The continuing good weather meant there was no excuse - it was time to get the brushes out and the topcoat on.
Having flatted down the primer and masked off all that lovely laminate, the paint was duly applied. I used a combination of both roller with a brush to 'tip off' as I had on the hull and where this approach was impractical, a foam brush. Regulars will know that painting is not my forte - but the results are pretty good. She has had 3 x topcoats in total and with a little flatting and polishing should look very smart.
Rubbing Strake
I then turned my attention to the rubbing strake. I placed the rubber insert in a bucket of hot water to soften it slightly and it was then a relatively simple job to persuade it into the aluminium section.
There can be a little shrinkage - so I left the ends over-length, giving the rubber a few days to settle down. The ends were then trimmed and the section itself tweaked so as to provide a good fit for the previously refurbished end and bow caps.
A Little Trim...
The Broom interior has two padded side panels. I've started recreating these using a salvaged original as a template and cutting them from 6mm marine ply.
I also shaped a decorative panel for the passenger dashboard, which will ultimately sport a grab handle. These have all had nuts countersunk and epoxied in place so - following covering - they can be attached 'blind'. Some grey edge trim has also been sourced to cover any unfinished fibreglass edges within the cockpit area.
Screen Problems
...well not actually the screen - more the surround. I have had a new screen made up in polycarbonate, which will take a cold bend - and it's all ready to get itself fixed in place. I am having a problem with the top screen surround though. This is quite simply a length of suitably curved aluminium channel. First attempts were not successful - now a former is under construction and Neil (my chum and local friendly metal guru) is going to assist - the plan being to fill the channel with mild steel, do the bending and then pop out the insert. I'll let you know how we get on with this!
Finally,
Thanks to all the people who have emailed me recently and for the encouraging comments I've received about this blog site. It's good to know that some of you have found it informative and I'm always happy to help out where I can - just email me direct. You should now find contact details in my profile.
Having flatted down the primer and masked off all that lovely laminate, the paint was duly applied. I used a combination of both roller with a brush to 'tip off' as I had on the hull and where this approach was impractical, a foam brush. Regulars will know that painting is not my forte - but the results are pretty good. She has had 3 x topcoats in total and with a little flatting and polishing should look very smart.
Rubbing Strake
I then turned my attention to the rubbing strake. I placed the rubber insert in a bucket of hot water to soften it slightly and it was then a relatively simple job to persuade it into the aluminium section.
There can be a little shrinkage - so I left the ends over-length, giving the rubber a few days to settle down. The ends were then trimmed and the section itself tweaked so as to provide a good fit for the previously refurbished end and bow caps.
A Little Trim...
The Broom interior has two padded side panels. I've started recreating these using a salvaged original as a template and cutting them from 6mm marine ply.
I also shaped a decorative panel for the passenger dashboard, which will ultimately sport a grab handle. These have all had nuts countersunk and epoxied in place so - following covering - they can be attached 'blind'. Some grey edge trim has also been sourced to cover any unfinished fibreglass edges within the cockpit area.
Screen Problems
...well not actually the screen - more the surround. I have had a new screen made up in polycarbonate, which will take a cold bend - and it's all ready to get itself fixed in place. I am having a problem with the top screen surround though. This is quite simply a length of suitably curved aluminium channel. First attempts were not successful - now a former is under construction and Neil (my chum and local friendly metal guru) is going to assist - the plan being to fill the channel with mild steel, do the bending and then pop out the insert. I'll let you know how we get on with this!
Finally,
Thanks to all the people who have emailed me recently and for the encouraging comments I've received about this blog site. It's good to know that some of you have found it informative and I'm always happy to help out where I can - just email me direct. You should now find contact details in my profile.
