Seat boxes installed and paint

Long time since I updated the blog, we have installed the seat boxes and started painting.  Going back with Brightsides, blu glo white for the top coat...and we noticed/thought that the white would be too bright in the interior..specifically for the floor and sidewalls..so we mixed some Ocean blue at a 5-1 ratio to lighten the blue.  Before any of the top got applied we did a no sand wash and then applied the epoxy coat 2part epoxy primer.  The first two pics are of the primer coat, and the next two are the first coat of topside.

Dolphins

Last trip of 2009 we ran through a school of dolphin while moving to a new spot, unfortunately, they did not stop for my picture opportunity...but the fishing picked up immediately.

Seats and Floor

Seat Boxes:
The seat boxes have been wrapped in 6oz cloth, the seams were all wrapped in 8oz tape and we also applied a thin layer of epoxy+cabosil to make the fairing a little easier. I highly recommend that edges be routed if you plan on turning the corner with fiberglass, it made a huge difference between getting a great wet-out and having air pockets and bad adhesion. The next step on these is to sand them and them secure them to the floor.
Floor:
We added the 1/2" pieces of plywood to the back section of the deck, screwed and glued (epoxy+cabosil) them to the first floor section and then filled in the edges with a cabosil fillet. The aftmost section is t-shaped which provides for a channel on both the port and starboard sides, as well as a nice channel in the very back for the water to break to the scuppers. We also added some pyramid shaped blocks to the corners to help direct the water from the corners, a problem that was annoying especially when dirt settled in those areas. The flooring was then taped down with the 8oz tape and the blocks were also glassed. This section will next receive the same 24oz woven that the previous section got and we should have a nice, sealed, non-slippery deck. We have already removed all of the spongy spots, but the extra glass will seal and strengthen it.

Due to the constant hatch failures we have opted to make the bilge access hatch out of the same deck material. The cutout will get wrapped in 6oz to seal it and then sandwiched with 24oz to stiffen it.

Seat Boxes

The seat boxes are almost ready for outside glassing. They are made out of 1/2" ply with backing strips in the corners and titebond everywhere wood touches wood. There is a 3/4" ply backing plate on the topside where the seats will be mounted. The longer sections are side wall covers and will be glassed into the cuddy and attached to the floor. The inside has been epoxy painted and will eventually get some type of top coat applied.
The hatch holes, speakers, and radio have all been cut. The inside of the box compartments have been fiber glassed and all of the edges have been routed to make the tape transition smoother.

Durabak Removal - Interior Do-Over

I don't have any pics this week, but we are updating the formula's interior significantly after fishing her for two years. The current list of projects include the

• removal of ALL of the Durabak non-skid from the interior (floor, side walls, gunnels, etc.)
• adding a sheet of 1/2" ply to the aft flooring to stiffen it up,
• changing the hatch configuration because of failures (heavy feet have busted two hatches),
• constructing some seat boxes to mount the chairs to and to provide dry storage and radio housing and we are reworking the side wall covers, which will be integrated into the seat boxes. I will post pictures of the build out and the finished products.
  
  Not to beat a product, but I would warn anyone thinking about using this on the interior of your boat, to think long and hard. The drawbacks that we have encountered have included:
  
• adhesion - the consistency of the product's adhesion has been extremely lacking. It has adhered very well in some areas, not so well in others and has simply peeled and flaked off since it was applied. This could, could be due to surface prep., although I doubt it, and think it is more related to surface structure. Painted surfaces have been more successful, epoxy fiberglass has proven to cause failure.
• application - once you crack a can of durabak, be prepared to apply ALL of it right then. The pot life on the product requires you to apply it once it is opened.
• dirt attraction - it is hard to clean. blood stains it, rust stains it, hell leaves have stained it.
• color matching - do not count on getting the same product from the company if you order multiple batches. The first order came as expected (gray) the second order came 1 part dark gray, one part white...they instructed us to mix and match....which would be okay if we were not trying to match to previously applied top-sided material...not to mention the pot life issue I already talked about.
• removal - if you do think that you will modify an area that is a candidate for this non-skid...IF it does adhere it is a B*tch to remove...Stripease will break it down, but plan on spending some time with a wire brush extension in a grinder.

There are some positives to the product, where it has correctly adhered it is a hell of a non-skid...you will not slip on it...if you do, break out the peroxide and neosporin.

October Fishing Trip with Dad

We finally got to take dad fishing a couple of weekends ago... After trolling for Kings all morning with no luck, we switched up and went after some Spanish...and landed a few.





Dad pulled in a couple, and we missed about as many as we caught...but it was great to go fishing with Dad and not be stuck in the inlet/creeks targeting flounder (no offense to the flounder).





The boat ran like champ, we only had a minor issue with the batteries on day 1, but after a quick charge they were good to go.

