last of the bleach blue
Published May 17, 2006 | 
With water surrounding me / I am wide openReaching forever / And I fly into the blue / Into the blue
I am wide open / I am wide open
Reaching forever / Reaching forever
I fly / I fly into the blue
- moby
Josh dropped me a line this morning to let me know that one of Terra Santa’s instructors Rotem Ron (icelandic txt), will attempt the first solo circumnavigation of Iceland in June. We will be posting more information soon. It seems like this year the women are really taking over on the expedition field. Or maybe they’re just trying to get away from the rest of us?
Oh, look! The sun’s come out!! Maybe I’ll get a chance to work on my Explorer today. Before we leave I have to epoxy some cracked rims which started letting water into my hatches again. I’d also like to figure out how to “wet sand” the hull and get it white and shiny again. Lord knows, there is plenty of gelcoat. These days the old warhorse is taking on the color of a smokers dentures, and won’t come white again for all the elbow grease in the world. Again I’ll have no idea what I’m doing, but there has to be a first time. . Any tips?
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7 Responses to last of the bleach blue
Re your request for tips (or as I say TTT–tips, tricks and techniques). . .have you tried the various products on the market made for restoring the finish on fiberglass/gel coated items? For example, automotive rubbing compound(s), Gel Gloss, toothpaste, denture cleaner, and a plethora of other products found in the automotive section of the local hardware store or the local boat supplier. If you go the wet sanding route, get a 400 grit wet/dry sand paper and a sanding block, dip in water frequently, and use very lightly. After the shade of white is achieved, you may want to change to a 600 grit wet/dry paper, and dip in that bucket of water frequently.
Good luck! (If we lived closer, we could get together and have a party doing this.)
Thanks John,
I tried rubbing compound and a few other products but to no avail. Did’nt try toothpaste though. Maybe I’ll give that a shot before I get out the sandpaper. I’d sure like to have the poor thing looking a bit better before the symposia. .
ah, now the blasted clouds are back!!
Nice going Mary! You’ve made some great progress from last summer!
Hi Derrick. I’m not a pro and I’ve never worked with gelcoat, but maybe I can help. At least, if it doesn’t work out, you can blame me.:) If you’re confident there’s plenty of gelcoat, I would sand away, maybe even with 220 grit, which is coarser than 400, but still “fine.” JB said it well — get to the white with the coarsest grade, then work up in stages, finer as you go, to remove swirl marks, and finishing with a rubbing compound. Sanding wet keeps the dust down and allows you to rinse the grit from the paper, but dry sanding will work too.
Regarding the hatch rim: I would use fiberglass in conjunction with epoxy. Epoxy alone will just crack again. Also,it’s very possible — i.e. certain — that your repair will be ugly, lumpy, and jagged. Sand it till it’s right. Hope this helps.
Thanks Greg, JB, Silb & I keep saying we need to have a boat repair party. We have to set something up. I’ve never even tried using fiberglass yet. I’d like to try it with someone around who can stop me before I screw it up!!!
Sounds good to me. Either a good excuse for us to go up to Devil’s Lake, or for you to come paddle Lake Michigan.
ok, let’s think about setting something up! I think I’ll be near home like about a weeks worth of days between now and late July. . August is looking good!! LOL!!
You know, that would be a cool thing to set up at symposiums. A big repair party one evening after classes. . Gotta talk to someone about that!