Mast Painting Staging Area

 When I decided to paint the masts of Great Ketch I knew that it needed to be done at my home. After I transported the masts - one at a time - to my home, I used the overhang behind the garage to suspend the masts, I then used a 10 x 10 foot tent to fasten a tarp over in order to keep the masts out of direct sun light.

One tarp that measured 6 x 30 feet was used to create a wall to protect the masts from wind - white tarp wall toward the right in the picture. The tricky part of painting masts outside yet under cover is one can not control environment. I wanted to have some ventilation so the ends were kept open and typically the breeze comes from the north end of the area to the south area.

My set up wasn't perfect  but I was at home with all my tools such as air compressor, electric, water, restroom and fridge. 

The picture on the left is displaying the main mast with all the old paint sanded off. The straps suspend the mast and allows me to rotate the mast to sand all areas. The base of the mast is in the foreground; toward the mast head is a blue tarp over a tent frame. When it was time to spray, I placed tarp on the floor from base to the head of the mast.

Transporting the Masts

 I wanted to paint the masts but not do the work in the boat yard because of the amount of dust and traffic in the yard. The best place for me to perform the work would be at my home behind the garage.

I used a 10 x 8 foot board attached to the mast head that made it possible to fasten to the hitch of the truck.

The harbor freight trailor used is placed so the the weight of the mast is supported. Having the mast on the trailer aligned in the center prevented tire drag. 

Having a person follow was helpful to keep an extra set of eyes on the tow while also adding safety to the transport. I traveled 16 miles from marina to my residence on all back roads.

The masts were transported in September of 2020. My plan at that time was to sand the old paint off and inspect the integrity of the carbon fiber/S glass underneath. 

The masts were built in 1988 and the paint was becoming thin with scratches and some bubbling underneath caused by moisture getting between the winter tarp and the mast - effectively creating a green house effect. In the past, I used white paint to just cover areas where the glass was starting to become exposed, but it was time to strip the masts and paint the entire masts.

Access Panel Part 1

 

The access panel from the head to the engine room is shown on the picture toward left. Notice that the panel is that dry, starting to flake, oak veneer.

The build is a foam panel with laminate on both sides. The trim is glued to the edges over the veneer that is glued to the panel. I have already removed the trim and the oak veneer from the panel. I discovered that the top and bottom of the panel has wood block that is app 5. x .75 x 2 inches in size. I am unable to separate the wood block from the back of the trim. Therefore I shall need to make a new wood block, which is really a spacer for the panel to ensure a tighter fit into the passageway.

Notice the opening into the engine room from the head area. Rather than having the original oak look on the panel I plan to have it white veneer to match the wall. The trim will be painted flat white paint.

In order for me to get myself into the engine room I place one leg in while going in backwards. Once I have a foot on the floor in the engine room I am able to lift my leg and then bring the rest of myself into the room. One needs to sit down when working in the engine room. 

Once in the room I can easily work on the water pump, change the fuel filter, check the belts, and check the level of the coolant in the Yanmar GM20VF engine. Also located in the engine room is the water pump for potable water, and the battery charger, the diesel fuel tank. There is plenty of space for storing items. Not many 33 foot sailboats have a separate engine room. Often the engine is sort of in the cabin and in a very tight enclosure. I have never been a fan of engines just under the stairway on account of the mess it could potentially make in the cabin, the limitation of access in and out of the boat as a result of the engine work in front of the companionway, the noise and heat closer to the cabin -  well if one is testing and running the engine it is basically running while its in the cabin, the odor in the cabin, and the tight enclosure. 

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.