Pardon the interruption.

Well, I never did manage to get out on the lake last weekend... Lake Travis was closed by Mansfield damn due to planes and helicopters picking up loads of water to fire fight.

In other news, enroute to work this past Tuesday I crashed my motorcycle.  Minimal damage to the bike, I rode it home after adjusting the clutch lever.  Me?  Sprained wrist, scraped knee, huge bruise on my side, and the piece de resistance: a cracked or separated rib.  I'm already feeling pretty spry, but the rib will keep me from working on the boat this weekend at the least.

The Trifecta

So I was lucky enough to have Labor Day off this week, and this past Saturday I realized the schedule might work out to get a sanding session in on each day of the long weekend.  Saturday worked out, although I ended up sanding in the evening.  Sunday morning, more sanding, but then we went to a pool party where the host smoked a brisket.  Delicious!  Monday morning came around and I was up early with the kids, but couldn't manage to hit the trifecta.  Someone had a hangover, and then we went to another pool party in the afternoon.

At least I made the attempt.. I achieved more than I would have otherwise, and every hour spent on a project helps me understand the scope and the possibilities.

In other news, I *might* get out on the lake this coming weekend, even with lake levels at low low levels.

Mid Week Sanding

Mid week sanding is kinda like a businessman's special at the ball park, except without the hot dog vendors.  The schedule lined up and I jumped at the opportunity, by the time I got outside I was working in the shade on the starboard side.  Something interesting I've noticed with the new Klingspor sandpaper is that it seems to last me about a half hour before it's torn up or I'm ready to get a fresh piece.  With sandpaper it's hard to know exactly when to freshen up, and certainly some of the paper has more life in it, but when you're sanding the same spot for a while, it's probably time.

Man It's Hot Out

As I mentioned before, I've been sanding the port side of the boat more than the starboard, because I usually get out there on Saturday mornings.  Last weekend I spent about an hour, and today another hour going at it, and I'm definitely making progress.  I would say I'm about 1/4 of the way through the bottom sanding, so another 15 hours or so should do the trick.  With temperatures over 100 F, this time of year can be tough to work for any long stretch of time, but things will be cooling down soon enough.

It's dead Jim

Well, no sanding recently, but on the bright side - at least I have a new sander coming my way.

It should be here over the next week or so, then after a little vacation it's back to work!

More sanding..

When you've got 31 feet of water line, that means there's a fair amount of bottom.  Sanding to prep for new bottom paint might normally be a quick job, but in this particular case there are, at the least, several coats of paint preexisting in various conditions.  Never the less, an hour here and there will eventually add up - witness the before and after pictures from this morning.
             

I also sanded along the chine at the bow, not pictured here.

The hardest part of any project is making the time, and returning to it consistently.  This is something I still struggle with, but without consistency the project takes even longer.

Another interesting thing about this stage of sanding is that it's a lot more comfortable to do in the shade, so I've been focusing on the port side of the boat.  I'm going to have to start sanding in the evenings (or rotate the boat!) to get the starboard side sanded.

Look what the cat dragged in!

By "cat" I mean UPS delivery chick, and by "dragged in", naturally I mean delivered:

200 sweet sweet sheets of sandpaper goodness!  I spent today fiddling with other things (motorcycles) but Father's day is going to start with a nice dose of sanding, before the temperature gets into triple digits.