Buy this...

We usually buy large blue plastic tarps to cover the boats. They're easy to move, lightweight and cheap. Then after a hard New England winter, the tarps were leaky and torn and needed to be replaced each spring. To make matters worse, for Jack A Roe I also would buy a large clear plastic tarp for added waterproof protection (keeping the water out seemed important as the boat was completely open to the elements and was basically a pile of exposed wood in a fiberglass bathtub). So each season I had to find a new use for these old tarps and plastic sheeting because I didn't want to just bring it over to the dump. After a couple years of this I find that all of the free space in the garage is full of trashed tarps and plastic that had long since stopped being useful for anything.

This year, after bringing a couple years of old worn tarps to the dump and feeling lousy about it, I bit the bullet an bought a canvass tarp. The same kind I've seen on all the "old timers" boats around the coast. It costs three or four times as much but its worth it. I should have known that while the old yanks around here may be cheap (frugal?) they still know good value. The canvas tarps are stronger, more durable keeps all that plastic out of the landfill. It's basically canvass impregnated with rubber. The rain and snow initially falls right off of it because of the rubber but some may eventually sink in between the fibers if it is left to pool or if there is any standing water. But because its made with cotton, the fibers swell when wet and then essentially seal out any excess moisture. Its a great system and I wish I could have afforded to have done this years ago.

The big drawback is the weight. Unlike the plastic tarps which can be taken on and off easily, the canvass tarps are HEAVY. I'm 6'5'' 210, young and in pretty good shape so moving it around is a pain but still manageable.

Its worth it to keep all that plastic out of the landfill. Go buy one.

Filling and fairing

This week's free time went to sanding and fairing the topsides. All the nick's, cracks and crazing were filled with a two part epoxy then sanded down. Next the whole boat was given a couple coats ( one brush coat and two rolled coats) of a high build one part epoxy primer. The primer left a lot of high spots and inconsistencies on the surface and was then sanded very smooth over the course of several hours. It was helpful to do the whole boat once so that it appears perfect, fair and smooth, then go back out on a different day/time in different light and find that a whole new bunch of high spots and inconsistencies are now visible. I did this a few times and the hull is really looking great. When this and the cabin house roof are ready to paint, I'll have to decide whether to do this my self or find someone else to do it for me.





It may be hard to see but I was trying to show the surface before and after 45 minutes of sanding this one area.

First coats of primer and some counter tops...

The weather was great and kid and I went out to uncover the boat yesterday. It was good to see the inside of the boat for the first time in a while even if it was a mess. We started by picking up all the trash and old tools etc. She then wiped everything down and cleaned the windows and picked up her "room"(If only it was this easy to clean her room in the house). Then, we sanded the cabin house top. Thats the part that's covers her room, as she kept reminding me). When she discovered it was easier to use the electric sander than to do it the "old fashion way", things moved along quickly and we sat in the sun while putting on a couple of coats of a high build primer.


Pulling the cover off.


She makes a nice figure head.


Priming 'her roof".




Nice and white.


Counter tops, finally

This is a good place to ask...What was her mother doing while we were having such a great time? She drove up north for a couple hours to go climbing, except when they got there, she realized that neither she or her climbing partner remembered to bring a critical piece of their equipment...the rope. So,when she came back frustrated, having driven four hours in holiday traffic, while the kid and I had been having a great time sitting in the sun working on the boat, it seemed like another check in the win column for me in the ongoing battle to persuade Maya to like boats or rock climbing. (Although she did climb a local small mountain the day before so maybe it was a wash.)


Hiking Aggy.

All in all it was a great weekend.
Things with the boat are going smoothly again and while there is still a lot to do, my main focus is keeping the !@#$%*$ carpenter ants off of the boat.