Take the Mystery Out of Boat Maintenance 039303335X, 9780393033359

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rarence

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TAKE THE j MYSTERY 01 OF BOAT MAINTENANC The book for every boat owner who has ever botched a ref inishing job-or

who is about to.

BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY

Take the Mystery Out of Boat Maintenance

Take the Mystery Out of Boat

Maintenance Lawrence A. Diamond

WW-

NORTON & COMPANY

New York London

Copyright

© 1989 by Lawrence A. Diamond All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America.

The text of this book is composed in Century School, with display type set in Avant Garde. Composition by ComCom. Manufacturing by Haddon Craftsmen. Book design by Jaques Chazaud First Edition

ISBN 0-3T3-03335-X W. W. Norton

W. W. Norton

&

Company,

& Company

500 Fifth Avenue, New York, N. Y. 10110 36 Great Russell Street, London WC1B

Inc.,

Ltd.,

3NU

1234567890

Contents

11

Introduction 1.

General Painting and Varnishing Tips

2.

Spars (Mast, Boom,

and Spinnaker Pole)

—

Wood Spars Varnish Quick Review

Quick Review

33

47

50

—

Aluminum Spars Paint Quick Review

—Linear Polyurethane (LP)

Quick Review

Wood and Maintaining Teak and 60

"Pearls of Wisdom"

61

63

Quick Review

Teak Decks

55

58

Nonskid Decks

Staining

51

54

Aluminum Spars Staining Exterior

32

46

Wood Spars—Paint

3.

17

64

65

Quick Review Nonskid Decks

Quick Review

67 67 72

4.

Topsides and Cabinsides

Compound and Wax Quick Review

73

76

Sheer Stripe— Paint

Quick Review Topsides (Hull)

76

77

—Linear Polyurethane

Quick Review

78

79

Aluminum Radar Arch and Portholes Quick Review

80

81

Bronze Portholes and Mooring-Line Chocks

Quick Review

82

83

Minor Fiberglass Repair (to Gelcoat or Not to Gelcoat) Quick Review Gelcoat

87

(THE "Magical Mystery Tour")

Quick Review 5.

Bottom, Keel,

90

and Boot Stripe

Bottom and Keel

92

Quick Review

96

Boot Stripe

97

Quick Review

New Boats

97

98

Quick Review 6. Interior

Paint

100

and Varnish

Interior Varnish

103

Quick Review

105

Painted Surfaces

106

Quick Review

109

Cabin Sole

w

110

3 for Mildew

112

Caulking and Sealants 7.

88

Rigging

Standing Rigging

116

Running Rigging

124

113

CONTENTS

7

Hardware

127

Manual

Pumps

Bilge

Fire Extinguishers

Conclusion

128

129

131

Acknowledgments

133

Introduction

a short, simple, concise "bible" of boat maintenance whose premise is that it is far less expensive, safer, and more enjoyable to have a beautiful and efficient boat than it is to have an average, marginally efficient boat that's "good enough for government work," so to speak. The latter always becomes the boat owner's upThis book

is

and personal bete noire. Whether one owns a fourteen-foot daysailer, large sailing auxiliary, flybridge sportfisherman, or grand motor yacht, a boat that is maintained "just enough" to get by will always torture an owner's soul and wallet from the moment of purchase (whether new or used) close

to the

moment of disposal or sale.

a famous, often-quoted saying in yachting: "The two happiest days in the life of a boat owner are the day he buys his boat and the day he sells it." One does not need to be a rocket scientist to get the gist of this time-honored saying. The first happy day of the boat owner's life is when he makes the emotional decision to purchase the object of his dreams. His euphoria is almost immediately shattered by the need to choose among an overwhelming plethora of expensive equipment, finishes, and applications, to say nothing of finding the right people to install and apply them. As the boat owner wades into this seemingly endless sea of charlatanism (which includes his "expert" boating friends and the neighbors on his dock) he finds himself in a financial quagmire. As long as he owns the object of his dreams, he's in the marine industry's ver-

There

is

sion of the catacombs.

INTRODUCTION

12

After a sufficient

amount of time spent having

his wallet

and

soul tortured, he extricates himself from this dream-turned-night-

mare by selling the object of his dreams to another individual about to embark on the same adventure our first boat owner is culminating, which brings our first boat owner to the second happiest day of

—selling

his boating life

it.

This need not be the scenario for millions of boat owners and millions of future boat owners.

After twenty years of sailing, repairing, refinishing, and owning

have learned many simple techniques and methods that take the mystery out of boat maintenance. I detail them here to help make your tenure as a boat owner not only far less expensive than the aforementioned scenario, but pleasurable as well, so that you will have confidence in it and pride of ownership. Almost 90 percent of all pleasure craft today are fiberglass hulls, with lead keels, aluminum or wood masts, stainless-steel hardware, wood interiors, and wood exterior trim. I will explain and illustrate in detail the preparations, applications, and finishes of all of these surfaces from the bottom of the keel to the top of the mast, as well as the standing and running rigging of sailboats. Though I just said "from the bottom of the keel to the top of the mast," I didn't necessarily mean that you should do them in that order. As a matter of fact, one of the pearls of wisdom that I'm going to try to impart is that the order in which you do the various projects boats,

is

I

of paramount importance.

You

will soon find that the beautiful boat

you thought was too

expensive to have or necessitated hiring a boat-maintenance "guru" is

not nearly as expensive or as complicated to maintain as you

thought it was. If you decide you do not wish to do all, or any, of the work on your boat, this book will give you a good working knowledge of the products, methods, techniques, and sequence involved, and be a sort of lifeboat in your dealings with boat-maintenance professionals. At the very least this book will save you from the following scenario: You hire a boat-maintenance guru who puts your boat

under

siege,

and you

ruining your boat.

realize that not only

It all

is

he not a guru, but he

needs to be done over and you

the going rate for whatever gurus

make

these days.

still

is

owe him

You just heard

now let me tell you the good news. Most people who have a boat-owning relative, friend, or acquaintance generally assume that this individual is competent and the bad news;

INTRODUCTION

13

knowledgeable with respect to boating. This since people thought the earth

is

myth

the biggest

was flat.

can safely say that 95 percent of all boats leave a lot to be The few individuals who have beautiful, efficient boats are usually senior citizens who have owned several boats over a period of at least twenty years, and have suffered many trials, tribulations, I

desired.

and

financial baths.

Even if your financial resources allow you to have and maintain a mint-condition yacht, your chances of finding knowledgeable and competent people to perform the necessary tasks are very slim. With this book you will be able to complete the necessary tasks yourself in a minimal period of time, with a minimum of cost and labor.

In short, whether you do the work yourself or hire a boatyard or independent contractor to do it for you, this book will arm you with a

body of knowledge and correct information that

will enable

assess the boatyard's or contractor's information

and

to

you

make

to

deci-

sions based on facts so as to achieve your goals in the shortest

amount of time and for the

least

amount of money.

Take the Mystery Out of Boat Maintenance

1 General Painting

and

Varnishing Tips

The things that I am going to mention here are items that you should always have available, preferably set out neatly before you ever paint or varnish anything, large or small.

and very important, you need a drop cloth to set all your when pouring and mixing. There is no quicker way to alienate a marina proprietor or manager than by leaving an indelible stain on the dock or dock box. All marine paints and varnishes (oil-based products), except for two-part epoxies and polyurethanes, can be and are preferFirst

materials on

ably thinned with Z-Spar

#10 or #11

thinner;

# 10 is a slow-evapo-

#11 is very slow evaporating. I usually prefer #11 thinner because I work outdoors most of the time. On hot days the thinner evaporates faster and when a breeze comes up # 11 gives rating thinner and

me

that extra

little bit

of time to maintain a wet edge to keep the

paint or varnish flowing smoothly without leaving lap marks.

The

#11 thinner is also very good in cold weather. Z-Spar thinners are excellent for thinning or reducing paints and varnishes in small increments to keep the product flowing at the

18

GENERAL PAINTING AND VARNISHING

Using the wire brush, vigorously stroke the bristles from the heel to the brushing edge on both sides ond the outside edges in one direction only.

TIPS

GENERAL PAINTING AND VARNISHING

Flick

the brush from outside

edge through the open until

the brush

is

edge

TIPS

to outside

fingers of your

virtually dry, yet silky

Spin the brush

back and

forth

hand smooth.

19

GENERAL PAINTING AND VARNISHING

20

which I will discuss be cleaning your brushes with.

right viscosity, to

When the

first

varnishing,

I

clean

later,

but they are too expensive

my brushes with

two or three rinses and then give a

mineral spirits (paint thinner) or

TIPS

lacquer thinner for

final rinse in either

# 10 thinner. Do not use # 11 for a

final rinse.

The reason for using lacquer thinner first is that it attacks the varnish between the bristles in the foot or heel of the brush, (the metal band that holds the bristles in). Pour an ounce or two of lacquer thinner in a clean, empty, one-pound coffee can. Press the brush down on each side to the heel or foot several times (Figure 1). Lay the brush down and use a wire brush (it's a little bit bigger than a toothbrush, has a wooden handle, and costs about a dollar) to stroke the brush vigorously from the heel to the edge on both sides and the outside edges (Figure 2). Press it back down in the lacquer thinner a couple of times, then shake it and spin it between your palms (Fig-

ures 3 and

4).

Pour out the used lacquer thinner. Wipe the coffee can clean and Pour another couple of ounces of lacquer thinner in the can and rinse the brush again. Shake and spin the brush, then run the bristles through the open fingers of your other hand until the brush is dry (Figure 5). Lacquer thinner is great for removing the varnish from a brush, but it has a tendency to dry out the bristles, and that's why a final rinse in either mineral spirits or # 10 thinner is necessary to keep the brush in good condition. When painting, do not use lacquer thinner to clean your brushes. Mineral spirits work just fine, and if you want your brush to dry.

stay in excellent condition, give

You should have a

it

a

final rinse in

# 10 thinner.

couple of clean, empty, one-pound coffee cans opening the cans and

for cleaning brushes; a flathead screwdriver for

hammer for tapping them closed evenly; and a couple of mixing sticks and a half-dozen strainers. It is not necessary to strain paint or varnish when opening a new can, but when you pour back what you haven't used you should pour it through a strainer, and pour it through a strainer for each subsequent use (Figures 6 and 7). Also needed are clean rags. The best rags for messing around boats are cotton baby diapers. They are usually sold in marine harda small

ware stores by the pound.

A

tack cloth (a sticky cloth that removes fine particles of dust and lint) is for the final wiping just prior to painting or varnishing.

GENERAL PAINTING AND VARNISHING

TIPS

21

Always pour paint or varnish through a strainer into your bucket (the only exception is when you are opening a

new

can).

Always pour paint or varnish through a strainer when returning it to the can from your bucket (no exceptions).

Using two buckets in this fashion eliminates drips and guards against spills.

GENERAL PAINTING AND VARNISHING

22

TIPS

Before you use a tack cloth, unfold

it and roll it up in your hands for about a minute. Then unroll it and fold it in half a couple of times and it's ready to use. Without this procedure it's too stiff and won't pick up the dust. When you wipe off an area just prior to painting or varnishing, do not rub hard or you could leave some residue from the tack cloth on the surface. Always drag the tack cloth lightly over the

surface.

Mixing buckets come

in small,

medium, and

large.

For painting

medium are all you will need. The roughly one quart, and the medium bucket holds

or varnishing your boat, small and

small bucket

is

about two quarts.

When painting or varnishing you should never fill

the bucket more than about half full.

have a technique that is very clean and neat that prevents paint or varnish from dripping onto the deck or dock. Fill a small bucket about halfway with paint or varnish and set the small bucket inside a medium-sized bucket. As you paint and keep dragging your brush across the rim of the small bucket you'll notice the drips in the medium bucket, which is a perfect place for them (Figure 8). You should have a couple of each size available when you are painting or I

varnishing.

Whatever you are brushing

—the following technique

primer

—paint,

is

varnish, undercoat, or

a simple one that will virtually

assure you of a smooth, even surface. Certain primers and undercoats are not going to look very good because brush strokes

and lap

marks will show. Not to worry. Multiple sandings and multiple coats are the heart and soul of that beautiful, smooth, glossy, gleaming

The brushing technique is the same for fiberglass, aluminum, and wood. The primers, undercoats, and finishes may change, but the technique remains the same from the first primer to the last finishing coat. The brushing technique is called surface that you want.

cross stroking. If you're right-handed, brush

you're left-handed, brush from

from right

to left. If

left to right.

When brushing wood, your first two strokes should be across the grain and your next two strokes should be right over the top of what you just did, with the grain. As you start moving two or three strokes across

your

and two or three over the top with the

last strokes are

grain,

make

sure that

always going back into what you have just

brushed. The technique

is

exactly the

same

and alumithe same direc-

for fiberglass

num. Always make sure that your last strokes are in wet edge, easing the pressure on the brush

tion back to the

for the

GENERAL PAINTING AND VARNISHING

This cross-stroking for

wood,

TIPS

23

technique is exactly the same and aluminum, and for all

fiberglass,

primers, undercoats,

and

finish coats.

GENERAL PAINTING AND VARNISHING

24

last

few strokes (Figures 9-12).

I

would

TIPS

add an important note wider than the surface

like to

You should never use

a brush that is you are brushing. Sometimes while brushing you can get a little carried away and use a little more wrist action than is necessary. You have a tendency to flick the brush, which causes very small, tiny flecks of paint or varnish to be splattered around. If you should happen to get some flecks of paint or varnisH where you didn't necessarily want them, when you are done brushing those flecks will come off easily with a little lacquer thinner on a rag. With varnish, you can't see the flecks until after the varnish dries. The following day those flecks will come off easily with a single-edge razor blade. So try to use a consistent, smooth, even stroke that's a little more arm movement than wrist here:

action.

Whenever

refer to

I

any

grit of sandpaper

throughout this book,

unless otherwise specified, I am referring to 3M White Grain FreeCut or Open-Coat sandpaper made of either aluminum or silicon carbide (Figures 13 and 14). The paper itself comes in A through D weights. Unless a paper weight is specified with the grit, it doesn't

matter.

The weight of the paper

When hand

gets heavier with the rougher grits. sanding you should always sand with the paper

Whether using half sheets or quarter sheets, have three flat surfaces and six edges (Figures 15 and 17).

folded in thirds.

you

will

As you

how

start sanding various parts of

nice

and handy those

your boat, you will realize

six edges are for all those hard-to-get-to

places.

For machine sanding with a speed-block or oscillator sander, it on the crease with a knife. Then cut the two halves in half (Figure 16). You will have four 4V2 X 5V2-inch squares of sandpaper from one sheet which fit perfectly on a speed-block sander. For grits 60, 80, and 100, insert two squares in your oscillator; two are all that will comfortably fit. The coarser grits fold a sheet of sandpaper in half and cut

last longer. 20).

Then

For

grits 120 to

as you're sanding

320 insert four squares (Figures 19 and it

takes only one knife cut to tear the top

sheet off and keep sanding, so you won't have to change the paper

constantly (Figures 21 and

22).

Whether you are using quarter sheets

your speed block or half sheets or quarter sheets folded in thirds for hand sanding (Figure 18), do not hesitate to change sandpaper often. Compared to the overall project that you are doing, the sandpaper is probably the for

GENERAL PAINTING AND VARNISHING

25

TIPS

least expensive material of the job but the most important. Good sanding and surface preparation are always the heart of a beautiful finish.

The method and technique of fairing and feathering are the same for sanding wood, fiberglass, or aluminum. Whether you have a painted or varnished wood surface that is checking (just before paint or varnish starts to crack or peel

checking) or bare, an

it

will spider-web,

which

is

called

aluminum surface that's bubbling and peeling,

or a fiberglass surface that's crazing or cracking, the general rule of

thumb is to sand the affected area hard with either 60, 80, or 100 grit, depending on how big and how bad the area is. The purpose of feathering is to blend the bad area so that it is smooth and fair with the good area. The entire good area should be sanded with 120 grit. The bad area has already been sanded with 60, 80, or

100

grit.

Sand the bad area and

area with 120, 150, 180, and 220

grit, in

its

immediate surrounding You should have

that order.

a perfectly fair and smooth surface now.

Regular masking tape is a beige- or tan-colored corrugated tape. When painting or varnishing your boat, the paint and varnish have a tendency to leak under this tape, and it's a little too sticky and sometimes pulls parts of the surface up with it when it's removed. If left on in the sun for more than a day it's hard to get it off at all without using some slow thinner and a knife. So when you mask off hardware, or one part of your boat from another, you should use a low-tack, flat-back tape. 3M makes two kinds; one is bright green and the other is a dull, transparent green called Fineline. Either one can be used for all masking purposes, although the transparent tape is much easier to cut with a razor blade when trying to conform to something like a nonskid pattern. Whenever you open a can ofpaint (marine enamel), it should be thoroughly stirred before thinning or use. No matter how separated or gummy it is at the bottom of the can, after stirring it for a few minutes you'll bring it back to life. Do not ever use or paint with marine enamel straight out of the can. All marine enamels or topside enamels (oil based) must be thinned at least 10 percent and usually more. There are two main ingredients to a beautiful varnish job. One is

surface preparation and the other

is

multiple coats.

I

face preparation thoroughly in the following chapters.

discuss the three types of varnish:

discuss sur-

Here

I

will

11

!

Whole sheet of 3M white aluminum oxide or silicon carbide sandpaper

i

i

i

to grit

i

i

i

grit

ALWAYS fold it back to back ALWAYS use a knife to cut it on the crease

Half sheet folded in thirds

|i!i!i!i!i!i!i i

NEVER fold sandpaper

for large

11111 i

i

i

i

i

i

i

i

i

i

]i ji

jijiji

area of hand sanding

llili'iili!

hi

i

i

!i!iH!i!i I'l'i'i'i'i'i

ill

i

i

i

i

i

I

i

1

1

i

1

i

i

i

i

i

i

i

i

V

1

1

1

I'l'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i'i 1

1

1

1

1

i

!

j

i

j

i

j

i

j

i } i

! i ! i

i i ! i ! i ! i ! ! i ! i ! i !

i

j

ivi'i'i'i'i'i 'I'i'lh'i'i'i!

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

of

I

.'.'liiljjij.!'!

IIS ill Si I

hand sanding

ii'ii

i

I

Quarter sheet folded in thirds for small area

1

ii

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

r,

i

i

i

i

i

i

i

i

i

i

i

i

I

I

i

i

iii i

i

Hi 1

i

1

1

i

;

i

i i

;

i

i i

i

i

i

,

i

,

i

i

i

i

i

i

i

i

Half sheet cut in fourths for

speed-block sander

Quarter sheets folded in thirds and doubled over for

grooves and seams

GENERAL PAINTING AND VARNISHING

TIPS

27

the outermost sheet has been depleted, one knife cut Tear off the sheet and the other flagging end. You now have three more sheets to go before emptying the clips and loading in four more sheets.

When frees

It.

GENERAL PAINTING AND VARNISHING

28

TIPS

Several companies manufacture quick-drying, buildup var-

1.

have used most of these varnishes, and I feel that Interlux # 100 Jet Speed is the best. I use it for all varnished surfaces from bare wood buildup with four to six coats, to repairing existing varnished surfaces that are checked and have bare spots by applying two to four coats of Jet Speed and feathering it into the existing nish.

I

varnished surface. 2.

Dull, satin, or rubbed-effect varnish

is

for interior use

should not be applied in direct sunlight, because alligator or orange-peel (surface wrinkles).

it

and

has a tendency to

Three of the most com-

mon dull-finish varnishes are McCloskey's Interlux

Man O'War Satin Varnish

#60 Rubbed Effect Varnish Sheen Varnish

Z-Spar V-975 Satin

A

your favorite high-gloss varnish and add Z-Spar #525 Flattening Solution to it in a ratio of about 1 to 4 by volume, that is, one part flattening solution to four parts varnish (or about two ounces of flattening solution to eight ounces of varnish). The flattening solution should be thoroughly but gently stirred into the varnish without causing bubbles. 3. There are many excellent high-gloss finish varnishes with ultraviolet (UV) shield. Whichever finish varnish you choose, if you stick with it and use it for all your varnishing needs you will become very familiar with the product, including how it reacts under various fourth alternative

conditions and

Below ries:

is

to use

how to chemically adjust it for those conditions.

I list

high-gloss finish varnishes with

UV in two catego-

summer varnish, for those long, warm, summer afternoons, and cool,

winter days with quickly changea-

Summer

varnish takes longer to dry, and

winter varnish, for the short, ble weather conditions.

usually has a

little

better depth

and

gloss retention

varnish, which dries

much

excellent year-round

and are much easier

than winter

quicker; however, winter varnishes are

Summer varnishes: Regatta 3105 Spar Varnish Wilbo Super Spar Varnish Z-Spar 1015 Captain's Varnish

for

a novice to use.

GENERAL PAINTING AND VARNISHING

TIPS

29

Woolsey Spar Varnish McCloskey's Man O'War McCloskey's Boat Koat

Winter varnishes: Interlux

90 Spar Varnish

Z-Spar 1002B Yachtsman's Varnish

Paint and varnish finish coats will be explained in detail later in this

Fd like to give a note here about how temperature affects these coats. As long as the ambient temperature is constant or rising

book, but

two hours after the finish coat has been brushed on, it will come out beautiful, as you expect it to. But a sudden drop in temperature of about 5 degrees during this critical two-hour period will flatten the finish. That's why finish coats should be brushed on starting between nine and ten in the morning, when the temperature is at least 55 degrees and there is minimal or no wind. The ideal conditions for painting or varnishing a finish coat are a temperature of 70 degrees, humidity of 50 percent, and no wind. Although paint and varnish finish coats can be applied between 55 and 85 degrees, and between 20 and 80 percent humidity, this is where thinner comes into play, which will also be explained in the for the first

following chapters.

You have just Half an hour later a fog comes in or a chilly breeze comes up and the temperature drops to 58 degrees. So does the gloss on your finish coat. The solution to this unfortunate event is that the next day you sand the finish coat with 220 grit, and the day after that, or whenever the weather appears more favorable, you brush on the coat again. Here's another example, at the other end of the spectrum: If you varnish a flat piece of wood at midday on an 85-degree day, the direct sunlight and heat will literally cook it. The varnish will sink, spread, and bubble. So it's a good idea to varnish in the morning: refracted sunlight and rising temperature. By midday, your finish coat will be past the critical two-hour period, and will have set up enough so that the midday sun will not ruin it. For brushes, let's take it from the top: A set of brushes means five brushes: 1, IV2, 2, 2V2, and 3 inches wide. If you plan on doFor example, suppose

it is

a

cool,

65-degree day.

finished painting or varnishing a finish coat.

GENERAL PAINTING AND VARNISHING

30

TIPS

ing beautiful finish work, you need at least one set of brushes,

and preferably two are

many

sets

—one for paint and one for varnish. There

types of brushes, but for the purpose of this book, and

the refinishing of your boat,

I

will discuss three basic types of

brushes.

1.

