Tuesday 27 May 2008

Decking!

A long overdue change in the weather provided the perfect conditions to lay the laminated deck surfaces.
Just to recap, this
model used a laminate (Formica) inlay on both the fore-deck and side-decks. I opted to re-instate this and after casting around chose a Teak effect cabin flooring laminate with a light Holly stripe.

With the templates made, cutting could get underway. I tried many different methods and had a lot of useful suggestions as to how to cut this - after experimentation I opted for... a pair of scissors!

Working 'to the line' I was able to perfectly cut the required curves with no splitting or chipping of the edges.


The downside? - it was a long, slow, job and it took a couple of days before any feeling returned to my fingers.


I turned to the collective wisdom on the CMBA Forum to find the best way of bonding the laminate to the deck
surfaces.

You may remember that I had covered all these surfaces with primer - well, all this had to be removed for a start.
After a session with angle grinder and sanding block we were ready to go. With everything clean, dry, dust free and wiped over with acetone, I coated the laminate with West Systems epoxy and then added filler to the mix to produce a good consistency for a 'bed' which was applied to the deck surface. The first of the two sheets was positioned and even pressure applied until the epoxy mix oozed from the edges (I had previously protected the adjoining surfaces with masking tape). Using various blocks of timber, lead weights and anything else that came to hand, even pressure was maintained until the whole thing had set off.


The same operation was undertaken for the next sheet and it
was time to grab a coffee and admire the result!


The Dreaded Side-decks...

Problem - the side-decks needed the same treatement, but the Teak and Holly stripe was not going to look right and no suitable alternative could be found.

Solution - Wielding the trusty craft knife I set about carefully scoring and stripping out all the holly stripes from the remaining
laminate. About this time I began to doubt my sanity, but after many hours I ended up with enough laminate 'planks' for the task in hand.


Duly edge sanded and shaped, these were then affixed in the approved manner. The edge to edge joins were better
than I could have hoped for, but I filled the seams with a dark oak stopping, which really enhanced the appearance.

I applied a couple of coats of varnish to all the surfaces - not too worried about the mirror finish at the moment - but maintaining a varnished surface is easier when removing paint splashes, masking tape, filler etc. than the raw 'grained' finish of the laminate.

While the epoxy was out, I also reinstated the support posts for the bow rails and faired them in.

For the photographs, I also
put the 'deck candy' in place.


It took about four days to see this job through - and not something I would relish doing again, but hey, I think the results speak for themselves!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Brilliant Robin! Very impressive work. That's what I need - a boatshed and a big tin of patience..
The trailer is now iong enough (if a little bowed). Still about to put the engine on and sort out the controls. Then it's down to the River Orwell for some fun.
The trouble is that compared to your classy number it seems a litle crummy now...
Broom next!
Steve

JamesD said...

Hi
What a cracking account-really interesting. I myself have acquired a Broom speedboat recently and am thinking about undertaking the exciting restoration similar to yourself. I wonder if you could seek some information from yourself regarding a part for the boat? Its the ball joint that connects the engine steering rod to the boat itself. I have a photo so if you could spare a few moments I would be greatly appreciative.Drop me an email if you think you could help.

Thanks for the abundance of information in your blog.

Cheers

James

BroomBroom said...

James...

Glad you're finding my efforts interesting! Yes, can probably help with the 'ball joint'.
Check out ASAP Supplies:
http://www.asap-supplies.com/
Search for Ultraflex and then find 'SPLASHWELL CABLE MOUNT WITH TUBE' - is that what you're after?

Can't work out how to find your email address - so feel free to email me:
robin (AT) starguitars.co.uk - always pleased to help a fellow enthusiast:)

Cheers,

Robin