Tinted Companionway Door

 

I was fortunate to find a scrape piece of acrylic that was tinted and .5 inch thick. It was from an old junk boat. The acrylic had many scratches on it and was not the correct shape for my companionway. I knew by looking at this item that I had an opportunity to learn two new skills: cutting  and sanding/polishing acrylic.

I used my current companionway doors as a templated and cut the plastic after marking cut lines with tape. Using a track saw and cutting approximately .12 -.24 inches in each pass as low blade speed made the cut clean without danger of cracking or gouging edges.

Picture on the left displays the huge amount of crazing on the plastic. All of which needs to be removed.

Picture on the right displays top part that is opaque (sanded area) with bottom area clear (sanded followed by polishing).

Bottom left has been sanded and polished; Bottom right is spot checked for additional areas to be sanded and polished again.

 

The picture on bottom left displays most of the scratches and crazing removed. The picture on the bottom right displays one small area that needed additional attention. This entire project took lots of experimenting with sand paper grits, and polish compounds at different speeds to get the feel and knowledge of what process and medium worked best.

The picture below is the end result of all that experimenting sanding and polishing.

New Hand Rail Covers

 

The Sky Blue color of the Sunbrella hand rail covers were starting to show their age. One may note that the material was thinning where it was exposed to the sun. 

I wanted to change the color to Navy Blue because it would match the Bimini, the Wheel cover, and the Boots at the base of the masts. The Navy Blue color also matched the boot stripe on the hull.

The Navy Blue is really makes the deck pop because it is a darker contrast to the white deck. In the picture on the left note how the handrail dark color frames out the hatch covers. 

The companionway hatch also needs to be replaced as it too is showing wear. I have note decided on the color of the hatch but it should be replaced next year at the latest (2025).

The picture on the left shows the hand rail cover where there is about .25 of an inch of space between the cover and the deck. This space was an important part of the new design because the previous hand rail cover touched the deck and acted as a dam for rain water. Many times I discovered small leaves and dirt piled up on the deck and required a cleaning. My hope is that the new hand rail covers will allow the water with the dust, dirt to freely more to the side decks.

New Distribution Panel

Not shown in the picture: original distribution panel that held the distribution panel circuit switches, a cassette radio player, toggle switches for the anchor light, steaming light, and running lights, and holes that had the old depth finder and wind indicator, which no longer worked.  Several bilge switches were relocated from the panel to a smaller panel near the engine room.

The second picture below displays the finished product. The six toggles switches in vertical position have built in LED indicators in the throw arm. A new radio/CD player installed. Notice that there is plenty of panel real estate to install other future equipment.

 

<-- In this picture I placed tape on the black laminate and the frame and penciled tick marks so when I dry fitted the panel into the 1/2 plywood the frame would be fitted very close the the edge of the laminate. The oak frame is cut to.75 inch width and height, and to appropriate length. The frame is secured to .5 inch plywood base (back ground). The laminate is fitted to lay flat slightly lower than the frame.

The picture on the right displays the frame fastened to the plywood base. This is the inside view, meaning the black laminate would be on the side note shown, and the plywood provides support for the panel and allow cutouts for electronics. I wanted to accomplish several goals  a) the black laminate needed to be inserted within the frame (sit lower within the frame) yet be flush with the surface of the plywood mated to the frame b) the corners of the laminate needed to have a radius to give the panel a softer look c) the front side of the frame needed to have a .25 radius to give a softer look.

Note the frame has been stained to match the inside woodwork of the interior, the rounded corners of the black laminate, insert of the black laminate to the plywood but extended past the edges of the plywood so that it meets with the frame.

Two new sets of switches were added (fitted above the radio and next to the grey circuit panel). These new switches are for the anchor light, steaming light, and running lights, the bow deck light, the mizzen deck light and one switch open for future use.

This was a fun project and tested my skills to use contact cement to insert a black laminate inside a frame with 2 mm margin for error. 

Companionway Stairs

 The companionway stairs needed some attention because the varnish was worn off in some areas, and there were dark gray water stains on the steps. I decided refreshing the steps would be a great winter (2021) project. The job would be the following steps (no pun intended):

1) Remove old varnish

2) Remove water stains

3) Apply fresh varnish

4) Add non skid to steps

The photos displays the sanded steps. If one looks closely one can note the dark water stained areas.