Disposable or throwaway brushes: Use them once and throw

them away. These brushe's are used

which are two-part, catalyzed products that function as tie coats between the original (sanded and cleaned) surface and the undercoats and/ or finish coats. These primers the ugliest browns, greens, and yellows in the chemical kingdom destroy brushes. Primers and throwaway brushes complement each other perfectly. 2. Purdy brushes are the workhorses of refinishing boats, and very good ones, too, if I may say so. These brushes are used for undercoats and finish coats and are excellent for all oil-based paints and varnishes. Museum-grade finishes can be created with these brushes. Because refinishing boats is what I do for a living, I buy for primers,

— —

many sets of these brushes at a time. When they are new, I use them on one or two varnishing projects, then rotate them in painting projects. After the painting projects, float test (for folks in

mistic

way

I

for

one or two

see if they pass the

the boat-maintenance business, this

is

a euphe-

of saying that they are thrown away). For painting, var-

and maintaining your boat, two sets of these brushes will you many years, if you clean them properly after each use. You can use a varnish brush for paint, but NEVER a paint brush for nishing, last

varnish.

Grumbachers are for finish varnish coats only! Using a Grumbacher for paint would be the equivalent of using a Chateau LafiteRothschild for cooking rather than drinking. If you're a novice, and this is going to be the first time you endeavor to do serious refinishing on your boat, don't waste your money on Grumbachers. If, however, you do a few projects and find that turning your boat into a 3.

yacht

is

enjoyable (and

maybe even

therapeutic) as a hobby, then

—treat yourself to a set of Grumbachers for your birthday or

splurge

some other

occasion.

They are

tools of

such fine quality that one

should have some experience and knowledge of their use, care,

and maintenance you.

to truly appreciate them.

Grumbachers

will spoil

GENERAL PAINTING AND VARNISHING

The

list

TIPS

31

below gives approximate costs for the three types of

brushes:

Grumbacher

Purdy

Throwaway

1-inch

$28.00

$ 4.80

$ .80

lVfe-inch

$33.60

$ 5.60

$1.08

2-inch

$41.44

$ 6.70

$1.34

2%-inch

$47.04

$ 8.40

$1.70

3-inch

$57.12

$10.40

$2.24

2 Spars (Mast, Boom, and Spinnaker Pole)

There are many reasons

to take the

just painting or varnishing

it is

mast out of your

not one of them, and

I

sailboat,

but

will explain

why. If what is ailing

your mast is purely cosmetic (no structural or whether aluminum or wood, it is relatively easy and inexpensive to go aloft and paint or varnish it. It can look just as good as the job done in the yard. If, on the other hand, there are structural and/or electrical problems that cannot be corrected aloft (there are many problems that can be corrected aloft), while the mast is out of the boat it is just as well to paint or varnish it in the yard after the structural and electrical problems have been corrected. Wood masts are either varnished with marine spar varnish or painted with marine enamel. Aluminum masts are either painted with marine enamel or sprayed with linear polyurethane (LP). electrical problems),

many people believe that it has superWrong! LP is not a magic potion that makes

Since the advent of LP,

seded marine enamel.

SPARS (MAST, BOOM,

AND SPINNAKER

boats or spars bulletproof.

POLE)

33

LP is an excellent product for specific uses

and surfaces. So is marine enamel. I will explain the differences between the two and which is best and most feasible for various applications.

In this chapter, whenever ring to the

I

mention the mast,

boom and spinnaker

pole.

They are

I

all

am

also refer-

referred to as

spars.

Wood Spars—Varnish your varnished wood mast looks more like an eyesore than the complement to your boat that it should be, I will explain how you can have and maintain a gorgeous, museum-grade varnished spar that you thought was reserved only for advertisements in Wooden Boat magazine. First, the mast must come out of the boat and be put on sawhorses in your backyard or the boatyard. You should remove the standing rigging (stays and shrouds), running rigging (halyards), and hardware. A word to the wise here: As you remove each stay or halyard, coil it carefully and neatly. Wrap three or four pieces of tape around each coil and label each one appropriately for example, fs/forestay, bs/backstay, sus/starboard If

beautiful, perfect

—

upper shroud, sis/starboard intermediate shroud, sfl/starboard forward lower, sal/starboard aft lower, srbs/starboard running backstay,

and the reciprocal

for the port side. All the cotter pins

and

new ones when the mast goes Chapter 7). If there is no dry rot, you should leave the stainless steel (SS), masthead fitting, mainsail track, and spreaders on. If there is dry rot, you need a carpenter or shipwright to scarf in new wood. When you put the screws back in the mast, you should bed each screw hole and screw with bedding compound. Dolphinite antifungicidal bedding compound is excellent for this purpose, to seal the hole and prevent moisture from getting in. If you are putting a screw in and accidentally strip the hole (so the screw doesn't bite the wood), you should drill out the hole the same size as the screw, mix up a few drops of 5 Minute Epoxy, put that in the hole, and insert a small piece of doweling the same size as

cotter rings should be replaced with

back up

(see

SPARS (MAST, BOOM,

34

the screw.

Then

AND SPINNAKER

get the next'-smallest-size drill bit

bed the hole and the screw, screw

and

drill

POLE)

the

new

and and DON'T STRIP IT! As I was saying, now that the hardware and standing and running rigging have been removed and labeled, you can strip off all the old paint or varnish. I have found that most strippers (paint and varnish removers) work pretty much the same and deliver the desired results El Pico, Pro Strip, First Mate, and Interlux # 199 and # 299 for fiberglass or \vood that borders fiberglass, just to name hole. Finally,

it

in gently

firmly,

—

a few.

Before using any of these products,

TIONS. They are usually

READ THE INSTRUC-

and quite helpful. For example, the "Brush with the grain in one direction only." That is a very good instruction. Try it. The product will work amazingly well. Brush back and forth and you'll turn an right

directions on most cans of stripper say

easy

little

job into a mess.

Just before opening the can of stripper put on a pair of rubber dishwashing gloves, because if the stripper touches your skin you'll know it immediately. This stuff has a major ouch factor. Start with a small area of about three feet. Apply three to four coats of stripper one after another, brushing in one direction only,

with the grain of the wood, using a throwaway brush, so that after the third or fourth coat

it

hasn't dried; then

let it set for

about ten

minutes.

Now

and a two-inch Red Devil about everywhere, and usually nearby is a Red

get your scrapers (a one-inch

scrapers are sold just

>.

sharpening the scraper blades. After about a half-dozen strokes with the grain, in the same direction you brushed on the stripper (Figure 23). give your scraper blade a few strokes with the Devil

file

file

for

back and forth on the underside of the blade, and

in

one direction

only from the base over the outside edge of the blade (Figures 24 and 25).

Keep the scraper blade sharp. With a dull blade, you are wasting

your time and not doing a very good job. While you're looking at your bare wood spars and feeling a sense of accomplishment, plug in your Rockwell oscillator sander (also called a speed block). The reason I specify Rockwell is that there are more than a few manufacturers of oscillator sanders, and if you are serious about turning your boat into a yacht It is

see;

I

highly

recommend

relatively inexpensive in relation to the type of service it is

it

it.

will

by far the most dependable, longest-lasting, and virtually

SPARS (MAST, BOOM,

AND SPINNAKER

35

POLE)

The underside of the scraper blade should be sharpened with back-and-forth strokes of the

file.

V The outside of the blade should be sharpened with the

file in

one

direction only

from the base to the blade's edge.

SPARS (MAST, BOOM,

36

maintenance-free sander; and I

it

AND SPINNAKER

POLE)

delivers absolutely superior results.

am presently using my second Rockwell in eighteen years. I

would

like to say a

few words about

all

the products

I

advocate

draw a little analogy to make my your home, you would no doubt be inconvenienced and upset. You might have to spend some time in a hotel or rented apartment. Eventually you would work it out with whoever insures your home. You would get it back together and go on living. You would be ALIVE. If a catastrophe struck your boat while you were out on the ocean, then we're not talking about inconvenience or aggravation anymore. We're talking about life and death, survival. More than a few people have drowned less than a mile from shore. The point I am trying to make is this: The products you use on your boat are more than good enough to use on your house; the products you use on your house are hardly ever good enough to use on your boat. I am not advocating the use of marine products in your home. My point is that products for home use usually will not stand up in a marine environment. I hope this book will break you of the habit of finding some leftover cleaning or painting materials in your garage and thinking they would be perfect for your boat, especially volatile chemicals in this book,

and would

like to

point. If a catastrophe struck

that change over time.

No matter what your

project

may

be for that day or weekend,

try to acquire the habit of buying a fresh pint of varnish, a

of thinner, whatever. Great products are usually a

little

new quart

more expen-

than inferior products. The difference in the finish at the end of is the difference between day and night. With good products, good tools, good brushes, and good equipment, you've sive

the project, though,

got 50 percent of the project whipped.

On many

containers of marine paint, varnish, undercoat,

primer, and thinner there

is

a label that says

"NOT FOR HOME

most marine chemical products are made for outdoor use where there is a good supply of ventilation and air movement. Second, most marine chemical

USE." There are two reasons for that

label. First,

products contain a host of toxic ingredients.

your bare wood spars. Start by cutting up five sheets of 60-grit sandpaper, which will give you twenty sheets that will fit perfectly in your speed block. Set your knife on top of the stack to keep the sheets from blowing away. Now that your Rockwell is

Back

to

SPARS (MAST, BOOM,

AND SPINNAKER

37

POLE)

plugged in and you have two sheets of 60-grit sandpaper in

ready for a

is

you're

low-impact aerobic exercise.

little

The mast

it,

lying across sawhorses track

down with two

to four

small wedges of wood to keep the mast from moving. Try always to

sand with your speed block in a fore-and-aft position. Using it sideways will leave chatter marks (Figure 26). For the areas around the fittings and joints, sand by hand with the grain and dust off. A three-inch throwaway brush is perfect for brushing the dust

off.

steps should be completed in two days. The first and bleaching. The second day is for sanding with 120 grit and brushing on a minimum of two coats of Inter lux #100 Jet Speed Varnish. 1. Dust off the spars. Turn on a hose and thoroughly wet down the spars. Pour a one-pound package of trisodium phosphate (TSP) crystals in a plastic bucket and add about two quarts of the hottest water that comes out of the tap. Do not boil the water. Stir it well with a mixing stick, and stir often because the TSP will otherwise settle to the bottom of the bucket. You should use the industrialstrength TSP sold in marine hardware stores, not the TSP sold in

The next four

day

is

for cleaning

supermarkets.

Put on a pair of rubber dishwashing gloves and put a coarse synthetic sponge with plastic handle in the bucket. Hose down the spars one more time and you're ready to go. (You need to wet down the wood to open the grain and make sure the cleaning and bleaching agents are spread evenly, so you don't varnish over patches of discolored wood.)

Using the hard

plastic sponge, scrub the spars vigorously

TSP solution, in You should rinse

and

generously with the

a fore-and-aft motion with the

grain (Figure

off the

27).

TSP

solution before

it

you might have to scrub the wood in sections, depending on the size of your spars. 2. Keeping the wood wet, do the exact same thing with a onepound package of oxalic acid crystals mixed with two quarts of the hottest tap water, only this time let the oxalic acid solution dry on dries, so

the wood.

After you have vigorously scrubbed the oxalic acid solution on the spars, take off your gloves and

let

about a half hour to an hour. You'll

the oxalic acid solution dry for

know it's dry when the surface of

SPARS (MAST, BOOM,

38

AND SPINNAKER

coarse synthetic sponge with plastic handle scrubbing in a fore-and-aft motion with the grain.

3M

POLE)

s SPARS (MAST, BOOM,

AND SPINNAKER

39

POLE)

Turn the hose back on full blast and rinse all the oxalic acid off. After all the wood is thoroughly hosed off, let the spars dry. You may have to turn them perithe wood looks like

odically so the

it is

caked with dried

sun dries

all

salt.

the wood. This

is

a

critical stage. If there

dew, or moisture overnight in your area, you must cover the spars so they will be completely dry for the next day of sanding and varnishing. If moisture were to get on the wood at this stage, your is fog,

whole day's work would be ruined. The moisture would stain the wood and you'd have to put in another day with those stinking chemicals.

Sand the spars with 120 grit the same as you did with the 60 Dust them off well with a brush and then wipe them off very thoroughly with a damp cloth. Once the spars are clean and dry, you're ready for Step 4. You need to organize your materials before you start. Put down a drop cloth, upon which you should set: 3.

grit.

1

quart Interlux #100 Jet Speed Varnish

1

quart Z-Spar #1

1

quart lacquer thinner

1

quart mineral

2 clean, empty,

2 small

and

2

or #1 1 thinner

spirits

one-pound coffee cans

medium mixing buckets and

2 paint strainers

A2V2- or 3-inch Purdy brush A small hammer, flathead screwdriver, a couple of mixing sticks, a couple of clean rags, and a wire brush

On days that you are going to varnish, the very first thing you should do

is

set the

can of varnish in the sun. By the time you get

all

your

materials set out and get the surface you're going to varnish clean

and dust free, the can of varnish has been in the sun for half an hour to an hour. Warm varnish flows and moves much better than cold varnish.

than an inch of either # 10 or #11 thinner or mineral one of the coffee cans and rinse your brush well, one time. Shake it, spin it, and run the bristles through the open fingers of your other hand until the brush is dry. This procedure removes any dust or other particles that may be in the brush, plus it leaves your brush silky smooth for varnishing. 4. Pour a little less than half the quart of Jet Speed into a small

Pour

less

spirits into

d

SPARS (MAST. BOOM.

40

AND SPINNAKER

POLE)

bucket. Clean the side and Lip of the varnish can with one of the

rag's

and evenly tap the lid back on the can with the hammer. You want to thin these first two coats about 40 percent to penetrate and seal the wood. Do not mdiscriminately pour thinner into the varnish. Use the cap on the Z-Spar thinner can Figure 26 Put six to eight capfuls of thinner in and mix it gently and thoroughly so as not to cause bubbles. Then add another four to six capfuls and mix .

medium -sized

again. Set the small bucket with the varnish inside a

bucket and you're ready.

Dip your brush into the varnish a

little less

of the bristles at least a half-dozen times to

has penetrated through

all

than half the length sure the varnish

make

of the bristles. Gently drag both sides of

the brush across the rim of the small bucket and dab the

two outside edge^ Figures 2^ and 30 Use the cressstroking method described in Chapter 1. Go. You have probably heard the term "laying on varnish": well, that is a popular misconception. You're going to brush it in and spread it around, not too hard but not too timidly. Do not be afraid of pushing that varnish around with your brush. The most common mistake folks make with varnish is applying too much and then not brushing it out. If you try to put it on too heavy, you're going to wind up with a running, dripping mess. Another popular misconception is "putting on a c at : r a : ; uple of coats." When starting out with bare wood, ten coats of varnish six lightly off the

:

.

and four coats or" finish varnish is the minimum for a truly gorgeous, museum-grade finish, and 111 explain why. Finish varnish with ultraviolet (UV) protection is "hard" varnish. If you put eight to ten coats of finish varnish on your mas:, yc u won't have a mast that's varnished well. The reason is that the surface of the wood can reach over 120 degrees on a hot summer day an at night go down to 50 or 60 degrees, causing the wood to expand and contract With this natural flexing or" the mast, finish varnish has a tendency to crack, craze, and spider-web. With six coats of Jet Speed ("soft" varnish as a base, when the mast flexes, or when the wood expands and contracts, the Jet Speed acts as the perfect buffer between the wood and the UV-finish varnish. This is also the reason clear LP or urethanes should not be used on a mast.: they are too hard and inflexible. Now that yon have just varnished the mast, boom, and spinnaker pole, go right back to where you started and put on the sec; no coats of Jet Speed

i

s SPARS (MAST, BOOM,

AND SPINNAKER

POLE)

41

pouring it this way you can control every drop. The other way is uncontrollable and you will spill it.

Even

if

the can

is full,

SPARS (MAST, BOOM,

42

There

no need

AND SPINNAKER

wood

POLE)

have sucked up it on a little light than too heavy. If you look back and see that you have left a "holiday" (a spot you didn't varnish), forget it. Don't touch it up. Let it be. There are eight more coats to go; you'll get it on the next coat. When you're done with the first and second coats of varnish, open the can of Jet Speed, put a strainer across the top of the can, and pour the varnish from your bucket back into the can. See all that stuff in the strainer? That's why you're pouring the varnish through it. You don't want that stuff in your paint or varnish. Throw away the strainer, but not the bucket. If each time you use the bucket you brush all the varnish out of the bucket until it's virtually dry, you can use the same bucket over and over again. Just as you cleaned your brush before starting to varnish, rinse and clean it the same way in lacquer thinner at least three times. Use your small wire brush to clean the bristles by stroking in one direction from the foot to the brushing edge during the first rinse. If you want the bristles to stay nice and soft, for a final (fourth) rinse use a little Z-Spar #10 thinner or mineral spirits. You've just finished the toughest part of the whole project. From now on it's a piece of cake. If you can't work on it the next day or until the weekend, it's okay, because now the wood is completely coat.

is

to sahd; the bare

that varnish like a sponge.

Remember,

it's

will

better to put

sealed.

The next time you work on the spars you will be putting on coats 3 and 4. Remember that the first thing to do is set your varnish out in the sun so it can get warm. Cut up about five sheets of 180-grit sandpaper and sand the spars by hand not hard but not lightly either; use firm and even pressure so that the area you have sanded is smooth and has an even

—

white dusty film over

brush and wipe

it

it.

When you're done sanding, dust it off with a

down with a damp

cloth.

From now

you're varnishing, wipe off the area immediately in

whenever front of you with on,

a tack cloth. The tack cloth will pick up dust particles that the

damp

cloth either left or missed.

When you open the can of Jet Speed you will probably find that a skin has formed on top of the varnish. Cut

it

away with either a knife

or a screwdriver and pour the varnish through a strainer into a

small mixing bucket. Thin the varnish with Z-Spar

#10

#11

or

much as you did for the first two coats. and 4 exactly the same as you did with coats Put on coats 3

thinner about half as

«

1

and

SPARS (MAST, BOOM,

2,

only this time

it's

AND SPINNAKER

going to be a

43

POLE)

little difficult to

put on coat

4.

The

reason is that once the varnish starts to build up, it's hard to see where you're varnishing if the surface hasn't been sanded. So, on the fourth coat you must concentrate and work quickly without being sloppy so you can follow the wet edge from where you have just varnished; if you do this you shouldn't have any problem. You should let the first four coats of Jet Speed firm up before putting on coats 5 and 6. After letting the spars sit for at least two days, sand them firmly and evenly by hand with 180 grit and put on coats 5 and 6 exactly as you did coats 3 and 4. After coats 5 and 6, let the spars sit without working on them for at least three days. Before you put on the first finish coat, sand the spars with 180 grit with your speed block, sanding them firmly and evenly.

In late spring and all through

summer,

my favorite varnish for

Wilbo Super Spar Varnish. In the fall and winter when I prefer Interlux #90 or Z-Spar # 1002B Yachtsman's Varnish, which are excellent and quick drying. If a part of what you are varnishing is in the shade most of the day, try to varnish that part first. Varnish dries much quicker in the sun. You should also be aware that finish varnish takes much longer to dry than Jet Speed. As a general rule, do not thin finish varnish, although on a cool winter day Interlux #90 may need a couple of capfuls of Z-Spar #11 thinner just to get it started, because it can be very thick and difficult to brush out. Remember to set the varnish out in the sun for a half hour to an hour so it's warm, and try to apply it "straight out of the can." "Straight out of the can" means do not thin it. You should ALWAYS pour it through a strainer into a mixing bucket. Once you have started varnishing, the weather will dictate the viscosity of the varnish you are brushing on. Whether it's chilly, a breeze comes up, or it's hot without much humidity, the minerals are going to be evaporating out of the varnish. If the brush starts to drag and it becomes difficult to brush out the varnish, add one or two or however many capfuls of Z-Spar #10 or #11 thinner to get the varnish back to its original viscosity. Do not use lacquer thinner or paint thinner. Z-Spar thinners are mineral rich and won't flatten the gloss of the varnish. Gloss is protection. Add only a capful or two at a finish coats is

the days are short and cool,

time, stirring

it

in gently so as not to create bubbles.

You now have seven

coats of varnish on your spars

and have

SPARS (MAST, BOOM,

44

AND SPINNAKER

POLE)

only three to go. For the next two coats, hand-sand them lightly with 180 grit. After coat 9, let the spars set for two or three days without

working on them, then sand them vigorously and evenly by hand with 220 grit before the final coat. If you're done sanding and a breeze comes up, or any adverse weather conditions, do not varnish. This is the final coat and you would like as near perfect conditions as you can get. Whether it's the next day or the following weekend, start early before the wind comes up. I won't say good luck, because after nine coats you've got the

hang of it, but I will say CONGRATULATIONS! To maintain those beautiful spars, or any brightwork (varnished wood), for that matter

—cap

rail,

cabin sides, cockpit combing, or

—

whatever you need to put on two finish coats of varnish every six months. Before the first coat, sand vigorously with 150 grit, and before the second coat sand vigorously with 220 grit. Your mast need not come down for this twice-a-year maintenance. You can do it yourself, unless you're uncomfortable with the idea of being that far

above your deck in a bosuns chair swinging from a block and tackle attached to the main halyard. If you are, there are usually a few individuals in every marina who are more than capable of going aloft to sand and varnish your mast. It's a routine job and shouldn't

me give you and complete each step before going on to the next step. If you sand from the masthead to the spreaders and stop for the day, the following day do not varnish what you have sanded. Finish sanding from the spreaders to the incur an exorbitant fee. If you choose to do

some excellent

advice:

Always

it

yourself, let

start at the top,

deck.

would

something important about varnish. Remember when you were a kid and you burned a hole in a piece of paper with a magnifying glass? Well, the UV protection of finish varnish is not everlasting. It wears out in about five or six months, and you will notice a loss of gloss. When it wears out, it is no longer protecting the wood. It is, in fact, a magnifying glass burning holes in the wood. So it's a pretty good idea to be just a little bit ahead of your I

like to explain

twice-a-year maintenance. let it slip your mind and it goes for months without maintenance, you are going to see those sunburned holes in the varnish and dark spots in the wood where it burned through. I'm going to explain how to fix those spots If,

for

whatever reason, you

seven, eight, or nine

s SPARS (MAST, BOOM,

AND SPINNAKER

the best you can, because job,

although

it

it

will never

will look better

45

POLE)

match the

than a black

original varnish

spot.

Sand the spot or area and about one inch around it with 60 grit and then 120 grit. Dust it and wipe it off with a damp cloth. Nu Tone Wood Bleach is an excellent product to use on these areas. Nu Tone Wood Bleach is a two-part product. Part A is the bleach and part B is the neutralizer. Pour an ounce of each into two separate containers and use a soft-bristle toothbrush or a one-inch throwaway brush.

and gently scrub the bare area with the grain. If you use the throwaway brush, dab the bleach on several times until the wood looks wet. With either If you use the toothbrush, dip

it

in the bleach (part A)

brush, let the bleach set for fifteen or twenty minutes, then pour a it in fresh water, and twenty minutes later, dip the brush into the neutralizer, do the same thing you did with the bleach, and let it dry

little

neutralizer (part B) on the brush, rinse

shake

it

out. Fifteen or

completely.

After p.

it

dries,

sand the area with 150

grit

25 on fairing and feathering in Chapter

with a

1).

and then 220 grit (see Dust it and wipe it off

damp rag.

