bedding & backing

Anne and I spent the day bedding - filling any voids in the assembly and holes in the deck that may allow water penetration - and then installing backing plates - 1/4" thick metal plates that are mounted below decks to insure forces placed on gallows are distributed over a large area of the hull.

First we started below decks and used cardboard replicas of the backing plates to locate where on the plates we would need to drill holes for the machine screws.  Once we confirmed the hole patterns in the backing plates were correct, we loosened the nuts on the screws currently holding gallow's bases to the deck of the boat. With nuts backed out to the end of the treads we went topsides and used the main and jib halyards to lift the gallows bases off the deck.  This gave us approximately 3/4" of a gap between the deck of the boat and wooden base of the gallows - see image below. 

After taping off the surrounding area, Anne brushed unthickened epoxy into the gap - see image below.

We then mixed up a batch of thickened epoxy and used a syringe to inject the thickened epoxy under the base. Easing the halyards lowered the assembled gallows back down onto the deck and as expected the thicken epoxy oozed out around the bases.  This will create a watertight joint with the deck - see finished product in image below.

With the base sealed to the deck we then turned our attention back to the plates below deck.  We mixed up batches of thickened epoxy and spread this atop the backing plates.  As we tightened down the plates using the machine screws, pulling the plates in contact with the underside of the deck, the epoxy filled any voids between the backing plate and the underside of the deck.  Once cured the epoxy will create a uniform surface between the plates and the deck.  The image below is of the port backing plate installed.

a leap forward

Yesterday, May 7th, we moved the boat over to a friend's dock on the mainland and Greg from Paradise welding traveled down to Everglades City to install the metal post and braces for C'est la Vie's new gallows.

Greg is pictured in the image above welding on the extensions to our existing stern railings.  These extensions provide more security in the cockpit and bracing for the gallows.

Once the welds were completed then the polishing began.

We still have numerous facets of this projects to complete - polish the welds, finish the cross brace, install backing plates, bed the thru deck bolts, but it does feel like we made a leap forward yesterday.

Paint, primer, and progress

Progress, progress and the project lists continues to shrink. 
Anne has repainted the floor and engine room wall in the quarter berth (a.k.a. the guest suite).

A

And I continue to prime the gallows bases...

above is pictured coat #3 of primer. I also continue to fair out the generator box with filler to provide a smooth finish and neat corners.

 Before....

After...

We are awaiting Greg from Paradise Welding to make the trip down to Everglades City for the installation of the stainless steel posts for the boom gallows.  Tentatively he is scheduled to work on site either later today, Wednesday, or Friday.  Our plan is to ferry C'est la Vie over to our mainland neighbor's dock for the installation.  We will keep you all updated.

teamwork to tackle the backing plates

Anne and I worked together to create templates for the boom gallows backing plates and to install a port and starboard headsail sheet blocks.  These aft mounted blocks will replace the snatch blocks we are currently using to redirect the headsail sheets to the cockpit wenches..  This will afford us two snatch blocks for spares or for the hope of someday running twin headsails. 

Anne worked above decks to measure and install the blocks.

While I worked below decks to measure out the backing plates (we are having backing plates made for the blocks and the gallows) and to sand away the area in preparation for installation.

time to focus some attention below decks

Due to a plumbing emergency on Sunset Island my time for boat projects was reduced yesterday.  I resolved the plumbing leak late in the afternoon and decided the countdown to bug hour here on the island would not provide me with the window necessary to continue fairing the gallows bases.  Thus I choose to focus my energies below decks.
 
The gallows will require a sizable backing plate below decks.  The backing plate will need to sit flush against the underside of the deck.  This required me to cut away a section of the existing headliner below each of the bases. Fortunately these cutouts are in less visible locations - the starboard quaterberth and a port side storage area.  Based on my experience cutting away the decking during a project to re-core some of our decks, I chose to use a 4" grinder with the cut off wheel to remove the liner.  After marking off the section to be removed, I sealed off my work space using masking tape and plastic sheeting.   The image is of the starboard side quaterberth.  My goal is to reduce the amount of dust circulating below decks - cutting fiberglass is a dusty job. 

Once the area was cut away I used the orbital sander, lower center of image, to sand down the exposed surfaces in preparation for filling irregularities and voids with epoxy.  Since the area was tapped off and I had a sander in-hand.  I could not resist expanding my project to include sanding and repainting the floor of the quaterberth and the engine room wall.  No time like the present... right?

Along with concerns over dust in the boat, I certainly do not want to inhale any of the byproducts so appropriate safety equipment is necessary.  The images above are post cutting and sanding.

Sunfish Rudder

Since all my recent C'est la Vie projects have involved fiberglass and epoxy work, I included some rudder repairs for Phoenix, a 1970's era sunfish.  The wooden rudder was cracked longitunally near 3/4 of the length and the hole for mounting the pindle plate was expanduing due to rotten wood.

I drilled a stop hole a the terminus of the crack and removed all the rotten wood.  I then filled the stop hole and void left from removing the wood with thickened epoxy.  The next step was to laminated the entire rudder with a layer of fiberglass mat. The final step was to fair the entire project in with epoxy.  In a effort to retain the beauty of the wood, I did not thicken the epoxy.  This allowed the final product to retain the appearance of the original wood.

Hopefully the project list and winds will allow me to post some images of Phoenix once again rising from the ashes and back on the water.

Fairing

On both the generator box and the boom gallows bases, I continue to fair out (or should I say in?) the projects.  This means I am using thickened epoxy to smooth out rough edges and make things look aesthetically pleasing.

Well on the generator box is a bit more than just aesthetics.  I did smooth out the upper edge of the box.  Since the box must be air tight, the quality of this edge is very important as it will press against the gasket material to form the air tight seal.  I used epoxy thickened with 407 filler to create the edge.  Once the epoxy had begun the kick I used denatured alcohol, my fingers, and a razor knife to sculpt the edge.  A bit of sanding a few hours later and val la...

Meanwhile after a similar process on the gallows bases...

The next step on both of these projects will be to use 3M filler for the final fairing.

back to the bases

After spending the afternoon yesterday in Ft Lauderdale waiting on Nance and Underwood rigging shop to modify the lifelines and this morning focused on NOCBS' responsibilities, I made some progress on the bases for the new boom gallows this afternoon.

The image above is of the bases after removing the modeling clay mold and some sanding.  The cream colored base consists hardened epoxy thickened with a high density/structural thickener. This will provide a strong platform on which the base of the gallows will rest.

I then taped off the surrounding area in preparation for adding some epoxy thickened with a less dense/fairing thickener.  This will allow me to sand down the fillets and base to provide a nice cosmetic finish.

With the epoxy applied it is now a waiting game until I can begin sanding.  Since I used a slow hardener and we are nearing bug hour here in the Everglades, the sanding will happen tomorrow morning.