As I had done for the starboard rub rail and toe rail, I replicated the process for the port side of the Biscuit.

With a fairly robust countersink bit, I reamed out the old fasteners holes, beginning with the aft-most toe rail hole, continuing forward to the stem, and then back to the stern of Biscuit focusing on the rub rail fastener holes. A tedious, but necessary, process that allows a significant more surface area for the thickened epoxy to bond with. The idea here is to create a clean canvas onto which the newly fabricated rails can be secured.

After reaming out the holes, I thoroughly vacuumed and solvent-washed the countersunk holes to prep for epoxy. The first application of epoxy was done so without any thickening agent - just wetting out the surfaces. I followed the application of 'unthickened', or "neat" epoxy, with several small batches of epoxy thickened with West System 406 colloidal silica combined with 407 low-density filler. The heat and pace of work necessitated the small batches so as to avoid the pot kicking, making the epoxy unusable. The thickened epoxy was applied with a plastic squeegee, filling the countersunk holes, gouges, and voids along the sheer line.

I finished up the application, cleaned the applicators, and then tucked Biscuit in for the night. An approaching vacation will delay work until the later part of June....and much more to come!

Total Hrs: 2.75