Sunday Work

This morning we were up early and I was at the boat at 7 AM to take advantage of the fact that being Sunday I had the boat to myself for some personal "hands on" work.  I had two objectives: (1) Replace as much of the engine cover insulation as possible and (2) put a coat of paint on the engine mounts.  I wanted to do the painting not to take work away from Salome the fiberglass man but rather to save one day of the project since only one coat can be laid per day.

I worked until 8.20 AM then changed back to my street clothes and met Larry Conlee at The Dock cafe for a last get together before he flies back home to Washington on Monday.  Soon after Brenda arrived and she and I had coffee and a bagel while we watched with pleasure Larry eat a hearty breakfast.  Soon we saw Bob Carroll walking by after one of his 10 km jogs and he joined us for a while. The photo shows Larry, from Olympia, WA

with Brenda and myself.

I was fortunate because Brenda had found the contact cement and brushes in the apartment and brought them which saved me a time consuming walk.  She also brought an insulated bag with cold water and some lunch so after our farewells to Larry, I headed back to the boat for what promised to be a hot and sweaty day.

Getting the old insulation off was more difficult than I had expected because the boundary layer was gooey and hard to get off.  Nevertheless by 11 AM the surfaces were ready and I started the measuring and cutting work.  Fortunately Joel had left his long steel ruler on board and Salome had left an industrial grade pair of scissors which were of great assistance.  By 3 PM the insulation work was finished and I had managed to cover the ceiling and front of the engine compartment as well as a patched section that needed attention.  Then I turned my attention to the painting.

I had two choices with the paint: (1) put on another coat of epoxy primer or (2) use the 2-part gloss white polyester paint that had been sitting on Seamar's shelf for 13 years and which Neil had donated to me.  I decided on the gloss and after much stirring found the paint to come up very well.    I mixed the hardener at 4:1 as directed, waited 20 minutes, then got to work.  The paint went on well.  In the morning I will see if it has hardened OK.

As far as I can see Joel can drop the engine for a first fit any time that he is ready.  After that first fit we can primer and paint the angle steel after it has been drilled, and I can put a second coat of gloss on the engine mounts.

Brenda's Bird of the Day is the Reddish Egret. This bird could be found along any Mexican coast. I saw one at the Magote a few days after arriving here, and expected to see them fairly often, but I am still waiting for the second sighting. The bird I saw had trailing plumes as in this photo.