Boat hull showed little or no signs of previous blacking after around 30 months; I expected to see more traces, curious. Anyway, what was in evidence was a fine layer of rust, very little real loss of metal but just enough to make it worth while wire brushing down the lot, which took a good few hours - even using a wire brush wheel on an angle grinder, it was pretty hard work, especially underneath, where I'm pushing a power tool upwards, often contorted. Options I guess may have been a coat of vactan/firtan, sealing it all up, but local advice was remove it and just use bitumen. I supect there's as many opinions as there are boats (as usual), but any thoughts?
Anyway, pic above is a neat before & after , albeit the wrong way round. ;-)
Next job was bitumen itself - I'm using Rylard Premium Protection - I'm hoping to get at least three coats on, although since this stuff stays shiny, I may try to get on a top coat of conventional (matt) biutmen on the sides. Whatever, last coat has to go on Thurs to make sure it has 48 hrs before She goes back in the water on Sat*. I got the first coat finished Sun evening/Mon morning, so next coat Tues (24hr overcoating).
*I'm also discussing work on the sterm gland/universal joint - all a bit loose at the moment, and also adding a bulkhead within the engine space to keep bilge water separate from engine drips. This of course may gain me more time out of the water, but I'm not banking on that.
Thte title could refer to the classic argot spoken by the town's youth, normally heard in more provincial towns, but actually a tangential note that I have two tickets for I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, presented by Stephen Fry. It'll be different, but good.
3 comments:
ok, all that hard, back-breaking work has definitely convinced me NOT to hire a dry dock and do it myself this year ;-) Tortoise will look great with a smart black bottom and lovely red top - I'm afraid there's no avoiding looking shiny now Simon!
it's one of those balances, time & work vs money. Last time I paid them to do it, this time I know I can do a more thorough job (possibly more thorough than need be, who can tell) in terms of rust removal and the like. I'll also get on four coats rather than their two, which is what the bitumen makers recommend (although they would, wouldn't they) over bare metal, which is basically what was left from 30 months ago.
I'm happy to put the work in, although might look into epoxy for next time... ;-)
Very nnice blog you have here
Post a Comment