Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to you.

With the last hours of Christmas Day ticking away, so are the tasks for painting the boat.

I've painted over the permanently-attached blue painters tape with whidbey white. So now, the remnants of blue are no longer visible under the sheer.

With the touch-up painting completed at the aft of the boat, it was finally time to attach the rear thwart. So now, both seats are finally attached for good. 

I've filled in the gaps on the sheer, coated them with primer, and painted over them with the sea-foam green. All that remains to be done is a third coat of paint on a very short portion of the port sheer. That can wait 'till tomorrow. Or the day after.

Clamping the rear thwart into position while the epoxy cured. I used the reversible clamps as spreader bars to push down on the ends.

The rear thwart had a slight bend in it — a result of the cheap 3/4" plywood substrate I'd gotten from Home Depot. When I attached it with epoxy, I wanted to make sure I pressed out the bend.

The rear thwart, finally attached... permanently.

With the starboard sheer now painted, I've started reattaching the hardware.

Starboard fender cleat

Starboard fender cleat

Gap on the port sheer, before being filled.

Gap filled with thickened epoxy....

...and the same area after 1 more coat of primer + 2 coats of Sea-Foam Green. Only 1 more coat to go.

It has been an.... interesting.... Christmas. Warm enough for t-shirts, but with torrential rains, thunder & lightning. I got to play Santa Claus, of sorts... inasmuch as I was walking around on the roof at one point. But, instead of delivering toys in a serene, snow-blanketed winter wonderland, I was clearing the gutters in order to keep untold hundreds of gallons of rain water flowing, even as I was getting drenched in the process. 

Then there was the small lake that was forming in my back yard. All of the drains for the french drain had gotten clogged with leaves. The whole area was under so much water that it took me a while to locate all the drains and clear them. It was a little unnerving to be trudging through ankle-deep water beneath a dark sky flashing with lightning and rolling with thunder... but it sure wasn't boring.

For an area that couldn't be cleared by the french drain, I used a garden hose to siphon out the muddy water. Getting a mouthful of that was hardly "a Christmas bowl of Smoking Bishop," but it had to be done.

I shouldn't complain. Rather, I should be thankful that at least it wasn't cold outside. It was actually warm enough to be comfortable in the rain. And, since it's well above freezing, we won't have to worry about ice on the roads.... and I'm sure the local flood waters will recede in a couple of days.

If not, at least I know my that boat does indeed float. Hey... you've gotta look at the bright side, right?

Merry Christmas.