Wax on, wax off   Leave a comment

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Yesterday Lee and I washed and waxed Pirat’s topsides (the sides of the boat above the waterline). Actually, we washed twice: once on Thursday and then again yesterday because we had to come back to try to get a few more stains off. A kind boatyard employee brought us a little Fiberglass Stain Remover (FSR) when she heard our frustration at not being able to get the bottom white stripe clean. The FSR brought the stripe from a dingy yellowish-brown to brilliant white again! Pirat was instantly 100% better looking!
Other marks on the hull weren’t so easy to remove so we decided not to proceed with the polishing until we figured out how to get them out. When we perused the Awlgrip website for answers, we discovered that they recommend using hardcore solvents like MEK (I have no idea what this stands for but it’s intense).Yesterday we tried the MEK and it worked on a few more spots but not on everything. At least we got the random greasy, gritty brown spot off the port side!
Next it was time to wash again! We had to get rid of the MEK we’d applied so we broke out the Awlwash (special product for our topsides paint that Lee’s parents happened to have). It was a very blustery day so water sprayed all over the place. At least it wasn’t too cold. We developed a routine for spraying, scrubbing, and moving the ladder. I felt like I was washing a whale!
With washing and hand-drying complete, it was time for wax! It’s not really wax, actually, just some other fancy Awlgrip product that’s supposed to shine things up and create a barrier coat over the paint. Lee and I did one side at a time, applying the goop with a rag, letting it dry, and then rubbing it off. The result? Smudgy but shiny. Pirat’s paint job is a bit dulled and smudgy from her hard boat life, so we really just shined up a blemished surface. Despite this, the topsides look fabulous! I could see the sunset reflecting on the side of the boat as we were leaving.

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This afternoon Lee is reinstalling the auto pilot after giving up on Simrad and adding his own pressure relief valve. Hopefully it works! I really think it will. Lee did a fantastic job figuring out what needed to be done and doing it.
I’m sorting through stuff and picking up necessary items as I think of them. Yesterday it was paper towels, sponges, trash bags, ziplock bags, soap, mouthwash etc. from Target. Today I snagged some Bob’s Red Mill (my favorite grains), tea, and pots at Reny’s.
Now I’m going to start working on an old family cookie recipe that my dad’s cousin Lisa sent in the mail. Heirloom recipes are so exciting!

Posted October 9, 2010 by Rachel in Getting started

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