Put four coats of Jet Speed on the area, waiting about twenty minutes between each coat. Let the four coats of Jet Speed set until the following day. Then sand the edges of the area with 180 grit and the whole area with 220 grit. The normal twice-a-year maintenance can now proceed, sanding before the first coat with 150 grit and sanding before the second coat with 220 grit. This bleaching technique can be used on the boom and the spinnaker pole, as well as on the mast to where you can reach from standing on the deck, but I strongly admonish you from taking these caustic liquid chemicals aloft. For bare and chaffed areas aloft, use the fairing and feathering technique. Build up the bare wood with Jet Speed, and feather the Jet Speed into the existing varnish, but do not bleach

aloft.

The geographical

location of your boat has a lot to do with

often you need to varnish

how

your boat is in Seattle, you could varnish once a year; Los Angeles, twice a year; Puerto Vallarta and farther south, three or four times a year; down near the equator, about every two months. it.

If

SPARS (MAST, BOOM,

46

QUICK REVIEW:

WOOD SPARS—VARNISH

Necessary Products: Chemical stripper: El Pico, Pro File

and scrapers: Red

AND SPINNAKER

Strip, First

Mate,

Interlux

Devil

Rubber dishwashing gloves sander Sandpaper: 60, 120, 180, 220 TSP (trisodium phosphate) and oxalic acid Tape: necessary, 3M bright green low-tack 1 quart Interlux #100 Jet Speed Varnish 1 quart finish varnish (see Chapter 1, p. 29) 1 quart Z-Spar #10 or #1 1 thinner Oscillator

if

1

gallon lacquer thinner

1

quart mineral

spirits

Vi pint Dolphinite antifungicidal

bedding compound

Time between Coats: two coats of Jet Speed in succession, same day Next day: sand with 180 Next day: coats 3 and 4, same as coats 1 and 2 Two-day hardening period Next day: sand with 180 Next day: coats 5 and 6, same as coats 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 First

Three-day hardening period Next day: sand with 180 Next day: first finish coat Next day: sand with 180 Next day: second finish coat Next day: sand with 180 Next day: third finish coat Three-day hardening period Next day: sand with 220 Next day: fourth

and final finish coat

POLE)

SPARS (MAST, BOOM,

AND SPINNAKER

47

POLE)

Maintenance: Sand with 150 Next day: first finish coat Next day: sand with 220 Next day: second and final If

finish

coat

Necessary:

Nu Tone Wood Bleach to bleach out dark

spots (see

pages 44-45

of this chapter)

Wood Spars— Paint Compared

and materials needed to varnish your spars, painting them is like a day at the beach. The procedure of stripping and sanding with 60 grit on your speed block is the same. Skip the cleaning and bleaching and sand them with 120 grit immediately after sanding with 60 grit. Brush off the dust and wipe them down with a damp cloth. For beautifully painted spars, two undercoats and two finish coats are all you will need to put on. My method of undercoating may seem unorthodox, but it works. Not only does it achieve the desired results, it is also much easier to apply. This is what you need: to the time, labor,

1

quart Interlux #300 high-gloss white silicone alkyd

1

quart Z-Spar #105 white undercoat

1

quart Z-Spar #10 or #11 thinner

1

gallon mineral

1

pint Z-Spar

spirits (for

(for

thinning paint)

cleaning brushes)

#2 glazing putty and small

plastic or flexible

metal putty knife 3 A-inch bright green low-tack flatback tape The rest of the basic necessities listed in Chapter 1 roll

1

For the purpose of this book, white is THE color for painted spars. Not only does it look better, white holds gloss and lasts about three times longer than ANY other color. If you choose to use another color, though, the technique, sequence, and thinning are the

same.

1

SPARS (MAST, BOOM,

48

AND SPINNAKER

POLE)

Spread out your drop cloth and set out your materials. Use the to protect any hardware you don't want painted. For the undercoats, thoroughly mix the # 105 and # 300 separately in their original containers. Pour about Va quart of # 105 into a small mixing bucket and seal the lid back on the can. Pour about Va quart of #300 in the same mixing bucket. You now have a 50/50 mix of undercoat and finish paint. Add about six to eight capfuls of #10 thinner and mix thoroughly. Then add another four to six

masking tape

and mix again. Use the exact same brushing technique described in Chapter 1. When you are finished brushing on the first coat of undercoat, go back to where you started and immediately put on the second coat without sanding. Half the painting is now done and there are only two finish coats to go. The reason for mixing the #300 finish with the # 105 undercoat is that the straight # 105 is unwieldy, it doesn't penetrate the wood capfuls

well, and, after

you mix

it

it is

50/50,

on,

it

it

will absorb the finish like a sponge.

flows

much

easier for brushing

and

When

seals the

wood better than straight # 105, plus the finish paint isn't sucked up into the undercoat.

Let the two coats of undercoat set for at least a day, then sand

and evenly by hand with 180 grit to make the surface smooth. The residue or sanding dust from the undercoat is particularly fine, so you should wear a particle mask for sanding and dust-

them

firmly

ing.

You may notice some nicks, To

fill

dings, or small holes in the surface.

these irregularities in the surface, use the Z-Spar

#2 glazing

Using a small plastic or flexible metal putty knife, fill the holes and try not to leave too much excess putty around the area you are filling, because it must be sanded off fair to the painted surface with 150 grit the following day (Figures 31-33). After sanding off the excess glaze with 150 grit, dust it and wipe it off with a damp cloth. Put two coats of the 50/50 undercoat over putty.

the glazed areas. The following day, feather in the undercoat that

you brushed on over the glaze with 220 grit. Sand very lightly, because you don't want to go through the undercoat. Now, for the first coat of finish paint, pour about V2 quart of the #300 into a clean mixing bucket and mix in about six to ten capfuls of # 10 or #11 thinner, depending on the weather conditions. Rinse

SPARS (MAST, BOOM,

AND SPINNAKER

49

POLE)

Small void or hole to be

filled

TfTlTK

mi Z-Spar #2 glazing putty

/r-TTTT\

smoothed over the void

Glazing putty sanded fair and smooth with 150 grit

SPARS (MAST, BOOM,

50

out the brush with mineral

shake

AND SPINNAKER

POLE)

run it through and you're ready to start painting. Remember, even though you have wiped down the spars with a damp cloth, gently wipe them off again with a tack spirits,

the open fingers of your other hand until

it,

it's

spin

it,

dry,

cloth.

After the first coat of #300, let the spars set for a day without working on them, then hand-sand them with 220 grit before the final coat. The day you brush on the final coat, try to start in the morning before the wind comes up. Now the true beauty and economic feasibility of painted spars will reveal itself. With varnish, minimum maintenance is two coats every six months. With paint, maintenance is one coat about every two or three years depending on geographical location and use. After two or three years, a brisk sanding with 120 grit, two coats of 50/50 on the bare and chaffed areas, and one coat of Interlux # 300 will give you new spars for another two or three years. You don't have to be a nuclear physicist to comprehend the savings in time, labor, and money using paint instead of varnish.

QUICK REVIEW:

WOOD SPARS— PAINT

Necessary Products: Sandpaper: 60, 120, 150, 180, 220 Tape: 3M bright green low-tack 1 quart Interlux #300 high-gloss white 1 quart Z-Spar #105 white undercoat 1 quartZ-Spar #10 or #11 thinner 1

gallon mineral

1

pint Z-Spar

spirits

#2 glazing

putty

Time between Coats: First

two coats of 50/50 (#300/#105)

in

succession,

same day

One day hardening time Next day: sand with 180, then fill nicks and dings with #2 glaze Next day: sand glaze with 150; two coats of 50/50 over glaze Next day: feather in the 50/50 over the glaze with 220 Same or next day: first finish coat of Interlux #300

SPARS (MAST, BOOM,

AND SPINNAKER

POLE)

51

One day hardening time Next day: sand with 220 Next day: second and final

finish

coat of

Interlux

#300

Maintenance (one coat every two or three years): Sand with 120 Next day: two coats 50/50 on bare and chaffed areas Next day: feather

in

50/50 with 220

Same or next day: first and final coat of Interlux #300

— Paint

Aluminum Spars

aluminum mast out of your boat, linear way to go. If, on the other hand, you do not

If you are going to take the

polyurethane (LP)

is

the

want

to take the mast out of your boat and go through the great expense of stepping the mast and removing the standing and running rigging and hardware, as well as the considerable cost of the dollars per foot per day, and the spray LP, boatyard lay day fees at gun operator, your aluminum spars can be painted on the boat in the

X

water from a bosuns chair attached to the main halyard with a competent sailor to hoist you and let you down, or by taking a block and tackle up on the main halyard and doing it all yourself. Using the block-and-tackle method, I painted a seventy-foot double-spreader aluminum mast from bare oxidized aluminum through the primer, undercoats, and finish coats in nine days at less than half the cost of an LP job. You could not tell the difference between the paint and the LP.

The main differences between paint and LP are (1) LP is a much harder surface than paint, and consequently has about twice as much gloss retention and abrasion resistance; (2) paint lasts about two to three years and LP about four to five years; (3) four or five years down the road, LP can be sanded and painted over LP cannot

—

go over paint. If you choose to paint

your bare aluminum spars on the boat in

the water, for each step or trip

aloft,

ALWAYS start at the top of the

mast. You can use your speed block, but it's usually easier sanding by hand aloft. If there is any hardware that you want to remove, this is the time to take it off.

SPARS (MAST, BOOM,

52

AND SPINNAKER

POLE)

Day 1: Sand the aluminum with either 100 or 120 grit, dependhow pitted and oxidized it is. After you sand a section, and before going down to the next section, wipe off the area you have just sanded with a damp rag. Day 2: Before you brush on the primer, mask off any hardware ing on

that you did not remove. This masking tape will stay on until the project

is

completed, so

it is

important that you use the bright green,

made by 3M. If you use regular masking tape, you are going to have a problem when you want to take it off. low-tack flatback tape

There are many different metal primers; for this particular project, Z-Spar P-707 Prime- All (which is more an acid etch than a highbuild epoxy primer that needs wet-on-wet application) is a good product to use. There are masts that I have used P-707 on ten and twelve years ago that I have maintained and they have never bubbled and the paint has not flaked off. P-707 is a two-part, acid-etch bonding agent. So a quart kit actually makes two quarts of product. It's a 50/50 mix of part A and part B. Only mix what you are going to use, because once it is mixed you will have to throw away whatever you do not use. Stir part A (the thick green stuff in the can) thoroughly before pouring Vs of the

quart into a medium-sized mixing bucket. Then pour Vs of the quart of part

B (the clear liquid in the plastic bottle) into the mixing bucket A and mix again. You now have 2A of a quart of product,

with part

which is more than enough to do your spars. Take the bucket aloft in a plastic pail with a small mixing stick (cut off about Vz of a regular mixing stick) because it should be stirred often (and gently).

mixing stick

is

The reason for cutting off part of a regular arm or elbow bumps into the part of the

that if your

stick that's rising above the rim of the plastic pail, there's a good chance the whole business would plummet onto your deck upside down. You should not use a good Purdy brush to apply this primer. A two-dollar, three-inch throwaway brush is fine. When you're done just throw away the brush. Start at the top of the mast and use the brushing method explained in Chapter 1. When you're done it's not going to look pretty. It will look uneven as hell and be full of brush and lap marks. That's perfect. That's what it's supposed to look like. Day 3: Do not sand the P-707 primer. Stir the Z-Spar #105 white undercoat and the Interlux #300 gloss white thoroughly in

SPARS (MAST, BOOM,

AND SPINNAKER

POLE)

53

their original containers before pouring V2 quart of each into a

me-

dium-sized mixing bucket. Start out by adding about ten to twelve

# 11 thinner to your bucket of 50/50. Take the #11 thinwith you; in case the paint gets too thick, you can add a ner aloft capful or two to keep the paint at a comfortable viscosity. Starting at the top, use the same brushing method. capfuls of

Day 4: Sand the spars lightly with 180 grit and wipe the dust off damp rag after sanding each section. Day 5: This will be your second coat of 50/50 (#105 and #300).

with a

When you

finished brushing

on the

first

coat of 50/50, you noticed

that every time you lowered yourself down to the next section, you

could see the overlap where you started painting again.

On

your

new overlap either above or below the by four to six inches. Do not overlap in the

second coat of 50/50, move the previous overlap line

same place on every coat (Figure 34). Day 6: After you've let the spars set for a day, sand them by hand firmly and evenly with 180 grit and wipe the dust off with a damp rag as you come down. Day 7: For the first finish coat of Interlux # 300, stir it thor-

For each trip aloft that you brush on a coat, whether primer (34) or finish coat (35), always separate each overlap by four to six inches.

)a

y7>

c

Jbay9

jt.-J

SPARS (MAST, BOOM,

54

AND SPINNAKER

POLE)

oughly, pour about V2 quart into a medium-sized mixing bucket, and

by adding six to eight capfuls of Z-Spar #11 thinner. Mix it and how it feels. Depending on the weather conditions, you may add between two and six more capfuls of #11. Take the #11 aloft with start

see

you.

Remember, do not overlap in the same place

as you

come down.

Day 8: Sand the spars firmly and evenly with 220 grit and wipe them off with a damp rag. Day 9: This is your final coat of Interlux # 300. You know how to thin it and brush it on. Take the #11 thinner aloft with you. Remember, do not overlap anywhere you have previously overlapped (Figure 35). When you're finished, you'll be amazed at how beautiful, even, and smooth your spars are. I know I am every time I do one. Wait until the following day to pull off the masking tape and put the hardware back on. Pull the tape S-L-O-W-L-Y, evenly, and gently away from the paint without jerking the tape. If the hardware was oxidized when you removed it, now is a good time to clean it up (including the screws) with a little thinner and a small wire brush before you put it back on. Put a nice healthy dollop of silicone sealant in and around each screw hole in the aluminum, so that when you screw back the cleat or block some sealant oozes out from between the painted aluminum surface and the piece of hardware you are putting back on. The reason for using silicone sealant is that it is waterproof (after it dries) and it separates the two dissimilar metals. Dissimilar metals are the stainless-steel screw or

plate touching the

aluminum

in

an acid bath

(salt air

marine envi-

ronment), which causes the softer metal (aluminum) to oxidize and corrode (called electrolysis). Silicone sealant prevents

this.

QUICK REVIEW: ALUMINUM SPARS— PAINT Necessary Products: Sandpaper: 100 or 120, 180, 220 Tape: 3M bright green low-tack 1-quart

Exact

kit

Z-Spar P-707 Prime-All

same

glaze

products as

for

"Wood Spars— Paint," except no #2

SPARS (MAST, BOOM,

AND SPINNAKER

POLE)

55

Time between Coats: P-707, do not sand Next day: first coat of 50/50 Next day: sand lightly with 180 Next day: second coat of 50/50 One day hardening time Next day: sand with 180 Next day: first finish coat of Interlux #300 Next day: sand with 220 Next day: second and final coat of Interlux #300

Maintenance: Exact

same as painted wood

Aluminum Spars

spars

—Linear Polyurethane (LP)

I'm going to blow away some myths and confirm others, but

I

You can

bore you to tears with a chemical analysis of LP.

won't easily

obtain that information from the various manufacturers of the product.

Basically,

LP is a long chain-reacting catalyzed copolymer. That

means you almost have to be a nuclear physicist to use it. I know you've heard and read about brushable LP. Well, that's pure bolshoi, and I'm not referring to ballet. Your chances of even a semblance of success brushing on possibly for oneIf

you try

and two-inch

to

brush LP,

I

LP are almost nonexistent, except

stripes,

will

and even that

is

doubtful.

almost guarantee you the most

expensive, dripping, stinking mess that you ever paid

would be the major task of removing

it,

and that job

for.

is

Plus there

no day at the

beach.

A quart of the best marine enamel in any color is about $15. A quart kit of LP and all the necessary prerequisites to use

it

cost about

$250.

The point I'm trying to make is this: DO NOT brush LP. If you want LP, have it sprayed. I'm trying to save you lots of money and aggravation. If you are not

a professional spray painter

who

uses

LP often

in

1

SPARS (MAST, BOOM,

56

AND SPINNAKER

POLE)

a marine environment for marine use, don't even consider doing the spraying yourself. Not only is LP almost as expensive as gold, the stuff is deadly, and I'm not trying to be dramatic. LP is a highly toxic chemical, especially

when

it is

sprayed.

don't know of a good professional spray guy who shoots LP who even load the gun for less than $200. Half of what you pay is for I

will

and experience, and the other half is hazardous duty The mask worn to spray LP is the same mask you would wear

his level of skill

pay.

for chemical warfare.

The weather is an absolutely integral component when you're spraying LP. There are a myriad of ways to chemically adjust LP to all sorts of weather conditions. One ounce too much or too little of any of the multiple chemical components used can totally ruin $250 worth of product, which brings us to a not-uncommon situation you should be aware of. Some yards and contractors charge by time and material; others will give you an estimated bid. You should be aware that knowing

how

to spray

LP

correctly requires the contractor to assess the

weather conditions accurately and adjust the chemical mix perfectly for those conditions.

A quick drop in temperature or a fog can ruin it.

If it gets cold,

the spray painter might try to salvage what has been mixed by

Once

whole business congeals like and gun. Something like that is a true catastrophe for all concerned. Not only did a couple of hundred dollars' worth of product go out the window, the spray gun, tip, hoses, and pot are far from being free, not to mention the yard lay day fees, labor, and material to do everything over again. This could be anywhere from a $400 to a $2,000 mistake. The point here is that even highly skilled and experienced spray painters blow it more often than you would think they do, which brings us to another point that I would like to make. Everyone involved hopes the job will go smoothly, but, should there be a major or minor catastrophe, the yard or contractor might ask you to split the cost of the unfortunate event, or even charge you for it in some form of creative billing. If you are not flexible, or at least show a little sensitivity toward "heating

it

up."

in a while the

Jell-0 in the pot, hoses,

the problem, the sheer weight of the financial loss will probably force

them

to cut

some corners

to finish the job.

You may wind up not

having the gloss retention and longevity you thought you were buy-

SPARS (MAST, BOOM,

ing.

The contractor

AND SPINNAKER

POLE)

57

or yard would have to be highly scrupulous and

conscientious to swallow a financial loss of that magnitude.

The previous few paragraphs were not intended

to sour

you on

linear polyurethane. Those are simply the facts in the real world.

have LP sprayed on your boat or spars, use a skilled, experienced yard or contractor with a good reputation, whether gauged through a friend's recommendation or references supplied to you by whoever is going to do the work. Second, and just as important, specify Awlgrip finish coats. For the amount of time, labor, and money that will be spent, use the best product available. There are four other major manufacturers of LP, but Awlgrip is clearly and unequivocally superior to any product on the market for abrasion resistance, gloss retention, longevity, and If

you choose

to

choice of color.

Just as a general reference guide,

I

will explain

two methods of

—the quick way

spraying aluminum spars with linear polyurethane

and the best way. There is a long list of acid washes, primers, undercoats, and LPs. Each spray painter has his own system within the LP parameters. All these coatings are interchangeable to a certain degree.

There are four products in

this plethora of multiple coatings

that seem to be universally accepted painters:

among experienced spray

Am Chem Alumiprep 33, Am Chem Alodine

1201, Z-Spar

P-527 two-part epoxy primer, and Awlgrip finish coats.

Between the Z-Spar primer and the Awlgrip

finish there are a

wide variety of tie or undercoats that can be used. The undercoat is the difference between the quick way and the best way. Several products will do the job, but my preference is Awlgrip's Awlquick. Awlquick has superior filling capacity, it's easy to sand smooth, and it gives excellent adhesion to the Awlgrip finish coats. Remember, the following is just a general reference guide. When you hire a yard or independent contractor, it or he may have different opinions, methods, techniques, and product preferences. It's up to you to weigh the information and make the final decision. For the quick way, all the standing and running rigging and hardware should be removed. Label each item. 1. The spars should be sanded hard with 100 grit, dusted off, and wiped clean with a damp rag. 2. Am Chem Alumiprep 33 deep-cleans, brightens, and condi-

SPARS (MAST, BOOM,

58

tions the bare

aluminum

AND SPINNAKER

that has just been sanded.

dation and corrosion and chemically etches the 3.

Am Chem

Alodine 1201

protects against corrosion

is

It

POLE)

removes

aluminum

oxi-

surface.

a visible conversion coating that

and chemically

stabilizes the

aluminum

surface. 4.

Once the spars are dry

after the Alodine treatment,

two

to

three coats of Z-Spar P-527 two-part epoxy primer should be sprayed on. 5.

Within two to

surface

is still

six

hours after spraying on the P-527, while the

tacky, three to four coats of Awlgrip finish coat should

be sprayed on. This

is

the "wet-on- wet" technique dictated by the

P-527 primer.

For the best way, between Steps 4 and 5, instead of wet on wet with the finish coats, go wet on wet with Awlquick. The following day glaze up any irregularities with 3M acrylic glazing putty. Sand the surface smooth with 220 grit and then go to Step 5. The Awlquick insures against pin holes and a whole array of maladies that can plague the finish.

QUICK REVIEW: ALUMINUM SPARS— LP Necessary Products: Sandpaper: 100, 220 Am Chem Alumiprep 33

Am Chem Alodine 1201 Z-Spar P-527 two-part epoxy primer 1 -quart kit

Awlgrip Awlquick

1 -quart kit

Awlgrip LP

1

tube

3M acrylic glazing putty

Time between Coats, Quick Way: Day 1: sand with 100

Day

2:

Alumiprep,

when

dry; Alodine,

when

dry;

two to three coats

succession—when P-527 is tacky (2-6 hours after spraying, depending on weather), wet on wet with three LP finish coats about twenty minutes apart of P-527

in

SPARS (MAST, BOOM,

AND SPINNAKER

59

POLE)

Time between Coats, Best Way: Day 1: sand with 100

Day

when dry; Alodine, when dry; two to three coats succession—when P-527 is tacky (2-6 hours after spraying, depending on weather), wet on wet with two to three 2:

Alumiprep,

of P-527 in

coats of Awlquick

Day 3: sand with 220;

in

fill

succession

irregularities with

3M acrylic glazing putty

(if

necessary)

Day 4: spray three

LP finish coats

Maintenance: Is maintenance free

for

about twenty minutes apart

approximately

(see "Maintenance: Aluminum

five years;

Spars— Paint")

can be painted

3 Staining Exterior

Wood

and Maintaining Teak and Nonskid Decks

A boatyard (haul-out yard) is an expensive place to work on a boat. Depending on your geographical area,

it

may

cost

anywhere from

$1.25 to $4.50 per foot per day. Since the boatyard has the potential to

become an ominous expense, it is an excellent idea to do as many you can (those not imperative to the boatyard) in your

projects as

own slip. mast out of the boat, it would be done simultaneously in the yard with the bottom and topsides (hull). If the mast is going to be painted or varnished on the boat in the water, then that would be your first project, and the exterior wood would become your second project. The reason is that the chemicals necessary to clean (TSP) and bleach (oxalic acid) the wood have a deleterious effect on fiberglass or If you are going to take the

LP. This gelcoat,

is

especially true of oxalic acid

and

—

it

can dull the gloss of LP,

paint.

On most fiberglass boats the decks, cabinsides, and cabintops are fiberglass with wood cap rails, hatches, handrails, fashion boards, and cockpit combing; some boats have teak decks.

