I
have somewhat neglected the blog over the past few months, my priority being focused on the build instead, and as usual I have been giving the project
my undivided attention by continuing to put in as many hours as possible. I
have previously alluded to the fact that the amount of work and materials
required for the painting/varnishing has surprised me and has continued to do
so in these final stages. Following meticulous preparation I have applied five
or six coats, rubbing down between each with a very fine grade abrasive paper
followed by fine steel wool before vacuuming thoroughly then removing the
really fine dust particles with Tack cloths. A temporary plastic sheet was
suspended above the whole project to minimise the risk of any potential dust or
other debris falling from the roof of the barn which, would have contaminated
the work. On the whole I’m pretty pleased with the results that I have achieved
thus far, however I have resolved to improve the finishes still further with
additional coats planned during future maintenance following each season of
use.
Sealant
has been applied to all mating surfaces of the fittings passing through or fitted to the surface of
the vessel to prevent water ingress, therefore minimising the risk of rot and
decay setting in between the two surfaces.
I
have been continuing the installation of the wiring and equipment including installing
a Simrad Cruise 7 Chart Plotter with a transom mounted transducer for monitoring
depth and bottom imaging, running on C-Map Cartography.
Research
and subsequent meetings have been undertaken with regard to the trailer, sails
and berth mattresses, all of which have been ordered with delivery expected
imminently.
The auxiliary fuel
tank sited in the starboard locker has been connected and the engine alternator
has been wired to a detachable waterproof plug sited on the port side.
