July 26, 2010

During the week I fabricated rat guards for the docklines (out of WalMart dog frisbies and PVC pipe fittings) in anticipation of tying up to docks in areas surrounded by fields. (I'll post pictures later to show them in use). I had a single rat do serious damage to a boat before, so it's a stitch in time.... I also got the propane tanks filled and picked up the new propane hose and fitting I had ordered so I could properly install a new system. Saturday evening I loaded up a bunch of gear to bring to the boat in preparation for launch.

Thanks to my dog, I was up at 4:30 am Sunday, and so got an early start. (See coffee zombie in previous post.) By 11:20 I had the second coat of bottom paint on, and plenty of paint left over to touch up the spots under the stands next week. After a nice lunch on the deck at Cuttings Wharf, I removed the masking tape from the water line and started hauling gear aboard.

The remainder of the day was spent finishing up the wiring for the stern light and the new remote cockpit switch for the windlass. Running wire in a completed boat is a tough job, requiring twisting and wedging yourself into all sorts of nearly impossible positions to pull and push the wire through bulkheads, cabinets, lockers and cubby holes.

It was a hard-won battle, but it was a sweet victory: the bow light and stern light were working, and I can now raise the big Rocna anchor with the push of a finger from the cockpit.

Next week launch preparation begins in earnest. I'll be taking the week off to get everything ready for the launch and the trip up the river to Circadian's new berth.

July 19, 2010

During the week I fixed the troublesome stern light socket and fabricated a new black plastic dash panel using a template I had made previously. It would cover up the old holes from switches and instruments that were no longer used and mount a new remote switch for the windlass and a new switch for the steaming light. It would also retain the bilge alarm in it's existing location.

I was up Sunday morning at 5:30 am to hit the road fully loaded by 6:30.

It was pleasantly cool in Napa when I arrived...blessed relief from the 100-degree temperatures in Sacramento. While I waited for the yard chandlery to open, I cleaned up the old bottom paint a bit and masked the waterline. The chandlery ran my first gallon of bottom paint though two cycles on the paint shaker. Back at the boat, I poured about half a gallon into my five-gallon plastic bucket, added some thinner (Naptha) using the S.W.A.G./Eyeball method. The idea was to thin it enough to roll on more smoothly and stretch the coverage a bit without getting it so thin the resulting coating would be less effective and less durable. Because I had never painted Circadian's bottom before, I had to estimate the amount of paint to order. I used the simple calculation recommended by bottom paint manufacturers, but was still a bit anxious about it. At a couple of hundred bucks a gallon, you want to get it right. You don't want to buy more than you need, but it would be a real pain to wind up half a gallon shy. I had bought three gallons, so I figured if I went through no more than a gallon and a half with the first coat, I'd be OK. If I did use more, I'd at least be able to order more before the second coat was scheduled to go on next week. My optimism went up and down as I rolled on the paint. Because of the complex curved asymmetrical surface of the hull, it was tough to project how it was going until I had pretty well finished. In the end, I had used about 1 1/3 gallons, which was about perfect, since I needed to save some paint for later when the boat was in the slings prior to launch in order to paint the places that were now covered by the blocks and jack stands holding up the boat. The paint had also gone on smoothly, so it was a happy result all in all.

By the time I had finished and cleaned up what I had to, it was about 1 pm, and I was more than ready for a lunch break. I was looking forward to juicy burger and big frosty glass of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale on the patio at Cuttings Wharf. What a disappointment to find the place jammed. It would take forever to eat there under those conditions, so I reluctantly headed into town for lesser fare. I quickly discovered that the Napa Valley tourist season had hit its peak, and every road and every food stop was jammed. I got a relatively quick lunch at Panda Express and slogged through the traffic on a slow trip back to the yard.