Here is a pic of the formula pre-wash down.

Windshield Mounted

This weekend we mounted the windshield. We put a small seal under each of the 4 sections and through-bolted with the Taylor Made windshield T-bolts. It turned out pretty good.

Maiden Voyage Pics - July 4th

Bow Rail Install

We have continued to work on the dash modifications by adding some more cab, sanding and priming it. The intended finish will be durabak. We also striped the durabak off of the cuddy entry way and added some filler to the panels in order to get them more even...we plan on sanding that down and top coating that (durabak vs. skin = alot of scratches, is the reason). We have also gotten the windshield glass replaced (local glass shop charged ~ $130 for installed, safety glass) and we sandblasted the frame and then took some 220 grit sandpaper and then SOS pads to it and it has come back to life...as soon as the dash is finished, we will mount it (hopefully soon). You can see the pane of glass that was missing from the original pic below. "missing" is a great word, the frame looked like some stand out boat owner beat it with a hammer and broke the glass out, as the frame is beat to hell just above that section, thanks dude.

The heat has been preventing any work during the week (100+ temperatures), and it was hot on saturday...We did decide to take on the re-install of the bow rail...which was over 24" tall when we bought the boat (notice the original height):

So we cut that down by almost 1/2, by cutting off about 50" from each bow rail side...and then shortening the posts. It is still a little higher than we would like, but if we want it shorter, we can come back to it (doubtful).

We also installed some more grab handles (24" versions) on either side of the swing back seat:

Then, we called it a day and watched the Panther's beat the NY Football Giants in our first preseason game...the new zone blocking scheme looked great...

Dash Modification

Prior to the dash work...we successfully SEA trialed the 233 over July 4th Holiday. We took her out 20+ miles with no problems...no fish either but that was ok. Top speed with 3 x 200+ lbs dudes, full tank of gas and all of the fishing gear was 36 knots in the ICW.

This weekend I made the modifcations to the Instrument Panel that were required for us to re-mount the windshield in the original position (the instrument panel we made sat too high with the electronics mounted, for the angle of the windshield). We had thought about raising the dash (where the windshield will sit) but opted to bite the bullet and cut the instrument panel down, since we were not really using the upper portion for anything other than mounting the GPS and VHF to.

So, I cut the dash about 1/4 inch below the cupholder and ripped out the original piece. Then dug the grinder out of storage and started prepping the area for some cabosil bedding. Next, I reassembled the driver's side windshield to ensure that I did not make the same mistake again and the angles worked. So I cut out a piece of luon to fit, mixed up some epoxy + cab, cut some fabric and put it in...The next day and grinded on that setup, and then attached some 1/4 round to the end to smooth it out and then did the cab, fabric & glass thing again. I actually think this will turn out better, although it sucks to grind off top coat...but that was easy enough to put on. Here is the single pic I took w/ my phone.

Details...Small Details

89 degrees and 110% humidity today in NC.

A relatively slow working day, we hooked up the outriggers, remounted the downriggers, added two new rod holders, replaced the bimini's plastic hardware with stainless, fit the driver side gunnel enclosure, mounted the GPS antenna, finished the install of the cuddy cover, OH Shit handle, installed some trim work and reworked the wench stand on the front of the trailer. We have abandoned the leaning post setup in favor of a swingback seat that has a livewell/cooler/storage in it. This made for a better setup with more room and comfort. We have some ends to tie up prior to the launch, but nothing is a show stopper. Team Hatley is slightly anxious to go fishing. Here are some pics...we are looking at a tower that is for sale on www.thehulltruth.com and if we can acquire that and get the windshield worked out we will be in serious bidnezz.
Ready to fish:

Officially Legal:
Pic of the new cuddy cover and the instrument panel (candidate for change):

Pic of the back...

More Progress, closing in on the Saltwater Launch

We have a firm date of July 4th for the Saltwater launch and have really started dotting the i's. This weekend, we mounted the outriggers, anchor chocks, rope chocks, gps, vhf, rope locker cover, and the cuddy door cover. Recently painted the interior of the cuddy and had a failed attempt to glue carpet to the ceiling (never again). We also received some replacement parts from Bluesea for the switch panel and reinstalled it. We are ready to go fishing.

Last Sea Trial

Phil was able to get the bottom completely painted over the last few weeks, through a painful series of blocking, lifting, sanding and painting the boat while it was still on the trailer...primarily the issues were where the bunks are located. But it is done.


This past weekend, we reinstalled the seats, hatches, bilge pumps, new prime balls, gunnel covers, and some additional hardware...then we went back to the lake and ran the boat pretty hard for an hour and a half...it was the best of the trials, no issues, and no leaks (around the scuppers)...all said it was a great trip.