Sanded CW Steps 2

Sanded CW Steps

The companionway steps have been stained with a water base stain. To get to this  step I used a heat gun and paint scraper to remove most of the old varnish. The  trick is to heat the area to scrape --about 4 inch section-- and then scrape the soft varnish off. After the heat gun treatment I sanded the entire step. The final step  before varnish was to bleach the water stains out.

The picture displays the varnished steps with non skid stick ons. I chose the color white for the non skid so it would be easier for folks to see. The steps are not wide as one would notice in modern boats. 

Great Ketch was custom made in 1988, and I suspect most people were thinner, but since food offerings continue to be super super duper sized so has the American public at large (no pun intended).

The stairs are installed in its original location on Great Ketch. The hatch behind the stairs open for access to the engine room.  There is a second access to the engine room from the side panel that is located in the head.

Stepping the Main Mast

 

I often am asked how do I step the free standing main mast. Most folks assume that the need for spreaders to be important to using a Gin pole to step a mast. I do use a Gin pole lift; a looped strap is set about two feet below the steaming light. Attached to the hook holding the strap I use a line with bowline knot to the hook. The line runs from the hook to below the boom track used to connect the boom where it is wrapped around the mast ten times. The load of the lifting of the mast is from the wraps around the mast while the hook holds the mast steady and helps lift mast upright.

Several friends stopped by to help, but it is possible for only two people to step the mast, which is 48 feet.

Below are some picture taken that may help demonstrate how the mast is stepped.

 <-- I am wearing the hat and hooking the strap loop around the mast

 <-- Mast raised by loop strap

 <-- Note the Gin pole cable to the loop strap and the working line at base

 <-- Friend using halyard to control swing of mast at masthead

 <-- Note the loading line wrapped around the mast leading to the loop

 <-- the mast is raised behind the Gin pole arm

 < -- Adding a control line at base to help guide mast over to boat

 < -- Mast moving over toward boat

 <-- Inserting mast through the deck collar

 < -- No shrouds or stay hardware to adjust

Painted Mast Work Summary

 Steps for painting the mast of Great Ketch

1. remove all hardware from mast and tape sail track
2. sand off old paint and primer off mast
3. inspect mast for voids and other imperfections
4. clean mast with solvent and (use wax/grease solvent, wipe-down solvent)
5. mark areas with tape that require body work
6. use sand paper and or drill with die to remove cracked old filler, and shape void for filler
7. clean area second time before using voids
8. fill with Awlgrip Alfair
9. sand filler after it has cured
10. spray a dusting of Awlgrip 545 primer on entire mast (1.4 tip 10 percent thinner)
11. repeat inspection of mast and repeat previous steps for missed areas
12. clean and wipe down entire mast (use wax/grease solvent, wipe-down solvent, and tack rag)
13. spray 5 coats of Awlgrip High Build primer entire mast (2.0 tip and no thinner)
14. sand High Build to remove orange peel and shine using 120 - 220 paper
15. if pinholes are discovers fill them now with filler
16. clean and wipe down entire mast  (wipe down and tack rag)
17. spray 5 coats of Awlgrip 545 finishing primer (1.2 tip and 10-15 percent thinner)
18. sand with 400 grit
19. clean and wipe down entire mast (use wax/grease solvent, wipe-down solvent, and tack rag)
20. spray with AwlCraft 2000 paint
21. install hardware

Of course with the above steps one must note the product's guide to ensure proper temperature, humidity, and timing when laying down overcoats; moreover, note the size of the spray tip when using the product and adjust the reducer accordingly.

Lastly, perform the same steps on the mizzen mast. 

Main Mast Work Part 2

 

Main mast work part 2: Applying finishing primer and Awlcraft 2000 finishing paint.

After the High Build was sprayed onto the mast and sanded smooth, the next step was spraying the Awlgrip 545 finishing primer. Five coats of the primer was applied and the final coat was sanded so the Awlcraft 2000 paint can be sprayed. 

 

The picture above displays the final coat of the Awlgrip High Build product. Note the orange peel texture and the slight shine. This product needs to be sanded to remove the orange peel and the slight gloss - the lighting is causing the orange color look and the picture on the above right is under the tarp section of the painting area so the lighting is more natural.

The mast was sanded after five coats of the 545 finishing primer using 400 grit paper, but before the 545 was applied, I discovered 12 pinholes. I filled the holes with Awlfair filler. 

Five coats of Awlcraft 2000 has been sprayed on. The mast is looking liken a new mast.

The main mast has been placed on a Harbor Freight trailer that is used as a dolly. Ready for transport back to the marine to be stepped on the Great Ketch.