A Head Looking Back

Some folks were interested in more information on the white lamination I made to the head area so I added more pictures and information. 

The picture toward left displays the white (plastic) counter type formica on the back wall of the head area. Notice the oak laminate around the port light. The same but older and cracking apart oak laminate was on the back wall. I wanted less maintenance and a cleaner look and because all the walls in the head had white formica except for two walls prior to my ownership of Great Ketch, I decided to make the entire head area white. Moreover, Nat Herreshoff typically had the inside of his boats white. The large opening allows one to access the engine room. The panel to the engine room is oak veneer and will be changed to white during the winter of 2020.

I removed the oak veneer panel that surrounded the port light in the head area as well. Using the panel I removed I was able to make a new template and make the white laminate panel. The process I performed was to epoxy the white laminate onto a thin sheet of plywood 1/8 thick. The plywood was epoxy sealed first,then I epoxied the white plastic to the plywood, followed by trimming the edges with a router and then file. When the template was complete I glued it to the wall so that I can remove it later if required.

Braces on Wal

Picture displays braces pressing the larger laminate to the back wall.The process was the same as outlined above. I made the braces from by cutting small squares from plywood and screwing one screw only through the plywood to the top of the wood brace. A foam pad was glued to the plywood and each brace post was cut a little longer than the measurement from back wall to the opposing wall. I wanted to ensure that the brace can be wedged between the walls with enough pressure to hold the template against the wall having the white lamination.

Refresh in the Head

C-Head Toilet

One area in Great Ketch that I wanted to refresh was the shower and head area. I removed the shower grated teak floor and seat and sanded it and revarnished. The look of the floor and seat is outstanding. For the grated teak floor I ensured that the underside was epoxied in order to really seal it from any moisture.

Shower Seat

New caulking was added to the corner seams of the shower stall  and the trim work into the shower was sanded and varnished.

Another improvement I made was to replace the oak veneer panel that surrounded the port-light with white veneer.  Most of the walls in the head area were white veneer while only the aft wall and wall with the port light were oak veneer. One problem with oak veneer in a boat is that they need to be sealed in order to prevent de-lamination of the panel as a result from moisture. I also preferred the white veneer because original Herreshoff boats typically were painted white inside on the walls and ceiling and I wanted to tip a nod to the yesteryear look of the Herreshoff boats. Moreover, white can have a super clean look.

The shower floor under the grated floor was painted of with the non-skid Kiwi grip, which is the same non-skid I used on the top of the deck of the boat. I replaced the shower pump with a new RULE bilge pump.

Shower Floor

Door to Head

The door to the head was sanded and revarnished and I replaced the door handle. The old handle was worn out and the nickel plated hardware was worn off. It looked awful.

In addition, I replaced the faucet for the sink as well as a new drain. The sink was cleaned and reseated. The head itself was replaced with a C-Head composting toilet. For my thinking I prefer the C-Head over the traditional marine toilet for the following reasons:

1) Easy operation and easy maintenance - no pumps, joker valves, and moving parts

2) More storage space for liquid waste 

3) No need to look for specific waste stations

4) No oder from leaky hoses or connections

5) Ability to stay out longer off-shore because waste can be managed efficiently

The head is not completely done as there are some minor trim work that needs to be completed, but, the majority of the work for this summer has been completed.

Gel Coat Great Ketch Deck KiwiGrip

The previous post displayed pictures of the finished cabin top and deck after new gel coat was applied and after new KiwiGrip was applied as the non skid sections of the deck.

In this post I wanted to share more information about the non skid prep work and the choice I made to use KiwiGrip.

The previous KiwiGrip on GreatKetch was the blue color and I had already made the decision to go with a white color. I wanted white to give the appearance of a more clean uniform look to the boat, and because a boat with a white deck is much more easily seen than one with that matches the color of water, (I am thinking of safety on this point.)


-- Note that the work area is under a white tarp, which provides sunlight through the tarp and also some radiant heat. The deck has some material removed already and a shop vac is a must to keep the dust down.

I also used a chisel to remove the material from the edge near the old gel coat before so that when using a machine sander I am not going to go into the gel coat area.

I removed the old non skid so I could better inspect the surface underneath for voids as well as have a smooth even surface for the new KiwiGrip. Removing the KiwiGrip was pure effort, muscle and machinery. I used a rotary pad with 40 grit sandpaper to remove the largest portion of the material from the deck, then moved to 60 grit paper, and then an orbital sander with 80 grit. In some cases I was able to use a chisel to get underneath the KiwiGrip and chip the material off. The effort took several days and was slow going, I performed this task during the winter when there is not much to do with a boat during this time in Central New York with a boat.

