I took a "Build a Skerry" in Annapolis, MD this past April 2008. At that point, my Skerry only had a single epoxy coat on the fiberglass (exterior bottom, interior bottom, exterior bow and stern), the rails were installed, the centerboard box was in, and only partial filleting had been completed.

However, when I arrived home, I had no shop space where I could work. I didn't realize how much more work on my Skerry I still would have to complete. (Go to my 3 questions at the end of the following discourse if you don't want to hear about having to build a boat work shop first.)

So for the next 7 weeks I had to build a workshop. Where to begin? My brother suggested that I go to Shelterlogic which is based in West Haven, CT 06516. They offer pre-fabricated, garage-like structures (1-1/2-in diameter steel tubing connector framing and 9-mil thick, weather proof canvas covering) for about $500 to $700.

However, they offer a discounted model, #62685, which they sell exclusively through the Discount Warehouse distributors. I bought my Shelterlogic 12-ft W x 24-ft L x 8-ft H, "Garage-In-A-Box", Model #62685, for $299.99 plus NJ state sales tax (7%) at BJ's. The cross sectional frames are on 6-ft centers rather than 4-ft centers in their standard models which is why they are cheaper, but structurally more vulnerable to the weather (high winds).

I then had to consruct a 16-ft x 28-ft pad in my back yard using about 12 tons of clean, stream bank run backfill (fine to coarse sand with a little fine gravel, trace silt) that was 2-in to 14-inches thick when put in place. I covered this leveling layer with a 4-in thick layer of 3/4-in crushed quarry process stone (4 to 6 tons). I then imported 5 tons of topsoil and covered the shoulders of the pad with that and planted grass seed. Cost ~ $1,300.00 to $1,400.00

Oh, the Borough of Red Bank, NJ did require me to apply for a building permit for this installation after I had submitted a Building Application for review from the Board of Planning & Zoning which approved it. Combined Costs ~ $135.00 to $185.00.

I had to install 12" x 12" ventilation openings at each end of the shed, one which had to be installed with a Dayton 10-in. diameter, variable speed, 115-volt exhaust fan which was rated for 200 CFM to 585 CFM (max) exhaust speeds. [Apparently it gets very warm in these 8' high structures on bright sunny days.]

The 'temporary' boat shop structure is awaiting final Borough inspections. In the mean time, power is being provided by a 50', 14-guage, 3-wire, 15-amp, triple outlet, outdoor extension cord connected to an exterior, ground-faulted outlet at the house. I have installed two over head, 52"-long, fluorescent industrial light fixtures that hold two, T12, 40-watt, fluorescent lamp bulbs each for night work.

Last night I completed the "filleting" of the forward and aft seat floatation cell boxes and the 'seat' area around the centerboard box trunk.

Question 1: what is the best way to sand the "fillets" and fiberglassed areas, some of which (Fillets only) have cured in the past 24 hours, but the rest have now been cured for almost 60-days because I had no work shop space until now?

Question 2: Since the hull currently is inverted because I was finishing up the filleting, do I coat the exterior bottom fiberglassed area with epoxy first or do I it and the bare wooded sides plus the skeg at the same time?

Question 3: If I do epoxy coat the exterior fiberglass bottom and bare wooden sides + skeg simultaneously (after sanding them), then do I epoxy coat the rails, too, or do I tape them off from the epoxy coating?

As far as the boat is concerned, it makes no difference what order you do the rest of the epoxy coating in..... or how many different sections you tackle at any given time.... so it's merely a matter of what's practical for you... (e.g. time management, minimizing boat flips, etc.)...and yes, everything needs to be coated in epoxy, including the rails.

Re: sanding fillets: Using a dowel wrapped in sandpaper will help you get into those hard-to-reach curved areas... I've cut the handles off of used disposable foam brushes and used those. Undoubtedly, there is some small object lying around your house/shop that approximates the curve... or if you've got the leftover bits the mahogony rail material, you could round off the edges and use a piece of that that....

For the glass that needs more epoxy fill coats after it has been fully cured, you've got three things to deal with:

1. Removing surface contamination. (There is always the slight possibility of amine blush developing, even with "no-blush" epoxy, plus whatever dirt the hull picked up during travel and storage). To remove all traces of that, wash the hull, using a nylon scrubbie (like the kind that are on sponges(a couple drops of dish soap will remove amine blush) and rinse it twice. But.. .hmm... if your rails are still bare wood, you may want do the epoxy coats on them FIRST (and let them cure)to protect them from water damage. You can also use denatured alcohol for a final wipe after you're done sanding before you epoxy the hull (but I haven't read any data about the effectiveness of denatured alcohol to remove traces of amine blush, so my druthers would be to not risk it.) Don't use acetone, vinegar, a tack cloth, or anything else.

2. Sanding the surface to create enough "tooth" for a mechanical bond with the new epoxy. This is just a light surface sanding because you also want to:

3. Avoid sanding into the glass.
If you haven't already discovered it, there are some handy shop tips on the CLC website.
CLC shop tip about filling the weave

Have fun!

Julie K.
"sanding is a spiritual discipline"

Thank you, Julie.

As you can see I am a little anxious about making a bonehead mistake after such a long hiatus from working on my Skerry.

I appreciate the prompt reply and advise.

Regards,

Chuck Hunnewell