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From a Bare Hull:  Initial Hull Preparations
    Sidebar:  Staging  
 

Filling the Bulkhead Slots
Removal of the various bulkheads, settees, and other structural and interior members left narrow slots and rough edges in the inside of the hull, mostly where I had cut the old tabbing for their removal.  Removing the remaining tabbing was not practical; what remained was thick, heavy, and well-bonded to the hull.  Before continuing with new construction, I wanted to get the inside of the hull as smooth as possible, to help make all future processes that much easier.

fillslots2.jpg (49089 bytes)I decided to simply fill and fair the existing slots and edges with thickened epoxy.  I began by prepping the areas in question, vacuuming out residual dust and debris and cleaning the mating surfaces with acetone.  Then, I mixed up a large, quite stiff batch of epoxy thickened with microbaloons and cabosil, and troweled it into the slots and along the joints where needed.  I also completed filling any through hull fittings that hadn't been done earlier.  It took me two bucketfuls of the epoxy mixture (using 24 oz. epoxy and 12 oz. hardener in each batch) to complete the job.  I wasn't overly fussy about the application, as it was only the inside of the hull, not a finish surface that would require perfection.  But still, I tried to get the smoothest, fairest application possible to ensure a quality job and ease of attaching structural members and joinerwork later.

fillslots3.jpg (53495 bytes)     fillslots4.jpg (44807 bytes)


sandslots3.jpg (32457 bytes)After the epoxy had sufficient time to cure, I returned and sanded the filled areas smooth and flush with the surrounding surfaces.  This job took a surprisingly long time, longer than I had anticipated, but in the end I had a hull interior that, finally, was smooth and relatively consistent in appearance.  I also sanded the bilge areas, which I had not done earlier.  I wore my new supplied air respirator, which worked incredibly well; I was extremely pleased with its performance.  The supplied air was fresh, clean, and, best of all, kept the mask from fogging up.  It took some getting used to the hose, but the sacrifice was worth it.

 Click here for a brief sidebar about the supplied air system details.

Because the completion of this sanding was the absolute final thing remaining before new work commenced (on deck framing), I took pictures ad nauseum, and posted them all here as a sort of failsafe after my extraordinary computer crash that occurred around the same time and resulted in the complete loss of 8 months of photos--except for the (thankfully) numerous ones posted here on the web.  What follows are the last glimpses of the completely bare, prepped hull.

sandslots.jpg (41122 bytes)     sandslots1.jpg (36507 bytes)
The bilge, left, and port chainplate/bulkhead locations.


sandslots2.jpg (29269 bytes)     sandslots4.jpg (37706 bytes)
Looking aft from the stem, left, and the stern quarters


sandslots5.jpg (38657 bytes)     sandslots6.jpg (31816 bytes)
Two views looking towards the stem


sandslots7.jpg (34997 bytes)     sandslots8.jpg (38203 bytes)
A couple views of the bilge


sandslots9.jpg (36690 bytes)     sandslots10.jpg (40376 bytes)
The final two pictures



With the interior of the hull bare, empty, and fully prepped, it was time to get serious about building the new deck framing and interior structure.

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All photos and text on this site ©2002-2009 by Timothy C. Lackey and Lackey Sailing, LLC
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