couple more runs to replace and I’ll be happy.

Aqua_Aura

Mine are not that bad but they do need to be replaced. I guess that's another thing to add to my list. I have added about 4 things to my boat list from being on the forum so much lately. 

@aero3113 where did you get the hose? Is it just from a hardware store. 

aero3113

I got the hose from Jamestown Distributors. 4” hose, just select the length you want.

https://www.jamestowndistributors.com/mobileportal/show_product.do?pid=580

aero3113

The lines that go up to the vents on the starboard side are mostly in good shape. I’m going to use 4” hose splices there, this way I don’t have to remove the screwed in and sealed cover plates.

rasbury

Ford

Ian

I think over time the heat in there just makes the plastic brittle. Just added to my list as I know mine need to be done too.

PickleRick

day two of wet sanding.

aero3113

Added some more ducts, today.

GMSLITHO

Picked up my boat today from the marina to get started 

J3ff

PickleRick said:

Dopped 200 bucks on 2 new group 31 batteries and boxes.  Dealer discount is good.  Im ready for launch now.  We will see how the weather is on Saturday

That's a steal, cost me 375 for the same size battery  

YYZRC

aero3113 said:

Added some more ducts, today.

How many feet did you use in total? I might follow your lead (again)!

aero3113

@YYZRC , I bought 60ft, LoL. Probably overkill but want to make sure I have enough.

rasbury

I walked past mine...

rinker270nb

My interstate batteries (house)didn't make it a full season last year. I am going to a new brand. Maybe optimum.  I just want the headache to go away.

PickleRick

J3ff said:

PickleRick said:

Dopped 200 bucks on 2 new group 31 batteries and boxes.  Dealer discount is good.  Im ready for launch now.  We will see how the weather is on Saturday

That's a steal, cost me 375 for the same size battery  

If you're ever passing through the area and have space to carry them south give me a heads up, I'll have you a new set ready to go.

Ian

aero3113 said:

@YYZRC , I bought 60ft, LoL. Probably overkill but want to make sure I have enough.

How much did you use in the end and what price you pay from where?