Lyssa partners with Pandora

Cripes did I open a can of worms here.

told’y’all that Lyssa was on the horses getting some make-over work done. Started as “fix this scratch, or divot”, and that was what it was going to be.

THEN, I started noting that things were a lot thinner in places than they should be. No problem, just wet sand the heck out of the hull to get a rough surface, and roll on some new gel.

Thats when I opened Pandoras box of fun an didn’t realize it. (should have known better on a boat that’s old enough to drink)

That was Muhnday eve,,,, I let the gel sit overnight/day so that I would know it was cured fully, and tonight (twosday) started going over it with an 18″ fairing block loaded with 80grit.

What

The

Fluck????

When I laid the gel, I used a foam roller: this gives the new some texture so you can see ‘hot spots’ while sanding HOT SPOTS? Lyssa looks pocked like the surface of the moon!!!! Little divots everywhere where the fairing block isn’t touching that texture, surrounded by baby-butt smooth surface.

I’m going to do a full once over with the block, make sure I have it all ‘roughed out’, do a full wipe down with Acetone and a buffing pad, (to get rid of the wax on the gelcoat) then roll new into every one of those divots, leaving the smooth areas be. Build them back up, so to speak.

Wash, rinse, repeat. Until that fairing block is taking gel on every square inch.

Lyssa won’t be ready for the weekend, even if I took the rest of the week off and worked on her through the daylight hours,,,,, Gel takes time to cure enough to work (without gumming up your paper, even wetsanding) even when the temps are in the 90’s (high humidity doesn’t help at all)

Is what it is, but she is going to have a pristine hull when I am done. All those divots from others buffing out dinks in the past,,, gone.

and the winter project will be fixing the spiderwebs in her deck. and one other thing I have been giving serious thought to: removing the footpeg bolts and fixing internal bolts so she has a smoother surface there. I do feel a vibration at my feet when edging and its from those screw-heads sticking proud from the hull.

But thats all later, right now, I need to close this Pandoras box I opened.