STAINING EXTERIOR

When

WOOD AND

MAINTAINING DECKS

cleaning and bleaching this exterior wood, the

61

TSP and

on the surfaces they touch, done in the water, before the boat is

(especially) the oxalic acid dull the gloss

which

is

why

this project is

hauled out and before those surfaces are restored or refinished. In the following chapters

I

will discuss the restoration

and refinishing

of all these surfaces.

On most boats the exterior wood is teak. The way to prepare and varnish this exterior wood nishing spars in Chapter

is

2,

exactly the

same

as explained for var-

except for one difference:

When

repair-

ing a varnished teak surface, oxalic acid should be used instead of

Nu-Tone Wood Bleach.

"Pearls of Wisdom" Before

I

cover staining,

Wisdom." The

first will

ensure a beautiful

I

will list three simple

and easy "Pearls of

save your hands and fingers, the second will

finish,

and the third

will save

and protect that

beautiful finish.

Whenever you are going to hand-sand with 60, 80, 100, or 120 buy yourself a pair of inexpensive Wells Lamont cotton gloves (approximately $2 and sold in most hardware stores and chandleries). Put on one glove and wrap the index, middle, and ring fingertips two or three times with regular corrugated beige masking tape or the 3M bright green low-tack. Take that glove off, put on the other glove, and do the same thing (Figures 36 and 37). After you've sanded the cap rail, handrails, cockpit combing, companionway trim, and 1.

grit,

fashion boards, take a look at those gloves with the taped fingertips.

You don't need a real vivid imagination to realize that without those and taped fingertips you would have left a few layers of skin on your boat. 2. After you sand the first undercoat on a surface that is going to be painted, or sand the first two coats of Jet Speed on a surface to be varnished, put all your materials away except for one nice clean diaper or similar rag. Hose off the boat and specifically the areas that you've sanded. Now run your soaking-wet diaper over those areas and hose them off again. Just hosing the areas down, no matter how stiff the spray from the hose, will not wash off the fine dust unless you also run a clean wet rag over the sanded areas to loosen the dust from the surfaces and then hose off again. This is the rhythm or gloves

STAINING EXTERIOR

62

tempo of the the next.

I

project:

WOOD AND

MAINTAINING DECKS

Sand and wash one day, and paint or varnish

recently varnished a

Hans Christian 43-footer.

It

took

me

sand it and two days to get a coat of varnish on it. After I was finished sanding on the second day, I washed, wiped, and washed it off, so the next two days the boat was sparkling clean. Many times when you go down sometime in the morning to paint, varnish, or sand your boat there is a heavy dew and the boat is soaking wet. You're gonna love this. Be at your boat at seven in the morning and hose it down thoroughly with fresh water. Then go and have a nice long leisurely breakfast, read the newspaper, and chat with the waitresses. Go back to your boat at 9 a.m. and, lo and behold, the boats Tiext to yours and all the other boats are still soaking wet. Yours is dry, or very close to it. A clean dry rag or towel will dab up the few wet spots that are left. You're ready to start working. 3. Anywhere on your boat that paint or varnish meets fiberglass (varnished handrails on cabintop, varnished toe rail to deck, painted or varnished cabinsides to deck), when you mask off the fiberglass, leave about Vie inch of fiberglass exposed so that it will be painted

two days

to

Inexpensive cotton gloves with taped fingertips

STAINING EXTERIOR

WOOD AND

or varnished. Here's why: rails

MAINTAINING DECKS

On many

63

fiberglass boats with teak toe

the scuppers are too small and are not strategically placed,

so water tends to set on those portions of the deck between the toe

and cabinsides or cockpit combing, especially if it's a shaded much sun. That constant moisture will creep up under the paint or varnish. When it seeps under paint, the paint will bubble and eventually flake off. When it seeps under varnish, a mushy black spot will form. However, with a thin bead of paint or varnish on the deck or cabintop, this moisture won't seep under it. rail

area that doesn't get

Staining Some folks with older wooden boats that have mahogany exterior wood like to stain it. If this is a desirable effect you wish your exterior wood to have, the stain should be applied between Steps 3 and 4 of the spar-varnishing section of Chapter 2, and this section will show you how to do it. After you have stripped, sanded with 60 grit, cleaned (TSP), bleached (oxalic acid), sanded with 120 grit, dusted, and wiped with a

damp rag, you're ready to stain. It is

absolutely and unequivocally necessary to do the two steps

of applying the stain and the two coats of Interlux the same day, because

if you stain

and do not

Speed, any overnight moisture will ruin

the wood.

on a

all

seal

# 100 Jet Speed in it

on with the Jet

the work done to prepare

You should start staining by eight or nine

in the

morning

warm sunny day. By one or two in the afternoon, apply the two

coats of Jet Speed without sanding the stain or the

first

coat of Jet

Speed.

The

stains that

excellent results

I

prefer to use are

and are very easy

to

made by

work

The filling

tainer.

filler

is

more than enough to do a

Remember with the

to settle at the

after you've thinned

to

fifty-foot boat.

stain should be stirred well before use, because the

pigment has a tendency

Even

makes red mahogany stains. A

with. Z-Spar

(#1081), brown (#1082), and standard (#1095)

quart of stain

Z-Spar; they give

mask

off all the

it,

stir it well

hardware

3M bright green low-tack tape.

bottom of the conbefore each section.

in the areas to be stained

64

STAINING EXTERIOR

WOOD AND

Thin the stain approximately 25

MAINTAINING DECKS

to 35 percent with Z-Spar

# 10

thinner and brush on a generous amount. Allow flash (to lose its gloss), then

across the grain, working

it a few minutes to with a diaper or other clean rag into the open pores. Using clean rags,

wipe

it

it

then wipe with the grain to remove the excess and even out the color. Do not attempt to do too large a section at one time. You should wear rubber dishwashing gloves when wiping the stain (Figures 38-40). Let it dry for three or four hours. Then go immediately to Step 4 of the spar- varnishing section of Chapter 2.

QUICK REVIEW: STAINING Necessary Products: Tape: 3M bright green low-tack 1

quart Z-Spar red, brown, or standard

1

quart Interlux #100 Jet

1

quart Z-Spar #10 thinner

1

quart mineral

1

quart lacquer thinner

Applying stain with brush

mahogany stain

Speed Varnish

spirits

Using clean rags, rub across the grain and work the stain into the pores.

Using clean rags, rub with the grain to remove the

excess and even out the color.

STAINING EXTERIOR

WOOD AND

MAINTAINING DECKS

65

Time between Coats: Within

two to four hours

after staining,

brush on two coats of Jet

sanding the

stain or the

Speed

first

depending on the weather,

varnish

in

succession without

coat of Jet Speed

Maintenance: The same maintenance for any varnished exterior wood: two finish coats of varnish every six months (see Chapter 2, pp. 46-47)

Teak Decks Maintaining teak decks and nonvarnished teak is similar to oral hygiene. No matter how well you floss, brush, and use mouthwash before going to bed, there is something about the way your mouth feels in the morning that requires the same procedure performed only the night before.

This is the story of nonvarnished teak in urban environs in 1989.

There are at least a dozen products on the market for restoring and maintaining teak. Not one of them is a lick better than any other one. No matter what product or method you prefer, you will become so familiar with it, because of such regular use, that you will eventually succumb to varnish for all exterior teak except the decks. I guess you've figured out how I feel about unvarnished teak, so let's get to teak decks and Til detail the products I prefer and explain the method used to get your teak decks up to snuff and keep them that way.

The procedure I'm going to explain is done before your fiberglass is either buffed out with compound and wax or sprayed with LP, because TSP and oxalic acid take the gloss out of both finishes. To have a friend or helper work with you on this project makes it much easier and only half as time consuming. Skill and judgment hull

are not necessary requirements for this job. Try to start before nine in the morning. Okay, here

—get the hoses running and keep

we go

the decks wet.

Mix one pound of TSP and two quarts of the hottest tap water in a plastic pail and stir it often, even while using it. 3M makes an abrasive synthetic pad with a plastic handle that's perfect for this project.

Put on your rubber dishwashing gloves and scrub the teak

1

STAINING EXTERIOR

66

WOOD AND

MAINTAINING DECKS

with the grain, doing medium-sized sections at a time. After you've scrubbed each section of deck (or the whole deck if it's small), let the

TSP

solution stay on

then flush

it

it

for

a few minutes (but don't

let it dry)

and

clean with lots of fresh water.

Keeping the deck wet, mix one pound of oxalic acid with two quarts of the hottest tap water and do the exact same thing, only this time you're not going to rinse the oxalic acid off. Let it dry for a half hour to an hour or until the decks look like a layer of caked salt is on them. Then turn on the hose full blast and flush the decks clean. Now take a coffee break or go have lunch, because the decks need to be COMPLETELY DRY for the next step. Now that your teak decks are completely dry, you should apply two coats of Teak Wonder Dressing and Sealer in the same day, because moisture (dew or fog) will stain the teak if allowed to get on overnight. I prefer Teak Wonder Dressing and Sealer because it looks beautiful and it's clean, long lasting, and exceptionally easy to apply. I say "clean" because it's silicone based and contains absolutely no oil. That's important, because in urban areas like Los Angeles, where I live and work (specifically Marina del Rey), the air is a composite of diesel exhaust, carbon monoxide, jet fuel, and at least a thousand nightly charbroiled steaks. Add to that, from October to March, Santa Ana winds that blow copious quantities of dirt from land to sea and you have a kind of mulligan stew that has a special affinity for sticking to oiled I

wood or teak. is a relative term. It is long lasting than any of the products I know of. In two to three months depending on how

say "long lasting," but that

in the sense that

it

lasts longer

this case "long lasting" is

closely

you adhere

to the following instructions.

Teak Wonder Dressing and Sealer looks

like

an orange, brakish

water and must be stirred well before use and constantly while applying it. Use a three-inch throwaway brush and stroke with the grain. By the time you're done putting on the first coat, it should be dry where you started, so immediately put on the second coat. Brush on two coats a day for the next two days. You will have six coats, and this finish will last about three months if the decks and boat are washed regularly (at least once a week) with a mild liquid detergent using a SOFT nylon brush across the grain. If you scrub teak decks with a nylon brush with the grain, you will start digging channels into them, because teak is a very soft wood. Two to three months down the road you will be ready to take it

STAINING EXTERIOR

WOOD AND

from the top and start subsequent times) tic

it is

all

over again, only this time (and for

absolutely imperative

chemicals to keep the topsides

water, which

MAINTAINING DECKS

67

all

when using these caus-

CONSTANTLY flushed with fresh

means you applying the chemicals and two of your

each with a hose, running on each side of the boat, because if any of the TSP or oxalic acid solution dries on the topsides, it will friends,

dull the surface.

QUICK REVIEW: TEAK DECKS Necessary Products: TSP (trisodium phosphate)

Oxalic acid T-Jett

Marine

Inc.

Teak Wonder Dressing and Sealer

Time between Coats: TSP and oxalic acid one after the other, keeping the decks wet; when the decks are dry, which should be between two and four hours after the oxalic acid has been rinsed off, brush on two coats of Teak Wonder Dressing Next day: two coats in succession Next day: two coats in succession

in

succession

Maintenance: Wash once a week with a mild liquid detergent using a SOFT nylon brush, scrubbing GENTLY across the grain

Nonskid Decks On production fiberglass boats, the fiberglass decks have a molded-in nonskid pattern. After years of use and withstanding the elements, your wet "nonskid" surface will begin to feel more like ice than like a surface with traction. You will want to put on a new nonskid surface before an accident or tragedy occurs. The process for putting on a new nonskid deck is not difficult, and here's how to do it.

STAINING EXTERIOR

68

Wash and a

WOOD AND

MAINTAINING DECKS

the decks with hot water, liquid dishwashing detergent,

ammonia. After the decks are completely dry, pour ei#202 solvent wash generously into a clean rag and rub it over the areas to be nonskidded. Both solvents evaporate very slowly and their purpose is to free the surface of wax and mold release. If this step is not done thoroughly, the new nonslittle

ther Z-Spar #T-1132 or Interlux

kid surface will not adhere to the fiberglass properly. After the

sol-

vent wash has been on for about an hour, wash the decks again with hot water, liquid dishwashing detergent, and ammonia.

The areas 120

grit.

and nonskidded should be sanded with Dust off the areas and rinse the decks clean. to be painted

After the decks are dry,

with

mask

off the areas to

be nonskidded

% -inch 3M Fineline tape (the dull, transparent green, low-tack

flatback tape). This tape

cause

it

is

also excellent for

rounded corners, be-

cuts easily with a razor blade.

Brush on two coats of Z-Spar P-619 two-part fiberglass primer with a three-inch throwaway brush. Mix part A (in the can) thoroughly before mixing it 50/ 50 with part B (clear liquid in the plastic bottle). Brush on the 50/ 50 mixture using the cross-stroke technique described in Chapter 1. If you did all the washing and sanding on the first day and the masking and priming on the second day, the third day will be painting and "feeding the chickens" (throwing sand). Before we get to the third day, I would like to talk about the paint for a minute. The paint used for this project is Z-Spar Monopoxy. After it dries (approximately two to four hours), it forms a kind of rubbery bulletproof surface that was made for nonskid decks, a true match made in I know that right now you're asking, If this paint is so bulletwhy not use it on other surfaces? Because it doesn't flow out

heaven. proof,

when you brush

it.

But

for

nonskid decks

it's

perfect. It is also excel-

to be sprayed on is but that a totally different an alternative to LP, wooden subject which would require a totally different book. The colors in the Monopoxy line tend toward the dark and in-

lent for mixing with regular

marine enamels

hulls as

tense, but the true genius in this line of paint

Brilliant White,

and

it is

is

Monopoxy #200

one of the most brilliant whites in the

chemical kingdom.

Most nonskid patterns or off-white.

Of the

in fiberglass decks are blue, beige, gray,

blue, beige,

and gray,

I

always try to suggest to

STAINING EXTERIOR

the boat owner to

WOOD AND

let

me mix one

MAINTAINING DECKS

69

part his choice of color with three

owner likes Balboa Beige. one quart of Balboa Beige is mixed with three quarts of Brilliant White, the result is a gorgeous pale sand color that is one of the key ingredients in transforming a boat into a yacht. Even though you will only use about one-tenth of it, silicone sand is sold in 100-pound sacks that each cost about six dollars. The parts white Monopoxy. Let's just say the

When

usual grits are 16, 20, 30, and 40. The 16 grit is much too coarse and the 40 grit too fine. I like using 20 grit, but 30 grit is okay, too. Do not get sand from the lake or beach.

It's dirty.

Silicone sand

is

clean and

by most lumber companies and hardware stores. be a lot less expensive to buy a gallon of white Monopoxy and pour off one quart into an empty one-quart container. Thoroughly mix the one gallon of white Monopoxy before pouring off the one quart, and thoroughly mix the one quart of color before pouring the color and the white together to mix them. Once you have the white and the color together in a large mixing bucket or plastic pail, you will notice that the mixture is just a little more liquid than peanut butter. Start off by adding about four ounces of Z-Spar # 10 thinner and stirring well. Then mix in another four ounces. Do not rush through this stage. It is important for the paint to assimilate the thinner so that a film of thinner is not left floating at the top. When you think is

sold

It will

it's

ready to

go, just to

make sure take a couple of practice strokes.

the brush pulls or drags, add one or two ounces of

If

# 10 thinner at a

time until the brush glides very easily over the practice surface. Fill up a couple of mixing buckets or pails with sand and set them down near where you're going to begin. This

is

important: Whichever direction the wind usually comes

from, start at the leeward end of the boat and

because you do not want the brush or paint

full

work

to

windward,

of sand. Sand only

meets paint at least two feet behind where you are painting. After you have painted a small to medium-sized section, or whatever size you're comfortable with, set down your paint and brush and pick up the bucket or pail of sand. Grab a handful and toss it on the painted surface (from windward to leeward) just as if you were feeding chickens, always keeping your sand-throwing hand at least two to three feet above the deck. Do not throw the whole handful, and do not sprinkle it either; try to achieve a happy medium

STAINING EXTERIOR

70

WOOD AND

MAINTAINING DECKS

between the two. Make sure the sand doesn't get any closer than two feet from where you stopped painting (Figure 41). I'll

project

bet right

would be

now if

you're thinking

how

easy this stage of the

you had a friend "feed the chickens" while you

painted. You're right. If,

while you're painting, the brush starts to drag or pull or the

paint begins to feel too thick, don't hesitate to add a couple of capfuls of

# 10 thinner to make it flow nice and easy. When you're finished painting and your friend

is

finished feed-

ing the chickens, the areas to be nonskidded should be covered with a layer of sand so that the deck and masking tape are not visible.

your bucket should be poured back into the gallon can through a paint strainer. Clean your brush, put away your materials, and do not go near that sand until the following morning at about 8 a.m. Turn on the hose, WITHOUT a nozzle, about halfway. If you nonskidded the cabintop, start up there. Put the end of the hose close to^he sand (about six inches away), and start gently hosing the excess sand from the cabintop down to the deck. When all the excess sand has been hosed down to the deck, take the hose and start hosing the decks from the bow to the stern, flushing all the excess sand out of the scuppers. If you nonskidded the floor of the cockpit, hose the excess sand out through the cockpit drains. This hosing off of the The* paint that

Painting to

is left

in

windward and "feeding the chickens"

STAINING EXTERIOR

WOOD AND

MAINTAINING DECKS

71

more than an hour or two, depending on By noon or 1 p.m. the nonskid surface should be

excess sand shouldn't take

the size of the boat.

completely dry.

This next step

is

the trickiest of the whole project, but

if you're

and thin the paint enough, you'll get the hang of it in a few minutes and it will be a breeze. Pour the paint from the gallon can into a mixing bucket. Dip the

careful

brush into the paint about half the length of the bristles, but when painting, brush only with the lower quarter of the brush, from the painting edge up, because you do not want to drag the sand imbedded in the first coat of paint. Brush the paint on gently. In the course of putting on this coat of paint you will move some loose particles of sand, but that's nothing to worry about. As I said, after you've been painting for a few minutes, you'll get the feel of it and know just how much pressure to apply to the brush. When you have finished painting all of the nonskid areas, pour the paint in your bucket through a strainer back into the gallon can. For the next two days, put on a coat of paint each day. It is not necessary to be overly gentle when brushing on these two coats, because the sand is firmly imbedded in paint. About two hours after the final coat has been brushed on, pull the tape SLOWLY away from the fresh paint. After you pull off the tape, you will notice that the tape probably left a little residue of glue. There may also be some spots where paint got under the tape. A clean rag with a little lacquer thinner on it will clean this up. If there are any spots that are more difficult to clean up, a single-edge razor blade will solve the problem. If you wish the whole deck surface to be painted, then alter the procedure as follows: Pull the tape around the nonskid pattern before you put the last two coats of paint on. Prime the areas not to

be nonskidded with the Z-Spar P-619 primer, then put a coat of paint over the primer and the nonskid surface. The following day gently sand that coat with 180 grit and rinse off. The next day put the final coat on the entire deck, the smooth and nonskidded areas.

You should

stay off the decks for at least a

week

to let all that

paint set up firmly, but the next time you go forward on those wet

decks to take a sail down, you'll feel like a mountain goat. You'll tear the soles off your Topsiders before you

slip.

STAINING EXTERIOR

72

WOOD AND

MAINTAINING DECKS

QUICK REVIEW: NONSKID DECKS Necessary Products: Liquid dishwashing detergent 1

and ammonia

quart Z-Spar T-1132 Prep Solvent or Interlux 202 Solvent Wash

Sandpaper: 120 Tape:

3M

1-quart

Fineline (dull transparent green)

kit

Z-Spar P-619* two-part primer

1

MO-200 Brilliant White quart Z-Spar MO-? (whatever color you choose) quart Z-Spar #10 thinner

1

gallon mineral

1

100-pound sack of 20- or

1 1

gallon Z-Spar

spirits

30-grit silicone

sand

Time between Coats: Two coats P-619 primer in succession, same day Next day: sand must go into paint while wet, within minutes

after

brushing

Next day: rinse off excess sand; after decks are completely dry (approx. 2-4 hours), apply first coat over sand

Next day: second coat Next day: third coat; wait at least 2 hours before pulling tape

Maintenance: Free of maintenance for approximately 4 to 5 years depending on use

4 Topsides and Cabinsides

There are two ways to restore or refinish the topsides and cabinsides of your oxidized fiberglass boat. The first way, a four-step procedure of washing, rubbing compound, washing, and waxing, is relatively simple and inexpensive. Your boat will look great if you do it right. The second way is relatively complicated and very expensive. You guessed it linear polyurethane. Let's start with the simple, inex-

—

pensive way.

Compound and Wax The

first

step

is

to

wash the

boat; there

is

no reason

to

rub dirt into

the pores of the fiberglass. Fill a plastic pail about halfway with hot

soapy water using any liquid dishwashing detergent. Use a clean rag (or diaper) and have a can of either Comet or Ajax cleanser. Hose off the boat, swish the rag in the soapy water, pour a generous amount of cleanser on the rag, and thoroughly

wash the boat

in sections.

74

TOPSIDES

Hose

off

AND

CABINSIDES

each section very well so the cleanser does not dry on the

surface.

me

pause for a moment to talk about rubbing compound, polishing compound, and wax. The extent of oxidation of the surface Let

of the fiberglass dictates whether to use rubbing

compound or polish-

ing compound.

Before you wash the boat, rub your finger across the fiberglass surface. If it's chalky

and your finger comes up white, you need to use

rubbing compound. If the fiberglass surface polishing

compound

will

work

fine. If

is

dull but not chalky,

the surface

isn't

even

dull,

a

coat of wax twice a year will keep the fiberglass surface just like new. If you have a new boat or relatively new boat that does not require rubbing compound, do not use the abrasive cleanser when you wash

the boat. If your fiberglass

has a chalky surface and you need to use rublet it dry or wipe it

bing compound, after you have washed the boat

There are many excellent rubbing compounds: First Mate, OsDu Pont, and 3M, just to name a few. There are two ways to rub out and wax a boat: by hand, or with a machine or buffer. I'll explain

dry.

cars,

the manual method

You need two

first.

or three Turkish or terrycloth towels cut into

three or four rags each. The reason

I

that the nubby loops of the material

specify Turkish or terrycloth

is

make the job much easier.

Thin the rubbing compound about 10 or 15 percent with fresh water and fill up an empty plastic ketchup squeezer that can be bought at markets and drugstores for less than a dollar. Thoroughly wet the rag and ring it out so that it's damp. Start out by doing a section two feet square. Squirt a couple of lines of rubbing compound on the surface and start spreading it around in a circular motion. As you start working, you'll realize how much rubbing compound and how much elbow grease you'll need to make a beautiful, glossy surface.

compound with water and using a damp cloth is that you do not want the rubbing compound to dry on the surface. What is rubbed on is rubbed out then and there. If you let it dry, you're in for a major workout. Do two-foot-square sections from the gunnel to the boot stripe, and then from the boot The reason

for thinning the rubbing

gunnel in a continuous flow (Figure 42). If you rub the boat out with a machine, it's the same method and technique. It's obviously faster, but it takes a lot of muscle to wield stripe to the

TOPSIDES

AND

CABINSIDES

75

that machine in a steady, even motion. If you use a machine,

make

a buffing/ polishing machine and not a high-speed disk sander with a soft pad. The next day, before you wax it, wash the boat with hot soapy water using liquid dishwashing detergent to get the excess oil and kerosene off. Then let it dry or wipe it dry. Do not use cleanser for sure

it is

washdown. There are at least a dozen excellent waxes. I like using Four Seasons Tree Wax, and inside the can is a perfect sponge appli-

this

cator.

