Varnish Begins

Yeah....after weeks of sanding, then applying epoxy and repeating this procedure over and over, I am so glad to move on and put the epoxy (and dust) behind me.  I cleaned everything up and began the process of varnishing the boat.  I know from my experience with my kayak that I will also be happy when the varnishing is done because the finish line is near.  Last night I mixed up the varnish with brush thinner and thinned it to 50/50.  I used brush thinner because I read that it helps to keep the varnish wet longer giving you time to spread it out.  I really had to work fast so I did not have any dry spots along the way.   I am expecting to put on between 4-6 coats of varnish.  Each time I will mix the varnish with less and less thinner.  The varnish will need to be sanded between each coat and should take 2-4 days to dry between coats.

I was very happy with this product.  I used Captains Varnish when I did my Kayak and that product gave me all kinds of problems with the biggest one being....orange peel.  I see no signs of that issue..yet. That's a good thing.

I sanded or filled with clear epoxy almost every day for 1-6 hours and this went on for weeks.  I am glad I did not keep track of my time.  I think all the hard work and time really paid off.  The boat finish is not as good as a professional would do but I am very happy with my work.

Here is a photo of the Kayak that I built several years ago.

Steering Mount

The Steering mounting bracket is now completed.  My brother Marty welded it all up for me and then I took it to a local powder coating company. The idea here is to be able to remove the steering control mounting bracket so the motor can tip forward for transport and draft clearance.

Sanding

No Photos....not much to look at, just sanding.

I have been sanding the deck of the boat to get everything smooth and level.  The white gap caulking turned out pretty well and I am happy with it but there are some high and low spots that I am dealing with.  I am also having some issues with removing some of the blue tape that was not removed in time and is now epoxied down at the seams between the wood and white caulk (only in a few spots).

I am sanding with 180 grit using an orbital sander but I am hand sanding all the edges because I don't want to get into the stained wood.  Yesterday, alone......I sanded for more than 5 hours.

This will be a process...sand then epoxy...sand and more epoxy...then level the white gaps and sand again.  Once I get everything smooth and level then I will begin with the varnish.  I am told that I will need 4-6 coats of varnish with sanding between each coat.  I should have bought some stock in sand paper and blue tape.

Later this week or early next week I should have my steering mount system that my brother Marty welded up for me back from powder coating and the seats should be ready for pick up from the upholster.  I will post an article and photos when they arrive.

White Caulking

It was suppose to be an exciting day but it ended up being a long hard day and an exciting night.  I have been looking forward to the day when I filled all the gaps between the planks on the boat deck.  I knew that once the gaps were filled, the look of the boat would really come to life.  I had been thinking about this look for months.  I failed to realize how much work it would be to get to that point.  Once this step was done, it was very exciting to see how it all turned out.

The morning started about 9:30 am on Saturday when a good friend and airplane builder Dave Pohl stopped by to take a look and I put him to work for a couple hours.  Dave helped me tape off the boat and mix epoxy and was a great help.  After Dave went home I thought that I would have about 30 minutes remaining to finish up but it actually took me another seven (7) hours before I was done with the caulking.

A couple of months ago I spoke with a Chris Craft Restoration builder and builder of some of the most beautiful wood boats that I have seen on the Internet about caulking my boat.  He does not use caulking because it breaks down in time.  He uses a mix of epoxy and white pigment with a caulking gun.  I figured if it is good enough for him, I would give it a try. 

The problem with epoxy is that you need to pace yourself because the mixture will harden.  I had purchased empty plastic caulking tubes but after listening to a good friend who used this method to apply the epoxy I had second thoughts.  He said it was a mess, trying to fill the tubes and problems with air in the tubes.  What I ended up doing (and it worked great) was to use clear empty catsup bottles that I bought at JoAnn Fabrics.  I only needed two bottles and I rotated them with each mixture of epoxy.

The reason it took me so long to caulk all of the gaps was the thickness of the epoxy.  It is extremely important to get the mixture thick enough to stop the running (flow).  I used cello-fill and microballoons the help thicken up the mixture.  The boat deck has a large arch in it and the epoxy wants to flow to the bottom which leave low spots and the extra epoxy runs to the bottom.  I found myself constantly dragging epoxy over the gaps to make the mixture level.  I had work in an area that epoxy had set up and keep moving around the boat (for hours).

