Islander 32 updates

[suntreader]

It's been a while since I posted an update. Basically we've sanded for about three months now and here are some of the results.



The decks were covered with some sort of thick, sandy paint, like 1/8 inch thick and flaky. If I ever had any notions of using sand in paint for non-skid I have been completely turned off by having to grind all this crap off!

Here is the port side of the aft deck. The difference is simply amazing.



Here we are looking forward, still have to sand the cabin top and the fwd deck.



Tools of choice for the exterior have been a Bosch 4.5 inch grinder with 50 grid for taking off the old paint down to the original molded-in non-skid, and then 80 grit on the 5" PC DA sander to smooth that out some. Still thinking about how to get into the nooks and corners, dremmel maybe?

I've been really enjoying discovering whats under the paint, I can tell where the original hardware was from the mounting holes and there is all kinds of interesting detail in the glass work from the factory. The best part is the cockpit floor, I had seen this feature on sister ships, but it was completely covered on mine so I was worried it wasn't there, but under the paint is the molded in '3I2' symbol of the boat, pretty cool.



Down below we started with 24 grit on the grinder since the gelcoat and paint was coming off in sheets and we just needed to help it along. The glass we took down to 120 grit and the wood to 220. After a big clean up there will be a lot of epoxy work to clean up a lot of the original tabbing, and I have one akward corner where three bulkheads on different planes come together and rotted out. That's going to take some creative plywood/epoxy/glass work.



The bilge from hell is finished! The last of the tank finally came out, there was some glass work to do and then a couple of coats of BilgeKote and there it is. Pretty filthy now from grindign dust but nothing like before.



The head is all cleaned out and ready for washing and rebuilding.



V-berth too is ready. The anchor locker has been hard to get into because of the sampson posts that a previous owner installed. I'm not really thrilled with them and am seriously considering cutting them out, adding a full bulkhead and going with a deck access hatch to a self bailing anchor well. Any thoughts about that? It would mean sealing off the lower section o the locker in order to get the scuppers above the water line.



Galley area, all ready for a new galley.



I didn't feel like I was getting the performance I needed out of the Porter Cable sanders, so I started looking for a bigger disc sander:



I know that isn't really boat realted, but it is a 700 pound disc sander! Just wanted to share.

The engine has been torn down and the problems are evident: zincs completely gone, cooling passages completely clogged, and the number 2 cylinder and cylinder head are rusty. I haven't taken the parts into a machine shop for evaluation yet, any ideas what went on here and what needs to be replaced?





The project is moving very well. I know its an odd thing to say but hitting those decks with the 50 grit and taking off decades of crappy paint and exposing the original decks was just such a nice experience, I'm going to have a brand new 1960s era boat, I can already see the palm trees waving and see the stars at sea.

Dave

[Tim]

Nice update. Thanks! I'm looking forward to continuing to watch the progress.

[Rachel]

Wow, that's great, Suntreader. Nothing like a "clean slate" to start from; I can't wait to see how it comes along.

Rachel

[Figment]

Good stuff. What engine is that?
I'll be interested to hear what the machine shop has to say. I can't remember the last time I heard about someone going for a TRUE machine-shop rebuild over a new engine.

[suntreader]

The engine is a Yanmar 2QM15, I'm rebuilding it myself for the experience, and because it will be less expensive. The goals for the rebuild are ultimate reliability and cleanliness. The 2QM has a good track record, it has replaceable cylinder liners so it is pretty much infinitely rebuildable, and by doing the rebuild myself I can powder coat all the parts before reassembly, replace the fasteners that need it and end up with a better than new engine when I'm done. I've lived with unreliable, dirty engines, never again.

The tabula rosa approach to the restoration is also a reaction to a previous project where we did just enough to keep the boat going (a Hunter 27), had a great time, but there was a corner of the galley that never did get to having a clean out, the bilge was oily, and other problems. So this project is going to address every single aspect of the boat, every surface, every system, everything. At the end of the project I should have a brand new 40+ year old boat.

I have gained a healthy respect for early '60s glass work, having molded hull liners are hell on rebuilds!

