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.