Rub on

wax

the

in a circular motion the

same way

as the rub-

wax let a THIN white film dry on the mean thin, because the more wax you

bing compound, only with the surface.

When

I

say thin,

I

leave on the surface, the harder

it's going to be to rub it off. That film appear in less than a half hour. To rub it off, use the same circular motion using clean, soft, dry rags. If the cove or sheer stripe is part of the original gelcoat, it can be rubbed out and waxed, too. Let's say that you have a white hull with a blue sheer stripe. When you start rubbing out that sheer stripe,

will

76

TOPSIDES

AND CABINSIDES

don't worry if the blue smears on the white. That's the oxidation

you're removing and

However,

it

will

rub out.

sheer stripe

if the

it's

oxidized,

painted on with topside enamel or

is

linear polyurethane, do not rub

out or

it

wax

needs to be repainted (which

it

it.

is

You

will ruin

it.

If

covered in the next

section).

If you are going to

wax dry

to

a

film.

Wax

wax

the hull with a machine, do not let the

the boat using the same method and tech-

nique as you did with the rubbing compound.

When you're done, you

should have a sparkling boat that looks as good as the day

from the

it

came

factory.

QUICK REVIEW:

COMPOUND AND WAX

Necessary Products: Liquid dishwashing detergent

Ajax or

Comet

cleanser (only

if

compound

rubbing

is

to

be ap-

plied)

Rubbing compound (Du Pont or 3M) or polishing compound (Du Pont or Oscars)

Wax (Four Seasons Tree Wax, Oscars,

First

Mate,

etc.)

Turkish or terrycloth towels or rags

Time between Coats: Day 1: wash and compound Day 2: wash and wax Maintenance: Once or twice a year, depending on the geographical location of the boat

Sheer Stripe— Paint If the sheer stripe is painted on,

and then wipe

it

off at least twice

mask with

it

off with

3M

Fineline tape

Du Pont 3919S Prep

Solvent

TOPSIDES

AND CABINSIDES

77

(pour some prep solvent into a clean rag and rub

it

on; let

it

ten minutes, depending on the weather, but do not let

five or

set for it

dry;

with a clean dry rag, then repeat the procedure). This solvent removes oil, grease, wax, and silicone. After it's dry, sand the

wipe

it

off

a damp cloth. down with a generous amount of Du Pont 3812-S Fast Dry Enamel Reducer on a clean rag, which will give you an exceptionally clean, contaminant-free surface to paint. No matter what color red, blue, green, or whatever I prefer using Z-Spar topside enamels for this project. A one-pint can of color is enough to do a half-dozen sheer stripes. Stir the paint well before pouring half of the pint into a small, clean mixing bucket. Add four to six capfuls of Z-Spar #11 thinner; if the paint is still too thick don't hesitate to add another capful or two. You should put two coats on, because two thin coats are infinitely better than trying to put on one thick coat. If it's too thick, you are going to have brush strokes and lap marks in it. After you have put on the first coat, you'll know whether it was too thick or too thin. Let it dry and the next day sand it with 220 grit. For the second coat, you'll need either a little more or a little less sheer stripe with 120

grit,

dust

it,

Then, just before painting, wipe

and wipe

it

off with

it

—

—

thinner.

When you have

mum

finished painting, clean

up and,

after a mini-

of two hours (or the following day), pull the masking tape

away from the paint.

chance a speck of paint has leaked under the tape here and there, or the tape has left a little residue, pour a little lacquer thinner on a clean rag, wrap the rag around

slowly

your

finger,

If by

and rub the paint off (it will come

off easily).

QUICK REVIEW: SHEER STRIPE— PAINT Necessary Products: Tape:

3M

Fineline (dull transparent green)

Sandpaper:

120,

220

1

Du Pont 3919-S Prep Solvent quart Du Pont 3812-S Fast Dry Enamel Reducer pint Z-Spar topside enamel quartZ-Spar #10 or #11 thinner

1

quart mineral

1 1 1

quart

spirits

78

TOPSIDES

AND

CABINSIDES

Time between Coats: Day 1: clean and sand

with 220 Next day: first coat of paint Next day: sand with 220 Next day: second and final coat

M

Maintenance: Repeat the procedure in approximately two to three years, depending on the geographical location of the boat

Topsides (Hull)— Linear Polyurethane Now for the expensive way to do the topsides: LP. Wash the surface with hot soapy water using liquid dishwashing detergent and ammonia. Dry

it off,

then wipe

it

down, at least twice,

with clean rags soaked in either Z-Spar T-1132 or Inter lux #202 solvent wash, letting it evaporate dry each time. After it's dry, sand the topsides with 100 grit using a speed block. Dust off and wash the

and fresh water. If there are gouges that are deeper and wider than the standard nicks and dings, apply West System Epoxy in and around the area (see Chapter 5, pp. 94-95). While the epoxy is wet, mix some West System Microballoons with West System Epoxy until you get a thick peanut-butter consistency and fill the gouge using a putty knife or plastic squeegee. Try not to leave too much excess, because it has to be sanded off. Allow it to cure overnight, then sand it with 80, 120, and 220 grit. The day after you've sanded it, mask off the bottom and decks using a roll of masking paper and 3M Fineline tape to shield the bottom and decks from overspray. Tack off the surface, then spray on two coats of Awlgrip Awlquick in succession. Awlquick is a high-density filler and primer that fills most nicks, dings, and scratches. The next day the Awlquick should be sanded hard with 220 grit, then dusted off and wiped clean with a damp cloth. Check the surface carefully. If there are any nicks, dings, or small voids, they should be filled in with 3M acrylic glazing putty. After an hour, sand the glaze topsides clean with rags

fair

with the surface with 220

grit.

TOPSIDES

AND CABINSIDES

79

3M acrylic glazing putty comes in a container that looks toothpaste tube, but the putty

is

like

a

thicker and smoother than tooth-

—

—

paste; the colors green, red, blue, and white correspond to drying times of between fifteen and twenty-five minutes. The drying time is

You should use

relatively insignificant.

the glazing putty color that

most closely matches the color going over it. Apply it with a putty knife and leave as little excess as possible. Let's say that the boat is going to have a red bottom, white topsides, and feature stripe with green boot and sheer stripes. Tack off the topsides and spray on three or four coats of white LP in succession.

The next day, mask off the boot and sheer stripes with masking paper and 3M Fineline tape. If you leave a thin band of white between the bottom paint and the boot stripe (called a feature stripe), the boat will look longer and cleaner, whereas if the bottom paint touches the boot stripe, color to color, the boat will look a

little like

a

car with the tires painted.

After the stripes are masked off, sand them with 220 grit, remov-

Then spray on two to three coats of color in succession. Wait at least two hours before pulling the tape. If you are going to LP the topsides with color red, green, blue, whatever the color will look great, but if you really want to protect the hull and save a lot of money down the road, you should have four ing the gloss.

—

—

to six coats of clear

clear

LP

LP

sprayed over the color (note, though, that

should not be sprayed over white or pale colors because

it

will the depth and gloss be incredbut two, three, or four years later, instead of shooting color, all you will need to do is sand the topsides and have three or four coats of clear LP sprayed on to have a new

will yellow over them). ible over these

darker

Not only colors,

boat again.

QUICK REVIEW: TOPSIDES (HULL)— LINEAR POLYURETHANE Necessary Products: Liquid dishwashing detergent 1

and ammonia

quart Z-Spar T-1 132 or Interlux #202 solvent wash

80

TOPSIDES

Sandpaper: If

AND CABINSIDES

220

100,

necessary, West System products: 1

quart 850 cleaning solvent

1

quart 105 resin

205 hardener 9-ounce bag 407 microballoons Sandpaper: 80, 120, 220 1

/2 pint

1

Tape:

3M

Fineline (dull transparent green)

Awlgrip Awlquick 1

tube

3M

acrylic glazing putty

Awlgrip LP (color, catalyst, reducer,

and

kicker)

Awlgrip LP clear over-color (optional)

Time between Coats: 132 or #202 will evaporate dry in less than an hour West System Epoxy and Microballoons will harden in ten minutes, but shouldn't be sanded until the following day Awlquick dries in a couple of hours, but shouldn't be sanded until the following day T-1

3M

acrylic glazing putty dries in twenty-five minutes, but shouldn't

be sanded for one to two

depending on the weather Awlgrip LP finish coats: three in succession with about twenty minutes between coats, depending on the weather hours,

Maintenance: Maintenance free

for approximately four to five years; should be once a week with a mild liquid detergent and a soft rag; LP is a final coating and needs no protection—do not wax LP because wax will eventually ruin

washed

at least

it

Aluminum Radar Arch and Portholes An aluminum radar arch and portholes are usually white, no matter what color the boat is. If the paint is bubbling and flaking off, sand those areas hard with 60 grit and the rest of the surface and those areas with 120 grit. Dust off and wipe clean with a damp rag. Mask off the radar arch and portholes with 3M bright green low-tack tape. All the bare aluminum areas should be coated with two coats of

TOPSIDES

AND CABINSIDES

81

either Z-Spar P-707 Prime-All or Z-Spar P-527 strontium chromate. It is

said that the P-527

many

is

superior to the P-707.

I

have used both

times over the years, and they both work well.

recommend to work with

I

P-707 because it delivers the desired results, is easier than the P-527, and is a lot less expensive (see Chapter 2, "Aluminum Spars Paint"). Stir part A thoroughly before pouring an ounce or two into a small mixing bucket. Then pour an ounce or two of part B into the bucket and mix again. Using a throwaway brush, put two coats of the P-707 on all the bare aluminum areas, waiting about fifteen minutes between the first and second coats. Mix a couple of ounces each of Z-Spar # 105 White Undercoat and Interlux #300 High-Gloss White. Stir them both well before mixing them together, and thin the mixture with four to six capfuls of Z-Spar # 10 or # 11 thinner. Brush on two coats of this 50/50 mix over the primed areas, waiting about a half hour between the first and second coats. The following day sand the undercoated areas smooth with 220 grit without going through the undercoat to the primer. Dust off and wipe the whole surface clean with a damp rag. Tack the whole surface off and brush on the first coat of Interlux #300. The following day sand the entire surface with 220 grit, removing all the gloss. Dust it, wipe it with a damp cloth, and tack it off. Brush on the second coat, and after an hour or two, slowly pull the tape away from the painted area.

—

QUICK REVIEW: ALUMINUM RADAR ARCH AND PORTHOLES Necessary Products: Sandpaper: 60, 120, 220 Tape: 3M bright green low-tack Primer: Z-Spar P-707

Undercoat: 50/50 mix, Z-Spar #105 White Undercoat #300 High-Gloss White

#300 Z-Spar #10 or #11 and mineral

Finish: Interlux

Thinners:

spirits

and

Interlux

1

82

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Time between Coats: Two coats of P-707 in succession, one after another Undercoat can be brushed on within an hour of the P-707 drying tack free (not sticky to the touch)

Two coats of undercoat should be brushed on the P-707, waiting about a half hour between the first and second coats Next day: feather in the undercoat with 220 Same or next day: first finish coat of Interlux #300 Next day: sand with 220 Next day: second and final coat of Interlux #300

Maintenance: Maintenance free for two to three years, depending on conditions, then

same as above

Bronze Portholes and Mooring-Line Chocks On some boats the portholes and mooring-line chocks are bronze. When left unprotected this bronze turns green. If this green oxidized bronze

is less

expensive one

than beautiful to look

at,

there

is

a solution, albeit an

—LP.

The bronze should be masked off and sanded with 100, 120, 180, and 220 grit, in that order. Using Awlgrip Clear Solids Brushable Linear Polyurethane, brush on two coats and that bronze will look like gold for almost a year. When you refinish it in nine or ten months, you won't have to sand the bronze again as long as to chip or flake

off.

All that

is

it is

refinished before the

LP starts

sand the clear LP with The following day, sand it with

necessary

is

to

180 grit and brush on the first coat. 220 grit and brush on the second coat. Even though I previously stated that applying LP with a brush is not a very good idea, these bronze portholes and chocks are very small areas; they should be done with a one-inch brush, which means there is very little chance that there will be runs, drips, or sags. Depending on how many portholes and chocks there are, this is

one way of doing it in three days. On Day 1, do all the time-consuming work

—mask everything off

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AND CABINSIDES

and then sand with and golden.

83

100, 120,

and 180 grit

until the bronze

is

smooth

On the following day, briskly go over them with 220 grit to bring up the bright gold color. Dust them off, wipe them with a damp rag, tack them off, and brush on the first coat of LP. On the third day, sand the LP with 220 grit to remove the gloss, and brush on the second coat. You can pull off the tape two to three hours after brushing on the final coat. To use LP, it is imperative to follow the product instructions For example, Awlgrip has a three-part product clear

implicitly.

brushable LP, and advises the following: 1.

Use two parts

(4

ounces) of part A, Clear Solids, in the blue-

and- white can. 2.

Mix with one part

Converter 3.

(catalyst), in

Part

C

is

(2

ounces) of part B, Awlcat

# 3 Top

Coat

the yellow can.

reducer (thinner), in the green can, which

used to reduce (thin) the

A

is

to be

and B catalyzed mix 25 percent by

vol-

ume. So, if you

mix

have 4 ounces of part A, and 2 ounces of part B, you would

in 1 V2 ounces of reducer, stirring gently but thoroughly.

Considering the small areas to be brushed at one time, and that

you

will use

When

a one-inch brush, you shouldn't have any problems.

the project

the overall effect

it

is

will

finished,

you

will be absolutely

amazed

have on the boat's appearance.

QUICK REVIEW: BRONZE PORTHOLES AND MOORING-LINE CHOCKS Necessary Products: Sandpaper: 100, 120, 180, 220 Tape: 3M bright green low-tack 1 -quart kit

Awlgrip Clear Solids LP

Time between Coats: Sand with 220 and apply first coat of LP in same day Next day: sand with 220 and apply second and final coat

at

84

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AND CABINSIDES

Maintenance: In

approximately nine or ten months, sand the LP with 180 grit, and first coat; the following day, sand with 220 grit and brush on the second and final coat brush on the

Minor Fiberglass Repair (to Gelcoat or Not to Gelcoat) Spraying gelcoat

is

the very last step in fiberglass repair, and

it is

,

truly the "Magical Mystery Tour of boat repair. Everything leading '

up

to

it

will

seem simple,

easy,

"rocket science" involved in

and inexpensive by comparison. The is mundane compared to gelcoat

LP

matching and integrating the patch with the original surrounding surface.

color

For absolutely flawless perfection and color matching of minor you would need to hire one of a select few of professionals skilled in this unique art and, of course, pay the piper. If, on the other hand, you can live with less than flawless perfecfiberglass repair,

you can come pretty darn close by using alternative coatings. Let me give an example of how to repair a hole the size of a quarter (25^) that is XA inch deep in the cabin trunk. First, mask off the area to be repaired and dig out any loose material. Sand the inside of the hole and the immediate area with 60 and 120 grit. Dust off and wipe clean with a damp rag. There are several products that can be used to fill the hole. The best product would be West System Epoxy and Microballoons (see Chapter 5 for product description and information regardtion,

ing the use of these products). Set out a drop cloth, a small mixing bucket, a mixing stick, a

one-inch thro wa way brush, a plastic or flexible metal putty knife,

and a quart of West System # 850 Cleaning Solvent in case you get any on your hands as well as to clean your putty knife before the resin cures. And of course the product, one quart of West System #105 resin, a half pint of #205 hardener, and a nine-ounce bag of

#407

microballoons.

Once the

resin

and hardener are mixed,

it

kicks (hardens) in

about ten minutes, so you must work quickly.

Put three or four pumps each of the

# 105

resin

and the

# 205

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AND CABINSIDES

85

hardener in the bucket and mix thoroughly. Use the throwaway brush to dab the masked-off surface with a coat of epoxy. Then stir in the microballoons until you get a thick peanutbutter consistency. Using the putty knife, fill the hole and spread it smooth on the masked-off area, trying not to leave a lot of excess. Pull the tape off before the epoxy hardens. Use a little solvent and clean the putty knife before the resin kicks.

The following

day, using a rubber sanding block, sand the

area with 80, 120, 150, and 220 grit until the epoxy S-M-O-O-O-T-H with the original surface.

Another way

is

perfectly

with polyester putty (see pp. 102 on the subject of fiberglass say that polyester resin and putty do not bond well to cured fiberglass. This may be so, but over the last eighteen years I have filled many

and

to

fill

the hole

is

106-7). People knowledgeable

holes in fiberglass boats with two-part polyester putty and none of

that putty has either fallen out or leaked that

the waterline

is

a totally different

I

know of. Now, below

story. Polyester putty should not

be used below the waterline. Two similar products in this line are Fiberglass Evercoat's White Star Autobody Filler and Z-Spar #5 Polyester Putty. They

same way, about 3 pounds of putty in a 32-ounce % with -ounce tube of creme hardener. can a Product information states that one ounce of creme hardener are both sold the

harden three pounds of putty. Since you would never mix three pounds of putty at one time, only golf-ball-sized amounts, it never quite works out that way. If you're going to be filling a lot of holes, you should buy an extra tube of creme hardener. The putty is white and the creme hardener is either blue or brown. When you mix a fingernail-sized dollop of creme hardener with a golf-ball-sized lump of putty the color difference allows you to determine when the mixture is uniform and not streaky (Figures 43-45). At this point do not dally, because the mixed putty will kick in about ten minutes. Put some on the putty knife and fill the hole, trying not to leave too much excess around it, because the next day it should be sanded with 80, 120, 150, and 220 grit until fair (Figures 46-48). There are two ways to finish the repair, aside from gelwill

coat:

1.

LP

(which can only go over the epoxy

color, converter,

and reducer; about

$90.

—a quart kit of

filler)

86

TOPSIDES

m Add a fingernail-sized

AND CABINSIDES

4±Q Mix with a mixing

Putty fully stick.

penetrated by

creme hardener

dollop of creme hardener to catalyze a golf-ball-sized

lump

of polyester After

putty.

Hole Hole to

be

filled

filled

being

sanded smooth

fair

and

with 80,

and smoothed

120, 150,

with putty knife

grit

and 220

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2.

AND CABINSIDES

—one pint of

Z-Spar Monopoxy (which will go over either one)

white, one pint of beige,

Both

87

and a quart of # 10 thinner; about

$24.

finishes will last for years.

1. With LP, you should put on three coats using the same method described in the previous section on coating bronze with LP. Before the second and third coats, sand out the gloss with 220 grit each time. Awlgrip makes a whole array of whites, so one of them should come pretty close to the gelcoat color. 2. If you go the Monopoxy route, you'll probably want to get as close as possible to the original color, which means mixing in a few drops of Balboa Beige with the Brilliant White. If you put Monopoxy over the epoxy, three thin coats will do it. If you put it over the

polyester putty, a fourth coat

may be

necessary, because the polyes-

up the first coat and possibly the second coat. With three or four coats, you can adjust the color three or four times and get very close to a good color match. ter putty will soak

QUICK REVIEW: MINOR FIBERGLASS REPAIR (TO GELCOAT OR NOT TO GELCOAT) Necessary Products: 3M bright green low-tack or 3M Fineline Sandpaper: 60, 120, 150, 220 West System Epoxy products: 1 quart #105 resin V2 pint #205 hardener 1 9-ounce bag #407 microballoons 1 quart #850 cleaning solvent Tape:

Or: Z-Spar

#5 or White

Star polyester putty

and

1

pint

acetone Awl-

grip LP

Or: Z-Spar

Monopoxy

(color of your

White) 1 1

quartZ-Spar #10 thinner quart mineral spirits

choice and #200

Brilliant

— 88

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AND CABINSIDES

Time between Coats: LP: one coat a day for three days, sanding with 220 between coats Monopoxy: one coat a day for three days, sanding with 220 between coats Maintenance:

None

Gelcoat (THE "Magical Mystery Tour") Whoever

built

your boat would be the

first

place from which you

should try to obtain the exact gelcoat color. But even

if you get the from the builder, your boat has been in the elements oxidizing for years and probably won't match the color anymore. Let us press on and list what is necessary to complete a gelcoat repair (these products are usually sold at marine hardware stores or

color

auto parts

1.

3M

stores):

acrylic glazing putty (see

Chapter

4,

"Topsides

(Hull)

Linear Polyurethane") 2.

Gelcoat color tints made by Fiberglass Evercoat quart acetone to thin the color mix, and for cleanup 1 pint MEK (methyl ethyl ketone) to catalyze the gelcoat 1 quart PVA (polyvinyl alcohol), which is a green, watersoluble mold release, and is used to seal off the third and final coat of gelcoat from oxygen, so that it dries and

3. 1 4. 5.

firms

up

better

Rubbing compound and wax (see this chapter, p. 73) 7. Two PREVAL Auto Sprayers, which are empty six-ounce glass

6.

containers with an aerosol-driven spray nozzle on the top 8.

Sandpaper: five sheets each of 600 (black wet and dry)

Start out by squeezing

putty knife and spreading

some

it

3M

3M

220 (white) and 400 and

on your with either

acrylic glazing putty

over the hole that

is filled

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AND

CABINSIDES

89

epoxy or polyester putty, and let it dry for at least two hours. Then sand it smooth with 220 grit. If you couldn't get the right gelcoat color from the builder, welcome to the "Magical Mystery Tour." Start adding color tints until you think you have the right color. Even though I consider myself forever the optimist, and like to think that anything is possible, trying to match new gelcoat to old gelcoat comes very close to being impossible, especially if you don't do that sort of thing for a living.

Okay,

wade

let's

mixed the color

Assuming that you have match, pour the color (about four ounces)

in a little deeper.

tints to

into the glass container of the

PREVAL sprayer.

Start adding small increments of acetone to thin the gelcoat.

Practice spraying the gelcoat on a flap of a cardboard carton or a

scrap piece of wood. If it's too thick, it's

too thin or watery, Let's

it

it

will

be lumpy on the surface. If

will run.

keep assuming that you have mixed the correct color and

now have the right consistency,

or viscosity, of gelcoat.

—that

The next step is to add MEK 2 percent by volume

add 2

is,

percent of however much gelcoat is in the glass PREVAL container. Add the MEK and mix it thoroughly. Use sweeping, gentle strokes when spraying, allowing the gelcoat to feather out around the edges of the repair. If you blow

it

(lumpy or runny), wipe it off with a clean rag with acetone on it, and adjust the mixture, and try again, and again, and again .

.

.

again.

Okay,

more

let's

assume you got

it

right.

You only have

to

do

it

two

times. Three coats of gelcoat are necessary, because the re-

paired area

still

needs to be sanded, rubbed out with rubbing com-

pound, and waxed. Let's press on.

The day

sprayed on, wet-sand

it

with

after the first coat of gelcoat has

been

3M 400-grit black wet and dry sandpa-

per (silicon carbide), keeping the surface and sandpaper wet with fresh water.

Wipe it off till

dry, get

it

dust free with a tack cloth, and

spray on the second coat. The following day, still using the 3M 400grit black wet and dry silicon carbide sandpaper, wet-sand it, dry it, use the tack cloths and spray on the third coat of gelcoat.