Another problem I had was pulling the tape off.  I needed to wait until the epoxy had set up enough that it would not pull out of the gap, like taffy and when the epoxy finally kicked off, it was too late to pull the tape.  I ended up using a razor knife and a pair of tweezers when that happened.

The final problem that I ended up with was, dripping.  When I installed all the deck plank boards I used screws and washers as clamps.  Well they made holes in the deck (Dahh.....).  My original thought was that the epoxy would be thick enough to fill the holes and it did but only after dripping all over the inside of the boat.  Lucky for me, I had plastic sheets covering the floor but the inside walls had white epoxy dripped all over them.  Nothing that an hour worth of clean up with Acetone could not handle.

It was 7pm when I called it a day and the caulking turned out great.  Next will be to sand it all flush and smooth.  Then apply two more coats of clear epoxy on the entire deck.  Then 4-6 coats of Varnish over the entire boat (except the painted bottom) with sanding between every coat of epoxy and varnish.

Test fit the Cutwater and Transom Band

The Cutwater is a stainless steel part that fits on the bow of the boat.  It serves as a protector and adds a little jewelry to the boat.  I really like the look of a cutwater and transom band but I also thought that it could also hide any sins in my woodworking.  I am so happy with how the bow turned out that I did not need to hide anything so that's a plus.

My first step to get a cutwater and transom band made was to make templates and get them off to the welder.  I did that 3-4 weeks ago and this week I picked up the parts and test fitted them to the boat.  The welder just made tack welds for the fitting and then once we get it just right he will finish the welding and polish the stainless.  The transom band was perfect.  The cutwater was very close to being good but it did not fit just right on the left side.  I returned it to the welder ( one hour drive each way) with measurements and photos.  He is not sure of my explanation so I am trying to get him to come over and take a look at my boat before we move forward.

Epoxy Issue Resolved

Well, I was able to overcome my mistake with the last batch of epoxy mix.  It took almost a week (not all work) to get back on track but I am now moving forward once again.  I ended up taking a putty knife and a heat gun to remove the bulk of un-hardened epoxy.  Then I used Acetone to wipe of the remainder while constantly changing out my rags.  Then I took a green scotch pad to scuff up the surface again to hold the bond and get rid of any shinny spots.  Then I was ready for the next batch of epoxy.

In both of these photos you can see my good epoxy applied.  I ended up changing both of the epoxy pumps and the ratio of epoxy resin/hardener came out perfect.

 

The epoxy surface will not be smooth and level until I build it up with one or two more applications with sanding in between each coat.  This will get rid of any of the orange peel look.  It is great to get a glimpse of the wood grain with only one coat epoxy.

Stainless Steel Rail Trim and Epoxy Problems

This week I took advantage of a big epoxy problem that I have been having and used the time to work on making and dry fitting all of the railing Stainless Steel Trim.

First, I mentioned my epoxy problem.  Last Thursday evening I mixed up some epoxy and coated the entire deck of the boat.  My plan was to let it dry overnight, sand and apply the second coat over the weekend.  Well, things did not work out as planned.  THE EPOXY NEVER DRIED.  I realized that I made a huge error in the mix.  There are two pumps, one for the hardener and one for the resin.  My pumps were old and sticking so in the middle of mixing I changed one of the pumps ( looking back, should have changed both pumps) and the mix never received enough hardener. 

I talked to the epoxy manufacture last week and they told me not to put a new mix of epoxy on top of epoxy that has not hardened.  After spending three days using portable heaters to heat the room to 80 degrees and running a heat gun over the entire boat four times, I gave up.  I hate to go backwards but that is what needs to be done.  I spent all Sunday afternoon using a heat gun and spatula to strip the epoxy off the boat deck.  What a job and what a mess. I was able to remove 80% and most has dried now but not all.  I will call the manufacture again today and ask what my next move should be.  I am hoping they can suggest a solvent to wipe the remaining epoxy.

OK, now for the Stainless Steel Trim.

A good friend and Squirt Boat Builder Art Atkinson came over on Saturday and gave me some good advice.  We practiced and then made a few of the parts.  His method for making the bends, hammering out the spear points, drilling the countersinking holes, and polishing stainless steel all proved to be great.

You can also see in the photo above the bad epoxy ( it was later removed).

The stainless steel trim fit very tight with little or no gaps.

I was really happy about the look of all the stainless steel trim.  I did not want a joint at the bow of the boat so I made the bend using one piece.  I think the Trim turned out very nice and professional.