Over the last two days, the work focus moved from the hull to the cockpit and decks - being in their final and cured primer stage. But prior to getting into the zin of hand-sanding, I took measures on the coaming boards to prepare for fasteners (6 x 1/4" machine screws with finish washers per board). With the coaming board fastener measurements secured, I safely removed them from Biscuit's cockpit to then begin the sanding work.

The bulk of the day comprised of two tasks: first, sanding all surfaces to be painted with Alexseal, and the second, opening up the deadlight diameters to accommodate the new bronze Spartan Marine deadlights. The deadlights are replicas of the original Cape Dory factory installed deadlights; however, in the case of Biscuit, at some point she was 'adorned' with a a lower quality, smaller diameter deadlight. When enlarging the diameter of the opening, I could see the fill work that allowed the smaller diameter deadlight to be used. The overall increase in diameter required was 5/8", moving from 4 and 1/8" to 4 and 3/4". I split the required 5/8" and then adjusted my compass to 5/16" on the tape. With the centering pin held against the inside circumference of the deadlight opening, I scribed a pencil circle around the existing deadlight opening exactly 5/16" larger. The more intensive task was to remove the material in order to achieve that larger diameter opening. The more exacting option to use in removing material was to use a spiral saw with a carbide. I snuck up on the scribed pencil line, and worked my way around the 360-degree arc. A test fit of the new Spartan Marine deadlight ensured that I could move forward. I repackaged the new deadlights in their bubblewrap and returned them to the shop. In the process of opening up the deadlight diameters, voids were revealed around a portion of the circumference, but I would save that fill work until later in the work day.

On the sanding! I grabbed a bunch of 320-grit paper and headed into the trenches. I started in the cockpit and worked my way around the space, with a good amount of time spent on the cockpit seat gutters and other higher radius transitions. The work on the decks was far more enjoyable - as sanding work goes - with broader fields of work and better body positioning for comfort while working. I made my way up the companionway structure to the coach roof, sanding the primer from the starboard side around to complete it at the port side. I then moved from the poop deck to the port aft quarter and along the side deck up to the bow. At this point, I sanded the space in the middle of the foredeck separating the raised molded nonskid surfaces - this area is on the centerline of the boat and is where the foredeck cleat is installed. From the bow, I moved along the starboard side of Biscuit, finishing up back at the poop deck. Before knocking off for the day, I sanded the two cockpit seat hatches and the companionway hatch. I also vacuumed the surfaces of Biscuit, cleaned the freshly enlarged deadlight holes and then filled the few voids with thickened epoxy.

The next day, I arrived and struck a temperature laser on the decks - reading just under 60 degrees. The Sunshine State has had a bit of colder air settle over us, and I had concern I'd lose the opportunity ahead of an out-of-town trip to get the 1st coat of finish paint on the cockpit and decks. Thankfully, the paint booth is insulated, and I was able to deploy a heater to Biscuit's interior to bring the substrate up in temperature a bit. As a first coat, I was less worried about perfect conditions and more focused on getting some mils on the surface. So with the decision to move forward, I retrieved the paint (I had taken it home with me and stored it inside the warm house) and mixed a pot. While the paint was inducting, I throughly cleaned the vacuumed surface with copious amounts of shop rags and acetone. I also planned my order of process. I divided the cockpit and decks into three sections: 1. Cockpit | 2. Coachroof | 3. Decks. My plan of attack was to begin on the hatches, then move to the coachroof, back into the cockpit, and finally up onto the decks. This would allow me to more easily navigate wet surfaces - keeping myself off of the surfaces.

With the paint ready, I mixed in reducer and the flattening agent and got straight to the hatches. Satisfied with the work on the hatches, I moved up into the cockpit and began paint application on the coachroof. The paint was behaving a bit "lively", with a number of fisheyes persisting for a while longer than higher air temperatures typically allow. The paint did flow out, but just took a bit longer than is typically the case. I moved into the cockpit next, and with a foam brush was able to get into the cockpit seating gutters - water flows from the cockpit seats into these gutters that line the hatches, and moves that water into the cockpit sole and out of the boat through the cockpit scuppers. I completed my work around the cockpit, carefully stepped out of the boat and set myself up with a paint refresh to begin on the decks. Again, a much more comfortable area to work - not having to continually flex my body to ensure I am as small as possible and avoiding interference with painted surfaces. I worked the poop deck and then from port-stern forward, turned at the bow and completed the starboard side back at the poop deck. Spraying is in my future, but multiple projects I just have no time to complete the tools and setup required to get started with it. So, a couple more acrobatic painting sessions are ahead of me. I closed the paint booth with Biscuit looking great!

Total Hrs: 8.25