All things bright and beautiful.....

I have been more use of late in the boatshed as we are completing the varnishing and painting. The transom, toe rail and rubbing strake are fully varnished (Hempel 'Diamond', thinned by about 5-10%) the cabin top and cockpit sides are painted (cream in the end as I couldn't get the idea of fibreglass out of my mind when looking at expanses of white so that had to go). The hand rails, cabin sides and fiddly bits of wood trimming round he cockpit have had two coats so a bit more to go and D has sanded the hull to perfection and is masking up in readiness for us to apply a coat of primer to the hull.  He will progress with a roller while I follow with a foam brush to remove any small air bubbles from the roller. Off we go.....  Well an hour later and we are done, Hempel primer was a bit think and sticky so we had to thin it down and work quickly with roller and the foam brush - you get one chance. Anyway here she is so far.

......with a coat of primer drying on the hull and with top coat

and here is the cabin top

The learning point from all this is when you think it is all sanded smooth and you can't feel any lumps and bumps, no matter how well you think you've done.... do some more...

In between varnish drying, the boom is in preparation, the piece of Douglas fir has been planed to rough size but will need more shaping. We will be using Woodskin on the spars, which is low maintenance and recommended by friends so I should be seeing the back of the varnish brush soon however I have enjoyed the alchemy that occurs when coat after coat of crystal clear varnish brings the wood alive. Below is the boom in preparation and the end fitting that fits the boom to the mast.

And also the bowsprit which has started life as a sandwich of three laminates and is here being planed to size. I have left D in the shed with yet more tea as he fashions something  rather more lovely out this rather agricultural looking lump of wood.

I am off to play with some canvas and rope as is my way.....