During the couple of hours I had left, I did some more wiring on the stern light fixture and installed the new dash panel. As I expected, one of holes for a new switch did not align perfectly, and so I had to drill out the old panel a bit to get everything to come together. After masking off the edges of the old panel area, I mounted the new panel with black silicone adhesive sealant. I simply ran a bead of silicone around each hole and the back, top and front edges of the new panel and clamped it in place with the bilge alarm. I did not seal the bottom because I wanted any moisture that might eventually find its way in to drain out. The silicone was gooey enough to keep everything in place. I carefully wiped off the excess that oozed out around the masked edges and removed the tape, resulting in a neat clean edge.

I ran out of time and energy at that point, so I cleaned up, buttoned up and hit the road, figuring the traffic would be muy bad. It was, but only until I got away from the Napa tourist jam. Next week: the second coat of bottom paint, and, if there's time, wire up the stern light and new panel switches.

July 12, 2010

I spent the long July 4th weekend in Los Angeles with Carol, with the idea that the yard would have nine work days available to do their part by the time I was back. I had expected them to sand the bottom for me and spray the bow with the left-over matching AwlCraft to repair the scratches. When I checked with them on Tuesday following the holiday, they had done nothing. So, when I headed for the yard early on Sunday morning I didn’t know if they would have sanded the bottom, painted the bow, neither, or both. I was logistically and mentally prepared for whatever I found. What I wasn’t prepared for was to not find the boat. It was a bit of a shock to drive up and see bare ground where my boat had been for almost six months. Once the panic reflex gave way to reason, I realized they must have moved the boat-hopefully to paint the bow. But, because Napa Valley Marina is the largest yard in California, with significant acreage and lots of boats both in dry storage and in work areas, I had a lot of land to cover to track down my boat. When I finally found it tucked between two rows of boats in dry storage, I was delighted to see that everything had been done and the bow looked terrific. The shiny new paint matched perfectly and made the whole boat look better. While it had been hovering around 100 degrees in Sacramento, it was a good 15 degrees cooler in Napa, and in the morning it was a very pleasant 65 degrees. Perfect for applying the white vinyl bootstripe tape I had bought when I was in LA. I carefully laid down some masking tape along the top edge of the existing bottom paint. This tape would both ensure consistent space between the new white stripe and the bottom paint below and mask the top edge of the red Vivid bottom paint stripe I would apply later in the day. Next came the vinyl tape with its peel-off paper backing. It was of course a bit tricky to apply, but having the masking tape as a guide helped. Unlike when laying down a masking tape waterline, you can’t lift it and reapply several feet of tape as much as necessary to get a smooth line. I just hoped the edge of the existing bottom paint had been done well and made a smooth curve, since the new white stripe would just reproduce that curve, but would make any bumps or waves more visible. In the end, I rated the result “not perfect, but good enough.” Next, I had to mask the actual static waterline using the marks I had scribed previously. Having done this before on previous boats, I had developed a pretty effective technique. The trick is to pull out several feet of tape, lightly tack down one end at the starting point, then, holding the tape taught, slowly bring the opposite end (with the roll) to the hull near the next mark. I frequently have to pull off a couple of yards of tape and reapply it, making adjustments with the free end as I go, trying to keep the length of stretched-out tape level. It’s easier to show it than explain it. In any case, the final result, while again not quite perfect, was satisfactory.
I had ordered a quart of Vivid red bottom paint to paint the area between the actual static waterline and the masking tape at the top edge of the existing bottom paint, which arched several inches further up the hull sides. At more than a hundred dollars for the quart, I hoped it would be enough. My estimate, based on the advertised coverage, indicated it would be, but I thinned it as much as I dared anyway to stretch it as much as possible. I rolled on two coats that afternoon, with paint to spare. Having no previous experience with Vivid, it will be interesting to see how the red color holds up once it gets wet. Stay tuned to see if turns into a blotchy copper oxide light green after some water time like most other bottom paint does above the static waterline.

While my arms were heavy by the end of the day, it was nice to have accomplished some things that made a big visible difference...and to see the day coming when I can put Circadian back in the water!