Corky's Build

[Corky]

I shot the rigging with the DTM epoxy primer this weekend and ran out of time for the color coat...No big deal I'll just scuff it then shoot the color when the weather warms up again...

In the meantime I'm sanding my life away inside the hull......I'm using a dual action sander to get it done...I'm thoroughly sanding the surfaces not cheating it so the coatings will hopefully give me years of troublefree service...As with the outside, the inside will get the DTM epoxy and a color coat...To be honest it's actually going faster than I expected...One step I'm taking is to radius all the corners on all structural components inside the hull...That should make it a little more user friendly for the passengers,operator and the fishing line if it gets thrown around in the boat...

[Corky]

So finishing up the sanding ceremony with radiusing all corners of the structural components...Now all sharp ends,corners and any problem areas are user friendly and won't cut the fishing lines...And I have visions of me stumbling like I usually do around the boat.. So at least I can bump into things and keep the drama to a minimum...

[Corky]

Next up is the final coats of epoxy primer...And as usual the pics make the paint look shaded,blotchy and streaked {because it's not thoroughly dry} but when you hit the recoat window the paint has a monotone,uniform look to it...And lastely the sidewalls get the white color coat...As you can see in the pics I'm not going overboard on having the shop spotless like I would with an automotive paint job...I've got stuff sitting around and using the Majic low VOC enamel and HVLP gun produces hardly any overspray like you'd get with an automotive type paint...I shot the deck in white for uniformity of the blue color across the deck and sides...But more importantly I'll also be able to apply the star masks to the white then shoot the blue over it

[Corky]

I wanted to add a custom finish with a little creativity to the inner sidewalls and transom...So after the white base comes some color...First up is the blue drizzle...This will dry for a few days followed by the red drizzle...

[Corky]

I finished up the inner sidewall drizzle effect with the red paint...All I did was mix up the paint in a cup {no reducer just hardner} and cut a wooden mixing stick to a point at one end..Dip the stick in the cup, let the paint run back into the cup until a steady stream is falling off the stick then take it around the area you're trying to cover...I was afraid the white sidewalls would create too much glare on the water and I wanted something unique and relatively easy to cut the glare...It's really tough to photograph but here's some pics...A close-up to show what I've accomplished and an overview.....Don't worry it will look much better after the floor and deck are painted and it all comes together...

[kent]

Hi Corky, I'm liking what you are doing.... You probably thought of this already.... Any nick, dings, & scraps on that interior will be simple to blend back to "new".... kent

[Corky]

Hi Kent, good to hear from you...Yes, that was one of the reasons I did this...Easy enough to touch-up and hopefully a few dings and scratches won't be too noticable...This paint takes it's good old time drying...It works very well for weathering but that's because it's a relatively soft enamel much like rustoleum...If I was using an automotive type paint I could blast through this phase of the build adding multiple layers of paint in short order...Oh well that's what I get for making this such a complex paintjob !!

[Corky]

Here's the masking of the sidewalls and deck...As you can see the whole deck area will be dark blue...The dark blue paint break line will be the same inside and out...After some scotchbriting and a few passes with the tack rag it's ready for paint...

[Corky]

Here's the accomplishment of the day...Some dark blue lands on the boat....And a pic of the P channel detail to this point with the polished work...

[Rollbar]

Now that is SWEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeet right there ^^^^^^^^^^^^

[Corky]

Thanks...I'm starting to feel like I'm getting somewhere with this hull !! So I wet sanded the rear splash tray and reshot it with the paint line down inside the hull about 1/2 an inch...Now the inside hull is officially painted and it's time to move on to the fun part of the painting...The stars and stripes !!! In the meantime here's pics of the hull to this point with all the masking paper and plastic removed...

[Corky]

While waiting for the paint to dry I moved onto another area I wanted to deal with...I made the cage front guard...This will protect me if the crank pulley or any catastrophic failure happens...This is the only thing between the engine and the operator's seat so I wanted it to be up to the task of running blocker but still look good...And also, a sharp eye will catch what I've done to the secondary screen mesh..I've back arched it to look like a spider's web...Now the cage is done and is ready for the color coat.....

[kent]

Hey there "Spidy"... What a nice little whimsical touch ! Kent

[Coyotes-R-Us]

Good idea !!!!!!

[aerokirk]

Nice work Corky! You really need to weld in a small metal spider into that front guard!

[Corky]

Funny you should mention that I was thinking the same thing !! I'm not sure how it would fit into the "stars and stripes" theme of the boat but it sure would be cool...I'll need to do more thinking on that one...

[Corky]

I've started to work on the bow stars...Here's how it's going...I've cut out the stars to full scale using printer paper .. The positions have been mapped out for a template...First order is finding the dividing line for the blue area..After this is done the masking film is installed over the whole area...I've picked the bottom,inner point for each star as the mapping point...After those points are marked on the masking film the stars are then installed on the film and the outlines will be traced onto the film...Not only does each star have a position but they are numbered because each star's shape is unique...It's a long process just to get to this point...

[Corky]

After tracing around the perimiter of the stars I used an X-acto knife and cut along the lines...The trick here is to cut the masking film without cutting the paint under the film...After a few hours of work the film is peeled off leaving the stars in the exact position needed...Here's a pic of what the bow sidewall looks like ready for paint..And lastely before the final coat of dark blue will be applied comes the deck sealer...Not only will this seal the deck seam but keep any vibrations/resonance to a minimum...The sealer will also be applied under the deck around the deck bracing to help with the resonance control...

[Corky]

And the moment I've been waiting for...The final coats of dark blue get sprayed on the hull...A few points to make on the process...The first color is the same as the floor and inside hull areas...After that coat is a second,lighter shaded blue that highlights the "waving flag" areas just as my hull design has...It's tough to photograph the varied color when the paint is still wet with the shop lighting but after it dries I'll open the doors and try to get the contrasting hues...You can see it in the port side pic if you look closely...You'll see it better in the sun...

After the secondary shading coat is finished I cleaned up the equipment letting the paint flash off a while...Here's the key to sharp lines...You need to remove the masking film while the paint is still wet...If you wait too long the paint will rip instead of coming off clean...So the mask is removed and the star's lines are very crisp exactly as I was hoping for...

The dividing line between the dark blue and the white hull was made with "fine line" vinyl tape made specifically for the paint break line...I'll get a pic of it when I move onto the red stripes there'll be alot if it on the sides for the next phase...

Anyhow here's the pics...It was laid out exactly as my designs have them a few pages back on this build...Enjoy !!!

[Rollbar]

Very Nice.