Within ten minutes after spraying on the third and final coat of gelcoat, to make sure it's not lumpy or going to run or drip, a coat of PVA should be sprayed right over the top of the gelcoat. (After

90

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AND

CA.BINSIDES

you've practiced and got the gelcoat to the right color anc

viscosity,

pour a few ounces ofPVA into the second P R EVAL sprayer and thin it with water about 5 or 10 percent depending on the weather conditions. Practice

spraying the

PVA so ifs not too thick or too thin, and

have both PREVAL sprayers ready to use.) day, sand it first with 400-grit wet and dry and then with 600-grit wet and dry. Then wipe the surface :lean and dry. In cold or damp weather, you might have to let the PVA set on the sprayed gelcoat for two or three days. The next step is to get out the rubbing compound and a clean, damp terrycloth rag. Start rubbing until the new gelcoat matches

this way you

The next

the original gelcoat. Finish off the repair by waxing

it,

and most likely waxing the

whole surface so that it all looks ever.. The products may be a wonder of science, but the method and technique of applying them still involve art, skill, and judgment fraught with vagueness and ambiguity. I would recommend one of the alternative coatings, but if you are bold and intrepid, be my guest. And good luck: you'll need it.

QUICK REVIEW: GELCOAT (THE "MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR") Necessary Products:

3M

acrylic glazing putty

Sandpaper 220 (wtVrte smcor and a r / silicon carbide)

carbide). 400

Fiberglass Evercoat geJcoat color 1

quart acetone

1

pint

1

MEK

ana 600

'c

!

ac< *et

tints

for thinning gel coal

ana

(

o?

clean up

(methyl ethyl ketone) to catalyze the gelcoat

quart PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) to seal

off

oxygen from the

Rubbing compound and wax 2 PREVAL Auto Sprayers— one for gelcoat, one

for

PVA

final

TOPSIDES

AND CABINSIDES

91

Time between Coats: Epoxy or polyester putty should dry overnight 3M acrylic glazing putty can be sanded two hours

after applica-

tion

gelcoat—one coat a day for three days, sanding between coats 1 and 2 with 400 wet and dry silicon carbide Approximately ten minutes after spraying on the third and final coat of gelcoat, spray on a coat of PVA Next day: sand PVA and gelcoat with 400 and 600 wet and dry, dry 3 coats of

it

off,

rub

it

Maintenance:

None

out,

and wax

it

5 Bottom, Keel,

and

Boot Stripe

The next project in the sequence is to haul the boat out of the water and paint the bottom. I will discuss the bottom of a new boat at the end of this chapter.

Bottom and Keel you will need to employ a diver or month (unless you arrange with your it yourself). Prior hauling out your boat, do to diving service to have the bottom cleaned for haul-out and painting the afternoon prior to the morning of haul-out. The reason you want to specify for haul-out is that some divers If your boat is sitting in the water,

diving service to clean the bottom once or twice a

are not very conscientious, but out, they will do

if they

know the boat is being hauled

an excellent job, which

will save

you the aggrava-

tion of cleaning a slimy boat bottom. If you contract for the

yard to do the bottom, they will clean the bottom with a high-pressure hose, let it dry, and roll on two coats of whatever bottom paint you specify.

BOTTOM,

KEEL,

AND BOOT

STRIPE

93

Even if the bottom is in good condition, that isn't quite good enough. The bottom should at least be roughed up with coarse bronze wool or sanded with 60 grit. The problem is that some yards do not have insurance

for their

paint (anti-fouling paint)

employees to sand bottom paint. Bottom is one of the most hazardous and toxic

chemical concoctions known to man. If you

do

it

yourself,

you should use 60

grit

on an

100 grit on a grinder. Remember, you're not taking

it

oscillator or

down

to fiber-

roughing it up. If you choose to do this yourself, you should wear a particle mask to protect your lungs, goggles to shield your eyes, and protective clothing. If you are going to purchase a previously owned boat or have glass, you're just

recently purchased one, chances are when you haul it out of the water for the survey it's going to be in less than excellent condition. If there are blisters or the bottom paint is chipping and flaking off and you can discern several different paints or colors, there is only one thing to do: Strip it or sandblast it down to fiberglass and start at the beginning the right way. If the boat is smaller than thirty-two feet long, you can chemically strip off the paint yourself. If the boat is larger than thirty-two feet, it would probably be more feasible to have it sandblasted off. To strip it yourself, you would start off with a couple of gallons of Interlux #299 Pintoff. This is the ONLY stripper that can be used, because it strips off the paint and primers, but will not attack the fiberglass.

Any other stripper will eat right into the fiberglass.

Use the exact same technique described ping a varnished mast. The only difference scrapers, a stiff plastic spatula will

in

is

Chapter 2

work fine. You can also use a wide

(four inches), stiff putty knife, but be very careful not to fiberglass.

for strip-

that instead of using

gouge the

The paint can be stripped off the keel the same way. off, sand the bottom with 60 on a grinder, which will enable you to

After the paint has been stripped grit

on an

oscillator or 100 grit

see blisters if there are any.

me digress for a moment to explain one method of repairing on the bottom of a fiberglass boat. It is the Gougeon Bros.' West System Epoxy and products. The method and products are simple and easy to use and are at least a partial solution to a problem that persistently plagues owners of fiberglass boats. There are many theories as to what actually causes blistering. Whether it is moisture seeping in from the outside or uncured resin in the layup or a combination of causes, no one has come up with a Let

blisters

— BOTTOM,

94

KEEL,

AND BOOT

STRIPE

answer (though it is currently being studied by several manufacturers of fiberglass products). Amoco Chemical Corporation (200 East Randolph Drive, Chicago, IL 60601) has published Bulletins IP-75 and IP-76A on the subject. I would also like to mention tftat the Gougeon Bros, have pubdefinitive

lished a nineteen-chapter, forty-six-page booklet that

ative on the subject of fiberglass boat repair.

is

very inform-

You can probably

ob-

tain it from the West System dealer or distributor in your area, or you can send a request to Gougeon Bros. Inc. (706 Martin Street, Bay City,

MI 48707).

The West System Epoxy has one resin (#105) and two hardeners fas€ ( # 205) and slow ( # 206). Fast kicks off in about fifteen minutes and slow kicks off in about twenty-five minutes, depending on weather conditions, mainly temperature and humidity. I prefer using the fast-kicking #205 hardener because it sands easier. With the West System pumps, the resin and hardener are metered out

—

perfectly for the correct mixture of five parts resin to one part hardener.

There are two reasons for coating the bottom of a fiberglass boat with epoxy: 1.

Excellent adhesion on both sides. Polyester resins and puttys

do not bond well to cured fiberglass (at least under the water). Epoxy does. Epoxy bonds to a fiberglass hull with excellent results. After it has cured, when sanded with 80 grit, whatever goes on next, sticks whether primer or paint. 2. Barrier coat. Because your boat is in the water day after day

and year after year, moisture is absorbed into the fiberglass hull. That is probably one of the reasons blistering occurs. With a barrier coat of epoxy, at least this part of the problem

is

solved.

Back to blisters. Open the blisters and dig out any loose material. Then sand in and around the blisters with 60 grit on a grinder. Dust off and wipe clean with a damp rag. This is how to fill those holes: Put four to six pumps each of # 105 resin and # 205 hardener in a small mixing bucket and stir thoroughly. Take the two-inch throwaway brush and coat the inside and surrounding area of the blister. Then pour in some West System #407 Microballoons (which are dark brown in color) and some # 406 colloidal silica (which is white

BOTTOM,

in color)

KEEL,

AND BOOT

and mix

it

until

sistency. Microballoons

95

STRIPE

it

takes on a peanut-butter color and con-

and

colloidal silica are superfine, almost

weightless dusts that turn the semi-liquid resin mixture into the semi-solid peanut-butter-consistency

gaps, voids, It is

filler

that

is

excellent for filling

and holes without dripping out.

imperative to mix only small amounts (four to six pumps) of

resin and hardener at a time, because the #105 resin and #205 hardener will harden in about twelve to fifteen minutes, but once the microballoons are added, it will kick much quicker, in about eight to

ten minutes. Quickly, get that putty knife and start filling holes. Repeat this process until all the holes are kicked, do not sand

it

filled.

Even though the

filler will

have

until the following day.

The next day, sand the epoxy filler smooth and fair with the bottom surface with 80 and 120 grit on an oscillator sander (see Figures 46-48, p. 86). Dust off the bottom and wipe it with a damp cloth.

If the waterline of your boat is literally at the waterline, this is a

very good time to raise the waterline of the bottom paint at least one

and a half to two inches above the waterline. The reason for this is that the constant moisture will seep down between the anti-fouling paint and the hull. The next step in putting on a new bottom is applying an epoxy primer/barrier coat (EP/BC).

An

excellent all-purpose

EP/BC

is

Z-

a 50/50 mix of part A and part B. Even though P-646 was created as a metal primer, it is an excellent EP/BC that bonds well to the fiberglass hull and lead keel. The primer and bottom paint should be applied with the "weton-wet" system. The primer and bottom paint can be either sprayed

Spar P-646 two-part high-build epoxy, which

is

on or rolled on. Two coats of the P-646 primer should be applied in succession. Then, depending on the weather conditions, wait between one and four hours, until the P-646 is not quite cured dry but still sticky to the touch, to apply the first coat of bottom paint (antifouling paint); you want the P-646 still sticky so that the whole thing cures into a solid bond. Just as life is not quite as simple and cut-and-dried as we would like it to be, neither is the world of anti-fouling bottom paints. ZSpar, Interlux, Woolsey, Pettit, and Pro Line, just to name a few, all make excellent anti-fouling bottom paints. They also specify their own methods, primers, thinners, etc.

BOTTOM,

96

My

KEEL,

AND BOOT

STRIPE

with some of your neighbors at your dock or mooring area, and the people at your local haul-out yard, and pretty soon you'll come up with a consensus of which antibest advice here

is

to talk

fouling paint works best in your area.

QUICK REVIEW: BOTTOM AND KEEL Necessary Products: Tape:

3M

Fineline (dull transparent green)

Sandpaper: 60, 80, 100, 120 Interlux #299 Pintoff (fiberglass stripper) West System products (if necessary for blister repair) 1 quart #105 resin 1/2 pint #205 hardener 1 9-ounce bag #407 Microballoons 1 6-ounce bag colloidal silica 1 quart #850 cleaning solvent Z-Spar P-646 (epoxy primer/barrier coat) and anti-fouling bottom paint should

be applied

using the wet-on-wet system

Time between Coats: Epoxy and microballoons should cure overnight before sanding

and fairing of P-646 should be rolled or sprayed on in succession coat of anti-fouling bottom paint should be rolled on or sprayed on wet-on-wet, between one and four hours after applying the P-646 when it is still slightly tacky to the touch Time between coats of the next two coats will depend on what

Two coats The

first

product product

is

used and the manufacturer's

instructions for that

Maintenance: Depending on geographical location, haul-out in approximately two years: rough up the bottom with either course bronze wool or 60 grit on an oscillator; prime the bare spots with P-646 and go wet-on-wet with anti-fouling paint over the P-646; then apply two coats of bottom paint as you normally would

BOTTOM,

KEEL,

AND BOOT

STRIPE

97

Boot Stripe A boot stripe is a lot easier to paint when the boat is out of the water getting the bottom painted than

it is

when

you're leaning over the

dock on your knees, back, or stomach. If the topsides and/or boot stripe are not going to be sprayed with LP, the boot stripe can be brushed on with a topside enamel. Mask off the boot stripe with 3M Fineline tape. Wipe the boot stripe down with Du Pont 3919-S Prep Solvent to remove any wax, oil, or silicone, which will contaminate the paint. Rub the solvent on with a clean cloth and let it sit for a few minutes. Do not let it dry. Use another clean cloth and wipe it dry. This should be done at least twice.

Sand the boot

stripe

hard with 120

grit,

dust

it off,

and wipe

it

down with a clean, damp cloth. Then wipe it down with a clean cloth using generous amounts of Du Pont 3812-S Enamel Reducer just before you start painting. Start at the stern using the cross-stroke

brushing technique of two or three vertical strokes and a couple of horizontal strokes right over the top, with your last horizontal strokes back into what you have just painted (see pp. 22-24 of Chapter

1).

dry overnight. The following day, sand it lightly with 220 grit, making sure that the gloss has been sanded dull. Dust it, wipe it with a damp cloth, tack it off, and brush on the second coat. Two hours after you've finished painting, pull the tape slowly away from the paint. If any paint leaked under the tape, a little lacquer thinner Let

it

on a clean rag wrapped around your finger will remove

QUICK REVIEW: BOOT STRIPE Necessary Products: Tape:

3M

Fineline

Sandpaper:

120,

220

1

Du Pont 3919-S Prep Solvent quart Du Pont 3812-S Fast Dry Enamel Reducer pint Z-Spar topside enamel quartZ-Spar #10 or #11 thinner

1

quart mineral

1 1 1

quart

spirits

it

easily.

98

BOTTOM,

Time between Coats: Du Pont 3919-S: rub on and it

off

twice

Z-Spar topside enamel: two coats coat,

sand

with 120; before the

in

in

KEEL,

AND BOOT

STRIPE

succession

two

days— before

the

first

second coat, sand with 220

Maintenance: Repeat the above procedure approximately every two years when the boat is hauled out to get the bottom done

New Boats When

a

new

boat

is

delivered to a dealer or broker,

it's

a pretty

bare-bones item. So the dealer does some "commissioning" to

make

the boat presentable for public view or inspection.

The dealer

is

going to wash and

nish the exterior teak trim, and

is

wax

the boat,

maybe

stripe.

or var-

probably going to put on a bottom

Compared to the boat that the dealer commissioning makes an incredible difference. and boot

oil

received, that

What I'm driving at is this: If you think the dealer is going to go through the expense of properly priming the bottom of that boat and adding a barrier coat, you are naive. The people who are employed by dealers to commission new boats usually do not know any more about it than you do. They might sand the bottom and paint it. They might apply non-sanding fiberglass primer and paint it. But put a barrier coat on it? Forget it. If the new boat of your dreams happens to be in the thirty-five-foot to fifty-foot range, a few years down the road it is going to cost you somewhere between $3,000 and $6,000 to cure a blistered bottom, to say nothing of the psychological effect it will have to look at your $200,000 boat with a couple of hundred holes about a half inch deep in it. If you ask the dealer if the bottom of the boat that you plan to purchase has been barrier-coated, you will probably get one of two answers: (1) Barrier-whated? (2) Oh sure, we barrier-coat all of our new boats. Well, sometime during the week, go by the place the dealer's other new boats are being commissioned and his employees are repairing items under warranty, and have a casual chat with some of those employees.

BOTTOM,

KEEL,

AND BOOT

99

STRIPE

Being the interested party that you are, ask them how they paint bottoms. When they tell you they open the can, pour some in a roller pan, and roll two coats on the bottom, you have just received the definitive answer. If you are going to buy that boat, the first thing you should do is have that bottom paint stripped off. Since I have just explained stripping, if your new boat has not had anti-fouling paint put on, this is what should be done: First, wash the bottom with hot water, liquid dishwashing detergent, and ammonia. After the bottom is dry, wipe the entire bottom with a clean rag wet with either West System #850 cleaning solvent, ZSpar T-1132 solvent, or Interlux #202 solvent wash. Then sand the entire bottom below the waterline with 80 grit. The sanding should take all the gloss out of the surface. Then mask off the topsides with

3M Fineline tape. two ways of barrier-coating the bottom of a new boat. First, and probably best, is the Gougeon Bros.' West System Epoxy method, and I will quote the Gougeon Bros, here from their pamphlet, Common Problems and Do-It-Yourself Solutions with West System Products: I

will list

Apply three coats of West System Epoxy to the surface with West System 800 Foam Roller. For best results apply at 60-70 degrees Fahrenheit with 40-60% relative humidity. All three coats may be applied in one day, each coat to become tack free before applying the next coat. When applied in thin even coats, sanding between coats should not be required. If epoxy is allowed to gain full cure-up (more than two days), a light sanding should precede recoating. West System Epoxy is a 100% solid product, thus the epoxy must not be thinned because that would destroy moisture barrier effectiveness. Avoid rolling epoxy on masking tape as removal may then be difficult.

What they mean by that last sentence is, if you get epoxy on the tape, pull the tape before the epoxy kicks.

The epoxy should

sit for

two or

three days, then sand the entire bottom with 80 grit before applying

primer or paint. The second way of barrier-coating the bottom would be the weton-wet system using Z-Spar P-646 epoxy, which I have described previously in this chapter.

I

BOTTOM,

100

KEEL,

AND BOOT

STRIPE

QUICK REVIEW: NEW BOATS Necessary Products: Liquid dishwashing detergent

and ammonia

West System #850, Z-Spar T-1 132, or Tape:

3M

#202 solvent wash

Interlux

Fineline

Sandpaper: 80 Epoxy primer/barrier coat: Z-Spar P-646 or West System epoxy antifouling bottom paint (your choice)

Time between Coats: Wash and dry the bottom Cleaning solvent: wash down twice and than an hour it

Z-Spar P-646: two coats

in

it

will

evaporate

in less

succession, then wet-on-wet with the

first

coat of anti-fouling paint West System: three thin coats in the same day, allowing each coat to dry tack free; let epoxy stand for two days before sanding with 80 grit Time between coats for anti-fouling paint would depend on the product and the manufacturer's instructions

Maintenance: See "Quick Review: Bottom and

Keel," p.

96

6 Interior Paint

and

Varnish

You may be asking, Why couldn't I have done the interior first? You could have, but I will give you several reasons why I saved the interior for last. First,

an

interior can be a pretty intimidating project to start

out with. Looking around at a main saloon and galley with the intention of refinishing

it is

a totally different view from that of a guest or

casual observer.

Once you intend to refinish the interior, your perception of it may more closely resemble a kaleidoscope of paint, varnish, and fiberglass endlessly

meeting without borders or buffer zones in a

wide array of angles. After viewing the interior in this light, you would not be the first to cancel the project before you started or, worse, start creating a royal mess and then throw in the towel. After doing several projects on the exterior of the boat, though, you are now familiar with primers, undercoats, finishes, and sanding and brushing techniques. Comparatively speaking, even though the

102

INTERIOR PAINT

AND VARNISH

seem crude compared to the refined skill level necessary for the interior, the methods and techniques are the same. You now have greater knowledge, understanding, skills, and confidence than you did a few projects ago. Viewing the interior work in the light of this experience is not nearly as intimidating as it would have been before you acquired it. exterior projects

Second, a boatyard or haul-out facility

is

a

filthy,

dusty place,

and

if you are doing the exterior projects yourself, you're most likely keeping the materials you are using in the boat. After a couple of

weeks of going in and out of the boat a few times a day, the boatyard environment has a way of permeating the interior. TKird, and certainly not least or last, is that once the external projects have been completed it is both fulfilling and inspiring to experience having completed the overall goal of having a beautiful

—inside and out.

boat

There are three phases involved in interior work, and the work should be done in this sequence: (1) the brightwork or varnished wood; (2) the painted surfaces; and (3) the cabin sole. There are several ways to do an interior, and I must confess here that I am a hopeless admirer of glossy surfaces particularly highgloss white paint and high-gloss varnish. There is something absolutely yachting about it that is visually stunning and esthetically

—

pleasing. I

know you're thinking that I must be nuts and no interior decoso. Most sailboats and many power boats are

rator to boot. Well, not

cavelike and dark inside. Those glossy finishes refract light in quite a nice way,

and even a

soft light or

candle takes on the properties of a

magical glow.

Another alternative is semi-gloss white paint and high-gloss varnish, also a beautiful combination. Last and least is semi-gloss paint and rubbed-effect, satin, or dull-varnish finish. With this last alternative, it hardly seems worth putting in the time and effort to refinish the interior, unless it's in awful condition and you just want it to look clean and smooth. I have yet to see a raw, bare wood interior in any boat built within the last twenty years, so what I am specifically talking about is refinishing the interior to bring it up to snuff. Basically, any interior will look great with two coats of varnish and two coats of paint. But realistically, most interiors in fiberglass boats are molded fiberglass with wood saloon and chart tables, wood

INTERIOR PAINT

AND VARNISH

doors and cabinets,

wood hand

103

grips

and counter

fiddles,

and wood

trim or molding and no painted surfaces.

Even though I just said that two brightwork will

make

it

look great (and

coats of Interlux Jet Speed interior brightwork will

coats of varnish on the interior

first,

it will), if

you put on two

before the two finish coats, your

have a sparkle,

and depth that

dazzle,

will

take your breath away. It's

not really as

much work as it seems, because the two coats of

Jet Speed can go on in succession without sanding between coats, and, remember, the secret to beautiful varnish tion

and multiple

is

surface prepara-

coats.

Before starting this project,

it's

a good idea to remove the cush-

ions and all upholstered items. There are a couple of preparations you need to take care of before painting or varnishing the interior because of the residues left by normal use, maintenance, and living, such as food preparation and cooking and greasy or oily hand- and fingerprints. And sometime in the life of your boat, a well-intentioned though misguided previous owner may have tried to protect or enhance the wood surface by applying some form of furniture polish or oil (but if you're lucky not

some silicone-based

product).

These surface contaminants must be removed before painting or varnishing because they will cause the "fish-eye" or bubble. It

is

new

paint or varnish to

called fish-eye because

it

looks exactly like

a watery fish-eye causing the paint or varnish to separate.

Interior Varnish Whether the interior wood is oiled or varnished, take a small section and sand it. If it's oiled, sand it with 120 and 150 grit. If it's varnished, sand it with 150 grit. Dust it off and wipe it clean with a damp cloth. Tack it off and put a coat of Jet Speed on that section. If it comes out nice, without fish-eyes or bubbles, you are in luck. If it does fish-eye or bubble, I'll explain how to remove those contaminants below. The one coat of Jet Speed can be sanded off the following day with 120

grit.

Oiled wood should be cleaned with ter 2,

TSP and hot water (see Chap-

—Varnish") using an abrasive synthetic pad with

"Wood Spars

the grain. In the interior, you're not going to be slopping water

all

over the place. If you do small sections, use a drop cloth, have a

104

INTERIOR PAINT

AND VARNISH

couple of rags or old towels available, and try to be reasonably careful, you won't create a mess.

wood that already has varnish on

Interior

down two

or three times with

it

should be wiped

Du Pont

clean rag with 3919-S and rub

minutes, and wipe

it

it

3919-S Prep Solvent. Wet a on a section. Let it sit for a few

off with a dry, clean

rag before

it

dries.

Then sand the surface with 150 grit. Dust it off and wipe it with a

damp

Mask

and just before varnishing wipe it off with a generous amount of Du Pont 3812-S Fast Dry Enamel Reducer, whicH will give you an exceptionally clean, con-

clean,

cloth.

it

off if necessary,

taminant-free surface to varnish.

When

sanding the interior, you should always wear a particle mask. You should sand bare wood with 120 and 150 grit, in that order.

You should sand varnished wood with 150 grit.

Either way,

it

should be a good, brisk sanding.