-- The picture to the left show more of the KiwiGrip material has been removed completely, which required work using the rotary disk sander. Areas close to the hardware required a 40 grit sandpaper and different size blocks.

The pictures displayed in this post show how ugly the deck looked after the KiwiGrip was removed and new KiwiGrip was applied. In some cases one can note the difference in areas at different stages.

Before

and

After








KiwiGrip applied on the port side of the foredeck and the starboard side is next. Very crucial to ensure the surface is clean and void of contaminants.

Comparing the first picture in this post to the last picture here demonstrates a huge improvement to the deck of the boat. The time and effort has paid off. The new Gel Coat and new KiwiGrip was worth it. Can't wait for the sailing season. Nothing like sailing on a boat that looks clean and new.

Gel Coat Great Ketch Cabin Deck Part II

It has been some time since my last post. I have been very busy working on other boats. The last post displayed the work I was performing on the cabin top and deck. There were voids, dings, scratches, and stress cracks all about; moreover, some areas had very thin gel coat.

In order to match the deck final look to the cockpit, which I had completed worked and gel coated the previous season, I knew I would need to perform the same task of cleaning, sanding, and fairing/filling work. Using the same products and color scheme as before, I faired and prepped the deck for new gel coat.

One item to note: the port lights were the old style of Lewmar, and I was fortunate to find used but new new style port lights by Lewmar at a consignment place online. The old port lights had the typical aluminum look that was very worn and faded. The new style had powder coated black frames, which look much more stunning against the new gel coat.


 For those with a keen eye, you may have noticed that I changed to a new color for the non skid. The previous color was blue: the new color is white. Why the color change? I think the blue deck blended too much with blue water if and when when spotted from afar from a plane it may more difficult to see --- think possible rescue. The blue color also broke up the deck into sections and made the deck look blocky, and white would be cooler under the foot.


Oh, the non skid is Kiwigrip. I have read mixed reviews online about Kiwigrip by some who complained that it flakes off. I had no such experience with the old blue Kiwigrip that I applied ten years ago. I had to grind and sand for many hours to get that off. It was really bonded hard to the substructure. With the correct prep work of the surface I have learned by empirical observation that the product is tenacious in its holding ability. I suspect others may have not had a good clean surface for the product to bond.

Please enjoy the new look and the final work of the gel coat, new non skid, and new port windows.

Gel Coat Great Ketch Cabin Deck

During the Winter and Spring of 2018 I spent much time sanding and prepping the cabin deck and side decks for fiberglass and gel coat work. The work performed on the cockpit last year resulted in a brand new look; I needed to continue my effort on the remaining sections of the boat. It is not unusual for a boat deck to show signs of wear in the gel coat, and dings and scratched from drops of gear and other items.

Tiny cracks in the gel coat that would typically reveal a void - air under the gel coat. It is my thought that the boat when built was not vacuum sealed when laminated and air got trapped in between the gelcoat and glass while in the form during the build stage.

 The collar for the mizzen mast had voids and cracks as well. The clay and release agents used to create the blocking for the free standing masts were noticeable on the column; much clean up work needed here. Hardware will be removed as well for gel coat and body work.

 Check out the side deck body work that will be needed -- picture on the right. Once I start a discovery on a crack I do not let up until I reveal a clear picture and complete understanding of the area for repair. It is not uncommon to find a small hair line crack and discover underneath the crack is a void that is the much larger than you expect. Follow the crack and remove weak areas. Create a place for body work to fill the area in order to provide a solid surface for the new gel coat.

 In the picture on the left one may notice the shiny gel coat in the foreground, which was sprayed last year. I will perform the body work and prep from the cockpit onward to the bow. Much sanding, grinding, sanding, body work to be performed. Gel coat application will be made during the Spring of 2018. All the port lights will be removed and covered and taped off. The non skid will be covered and taped off in order to spray gel coat on areas between the non skid areas.

Wow, so many voids and dings here along the port deck. Each areas needs to be inspected and given attention. Here the gel coat is also thin. Once the areas is dressed and prepped then new gel coat can be applied. Making the boat look new from the look int his picture look is well worth the work to me.

Working in tight spaces is challenging. Notice the work that needs to be performed against the hatch support. It is on the edge; shaping and spraying gel coat will be performed with extra care. The goal is have a repair completed without any signs of repairs.  -- I was never here is the thinking.

