Blog Post #4

 5/12/22

Hours Today: 8 Hours 30 minutes

Total Hours: 29 Hours

Today was a longer day, and I started it with sanding the hull in preparation for another coat of epoxy. I realised, however, that I still needed to install the skeg. If I installed it prior to sanding and coating, the fillets would have more time to cure.

With this in mind, I measured the center of the hull from stern to bow, and marked lines 3/8 of an inch on either side. The width of the skeg is 3/4 of an inch, so these lines would allow me to line it up perfectly upon installation. 

The next step was for me to mark and drill 4 pilot holes through the bottom of the hull, in increments of 10 inches. Beginning at10 and ending at 40 inches, I used a 1/8 inch drill bit and followed the path the skeg will take. I then got underneath the boat, and countersunk all of the holes. This allows the screws to sit flush with the deck. 

I got someone to hold the skeg in place while I conducted a "dry fit", in which I set all the screws without any epoxy. I decided I was happy with where it was and how it fit, so I removed the screws and mixed up some epoxy, which I thickened with wood flour. Using the icing bag method I discussed in a previous post, I laid epoxy on the mating surface of the skeg. 

With a helper holding it down against the hull, I set the screws again. I used the epoxy that squeezed its way out from between the skeg and the hull to run my fillets, which will provide it with even more stability.

While this set, I sanded the rest of the hull, which took me more than a couple of hours. By the time I was finished, the fillet was ready to be smoothed. I did this with the rubbing alcohol trick I used on the cockpit seat.

I ended the day by coating the entire hull with its second coat of un thickened epoxy, which will give me the base for my third and final coat. 

Comments

  1. Kelly Griffin-BrownMay 13, 2022 at 10:52 AM

    Great work! Cant wait to see the finished project!

    DON'T FORGET TO ADD DAILY HOURS AND PROJECT TOTAL HOURS TO EACH BLOG POST!

    ReplyDelete

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