Today marked the last of the use of the vacuum pump so it is coming off the boat. I had two small little decay spots I found on the vertical of the transom starboard. Pretty minor. The decay and moisture really doesn't show evidence of travelling and the spot repairs have been minor, nothing compared to re-coring the cockpit or patching the foredeck. I hope I have found it all, knock on wood. If not I will repair as required in the future.
The goal today is to paint the ceiling. Over the past couple of weeks I have contacted a technical representative from Altrex and also consulted with the local Pettit paint rep. In the end I have decided against doing an epoxy primer then applying the 2-part polyurethane. I'm sure the results would be great but I'll stick with what is familiar, I'm not an expert. The topsides were already painted with a coating. In most areas I can tell the inter layer adhesion is good. The tricky part comes to the bare floor, which shows signs of old paint which has worn away. It is bare fiberglass and I will do this in a couple of weeks out with a textured gel-coat. For now I'll focus on the overhead. Then I can install the toe rails and the primary winches and deck hardware. The toe rails need to go on. The last thing I need to have happen is the deck to hull joint to open up when being lifted at the yard, un-likely but possible.
After the ceiling is painted then the interior top-sides will get either cabin coat or a satin white Easypoxy. And then the longitudinal bulkheads with an epoxy coating followed by a polyurethane to match the textured bulkhead. For colors the ceiling and topsides will be white. For the floor and inner surfaces of the longitudinal bulkheads I'm planning on a gray of some sort to add a little contrast. For the topsides or areas in which I have compatibility questions I will apply a soaked rag with mineral spirits on the already painted surface and leave it for ten minutes and look for any wrinkling. If wrinkling occurs then sanding will need to follow. For surface preparation I have used a light sand to remove some loose paint, this has been isolated to a few small areas of the topsides. Then an ammonia solution wipe down to remove any Amine blush in the epoxy areas as well as a general surface de-grease.
The reason for the move away from the epoxy primer and 2-part poly is because I don't think I need it because the bare glass has been coated with something already and the adhesion is good. Also to let anyone else know that when working in a confined space your safety is #1 and I've been careful along the way. The chemicals in the epoxy primer and 2-part are strong despite the use of a respirator and protective clothing. I'll save the epoxy primer for the bottom as a barrier coat.
Some other tips. I have a shop vac in the cockpit and learned early on, I bought a couple of extra hoses. I run one hose from the exhaust of the vac out the outboard motor well to the outside that way the fine dust that makes it through the filter of the vac does not pool in the cockpit but leaves the boat.
After a solid breakfast and multiple cups of coffee a productive day lays ahead.
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