The photo on the right is a close up of a mast collar. This collar had to be built with epoxy/glass and filler because of the structural function of the collar. Sanding will be made to follow the curve and shape of the collar. Often when working on body work one will revisit an area several times to ensure that the work is perfect. Slapping in filler and one time sand is not the way to get the result that is most favorable.

A medium picture of the desk from the bow. Little dings and voids. Note that I sanded the non skid along the edge as well -- approximately 3/8 inch on each edge from the old gel coat. Having non skid applied over a new gelcoat area will make for a clean looking edge rather than having to meet the gel coat to the non skid along its edge.

The picture from the companionway toward the bow; here we see the white winter cover, which allows sun light to pass through, and  a small propane heater. When working under a tarp is is important to have ventilation when using a propane heater.  Working on the warmer days of winter in the northeast is better than frigid cold and  helps with the curing behavior of the filler; work in temperatures of the products recommendations for the best results.

All this work is to improve the look of the boat and protect the lamination and resin underneath. Most folks would typically decide to paint the boat, but, I chose to gel coat the boat because it is what I do. It is something I enjoy doing, and something I am good at. It is a lot of work, and doing this on someone else's boat would not be worth the cost as a result of the amount of labor.

Future posts will have additional pictures of the results of the body work and gel coat work.

Winter 2018 - New Boat Build

Well, it has been some time since my last post, and I am sure folks are wondering about the progress on Great Ketch.

During the super cold weekends, which we have experienced much this past year ---in fact the entire country has felt to its bone -- I have made effort to build a small sail boat in the warm comfort of my shop. The boat is a "sail camping boat" designed for protected waters. Her dimensions are 8 feet long and 4 feet wide and app 32 inches high at the cabin level. The hull us a PDR design and the concept of the cabin is based on the Paradox sailboat designed by Matt Leyden.

My friend Andre-Francois designed the boat with the two concepts blended and called his boat type "Gorfnik." (click here for plans of Gorfnik Plans) He is an outdoorsman and professional survivalist, who as an educator and adventurer has sailed his boat throughout many lakes in Canada up north to the far south of the Florida Everglades.

The sailing from the cabin in a small boat from which inspirational ideas were made upon the design of the Gorfnik was in due in large part from the Paradox boat. To see more about the Paradox micro cruiser click Paradox Boat.

The theme of this site focused on work on Great Ketch, yet, I felt that sharing some information to which explains pauses, and delays in Great Ketch posts would at a minimum provide readers some interesting resources about small boats and my time working with boats.

Stanchion Refresh

One the problems I had with the stanchions on Great Ketch was how they were originally made - the lower hole in the stanchion was merely drilled through, rough edges and no filler. The rough edges were perfect for cutting into the life line coating, and a hole without any filler meant that water would enter the stanchion through the hole and drip down toward the inside based of the stanchion.

The lower hole was that it appeared to be drilled without any centering tool, which meant the hole was not circular nor centered.

While thinking about adding a port and starboard gate I located a marine shop that would fill the lower holes and bevel them and  polish the stanchions. Moreover, compared with the big projects they take on, they also treated me like a big time customer, and the price for the service was perfect.

< - - One may note the condition of the stanchion on the left of the screen - before a refresh. Rust, and awful hole with a dull look made the stanchion look worn out.

The web address of the company is www.whitewatermarineinc.com and my contact was Mike.  I sent two stanchions to them to work on and anticipated their return for my evaluation. I was very impressed; the lower hole was beveled and filled to match the upper hole and the polished job they did made the stanchion look brand new. I fitted the two returned stanchions back on my boat and sent two more stanchions. The folks at whitewatermarineinc are pros.

< - - The stanchion on the left displays a shine and the lower hole matches the upper hole. The synthetic lifeline has a protective tube to help mitigate against abrasion. I decided to replace the rusty worn stainless steel coated lifelines with Dyneema. The shine on the stanchion is very reflective. It is these little things that add up to make a boat really "pop."

A fantastic job by Mike.



-- - > the lower hole is beveled smooth and no longer cuts into the lifeline. Instead of the rusty vinyl coated stainless steel lifeline I now can use synthetic line.

The reader may be wondering why I had not sent in all the stanchions: I was using the stanchions as a structural support for my winter frame during the winter. I was afforded to only having two stanchions removed at a time in order to keep the integrity of by winter boat frame in place without risk.

Although I have not yet added the stanchion gate, as a result of my time spent on gel coat work, I still have the plan to add the gates in mind.

I highly recommend contacting Mike for anyone looking for quality work in fabrication and repair of marine metal work.