Boat Day…s!

Since I started this blog I have referred to Boat Day and it is usually on a Saturday. There have been several occasions where we spent a few hours during the week getting things prepped for the weekend. This was one of them.

On Thursday I started applying epoxy to the back of the flag table to seal it and, since it might be seen from the lower area in the cockpit, to make it look finished. I decided to make it black.

I made a very simple dam using masking tape and poured a layer 1/8″ thick. I should have just brushed on a layer to seal the wood but I guess I got lazy. I spent the next hour fighting with large bubbles. It probably wouldn’t have mattered since it was black and on the underside.

On Friday night I cleaned up the edges, sanded the surface with 220 grit sandpaper, and then poured a second coat.

You definitely have to spend some time making sure the bubbles are taken care of. The working time of the epoxy seemed to be about an hour.

Passing the flame quickly over the surface forces the bubbles to pop. You don’t have to get too close. I’m not sure if it is the heat or the CO2 that gets rid of the bubbles.

On Saturday morning I sanded the edges and sandes the face. Starting with 320, I then went with 600, 1000 and will finish it with 2000 next weekend. This will give it a slight matt finish. I also put a champfer on the bottom edge where the oak and epoxy meet. This way we won’t see the thickness of the epoxy.

This photo shows the back after sanding with 320 grit sandpaper.

And after 1000…

The final pour for the front will be either Monday or Tuesday night.

We put on the final layer of flexible plywood in the salon. We are now ready to cover this area with laminate. The issue we had to deal with here was to make sure the plywood was smooth on the curve. The existing curved wall wasn’t as consistent as we liked (sorry 1987 Searay people) so what we did was apply a lot of adhesive and screw the plywood on. By backing off the screws a bit we could even out the curve where needed knowing that we had good adhesion behind.

Just to the right of the curve there is a 3/4″ strip of plywood where the edge represents the face of the wall on the other side of the doorway. We put a lot of construction adhesive under the plywood where it butts into that edge and made sure that they were flush. Basically we had to make sure the jamb of the door was perfect so the door would hang properly. Then we brought the wall to be flush with that edge.

Next on the list was finishing the installation of the small lower cabinet in the vestibule entrance to the v-berth. This is Jim, one of Donald’s good friends, who stopped by to take a tour of the boat and lend a hand. Here he is fastening the back to the cabinet.

And helping with the install.

Here is where I point out that there is still no sign of Jason and Kevin.

I was now able to fit the Corian top for this unit. I beveled the front edge to make a finished edge of 1-1/8″. Here I am taping the edge to the top.

I was also able to continue with the installation of the Corian in the head. Here I added two vertical trim pieces to the entrance to the shower.

Donald made some small filler pieces as well.

And added a full size panel in the v-berth.

We are expecting a visit from the big boss next weekend. My father is coming to check up on our work. The weekend after that is boat show time in Toronto. Looking forward to that for ideas for lighting and how to finish the ceiling.

Until then I hope everyone has a great week.