Team Seacats

What is it about boats? When you are in the ocean, especially in foul weather, they can never be BIG enough – but the second you approach it with a piece of sandpaper….

I ran to the hardware store and picked up a roll of sticky-back 80 grit sandpaper for the long board. That went better and I got some pretty serious work done on the hull. You can clearly see in the photo below some of the dents and dings that are in the hull. Next, I have to mark the perimeter of their location somehow, then sand the inside of the dings so fairing compound will have a good surface to bond to. I’m afraid that after that sanding, that I won’t be able to find them again! Anyway, after filling those, then I’ll put a thin layer over the entire bottom and get back to sanding again.

I also worked on the rudder arms going into the castings. I came up with an idea to snug the fit up quickly and easily. The problem is that the casting hole is considerably larger than the diameter of the aluminum tube that goes into them. The could be glued in place with epoxy but if you ever broke one, replacement would be nearly impossible. The three rivets normally keep out the play for a little while. The arm really takes a beating when unlocking and locking the rudders. I decided to try coating the end of the aluminum tube with a layer of epoxy and microballoons to match it more closely to the hole in the casting. I rotated it over a heat source to keep the coating even and quickly set the epoxy, sanded it lightly to get a good fit, and riveted it back in place. I really don’t know if that will make it last longer but the new rivets should keep out the play for quite a while anyway.

Originally uploaded by Team Seacats.