Ken_Potts

Hey folks, I'm looking for suggestions here. I'm getting ready to turn 40 in April and it's my policy to do something extra fun for the birthdays that end in "0". I'm looking for a place to go where I can have a nice relaxed time around water - I'd like to do some fishing and get out in a boat but I don't know if my CS17 is going to be finished by then (I'm trying for the slow-build record) What I'm looking for is a place that I can rent a house for a week or so where I can be reasonably sure of civilized weather in the second or third week of April. I define civilized weather as high temps of 70-95F and winds that don't get too scary. Any suggestions? I'm in North Carolina so Fiji would be a bit of a stretch but I've found a fishing cabin in the Florida Panhandle (Cape San Blas) that's not too outrageous. Also I stumbled across a business that rents small sailboats in the bahamas (Sea Pearls) - That would be a fun week camping. So what's your ideal place for April weather? Oh yeah - Here's the rental place for the Sea Pearls http://www.exuma-bahamas.com/starfish/sailboatrent.html

I can't begin to describe how it felt to be at work today knowing that I could have been better places (you're a good influence). Unfortunately I HAD to be there (normally it doesn't matter if things slip for a day, or even two). Ah the choices we make... It has been pretty incredible this week here too - I'm used to the NC State Fair being the beginning of the reliably cold weather but we've been having record high temps for the past few weeks. It looks like that may be over now. Big Northerlies coming... Enjoy the band function. One day I'll be good enough to be in a be in a band (no I won't) The can has red letters and it is white but it has a sort of orange fade on the bottom - It is Kilz exterior oil-based primer, pigmented white. It was a choice between that or the oil-based interior primer (I think that was the one that was red-on-white). Well if you find yourself in need of crew unexpectedly you've got my number. Looks like you're making good progress on the new project.

Hey Oyster, Tuesday looks good for me - Monday may be workable. Keep me updated if you're looking for ballast either of those days (I hope Wilma stays away). I picked up some Kilz today.

I wish I could today - I've got too many time-sensitive things happening today though. Thanks for the invite. I am feeling like maybe all this stess might compromise my immune system some time next week though... I know - We're rapidly running out of good weather. Isn't there an oil-based (original) and a water based Kilz? I don't think I've used the water based stuff - My guess is you're using the oil-based. Did I get it right?

Your stoicism is an example to us all.

I guess I'll pick up some 404 414 - It's good to hear that somebody else has had success with it over West Systems epoxy in particular. Howard - I hope nobody took your comments to be a criticism of me - I know I certainly didn't take it that way. Oyster - Have you tried Kilz over West Systems or was it another brand of epoxy (am I sounding a little gunshy here? ) I'm glad to hear you made it through your afternoon ordeal. It really makes me feel fortunate to know that while you were going through all that I was safe and snug in front of an air-conditioned CAD station.

Tom, I agree wholeheartedly that it's best to use the manufacturer's recommended finish. My problem has been that I've been unable to determine what the manufacturer (West Systems) recommends - I've been unable to find any recommendation of a brand that works well. I've looked over the website, checked the printed materials that I've come across, and called the company. The only answer I was able to get was to use anything BUT one-part epoxy (that was from the phone call). Now I want to be careful here - I'm not saying that there is NO recommended coating, I'm saying I didn't find it (I've been know to overlook the obvious before). I fully expect after posting this message to have a reply like "Man, it's right there on the resin can - Can't you read?" 'Course then I'll know what the recommended coating is and all this will have been more than worth the trouble... What am I saying!?! It's more than worth the trouble anyway! So the next boat is System Three and the Two-Part Poly... Or my paper canoe... Either one. And just in case the tone didn't come through the keyboard - I've been smiling the whole time I've been typing.

I checked the paint when I got home from work today. I scratched a hidden area with my fingernail and got right down to the epoxy. Then I scratched a spot that had only the first coat of paint - Same result. When I did my test area I had to wait several days for it to feel like it was really going to cure but eventually it did cure. I'm going to opt for laziness and push on with other tasks in the hopes that it'll cure fully - I know there's a risk that I'm just putting things off until later when it'll be harder to fix but why should my boat be any different from the rest of my life. :twisted: Thanks to everybody for helping me with the paint mystery - I'll let you know how things turn out... Didja have a good sail, Oyster?

