Over a stretch of days around the weekend of the 10th, I covered several items on Biscuit from deck fittings to mast paint. A number of outside commitments limited time over the weekend, but I was able to get a handful of tasks: drilling and tapping for the mast step and foredeck cleat, continued varnish work on the rails, mast finish paint, and another coat of primer on Biscuit's decks.

The previous foredeck cleat, an aluminum cleat that was an addition some time in Biscuit's past, will be replaced with a classic Herreshoff bronze cleat. I began here with relocating the cleat over the previously drilled and filled holes - still showing through the initial coat of primer. I marked the holes' center points and drilled them out for #10 machine screws. The deck thickness was also obtained at this time to help in procuring the correct fastener length (deck is 3/4" thick). I then grabbed the tapping tool and established the threaded holes for the #10 machine screws. The screws will be 1.5" in length to accommodate the backing plate, and secured with washers and nuts.

Next, I turned to the mast step and again marked for drilling out the holes. These fasteners will not be secured from the interior overhead, but will be secured with machine screws tapped into the solid core mast step I had added in repairing this softer portion of the deck. I continued forward with hesitation, drilling and tapping for the machine screw size that would fit the mast step fastener holes: #8s. However, after I completed this task I decided to upsize the screws to at least #12s. The #8 took me as too small for the mast step, and locating the previous machine screw proved impossible, at least for now. I will ream out the mast step holes to accept the larger screws and then again tap the holes to accommodate the appropriate size.

In a following work session I began by lightly sanding the mast for another coat of finish paint. The paint applications are laying down nicely, but at the conclusion of this layer I decided to plan for a final application to bring the mast to the point of reassembly of its fittings. Turning to the shop, I grabbed some sandpaper and lightly knocked down the previous varnish coat for yet another on the toe rails as well as the rub rails. I closed the shop for the day.

Finally, and across these few days of work, I headed to Biscuit herself, tucked neatly into the paint booth, and worked the decks with 240-grit paper by hand. I have decided to work the cockpit and decks separately to manage workload that yields the results I am looking for. The heat levels limits outerwear and at the same time promotes perspiration to the point of challenging surface cleanliness. I moved from bow to foredeck, and coachroof to sidekicks, finishing at her poop deck. After a thorough vacuuming of the surfaces and a good solvent wash, I moved back over the shop to mix a pot of Alexseal primer. I headed back over to the paint booth with a small amount of reducer to add at the conclusion of the induction period, along with various paint accouterments. As with the sanding, I worked from bow to stern, and hit the tighter radius points on the cabin top with a foam brush, blending as I went.

Total Hrs: 4.25