Most of the work lately has consisted of sanding. The sanding has taken it's toll on my left arm and elbow. The tendonitis is only on the left, the right side seems to hold up better. Rest, ice, elevation, Ibuprofen...however the saying goes, just quit sanding left handed.
The good news is that I have finished with almost all the interior sanding. Most interior sanding has me working on a concave area so the sanding is somewhat confined. From here on I will be sanding on the outside and on mostly convex surfaces where I will be able to get away with more power sanding and less hand sanding. As soon as I finish this step everything will be covered in cardboard and newspaper to avoid drips and dings while working on the rest of the boat. It will be a while before I see my handiwork again. I will take a lot of pictures.
Breaking down the progress I have made in the last few weeks goes like this, take out all the floorboards, sand and finish them, finish sanding the hull, paint & finish it's surface, and reinstall the finished floor. Along the way, I builtin speaker boxes that I designed and installed in the front locker between bulkhead 1 and 2. Also spent some time figuring out the electronics, and did a little more work on the tiller that I laminated before the kit arrived...seems like a long time ago.
Painting (along with electronics) has always been my weak point. On the kayaks I would prep the surface and have an auto body friend spray for me. I decided to have a go at it myself this time. Those pros can make it look so easy...it is not. It went ok but I found myself recovering from my ineptness with a spray gun with more sanding. After the second coat I sanded the finish with 320 until I had a nice dull level surface. Just for an experiment I sanded an area with 800 grit and then hit it with my power polisher. The result was a really nice glossy finish. I figured it was not going to get any better so I finished off the rest of the hull.
I strive for perfection but there is always a point when you have to say "good enough"or the project will never get finished. I know where the mistakes are but I have learned over the years to just not point them out and it is very rare that they are ever discovered. It is not perfect but it is done!
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| Bilge primed sanded and ready for a top coat of paint. |
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Locker near the bow with fabricated speaker boxes in the corners and mounts for the battery down below. The hole in the center is an inspection port.
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| Locker after a coat of paint. |
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| Bilge after first coat. |
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| After some polish. |
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Floor finished and reinstalled. |
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| Another view of the sole without the lift out sections installed. The lift outs will conceal the lead ballast. |
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| Overview of the project. |