From a sub-standard volcano? Sorry - I couldn't resist...

Hey Oyster - Aren't you supposed to be sailing? I wasn't reallly making excuses as much as explaining my decision making process because I think all coatings/materials have a place somewhere. I've even threatened to build a paper canoe in the past...

Hi Howard, I washed with soap and water before the first coat (I think I remember reading that I should do that on the West System website). The first coat came out pretty. I did nothing to prep the surface of the first coat to receive the second coat. I chose oil based paint mostly out of frustration - When I talked to somebody at West System (a couple of years ago) he said that pretty much anything would stick to epoxy except for one-part epoxy paint. When I read up on it though, the surface preparation (I'm going from memory now) for almost everything contained a warning that results vary and whatever you use may either not stick or not cure because of the whole amine thing. I decided to test out some cheap paint because I didn't want to use the expensive and hard-to-find stuff only to have it fail (might as well go cheap). The test went well. Upon reflection, though I think in the test area the second coat was applied after the first coat was fully cured. I decided not to use a two-part epoxy paint because I'm using the paint to protect my two-part epoxy coating from the sun (it seems self-defeating to me). Since it is a trailer boat and it is epoxy encapsulated I'm not too worried about using a paint that is approved for below the waterline. These decisions apply only to my boat - I'm not advocating a particular method or material. Obviously I'm in no position right now to do that :wink: Oyster - Quit it! It's not fair to tell me what I'm missing on a day like this! Enjoy the 80ish degree weather.

I think I agree with you Frank and Lawrie. It seemed like the paint sort of skinned-over quickly. That seems like it would happen if the solvent was being pulled out through the bottom of the coat. I guess I had epoxy on the brain - I actually made an effort to get the second coat on before the first had cured completely with the intention of getting a good bond between layers. Oops - Wrong type of goo! Normally I'm the type to read the instructions...

Actually, now that I've looked at it again it almost looks like some sort of space-age non-skid... Too bad I only painted one side - If I try to match the finish tomorrow on the other side I'll probably end up with a slick smooth finish on that side. I don't have any mineral spirits on hand but I'll pick some up tomorrow. Scraper marks in the epoxy would hide my bad fairing I could point at the bumpy finish and say "Yep, that first coat was like a mirror - You shoulda seen it - Yep. Too bad about the paint." I would actually consider leaving the wrinkles if I weren't worried that the paint would peel off in sheets while I was tryin ta mix a martini while running downwind... I'm not sure if I can find a low-humidity day that is above 50F here in NC. It looks like we'll have rain on Saturday so maybe I'll take the morning off on Thursday or Friday and get it painted while the temperature is increasing (but after the dew has burned off). Hey Oyster - I was almost in your neighborhood Sunday. I went and picked up my sails from Graham. While I was there he gave me my first in-person look at a CS17. That got me all fired up to get the paint on. :roll: I would have gotten in touch but I wasn't sure I was going down there until almost the last minute.

My Boat - AARGH! I started painting the lower half of the cockpit of CS17 #121 last night. I'm using exterior oil-based paint (Olympic). The epoxy coating on the wood was sanded and last night before painting I washed it with soap and water, rinsed, and dried. The first coat looked good so I began on the second coat tonight. I put the second coat directly over the first coat with no prep. The first coat was not fully cured - It was dry to the touch but still soft. I got a good amount of paint on (the port side of the bottom and the keel batten) before I noticed that the paint was wrinkling. I looked back over the instructions on the can and saw the warning not to paint when dew was a possibility. The temperature was between 65 and 70F and falling. Since it was nice and cool out I hadn't really noticed that it was quite humid. Tomorrow I guess I'll start scraping. So is the humidity likely my problem? I got so used to coating okume with epoxy while the temp was falling to avoid those tiny bubbles that I didn't even think about the temp change while painting. I guess I've got the rest of the week to scrape the bad stuff off and I'll paint again Saturday morning while the temperature is rising (unless it's raining). I posted this mishap partly because I'm not sure that humidity was the cause of the wrinkles and partly as a cautionary tale... I don't have a photo yet because it's dark out and I don't think the problem would show up in a flash photo. Maybe I'll try to get one tomorrow.

