Front Seat & Epoxy Progress

Over the weekend, I made some more progress toward getting the seats finished & the rest of the interior painted. 

These were small but necessary tasks. For the most part, the results aren't visibly much different from photos in my last post, but here goes...

Since the seats are made from exterior-grade plywood, (rather than marine grade), there are voids in the different layers. Several of these voids were exposed on the edges, so I had to fill them with thickened epoxy.

Plywood void on the front seat filled with silica-thickened epoxy.

Same process for voids on the rear seat.

After I finished this task with the seats, I filled in a few minor remaining gaps on some other parts of the boat.

Shallow gap filled between the plywood hull and curved section of the sheer.

These screw holes were originally intended to attach supports for a sole. I decided against the sole, so these holes needed to be filled.

Corresponding holes on the other frame were also filled.

The registration number decals I'd ordered online arrived. The Sea Foam Green isn't an exact match for the hull bottom, but it'll work.

I trimmed the overhanging edges of Meranti off of the front seat, and sanded them lightly. When I test fit the seat back into the boat, I changed my mind about painting the edges green. I think I'll leave them as-is. The difference in shades is not that drastic after all.

Then I mixed some more epoxy, and rolled on a thin layer to encapsulate (and stain) the Meranti top of the seat. As I'd done with the transom, I squeegied it meticulously for a smooth finish.

I used the rest of the epoxy to finally add a second layer to the remaining unpainted section of the hull. Now I can finally finish painting this part.

After I encapsulate the bottom of the front seat, I'll be ready to install it permanently.

Laminating the front seat; More painting.

I decided to start working on the forward thwart. Both thwarts are cut from 22/32" AC exterior-grade plywood. My plan is to laminate 1/4" Meranti plywood onto the top, so that the seats will match the deck and the transom.

My original plan was to stain the sides of the lighter-colored AC plywood. However, I've changed my mind & now plan to paint the sides Sea Foam Green to match the accent color on the sheers.

The forward thwart is 12" long x 45" wide at the base. (The sides are bevelled, so the top is wider than the bottom). Luckily, I had a piece of Meranti large enough to use, so I don't yet have to cut into one of the remaining sheets.

I cut out the middle section of it, arranging it so that it will have an attractive grain pattern showing on the top of the seat.

Grain pattern for the forward thwart.

Then I turned it over and coated it with epoxy. I coated the mating surface of the AC plywood thwart with epoxy, and stuck them together. Since the whole thing was laying flat, with flat mating surfaces, I did not use thickened epoxy. I weighted the thwart down with concrete blocks and a paint can to get good adhesion.

I set the whole thing on waxed paper to avoid accidentally gluing it to my working surface.

With the remaining epoxy from the batch, I added a 2nd layer to encapsulate the aft section of the boat. I got the port side done before I ran out of epoxy. Once it cured, it was ready for paint.

Half of the aft section with 2 layers of epoxy.

Once the epoxy on the thwart cured, I put the whole assembly in my bench vise for further work.

First layer of Whidbey White painted in the aft section.

Cleat removed from the port quarter knee; quarter knee taped off, and more paint applied to the back.

A light frosting of paint on the underside of the thwart.

A third coat of Whidbey White on everything but the transom.

And the painting continues.

After the fourth coat of Whidbey White, the dark colors of the wood aren't showing through. So, the middle section is basically done... except for the sheers, which will be painted Sea Foam Green.

With this section finished, I re-installed the stainless steel grab handle onto frame #2.

It may be hard to discern the difference in the photo... but that's 4 coats of WR-LPU Whidbey White on the right, and only 2 on the left. I didn't see the point in painting 4 coats in the forward area, as it will be covered by the deck.

The next step will be to either begin assembling the seats, or finish applying the 2nd layer of epoxy to the aft section. I'm not sure which I'll do.

Aft section needs a 2nd coat of epoxy before painting.

I also found some Sea Foam Green registration decals online & ordered them. I hope they'll match the bottom paint reasonably well.

These are the decals I ordered. I'm looking forward to seeing how they look.

...and a little more painting...

The middle section of the boat now has 2 coats of Whidbey White on it.

I think it's going to take a third coat, at least, to look right. The dark shades of the wood, and definitely the dark epoxy that I'd thickened with mahogany sawdust, are still showing through the paint in several places.

The other news that I'm happy to share today, is that I have received both a H.I.N. (Hull Identification Number) and a boat registration number from the state. Soon I'll be attaching the registration number decals to the front of the hull. I'd like to find some sea foam green decals that match the bottom paint.

A little more painting

It's October, and with it have come the low grey clouds, rain, and cooler temperatures to usher it in. It was a beautiful day.

I got a little more painting done on the boat tonight... working on that center section I epoxied a few days ago. It's slow going, painting it with a brush. Hopefully I'll make some more progress on it tomorrow.