A vacuum cleaner is a necessity for this project. Dust the area vacuum the dust, and wipe it off with a clean, damp cloth. If it needs to be masked off, this is the time to do it, using 3M bright green

off,

low-tack tape. If you are

going to varnish bare wood, thin the Jet Speed 20 to 25

percent by volume. If the wood already has varnish on

Speed about 10 percent. Tack the

first

coat of Jet Speed. Let

off the it

it,

thin the Jet

area to be varnished and put on

dry tack free

(so

that

it's

not sticky to

the touch) and put the second coat on without sanding. Inside,

it

may take an hour or more for the first coat of Jet Speed

between coats you could put the brush in the varnish and splash less than a half capful of Z-Spar # 10 or #11 thinner on the surface of the varnish, without mixing it in, and then place a wettish damp cloth over the top of the varnish bucket to keep it from evaporating and "skinning" over. The following day, sand the area lightly with 180 grit, removing the gloss, and put on the first coat of finish varnish. The next day sand it with 220 grit, removing the gloss, and put on the second coat of finish varnish. If you have sanded a large area, it is not necessary to varnish that same day. It might be more reasonable to sand and clean up on one day, and varnish on another. Wait until the following day to pull the tape slowly away from the varnish. If any varnish has leaked under the tape, a clean cloth with some lacquer thinner on it wrapped around your finger should remove it easily. to dry, so

INTERIOR PAINT

/

AND VARNISH

After you have sanded the

first finish

105

coat with 220 grit, if you do

not want the high-gloss look the final coat should be either Interlux

#60 Rubbed Effect, Z-Spar V-975 Satin Sheen, or McCloskey's Man O' War Satin Finish (see Chapter 1, pp. 28-29). Remember, any time that paint or varnish feels too thick, don't hesitate to add one or two capfuls of Z-Spar

Keep

#10 or #11

thinner.

whenever you are sanding, painting, or varnishing inside ALWAYS open the hatches and portholes. That dust and those fumes are toxic. Also, circulating air shortens drying in mind, too, that

time. It's

To

a good idea not to start this project in the main saloon area.

get the right feel for the project, start with small sections in

either the forepeak, head, or

some other not-too-prominent area

you are comfortable with the system and techniques and have the procedure down. until

As these small

sections in the extremities of the interior start

glistening with the desired results, you're ready to

main saloon

move

into the

area.

important to remember not to get overconfident and do too large of an area at one time. Just in case you have any problems, make any mistakes, or do not prepare a surface well enough, at least It is

you'll only

have a small area to

fix.

By now you've figured out that the actual painting or varnishing is

the fun, easy, gratifying part of the project. Cleaning, sanding, and

preparing the surface are the work.

There are very few absolutes in life, but this is one of them: The finish can only be as good as the surface preparation.

QUICK REVIEW: INTERIOR VARNISH Necessary Products: 3M bright green low-tack Sandpaper: 120, 150, 180, 220

Tape:

TSP (trisodium phosphate),

if

necessary

Du Pont 3919-S Prep Solvent, necessary 1 quart Du Pont 3812-S Fast Dry Enamel Reducer 1 quart Interlux #100 Jet Speed Varnish if

106

INTERIOR PAINT

varnish (see Chapter

1

quart

1

quart Z-Spar #10 thinner

1

quart mineral

1

gallon lacquer thinner

finish

1,

AND VARNISH

pp. 28-29)

spirits

Time between Coats: Two coats of Jet Speed can go on in the same day after the first coat dries tack free (about an hour)— you can put on only one coat, the next day the first coat of Jet Speed should be lightly sanded with 180 grit and cleaned up; the following day put on the second coat of Jet Speed The second coat of Jet Speed should be sanded with 180 grit if

Next day: first coat of finish varnish (gloss) Next day: sand with 220 Next day: second and final finish coat (gloss or satin

Maintenance: Maintenance free

for at least five

finish)

years

Painted Surfaces First, look

the painted surfaces. What you are looking and maybe some cracking seams or an area needs to be dug out. Make a note of those areas.

around at

all

for are nicks, dings,

where dry

rot

Again, start in the extremities of the boat in areas that are not

prominent. Sand the area with 120 clean with a

grit.

Dust, vacuum, and wipe

it

damp cloth.

any large gouges or holes that need to be filled, dig out the loose material and sand the hole and the surrounding area (about half an inch around the hole) with 60 grit, dust it, and wipe it If there are

clean.

need some Z-Spar # 5 two-part polyester putty (see p. 85), the flap of a cardboard box as a mixing board, a couple of mixing sticks, a flexible metal or plastic putty knife, one pint of acetone for cleanup, and a couple of clean rags. Inside the plastic cover on the can of polyester putty there is a one-ounce tube of blue creme hardener or catalyst. The entire tube of creme hardener will catalyze the three pounds of putty in the thirty-

You

will

•

INTERIOR PAINT

two-ounce can

AND VARNISH

107

—in theory. If you are going to be

filling

a

lot of holes,

buy an extra tube of creme hardener.

When you

open the can of putty, if there is a purple resinous on top, use a mixing stick to thoroughly stir the contents. It may seem like you're stirring peanut butter, but in a few minutes you'll have a white, creamy smooth putty. Put a little less than a golf-ball-sized amount on the mixing board, squeeze a fingernail-sized dollop of hardener into it, and mix liquid floating

thoroughly.

As you mix it, the white putty will become a uniform blue color, which means the catalyst hardener is evenly distributed and has completely penetrated the putty. Using your putty knife, or squeegee, fill the gouges and holes leaving a minimum of excess around the area to be filled, because after it hardens (in about ten minutes) it is solid. Even though it hardens in about ten minutes, it shouldn't be sanded until the following day. Now, before it hardens, put some acetone on a rag and clean your hands and putty knife. The following day, sand off the excess putty so that the surface is smooth and fair; use 80 and 120 grit, in that order. I haven't forgotten about the nicks, dings, and cracking seams; we'll fix them in a minute. Okay, it has already been sanded with 120 grit. If there is a cracking seam, the corner of a putty knife or an old-fashioned puncture-type can opener can reef out the loose material and cracking paint. Using the edge of the sandpaper, sand the inside of the seam with 60 and 120 grit (see Chapter 1, Figure 18, p. 26). All the spots that have been sanded down to bare wood, including the seam and the blue # 5 putty, should get two to four coats of 50/50 undercoat, consisting of Z-Spar # 105 and Interlux # 300 as previously described in Chapters 2 and 5. This is called spot priming. Let it dry overnight. The following day, using 180 grit, sand it lightly and evenly. As you work on the spot-primed areas, you'll realize

how easy the undercoat sands off. Keep sanding until there is

you spot-primed and you have feathered in the undercoat so that it is perfectly smooth and fair with the already existing painted surface. Dust, vacuum, and wipe

just a thin undercoat over the areas

clean.

Now

to

fill

glazing putty,

#2 When

the nicks, dings, and seams, use Z-Spar

and apply

the seam, apply the

it

with a

flexible putty knife.

white filling

#2 glazing putty across the seam trying to keep

108

INTERIOR PAINT

the excess to a

minimum, because

all

AND VARNISH

the excess putty must be

sanded off (Figure 49). Important note: If your local marine hardware store or chandlery is temporarily out of #2 glazing putty, and they tell you that #4 is the same thing, please be advised that it is NOT the same thing. Do not use #4 on a cracked seam. The #4 putty can be used on small nicks and scratches ONLY; #4 dries quickly and is brittle, whereas # 2 takes much longer to dry and stays flexible over the long run, making your repair permanent and long lasting. Let the #2 glazing putty dry overnight, and the following day sand it lightly and evenly just like you sanded the undercoat with 180 grit. Sand the glaze until it is perfectly smooth and fair with the existing painted surface (Figure 50). Dust, vacuum, and wipe it clean. Put two coats of 50/50 on all the glazed areas, using the crossstroke technique for each coat. Let it dry overnight. The following day, using 180 grit, sand the

smooth

with 180 grit

INTERIOR PAINT

AND VARNISH

undercoat smooth and going to

mask

fair.

You

109

are

off varnished areas,

now ready

do

it

to paint. If

you are

just prior to wiping off the

surface with a tack cloth, and pull the tape slowly within two hours after painting.

Even though

I

have referred only

to high-gloss

and semi-gloss

white for the interior, all oil-based topside enamels produced by the major manufacturers, whether Z-Spar, Interlux, Woolsey, or any

#10 or #11 thinner. No matter what color is used, off-white, cream, eggshell, yellow, blue, other, can be reduced or thinned with Z-Spar

or green, all colors can be lightened by adding white. Each paint

manufacturer has a corresponding thinner for its paint. I use Z-Spar thinner for two reasons: First, it works the best; second, it's not necessary to create your own chemical warehouse. No matter what color you use, remember, it is infinitely better to brush on two or three thin coats than one thick coat, not to mention that your chances of doing a perfect job with multiple thin coats are much better than with one thick coat. Thin coats are very easy to fix and sand out. If you have drips, sags, or runs in a thick coat of paint, you'll have to leave that mess for a week just to set up and dry out before trying to sand it out, and even then it will be a pain. Whatever the manufacturer's thinning instructions on the can, you can thin the paint 5 to 10 percent more, especially for interior work, since it's not going to be getting constant ultraviolet exposure. Try to do small sections at a time. If you're right-handed, brush from right to left; if you're left-handed, brush from left to right. Place the first few strokes across the grain and the next few right over the top with the grain and your last strokes back into what you have just painted to prevent lap marks. The following day sand it lightly with 220 grit just to take the gloss off. After the second coat, you should be looking at the "right stuff."

QUICK REVIEW: PAINTED SURFACES Necessary Products: Tape: 3M bright green low-tack Sandpaper: 60, 80, 120, 180, 220

110

INTERIOR PAINT

AND VARNISH

1

#5 or White Star Polyester Putty pint Z-Spar #2 glazing putty pint Z-Spar #105 White Undercoat quart Interlux #300 High-Gloss White or Z-Spar #101 Semi-Gloss quart Z-Spar # 1 or # 1 1 thinner

1

pint

1

gallon mineral

1 1 1 1

quart Z-Spar

»,

acetone spirits

Time between Coats: Polyester putty should cure overnight before sanding

Two coats

of 50/50

undercoat about a

half

hour apart; dry over-

night

#2 glazing putty should cure overnight before sanding Two coats of 50/50 over #2 glaze; dry overnight First coat of #300 or #101 should dry overnight before sanding with 220

grit

Second and

final

coat of #300 or #101

Maintenance: Maintenance free

for at least five

years

Cabin Sole is it. The last cosmetic job, the frosting on the cake, and it's easy. With the experience you've gained from the other projects, this final

This

one will bear the

Most cabin

fruit of your previous labors.

soles are flush (smooth)

and made of teak and

holly.

Others are of a single wood that is grooved in strips. Some cabin soles can be completely removed, some partially, and others are set mostly in place with just a few removable hatches.

Whatever kind you have, the method and technique are the same for all.

Take all the pieces that are removable out of the boat and set them on the dock varnished side up. Each piece should have a chrome fitting with a ring that lies it or not, they are called "flush-fitting hatch pulls," and are fastened with small wood screws. Remove all

flush with the sole. Believe

these fittings.

INTERIOR PAINT

The

AND VARNISM

111

entire cabin sole should be briskly sanded with 120 grit

using an oscillator or speed-block sander.

Where the

vertical bulk-

heads and cabinet faces meet the sole, you should hand-sand those areas with 120 grit about one or two inches from the bulkhead out onto the sole, because the side of the oscillator may scratch or gouge the bulkhead. If the cabin sole is grooved, cut a couple of sheets of 120 grit into quarter sheets, fold the quarter sheets in thirds, and the thirds in half,

and run the edges up and down

in the grooves.

Outside on the dock, or wherever you choose to sand the cabin sole pieces, line to

windward

them up

so that as

into the

you sand

wind and sand them from leeward all the dust does not settle on the

pieces yet to be sanded.

Depending on the weather conditions, the two coats of Jet Speed should be thinned between 10 and 20 percent by volume. Both coats can be brushed on in the same day without sanding between coats. The second coat can be applied as soon as the first coat has dried tack free (not sticky), which should be in about an hour. If, for whatever reason, you can't put the second coat of Jet Speed on within a couple of hours of the first coat drying, on the following day lightly sand the first coat with 180 grit, removing the gloss, before you apply the second coat. If it's too much hassle to keep bringing the pieces of the cabin sole in and out of the boat, after they have dried turn the varnished sides down on the deck and place a plastic drop cloth over them to prevent them from getting wet from overnight moisture. The following day, sand the cabin sole with 220 grit. On the days that you varnish, remember to set the can of varnish in the sun. Warm varnish flows out much better than cold varnish. Use a clean tack cloth to gently wipe off any dust particles before varnishing each piece. If you are going to use Wilbo, Man O' War, or Yachtsman's varnish, they should not be thinned, at least for the first hour or until you feel the brush start to drag; when this happens add one capful of Z-Spar # 10 or # 11 thinner at a time to bring the varnish back to its original viscosity.

Because you are varnishing flat, unencumbered, horizontal suryou can apply thick, full-bodied coats of varnish without fear

faces,

of runs, drips, and sags.

The only

possible problem here

is

"alligators" or "pooling,"

112

INTERIOR PAINT

AND VARNISH

which shouldn't occur if you start with a wide area and use long cross strokes to brush out the varnish. Sand this first coat of finish varnish lightly and evenly with 220 grit, removing the gloss by hand. Do not use a machine to sand before the final coat, because there is a good chance it will leave chatter marks. After the final coat, wait until the following day to put the hard-

ware or hatch

pulls

back on.

Well, congratulations, friend. If you've done most of the projects in this book,

I'll

bet that your boat

is

one of the best-looking and

well-protected boats in your dock or mooring area.

It

may

not look

new Hinckley or Palmer Johnson custom, but I know it you great pleasure to admire your good work. Plus, you probably saved enough money to take it cruising for a while. Remember the television commercial where the mechanic said to the car owner, "Pay me now or pay me later"? Well, your boat is quite like a

will give

just like that.

Your boat

is

going to cost you

X amount of dollars over two or

three years. After six to eight months, every time you go

your boat you'll be watching three years

it's

it

deteriorate

little

by

little.

down

to

In two or

going to take a hefty amount of money to get

it

back

mint condition. If you take that same amount of money (and probably less) and spread it over two or three years, you will always have a beautiful boat that will serve you well and be a pleasure to own. in

1$

for

Mildew

have just explained how to get the interior up to snuff, you should be aware that there are many areas where moisture and high humidity are prevalent, causing mildew to form. There is a universal product that removes mildew easily Windex! Not only does it cut and lift almost all water-soluble stains (blood, soda pop, salt, tobacco smoke), it has alcohol in it that cuts and removes most greasy or oily substances. There is also a smattering of ammonia in it which acts as a disinfectant. Windex will not act the wonder chemical that it is if it is "enhanced," "improved," or "beefed up" with other chemicals. For instance, if more ammonia is added, instead of remaining the mild Since

I

—

INTERIOR PAINT

AND VARNISH

113

it is, it becomes a caustic bleaching agent that can have a deleterious effect on the surfaces you wish to preserve. The harsher chemicals have a tendency to "burn" the substance to be removed right on the surface.

disinfectant that

The secret is knowing how to use Windex. Spray a generous amount of Windex on the moldy or mildewed seam or area, but do not wipe it off. Let it stay WET for about ten minutes (spray more if necessary). In ten or fifteen minutes, the undesirable substance

ei-

ther will bubble to the surface or will be ready to be wiped off with a

On particularly stubborn areas, scrub with a toothbrush after the ten-minute waiting period, and then wipe it paper towel or rag. clean.

The magic and beauty of Windex in its original state are that it harms NOTHING. It doesn't have any bad effects on LP, gelcoat, painted or varnished surfaces, interior cushions, or headliners. If you give it

a

try, I

think you will be pleasantly surprised.

Caulking and Sealants Let

me try to take the mystery out of caulking and sealants, because

in a

marine hardware store the section with caulking and sealants is

laundry detergent section in a supermarket. The detergent manufacturers all claim that their product is new and, of course, will get your clothes the cleanest, just as the manufacturers of caulks and sealants claim that their product will solve all caulk and sealing like the

ailments.

Instead of giving you the rocket scientist's monologue of chemical analysis, let's

go stand around on the deck of your boat and talk

about specific applications, of which there are basically three. Let's

you would least likely use, unless you are a boat builder, which I will assume that you are not. 1. This first product is 3M 5200. Careful thought and discretion should be exercised before using this bulletproof, miracle /wonder product. Wherever and whenever this product is used, it is FOREVER. It is doubtful that it could ever be removed short of using a jackhammer or hammer and chisel, and even then you would probably have to tear up or destroy at least one of the two surfaces it was bonding together. The perfect application for 3M 5200 is to bed, caulk, and seal the start off with the caulk/sealant

114

INTERIOR PAINT

AND VARNISH

wood toe or cap rail to your fiberglass boat. When the toe rail is bedded with 3M 5200 and then through-bolted on, you could literally pick up your boat by the toe rail. 3M 5200 is the ultimate sealing/ bonding agent and it is used mostly by boat builders, or shipwrights, for repair after a major accident. For example, some boats have a wood rub-rail on the topsides, usually with an aluminum strip fastened to it. If that rub-rail were seriously damaged in a mishap, the new rub-rail would be bedded with 3M 5200. The general rule of thumb is that 3M 5200 (a polyurethane) should be used only as a structural application.

Number two is regular polysulfide caulking in black, white, or brown, made by Boat Life and called Life Caulk. This caulk/ sealer/ bedding has come a long way in the last twenty years. Please do not 2.

misinterpret

my

adjective ("regular"), because this

that's easy to use, has

is

great stuff

many applications, stays pliable for years and

years, and, if necessary, can be removed.

Let

me give

a few examples of where you would use Life Caulk.

Where the

chainplates come through the deck, a beauty plate surrounds the chainplate and covers the hole in the deck. Bedding the beauty plate to the deck and around the chainplate is a perfect application of Life Caulk. It seals the hole to prevent moisture getting in, and is also flexible enough to expand and contract with the loading and unloading of rig tension (this example is also given in Chapter 7,

Figures 58-61,

p. 125).

Life Caulk is also excellent for bedding through-hull fittings, deck hardware, and especially where wood is one or both of the surfaces to be bedded, caulked, and/or sealed. In this category you can also use a product called Dolphinite, which is best for the bedding of

holes and screws in wood, like cleats on a 3.

wooden mast.

Number three is silicone sealant, manufactured by Red Devil,

Dow, and GE, which is excellent for bedding and sealing metal to metal, such as hardware on an aluminum mast and boom, and plastic to plastic

or plastic to metal, such as electronic instruments

mounted on a bulkhead. There are

stickers on most electronic instruments that tell you not to use polysulfides because they expand and can crack the casing, whereas silicone sealant would be a poor bedding for around the chainplates and beauty plates because any working or movement tends to break up the silicone sealant over time. In the same category as silicone sealant are Alumalastic and Teflon Gel, used primarily for smearing on the threads of screws and bolts for metal-to-metal application.

INTERIOR PAINT

AND VARNISH

115

To clean up these products, use the following:

3M 5200, acetone;

Life Caulk, mineral spirits or lacquer thinner; silicone sealant, water or soap and water. The cleanup should be done before these products cure, while they are still gooey. To apply caulk or sealant on or in a seam, cut a small slanted hole at the end of the applicator tip and guide the caulk or sealant with the tip of your index finger (Figures 51 and 52).

Cut a small slanted hole at the end of the

Guide the caulk or

applicator tip with a single-edge razor blade.

sealant with the tip of your index finger.

CD

Rigging

Standing Rigging Your mast is the towering appendage that rises vertically out of the deck and supports the sails; it is made of either wood or aluminum. The stays and shrouds that are attached to the tangs and chainplates support the mast.

You've heard the saying "A chain link." Well, if you

change

it

a

bit that

is

only as strong as

its

weakest

saying applies perfectly to the

mast and standing rigging. The cornerstones of the standing rigging are the tangs on the mast and the chainplates in the deck. Between them are turnbuckles and either 1 X 19 wire or solid rod rigging that is swaged to the studs and threaded into the turnbuckles. Clevis and cotter pins hold the whole contraption together (see Figure 53). You don't need a vivid imagination to visualize the potential catastrophe of this whole business coming down around your ears. Therefore year,

and

it is

in

a very good idea to inspect these items at least once a

my opinion,

it is

before purchasing a sailboat.

absolutely imperative to inspect

them

wire/rod

swaged barrel

threaded stud

A. clevis pin B.

cotter pin E.

swaged

C. tang D.

A. clevis pin

shroud

barrel

C. tang D.

shroud

E.

swaged

barrel

turnbuckle

\

n J

clevis

Pin

chainplate

A. forestay B.

D.

C. stays'/stay

running

backstay

backstay E.

upper shroi

B.

intermedial

boom topping

F.

A.

lower shrouds

shroud lift

C. lower shrou D.

upper spree

E.

lower sprea

RIGGING

118

When you buy

want

want to take out a loan from the bank, both the insurance company and the bank will absolutely and unequivocally demand that the sailboat be surveyed.

It is

insurance

is

a sailboat,

if you

it

insured, or you

a prudent prerequisite to purchase. Otherwise, the

not issued and the loan

is

not approved.

Well, here's the kicker. If the mast

spreaders are ready to collapse,

if

is

rotten or oxidized, if the

there are cracks in the swages,

the standing and running rigging are frayed, and

if

the hardware

insurance company and the bank could care

if is

They are simply unconcerned with that towering appendage and what holds it loose, the

less!

up.

Whatever reason they have for not being concerned certainly isn't sufficient reason for you to be unconcerned. I am going to give you two excellent reasons why you should have the standing rigging inspected.

1.

2.

For the protection and safety of you and your guests. For your peace of mind.

I don't know what the criteria are for a bank to approve a loan or an insurance company to issue insurance, but I would be just as concerned about the condition of the mast and rigging as about the soundness and structural integrity of the hull that separates me from the ocean, so I wouldn't have to be swimming around in a life

when not in the mood for a swim. Have the rig checked before you buy

jacket

a sailboat. If you already check the rig at least once a year or have it checked by a professional rigger. You will never regret it. There are two kinds of standing rigging: 1 X 19 wire and solid rod. The 1 X 19 wire has been around for at least a hundred years, solid rod about one-tenth that time. Although solid rod is relatively new compared to 1 X 19 wire, solid rod rigging has proved its reli-

own a

sailboat,

and dependability beyond all reasonable doubt. For example, when fiberglass became popular about twenty-five or thirty years ago, there were a lot of skeptics. Today some of the largest custom-made, 100-foot-plus yachts are built of fiberglass. Recently, New Zealand, using fiberglass boats, made one heck of a challenge for the America's Cup. Fiberglass is here to stay and so is solid rod rigging, which, by the way, was used on all challengers and deability

fenders for the America's Cup.

RIGGING

119

Here's another example that compares

X

1

19 wire with solid

rod rigging: If I gave you an eight-pound bowling ball and told you to

hold

it

away from your body

hold

it

out there too long. If I gave you a six-pound bowling ball to

hold out there, you

at arm's length,

is

don't think you could

may not exactly be comfortable, but compared to

the eight-pound bowling ball rigging

I

it

would be more reasonable. Solid rod

the equivalent of the six-pound bowling

ball. It's lighter,

on the structural integrity of the boat, and does not stretch as much. The 1 X 19 wire on the headstay of a forty-five- to fifty-foot boat can stretch as much as two inches. Two inches is a lot of stretch. The next time you're sailing to weather in ten knots of wind with a genoa up, ease the genoa halyard two inches, and you will immediately understand the magnitude of what

just as strong, puts less strain

I

am saying. As

for

maintaining and cleaning the rigging,

ting in Antigua or Raratonga,

your boat

it's

if your

boat

is sit-

not going to get very dirty. But

if

near an urban area, that atmospheric mulligan stew I is going to make itself at home in and on the

is

described in Chapter 3 rigging.