I also started prepping the cuddy for some work...I would have preferred that Formula NOT have glued carpet into the interior of the boat back in '72...that was not fun to sand off, but it got done and has been primed. Hopefully, will be able to get back and have that done soon...next step will be to get the windshield going. But she will probably get salty before she gets glasses.

Bottom Paint

Sandblasted, wiped, taped, primed and painted. The picture was taken with my phone...we are in the process of re-installing everything and still have to put another coat of BP on it and get it jacked off the bunks and painted underneath.

Rub Rail, Cables, and Floor-take two

The wife and new addition split for Spartanburg this weekend and allowed some substantial time to be spent on the project. Friday night was spent taping off and cutting out the patterns that we wanted on the recently addressed floor. Since the last update, Phil spent alot of time, sandblasting the original Durabak off, epoxy painting the floor, priming it, and then applying generous coats of top coat paint (3 total). We have concluded that we caused the durabak to fail b/c we did not spend enough time in the prep work...so this time sand, vac, tac cloth, acetone wipe, solvent cleaner wipe and then apply the paint - each time...it appears to have resulted in better adhesion. After the sanding, we applied the new Durabak on Saturday morning.

While that was setting up, we installed the rub rail...per the install instructions, it was pretty easy to do but there are alot of screws in the install.

After the rub rail was finished, I sported the tyvex suit, respirator and goggles and started sandblasting the bottom in preparation for the bottom paint - mostly to get the barnacles and old paint off. Phil got back to putting the engines back in order and came up with a method to get the hose covers inside the engine covers...looks better than before and should give us a nice seal:

Setback with the flooring

Since the last post (in November) we have made progress but very little. Mostly mounting the chairs, leaning post, rod holders, cleats, etc. We noticed in Jan that our Durabak had the ability to peel off of the floor in certain sections....coming up in strips...we also noticed that the transition areas (where the floor meets the sidewalls) appeared to be "drawn" so that the durabak was not actually bonded to the floor or sidewall and would fail if stepped on or given some stress.

So, after some arguing (more reluctance and disgust) we pulled the seats, leaning post and hatches and began the removal of the durabak from the floor. This has been loads of fun, sandblasting (sandblasting pad on the grinders), sanding and scraping the durabak off, re-epoxy painting the floor....

The best we can figure is that the primer we used (which was suggested by Durabak as sufficient in the application) either did not bond correctly to the floor or the D-bak did not bond to the primer...in some areas we had great adhesion, in others, it was very $$ to have it pull away as it has....

The plan now is continue stripping, epoxy paint, prime and paint like we did the top coat (but with 4-5 coats of topper) and then put down strips of d-bak in the high-traffic areas. We think this will look a lot better too, so the entire inside of the boat is not grey.

We have had no problems with the d-bak in the areas that we applied it to finished top coat, only to those areas that we only primed. Damn that was expensive....

Durabak #2

We have all but finished applying the durabak to the flooring and top cap, and we still have 2 gal. left..so we are looking at doing the interior side walls, some other spots and we are sure that there are some sections of the floor that will need another coat. I have to say that I am impressed with the tenacity of the product and how tough it seems to this point. Here da pics:

Top Side and Durabak

Since the last post we have sanded, primed again, sanded, rolled-n-tipped a top coat, sanded, and rolled-n-tipped a second coat of top coat. For a couple of skeptics, that method has really impressed us with the finish that we got. Our only regret is that we rolled and tipped the primer horizontally.

The vertical roll-n-tip method left us with a great result, especially for two guys doing a project boat...

The last thing that we did was to apply the first of two coats of durabak to the flooring and to choice spots on the top, side caps and dash. This stuff is thick, and I recommend thinning it very slightly (product allows upto 15% but we did about 5%). Thinning it, allowed the stuff to be more workable, we noticed that as the pot life expired, the roller would tend to "pull strands" as you went and these were getting onto spots that we did not want, so a little xylene and it was gone. One other recommendation is to pull the tape while the durabak is still pretty wet (5-10 minutes). Here are the pics:
(that is a reflection of a barrel, 10ft away, on the side)


Before we durabak'd it:

After:

1st coat of Primer

We spent about 16 hours sanding this weekend. We started on the bottom paint with sandblaster grinder pads, respirators, goggles and tyvex suits...Laying on your back roughing off bottom paint in August in NC is not a job I would send a resume in for. But we did it, up to the point where the trailer stopped us. Then we switched to sanding out all of the patched spots...Next came an air down, then we liberally rinsed the beast and re-tested the drainage for the entire boat, including the cuddy.

Acetone wipe down, then thinner solvent wipe down and primer. We actually rolled and tipped the primer, to hopefully save ourselves a little sanding time later.

Here are the pics (b4 and afters):

the spotty bottom paint still looks great! : )





we still have some sanding to do.