Im done with all of the prep work, detail work, and general BS related to getting ready for paint. What a pain, dealing with the cold all winter long (one of the longest in memory here in Spokane). We have had flirtatious days of 55 degrees, only to be dealt a crushing blow of 7 days below 45 degrees and regular overnight snowfall. It melts during the day, only to come back and assault us yet again overnight.
Good news is, the last of the epoxy work was completed, and the splashboards on the bow are done! This was by far the most difficult fillet I have ever dealt with, being not only small, but delicate and difficult to get to thanks to the angles. It did turn out well, however.
After getting the splashboards up, set, glued, and filleted, I did one last detail sanding of various parts, then a nice long bath to get all the wintertime blush off. The fast and medium hardeners the epoxy needs sheds a blush when it cures, which is water soluble. This required a sponge scrub of the entire boat with mild detergent and a 3M pad. Afterwards, she turned out to be very clean and smooth, which was nice. It does, however, have what my friend Jerry refers to as "scobies" on it. These are the little balls of sanding dust and junk that have settled over time and made the boat a little "hairy" feeling. I think this week (since it is STILL too cold to paint) I might have to go out and give her a once over with the 220 grit, just to peel the scobies off and make it 100% buttery smooth for the paint.
Without further ado, here she is, ready for paint:
A sidelong glance:
Quartering shot to show the finished splashboards:
I had SWMBO's camera, with the big wide angle lens, so I shot some interior photos for the LB22 builders that might happen along after me, looking for ideas on how to do their aft seating and forward bulkheads:
Here is the finished splashboard:
I chose to run it inside the coamings so that the visual line of the coamings was uninterrupted. Obviously these splashboards are only going to be good for spray and rain, as a good sized wave will laugh at it just as it drenches the occupants of the boat. I did add some drain holes in the small pockets so they dont retain water and dirt. I think she gets a nice 40's flair from it, a very lean look. The windshield as-designed took away the armrests on the decks that SWMBO loved, so I chose not to add Jacques' windshield. Im always open to comments and ideas as well.
I have many more photos (including ones where I had sanded all of the lake scunge (a friend of mine's coined term for the green slime on the sides of our boats), if anyone is interested.
Now if it would only get over 60 so I could paint this thing.....
E