To clean

X

hard with coarse bronze wool and wipe it clean with lacquer thinner on a rag. Never, ever use steel wool on any part of your boat. It's like spreading powdered iron dust wherever you use it, and the stain can never be removed. The reason I specify lacquer thinner is that it cuts through any dirt or grease and evaporates instantly without leaving a film. But you must hose off the deck of the boat thoroughly when you are finished cleaning the rigging, because if the particles of bronze wool on the deck are left overnight and exposed to moisture they will leave a stain on 1

19 wire, scrub

it

fiberglass or teak decks.

As for cleaning solid rod rigging, the entire process and energy burn of scrubbing 1 X 19 wire with bronze wool are totally unnecessary. With solid rod rigging, all you have to do is wipe it off with lacquer thinner, which is a very easy job compared to scrubbing wire with bronze wool.

Among consensus.

people whose nautical opinions

They

split pretty

and favoring solid rod

rigging. This leads

boat that was rigged with the

1

money to change to solid Both

1

x

I

respect, there

evenly between favoring

X

19 wire,

rod,

and

I

1

x

is

no

19 wire

me to say that if I bought a certainly would not spend

vice versa.

19 wire and solid rod rigging terminate at a swage

RIGGING

120

(pronounced swaj). The word

is both verb and noun: As verb, "to swage" means to put a stainless-steel sleeve around the wire or rod; as noun, the "swage" is the actual device or fitting that attaches the

wire or rod to the stud that inspecting swages,

it's

at the wire or rod end,

is

threaded into the turnbuckle.

moving

in the direction of the turnbuckle. If

there are multiple hairline cracks (Figure start considering the

When

important to look for hairline cracks starting 54),

you can immediately

replacement of that particular stay or shroud. crack (Figure 55), measure it. It may

If there is a single hairline

be an eighth or a quarter of an inch long.

Make note of it and write it

down. Depending on how often you sail your boat and the kinds of conditions you'll be sailing in, anywhere from a week to a month later remeasure that hairline crack. If it has lengthened more than

Multiple hairline cracks in it

the

swaged

barrel

meets the wire Hi

\

I

i

where

or rod

Single creeping hairline crack in the swaged barrel

where or rod

it

meets the wire

RIGGING

121

an eighth of an inch or some reasonable facsimile thereof, you should seriously consider replacing that stay or shroud. It

expensive to replace one stay or shroud than

it is

is infinitely less

to replace all the

hardware, and running rigging. At one end of the swage fitting is the actual swage. At the other end is a machine screw that threads into the turnbuckle. The entire fitting is one integral piece called a stud. When inspecting turnbuckles and the threaded studs at either end, you should check three things: stays, shrouds, fittings, mast,

1.

Check

to see if the turnbuckle or studs are bent. If the turn-

is not a good sign. It most likely is not but should not be forgotten about either. Replacement is going to depend on how bent the fitting is and the reason or combination of reasons for it being bent.

buckle or studs are bent, that

an immediate

crisis,

is like a round paper through the machine screw end of the stud after the proper tension has been put on the stay or shroud with the turnbuckle. The cotter pin or ring prevents the turnbuckle from unthreading and loosening the stay or shroud, and Lord forbid coming off and having to experience a dismasting. It is amazing in this age of technology that a 25^ cotter pin can be all that prevents a $5,000, $10,000, or $25,000 rig from crashing down, but it's all the more reason you should inspect these little fellers on a regular

2.

clip or

Cotter pins or cotter rings (a cotter ring

key ring)

fit

basis. 3.

The

third thing to check

is

that the turnbuckle turns freely

over the threaded ends of the studs. If the turnbuckle or studs are not bent, and the turnbuckle won't turn,

it is

either oxidized, frozen,

or corroded and hasn't been cleaned in years. There are a myriad of

products that can be sprayed on the threads to get the turnbuckle to

WD-40, Liquid Wrench, Tri-Flow, Super Lube, etc. Those chemsprays are a marvelous quick fix, not a final solution.

turn: ical

A studs,

final solution, short of replacing is

them properly, lube them, and put them back new cotter pins or rings.

to clean

gether using

the stay, turnbuckle, and to-

Auto parts stores sell a product called McKay Parts Dip and it is an excellent cleaning solvent. Pour about a quart of it in a plastic pail and clean each turnbuckle and set of studs one at a time with a stiff toothbrush, reassembling each turnbuckle before going on to the next.

RIGGING

122

By doing one shroud

at a time, there is no chance of the mast down. If you are going to detach the forestay, first ease off on the backstay a couple of turns. Then attach the spinnaker or jib halyard to one of the bow cleats or place a snatch-block on the stem fitting and run the jib or spinnaker halyard through the block back to a winch and cleat. After the turnbuckle and studs are clean, dry them off with a rag and lightly spray the threads with one of the Teflon sprays, or smear a thin coating of opaque Teflon gel over the threads and go on to the next one. Let's move a little farther south, toward the chainplate. The other stud that enters the bottom of the turnbuckle from the deck has the machine screw, the barrel, and the fork, which fits over the chainplate and is connected to the chainplate by a clevis pin that looks like a bullet without a pointy end. At one end of the clevis pin is the head that prevents the clevis pin from sliding through the fork of the stud and the chainplate. At the other end of the clevis pin is a small hole, and you know what's inserted in that hole to prevent the clevis pin from falling out that's right, one of those little fellers, a falling

—

cotter pin.

At the top of the stay or shroud is a chainplate on the mast, Tangs are usually fitted by a bolt through the mast. At

called a tang.

the top of the shroud are the swage, barrel, another forked stud that goes over the tang, and, you guessed

it,

another clevis and cotter pin.

Cotter pins tear and mutilate sheets and

sails.

When

a sheet or

sometimes straightens out the cotter pin, making it possible for the cotter pin to fall out. If a cotter pin does straighten out, replace it. If you bend it back, you have weakened it enough to break and fall out. Cotter pins on the mast should get one or two wraps of waterproof rigging tape, or a dollop of silicone sealant on the two sharp ends to prevent chafing. If you wrap them with tape, do not overwrap them, and here's an example of why you shouldn't: The "waterproof part of "waterproof tape" usually means that water can't get out. If you heavily wrap the spreader tips, water will become trapped in there and will sail

snags a cotter pin,

it

corrode or rot the spreader

tips.

Once the spreader is properly seized

to the shroud (with monel seizing wire), instead of wrapping the spreader tips in a wad of tape, you can use rubber spreader boots, which are an excellent product when fastened with plastic electrical

RIGGING

123

wire ties so water can flow through and evaporate out (see Figures 56

and

57).

and turnbuckle covers are the best protection and turnbuckle covers should be one size larger than the shrouds and turnbuckles so the covers can spin freely around the shrouds and turnbuckles, letting water and moisture flow through and evaporate out. The chainplate itself is a bulletproof piece of stainless steel that is usually bolted to a bulkhead or the hull by the cap rail. It is the immediate area around the chainplate that may crack or fracture from rig tension. If there are cracks or stress fractures around the chainplates and you don't feel qualified to assess the problem, you'll Plastic shroud

against chafing, but the shroud covers

need the opinion of either a surveyor, shipwright, or professional fiberglass repairman. If water or moisture is leaking into the boat from the chainplate, which is a common problem on older fiberglass boats, there is a relatively simple solution. A stainless-steel plate surrounds the chainplate, called a beauty plate. The beauty plate covers up and "beautifies" the hole in the deck through which the chainplate emerges. The beauty plate is usually fastened to the deck with two to six screws. When you remove the screws and lift up the beauty plate, you will

Spreader boots fastened with plastic electrical wire Snip off the excess with side cutters or wire cutters.

ties.

124

RIGGING

probably find that the beauty plate was never bedded, or that the bedding that was used is old, shriveled up, and brittle, or that silicone sealant was used.

Scrape out the old bedding compound or silicone sealant and

3M bright green beauty plate, leaving about one-sixteenth of an inch of deck exposed, so the caulk forms a bead around the beauty plate. Bed the area with Boat Life's Life Caulk (a polysulfide bedding clean the surface of any loose material or dust. Use low-tack tape to

compound

mask

off the

—see

"Caulking and Sealants," pp. 113-15). Set the beauty plate back in place, put the screws back in, run your finger around the plate to remove most of the excess, and then pull the tape away from the caulking and the beauty plate. There's a pretty good chance that this simple procedure will solve a problem that has annoyed you for quite some time (see Figures 58-61).

Running Rigging This segment has almost unlimited potential to get on the "Magical

Mystery Tour" of technical data, such as strength ratios, line diameter, and load capacities, but I am not going to bore you to tears with these. Also, for me to specify rigging requirements here would be ludicrous, because you could have a thirty-foot midget ocean racer that displaces three thousand pounds or a thirty-foot Mesozoic sled like a Tahiti Ketch that displaces twenty thousand pounds. Obviously the rigging requirements for these two boats of equal length are going to be dramatically different.

What I would

like to say is that technology in the

world of rope

has advanced light years in the last decade. No matter what the purpose, there is a rope that is perfectly suited for any application on your boat, from halyards and sheets to vangs, docklines, anchor rode,

and dinghy

painters.

In twenty years of being on and around boats, sailing and repair-

ing them, the one single item that has consistently resulted in the worst bruises and meanest lacerations has been 7 x 19 wire. Hate is a strong word, and I don't hate anything, but 7 x 19 wire comes very,

very close to evoking this emotion in me. In 1989 there

is

no reason

to

have 7 X 19 wire on your boat

RIGGING

up the beauty plate with a knife or screwdriver. Lift

125

Using 3M bright green low-tack tape, mask off the beauty plate, leaving 1

/i6th of

an inch

of

deck

exposed.

Caulk around the chainplate and where the beauty plate lies.

r

Tape the beauty plate over the top of the chainplate.

126

RIGGING

and they are coated with rubber or plastic. Granted, there are some race fanatics out there who have used wire genoa sheets. Gratefully, that has been superseded by a composite of Kevlar and polyester line. This is not to say that a flailing Kevlar unless

it's

the

lifelines,

sheet won't ring your

bell,

but

it's still

a hell of a

lot better

than

smacked with 7 X 19 wire with meat hooks on it. Wire halyards are hard on blocks and sheaves, mast exits and sails, the mast itself, and hardest of all on the people who must handle it. Wire halyards are also more expensive than their rope equivalent and they need that expensive wire to rope-splice.

getting

If it is too costly to replace all of the wire halyards

when they

meat hooks or barbs, do something nice for youror the people who perform those tasks, and replace them with

start to fray with self,

rope. I

have one more beef, and that

is

with the all-wire main halyard

that goes to a reel halyard winch. If you have a reel halyard winch,

you already know the damage

it inflicts

on your wood or aluminum is no item of hardware

mast. In the entire lexicon of sailing, there

that carries a nickname of such dubious distinction

—

the nickname winch is "death winch." I won't upset you with a graphic example of what can happen when that clutch lets go. Now for a few words on halyard length and pyramiding. When you replace a halyard, spend a few more dollars and buy enough length so that the halyard can be pyramided away from the mast when the boat is docked or moored. The halyards that exit the front of the mast should be tied off to the bow pulpit or forward cleats, and the halyards that exit abaft the mast should be tied off to padeyes or cleats astern. This configuration prevents the constant slapping of halyards against the mast, which doesn't do either of these items any good. Another reason for extra halyard length is safety. When a sail must come down in adverse conditions it is dangerous to be on a rolling, pitching deck dealing with a halyard that is too short and cannot be tied off. Many boats have roller-furling genoas with a wire halyard that makes multiple turns around a winch on the mast. I know it's a pain to remove this halyard from the winch, run it through a snatchblock, take it around a winch, and tie it off to a cleat. Well, that's about five or ten minutes of inconvenience compared to that wire halyard flogging the mast for the next 144 hours, on the assumption that you are going to use the boat on the following weekend. Considfor a reel halyard

RIGGING

127

ering the facts just presented, to leave that halyard flogging the mast is

nothing less than inexcusable laziness.

Below I list three major manufacturers of cordage all of which would be more than happy to send you a veritable treatise of technical data on their products. They have simple brochures that describe their product lines and where and how each is applicable. They also have pamphlets with detailed instructions on how to splice, and in some cases splicing kits. Yale Cordage,

Old Sparhawk

Mill,

Yarmouth,

ME

04096;

(207)846-9048

Samson Ocean Systems Inc., Phoenix Street,

Shirley,

MA 01464;

(617)425-9511

Marlow Ropes, 151 Mystic Avenue, Medford,

MA 02155

would like to mention here that the single most important factor in extending the life of any rope is to whip the ends so that they don't unravel and come apart. An inexpensive paperback titled Royce's Sailing Illustrated is sold in every bookstore and marine hardware store in the world (just about). It's like Coca-Cola and Prell shampoo it's sold everywhere from Hong Kong to Djibouti. The book contains detailed explanations and diagrams of, among other things, marlin spike skills (whipping, knot tying, etc.), seamanship, and navigational aids, and is a comprehensive treasure of both basic and I

—

diverse information about almost anything nautical. It for

your boat, in the same category as

life

jackets

is

a necessity

and anchors.

Hardware

—winch, block, —there are two general rules:

No matter what the piece of hardware or whatever

L

Install

it

properly.

cleat,

padeye,

Take the necessary measurements and

make sure that you're not going to drill through something that will create a new problem (like some wiring).

RIGGING

128

a piece of hardware on your fiberglass only need oversized washers before the nuts

If you're going to install

deck or cabintop,

it

may

go on. If that piece of hardware

is

going to be subjected to high loads,

you may need a stainless-steel backing plate and possibly compression tubes between the deck and backing plate. Before final installation, bed things properly, whether using 3M 5200 (polyurethane) for structural applications, Life Caulk (polysulfide) for wood and fiberglass, Dolphinite for wood, or silicone sealant for fiberglass and aluminum. If you're installing stainless-steel screws into aluminum, smear the threads with a thin coating of opaque white Teflon gel or Alumalastic. The reason for this is that the two dissimilar metals have a tendency to fuse over time in a salt air environment. A few years down the road, if you want to take that piece of hardware off, you simply unscrew it. If it hasn't been bedded properly, you might find yourself spending half a day trying to knock the head off with a hammer and a cold chisel, and then trying to drill out a stainlesssteel machine screw that has a tendency to wear out drill bits. 2. Wash it and lubricate it. Wash it off with fresh water at least once a week, and lubricate the moving parts about twice a year with one of the Teflon spray products (such as Super-Lube or Tri-Flow). Winches can go years and years without need for tearing them down to clean and lube them as long as they are hosed off regularly and a good stiff stream of fresh water is aimed at the tops and winch bases.

In your car's engine, the pistons cylinder walls because you put

oil

move smoothly up and down the

in the engine to prevent metal-to-

metal friction. Well, if the engine were a quart low, but instead of oil you added a couple of handfuls of sand from the beach, your engine wouldn't run very smoothly. Dried impacted salt has the same effect on the moving parts of your boat's hardware. Plenty of fresh water is the answer, and a little lubricant twice a year. If you maintain the hardware, when you need it the hardware will

work for you.

Manual

Bilge

Pumps

Manual bilge pumps are an item that every boat should have; again, they are in the same category as life jackets and anchors, an absolute necessity of basic safety.

RIGGING

129

Probably the most popular, widely distributed, and easy-to-repumps are Whale Gushers, from the #10 that pumps ten

pair bilge

gallons per minute to the

Even though your

#25 that pumps thirty gallons per minute.

bilge

is

so dry that you've found cobwebs in

a very good idea to test the pump at least four times a year by putting the suction hose in a bucket of water and pumping it there,

it is still

out.

If it doesn't

pump out smoothly, there may be foreign matter in

way to keep foreign matter out of the pumping system is to put a screen over the suction end of the hose that's in the bilge. The flapper valves may have foreign matter holding them open, or the rubber compounds that the flapper valves are made of may have deteriorated and become stiff, brittle, or warped. With new supple rubber parts that move freely, flex, and seat properly, the pump will work as it was intended to. If water is leaking from the diaphragm, it is probably because the diaphragm has been left depressed for a long period of time. A crease forms around the hose clamp, and that crease has a tendency to crack or rot. Whale sells a repair kit containing a new diaphragm and flapper valves. It may sound complicated, but a ten-year-old could replace those parts very quickly, and voila! a new pump. You may never have to use the manual bilge pump, but if you should ever need it, it's nice to know that it's going to work. And it's sure a heck of a lot easier to repair that pump in the slip or in a nice calm anchorage than when your boat is pitching and rolling in an angry sea. the suction hose or in the diaphragm. The best

—

Fire Extinguishers

A

fire

extinguisher

is

another absolute necessity of basic safety.

There should be at least one dry chemical or halon fire extinguisher on your boat, because dry chemical and halon are the only kinds that will extinguish all three types of fires: electrical, chemical, and material.

One

between dry chemical and halon is that dry chemical leaves a powdery mess while halon evaporates and doesn't leave any mess at all. Another difference is that halon costs about difference

four times as

much as dry chemical.

130

RIGGING

Whichever one you choose for your boat, make sure that it has a metal head (the opening from which the chemical is discharged). Many fire extinguishers are sold with plastic heads, which can break. Another problem with the plastic head is that when the seal is broken to check it, it doesn't always reseal correctly (and you should have your fire extinguisher inspected and checked once a year).

s

Conclusion

book has given you a clearer understanding of what is and maintaining a beautiful boat. Whether you do these projects yourself or hire others to do them, you now realize that there are no quick fixes or magical formulas for achieving beautiful finish work. Well, maybe there are magical formulas, but they become magical only when they are applied to a meticulously prepared, very smooth, very clean surface. If you have done any of these projects yourself, you've learned that when beginning to prepare a surface, weather is inconsequential short of rain or twenty knots of wind. But as you progress, making a smoother and fairer surface, weather becomes a much more important factor. When nearing the end of the project and the finish coats, the window of viability becomes much smaller. Finish coats should be applied only in ideal or very close to ideal weather conditions, which is usually in the morning. I also hope that I have persuaded you not to use linear polyurethane (LP) or gelcoat for a do-it-yourself project. You may know someone who used LP or gelcoat and got good I

hope

this

really involved in having

CONCLUSION

132

results. If that

person

is

npt a professional

chemicals regularly, then that person

is

who

uses those complex

a rare individual indeed. I'm

not saying that person doesn't exist; I'm just saying that person

is

rare.

There are many pilots licensed to fly planes, but that doesn't mean that anyone can fly a plane. If you listen to the news or read a

newspaper on a regular

basis, you've

probably noticed that those

licensed pilots are not doing a very good job, because they

seem

to

crash often (particularly .those small, owner-operated planes). If you are not

LP or gelcoat, there's a very incorrectly. LP and gelcoat are

a professional and use

high probability that you will use

it

complex and delicate products with prohibitive price tags, and if you make a mistake with them the cost will no longer be prohibitive but astronomical.

Z-Spar and Interlux sults similar to

LP and

Leave LP and gelcoat them.

make

topside enamels that give visual re-

gelcoat, they just don't last quite as long.

to the pros; they

have enough problems with

and hardware work fine in eight knots of wind on a flat ocean. But when the wind starts to blow and the seas start to build, pressure, tension, and loading increase, putting a tremendous strain on the mast, hardware, and standing and running rigging. A sustained weather beat in twenty-five knots of wind and four-foot seas can break anything. That's when masts come down, sails and sheets part, shackles open, blocks explode, and hardware is ripped out of the deck. To avoid these catastrophic events, inspect those clevis and cotter pins on a regular basis. Replace halyards and sheets when they are frayed and worn. When you buy a piece of hardware, make sure it is a quality, marine-grade product, and install it properly. Hose all hardware off after using the boat, or once a week if the boat isn't being used. And finally, lubricate the moving parts at least twice a Last, but not least, rigging

year.

maintain your boat properly, when you're sitting around swapping lies and telling sea stories with your friends exciting situaIf you

tions can be related as adventures, not tragedies.

s

Acknowledgments

thank Steve Colgate for taking an interest in Take the Mystery Out of Boat Maintenance. His knowledgeable opinions and valuable suggestions about the original manuscript First of all

I

would

like to

made this a much better book.

Many thanks to Mr. editor of W.W.

Norton

Eric P. Swenson, vice-chairman and senior

& Co.,

for helping

me

to navigate the turbu-

would also like to thank the many consummate professionals at Norton for their assistance and effort in the preparation and presentation of this book. I would like to thank the entire crew at Bob Nagle's Ships Store in Marina del Rey, California: Michael Dinsmore, Ruth "Bug" Russell, Michael Vacanti, Barry Kelley, Jeff McPherson, Kris Hansen, Dawn Dinsmore, and, of course, Robert Nagle. I am usually wary of "jacks-of-all-trades," because they are good at many things and master of none. Not so with Robert Wierzbicki. He is a true "guru," a master of boats and every facet of their repair and operation. I would like to thank him for sharing his knowledge and experience with me over the last fifteen years. lent waters of bringing this

book to

fruition. I

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

134

I

also

thank Dave Robertson and Carl Sarnoff, a pair of rigger/ uncommon intelligence and depth of understanding

electricians of

commuwhat they know. I thank Wendall Dowling of Pel Rey Yacht Service for sharing his knowledge and experience with me. There may be spray painters of their trade, not only for their skills but for their ability to nicate unselfishly to others

as good as he

is,

but there are none better.

He has turned out flawless

perfection consistently over the last fifteen years. I

express

my appreciation

to the following individuals,

who

are

and fiberJohn Souza, "museum-grade" varnished 'finishes; Terry Wyant, compound and wax; and Eric Nahrstedt, plumber, electrician, and gunsmith. And to a few extraordinary "jacks": Bobbie Harris, Jimmy Stohr, and Eric Lamclearly masters of their trades: Richard Bauer, carpentry

glass;

Harry Gibson,

fiberglass;

bert.

Thank you,

Patti Breitman, Christine Cubbon,

and Nancy Culli-

son.

Thank

you,

Tony Ferguson,

for

your patience, understanding,

and friendship.

Thank

you, Freddy Beckmeier, for turning thoughts, concepts,

and words into pictures. I would like to thank Anthony Hall adverse and undesirable conditions.

Thank

for doing a great job

under

you, Nels V. Tahti, mathematician, banker, executive,

helluva chess player, and kindred

spirit.

Special appreciation to David Roth of Forbess

ing perfect sense of total chaos.

And, very special thanks

to

Pamela Donielson.

&

Roth

for

mak-

3 9999 00998 547 2

Nolon r

AX***

Boston Public Library

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in tlfcpi

on or before which

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1 CONTENTS Introduction 1.

General Painting and Varnishing Tips

2.

Spars (Mast, Boom, and Spinnaker Pole)

3. Exterior

Wood— Staining— Decks: Teak and Nonskid

4.

Topsides and Cabinsides

5.

Bottom, Keel, and Boot Stripe

6. Interior Paint

and Varnish

7 Rigging (Standing) Conclusion