Wow - I remember when a dollar only cost a couple of bucks... :wink:

Looking good. I love the filenames of the photos.

That looks great Capt. Jake. I even like the scorching - I think you ought to tell folks you were going for that look (at least that's what I would do) Barry - If you haven't got the weights yet think about using lead shot (from a gun shop or even some Wal-Marts) - I can't remember what a 20 pound bag costs but it wasn't terribly expensive. You might get more density for a given volume with shot than with weights. This is a guess on my part - Anyone who knows better please chime in and prove me wrong for Barry's sake...

I concur, Mr Oyster. Git the boat built before you start improvin it! It will be much more satisfying to talk about the beautiful boat you're going to build while you're sailing than to talk about it while looking at a pile of wood . And I say this from the perspective of someone who has walked away from an "improvement" on somebody else's design. There's always another boat to build. Think of how sad it would be to build the "perfect" boat right out of the box - The "humpy" (I like that name) and all of those kick-*ss tools would end up neglected. Cut some wood, man, you deserve it! Of course, this IS the design forum - While you're building I look forward to reading the pros/cons of a counter stern since I certainly have a lot to learn on the subject. Maybe you could convince one of the folks on the forum to build a false counter stern out of throw-away material and sail test it for you... Maybe Miss Adla's boat is broken in enough for experimentation?

Now that I've read Ray's comment my method for taping seams will probably change. What I've done until now is cut the selvedges off the tape before applying it. Since I work so slowly it doesn't really seem to be that much extra effort. I don't think it would be any harder to cut bias tape from cloth. Especially if you use a rotary cutter. Somebody once showed me how to cut a continuous length of bias tape out of a piece of fabric that had been sewn into a mobius loop. We started with a piece of fabric that was, say, 2 feet by 2 feet and ended up with a strip that was 1 inch by 48 feet. It did require sewing a seam in the original cloth, though. (wait - is bias-cut the same as biaxial? If not, please disregard my ramblings)

Thank you, Capt Jake, I'll consider that a vote in my favor.

Okay guys, extra walnut, extra cherry, this is getting ridiculous and I think we better organize before everything degenerates into mayhem. We need to elect a grand overlord of "extra" wood so we all know where to send the extra 6 board feet of white oak. Otherwise it's just anarchy. Really - It's just going to make people jealous if someone's constantly chiming in with "I used a little extra purpleheart to accent the..." or "I managed to scrape up enough sitka spruce for my..." So seeing as how I'm the guy who was going to take just ONE little stick of that walnut to make a banjo and pass the rest on to deserving folks I humbly nominate myself for the position of Grand Overlord of Excess Expensive Wood. I'm really just looking out for the harmony of our little community here and you can rest assured that when you see my post about using "scrap" 12/4 ebony to piece together the figurehead for my new jon boat I will have all of our best interests at heart. Really - I'm just suggesting this for the good of the boatbuilding community. Where's my walnut?

Scott, for what it's worth I'm using ash for the majority of my lumber - I have no idea about rot resistance but it's got to be at least as good as the 5-year old pines they call lumber at the big box stores and it's not much more expensive. I'm using walnut for accent and I think it will look good, particularly since I'm planning to paint the hull a light color. If I had enough walnut laying around I might just use it for ALL the bright areas. At the risk of being unoriginal - I've been looking for the perfect piece of walnut for a banjo neck. If you send me what you've got I'll pick the right stick and pass the rest on to Capt Jake and Oyster. I'm sure we'd all be happy to post reports on the durability of it ten years from now

Hi Dave, I believe the seat tops are integral to the stiffness of the hull and therefore you should not try to allow for flex. If I'm wrong in that thinking I hope someone who knows better will chime in quickly. Wait a minute - By seat tops you are talking about the parts of the seats you sit on, not the parts of the seat you lean against, right?

Thanks Capt Jake, It turns out that (although I WAS wrong) it's not a rumor - It was just my brain malfunctioning. I talked to the guy who originally told me where to get the cylinder inspected and he said to take it to a place that services fire extinguishers. I just remembered it all wrong. I've found a local place... So is it a rumor that the fire department does windows and valet parking too? :wink:

Tom - So your keel is not glassed over? I have been planning to coat the keel with epoxy but not glass it...