Hull Finished & A New Top

After a week of working on it, I finally put the finishing touches on the hull damage. It took three coats of Marine-Tex epoxy to fill in the deep ones, and countless hours of sanding, steel wooling, and finally polishing. Sanding removed the gloss and shine off it, so I used a super fine #0000 steel wool to smooth down the sanding to a fine finish. After steel wooling for what seemed to be an eternity, I grabbed the orbital buffer and some of the Meguiars Oxidation Remover. It's a somewhat gritty polish, but that's what I wanted to start with.

Lesson Learned: keep head away from buffer to avoid splattering! even though it smells good, the taste isn't. Here's the final product, afer Meguiars Oxidation Remover, #45 Polish, and a coat of wax.
I'm pretty impressed!

She also got her new cockpit cover installed. I switched to a black cover for pure aesthetics, and it makes the boat look brand new!!




It was made by a one-man shop here in town called John's Marine Service. It took a while to get it done, but it's worth it. He designed the top to fit much better than the old vinyl one, added two poles in the rear for stability and rain runoff, and ran the top completely down to the fiberglass, instead of just to the windshield frame. Gives it a nice streamlined look. Total cost, $750.

Lesson Learned: If I need canvas work again, call outside of boating season. Prices are significantly cheaper, and according to John, "we're struggling for business in the fall". So I'll be calling him after this season about adding some snap-in carpet.

Moving Right Along...

Well, Friday at 2:00pm, all I can think about is boating. Yet she's not ready for the water just yet.

Cleaning Update:
As a precautionary measure, I hit everything in the boat with mold & mildew preventative. All vinyl surfaces got a hefty 4-step cleaning.



Step 1 is the Bass Pro Mold & Mildew spray for the initial removal (see below)
Step 2 is a 1:20 ratio mixture of clorox and water.
Step 3 is a heavy solution of StarBrite Vinyl Shampoo & Water with a strong bristled brush along with a thorough scrubbing.
Step 4 is the 3M Marine Outdoor Vinyl Cleaner, Conditioner & Protector.

Everything vinyl got this treatment, including the cuddy cushions, and for the most part removed just about all the stains, and the vinyl has never looked so good! All it needs is a coating of 303 Protectant or other Vinyl Protector and I'll be set for a while.

I've been on the phone today with some canvas shops getting quotes for a new cockpit cover. Who knew a piece of fabric could be so much? I'm getting quotes in the neighborhood of $800+. Oh well, I'll suck it up, i guess, it needs to be done. I'm tired of the ratty-ass vinyl one I've got. Been thinking about going with a black sunbrella cover. Saw a pic of another Mariah 250 with a black one, and i fell in love. Looks great.



So, she's tentatively getting her big bath and shiny treatment tomorrow. Joe's coming over to help. It's a complete bitch to wash, polish, and then wax it with only one person! I'll post an update later this weekend. Until then, SOMEBODY get out on the water and tell me how it is!