17. The shape of things to come.

Today is the last day of painting the frame with epoxy. 7 of the 8 sections are done and look great, a nice thick coat on those surfaces that would be hard to get to when the boat is covered.  So now the joyful task of covering the frame begins.

So here are some pictures of the frame, which just needs a light sand before the first coat of ply is attached. There is also a picture of my ‘epoxy warming cupboard’ made of scrap timber and does the job brilliantly. There is a thermostat in the back set to 22 degrees or 70 in old money, and the heat is produced by a single old fashioned light bulb.  Working with the faster hardener 205 is much better than the slow stuff, but you do have to have your wits about you and not mix up too much at a time.  Now for a quick wipe of the lovely ‘amine blush’ …..

And finally, here is a small request to the boys and girls at West System (just in case they are reading this). Please get your best chemistry set out of the cupboard and dust it down, then design a new set of epoxies that don’t have an amine blush. It is such a bore to work with not to mention time consuming, and I do not know how to tell if I have wiped/washed enough of it away  …   yes, I know, the professionals know how to make it work in their favour but  ……  And finally finally a thank you to Richard the technical bod at West in the UK, your help was invaluable.

Right, now I had better get back to Axminster for some more sanding discs and have a look at that 1/4 inch Festool router that I am sure I’m going to need.

I have been honing my skills with routing in the deck fittings and hinges etc. I know it is a long way away but there is nothing like anticipation. I have been looking up all the bits I need and the list seems endless, but one conclusion is that the engine cover/doors will have a hidden hinge and no chrome strips around it, I think it is a cleaner look.

Following day  …  the router is great but I don’t need it at the moment, what I need is the Rotex 125mm sander. If you look at the first covering pictures you will see why, yep, you got it, MORE sanding ……