I'll try to keep the updates coming. I'll be in Chicago for the rest of the week, boat work is going to have to wait until late next week. I also have a 1959 Flying Scot that is an afternoon away from back in the water and I want to get at least a little sailing in soon!

Dave

[suntreader]

Update time:

Its been a good week, I got in about 26 hours of sanding over the last seven days. The entire cabin top has been taken down to 120 grit and is smooth as glass. The non-skid areas are all down to 80 grit and are smooth enough for fairing. The last bit of grinding needs to be down on the cockpit sole (it is currently under about an inch and a half of dust.) There are some crevices and corners here and there that will have to wait until more paper for the Fein detail sander comes in next week.

Here's a look at the shed after a good hosing off, the dust was so thick within about a five foot radius of the boat that it looked we'd had snow.



Here is the deck, there were seven discernible layers of paint on the smooth portion of the deck (assuming no two layers were the same color.) The deck has been cream, white, blue, tan, a different shad of cream, and two other shades of white. I really think I've lightened the boat by a hundred pounds by taking off all that old paint.



I can see where the original wood eyebrow trim around the cabin was.

I've recently taken a more aggressive approach to preping the wood down below for varnish. I've found taking them down to bare wood with 80 grit and following up with 120 gets me where I want them. After the big clean out we'll sand with 220 prior to finish. It was a pleasant surprise discovering how thick the outer veneers of the ply are, haven't sanded though anywhere.



Here's a side project, a name board for out Flying Scot, the wood is a piece of mahogany from the Islander that wasn't going back in, nice piece of 40+ year old wood. This is my second carving project, leading up to a big name board for the Islander. I did the lettering the other night and will get to the wings soon.



I haven't gotten to the engine again since the last update, in fact I've just been sanding, sanding for hours on end. I'm amazed at how much sanding is involved. I'm glad I had ordered so much paper, I've been going through it!

The big question now is whether after the sanding is complete if I get back inside for epoxy work, glass work, varnish, and paint or if I follow the deck through to the end of the deck work. It would be awful nice to have the decks shiny and clean, but then I'm dropping tools and sheets of plywood all over it for the next couple of months.

Dave

[Tim]

I'd recommend holding off on the painting for as long as you reasonably can. As heartwarming as it is to apply the paint and make yourself feel good (and the boat look good), it pays to get as much heavy work done as you can first.

I have seen projects where painting was one of the first steps, and yet 5 years later the boat was still torn up and the paint was getting old. While I'm not suggesting that's going to be your situation, wait on the paint till later anyway.

[suntreader]

Is it better to add to an existing thread with new updates or start a new one?

I've been getting a lot done lately, mostly finishing. The interior paint is complete with just a few touch ups to go and finishing in the galley and head areas that are being rebuilt. Varnish work has started in the V-berth and head. First picture is the V-berth ceiling out being varnished. The parts were labeled when they came out so they go back into their correct spots, the existing finish was sanded to bare wood and now they're being varnished.

First pic is as they were pulled, before being sanded.



Second picture is some of the ceiling sanded and with the finish on the ones on the right.



I have been working on my 1959 Flying Scot too. It has been a test bed for all the finishes that will go on the big boat. I haven't used most of these paints before so it has been a good education getting to try them out on a smaller scale first. The deck is Brightside white with Interdeck cream mixed half and half with Interdeck white. The hull is Interlux Perfection Royal Blue. The Perfection is my first attempt at linear polys, first coat went on very smooth but didn't cover very well at all. The second coat covered about the same but didn't level out as well as it should have, I should have thinned it some more. Two coats used all the paint but more is on order, another coat or two should get the finish I want.







Here are some shots of the big boat interior. The V-berth picture is sort of fuzzy but it really looks great up there. The bulkheads are finishing beautifully if darker than I had expected. Once the light colored sole is in, some cushions, and curtains it'll brighten up some.









That last picture is the beginning of the galley rebuilt. The galley is seven feet long. I've got a decent stainless sink that is deep that came off the boat and will go back in, and a three burner with oven RV range that is going to be a joy to use. No more alcohol fires and camp stoves for us!

I was really impressed with the Perfection, the epoxy primer for it was also a really nice product. The trick really seems to be to get the thinning right. Its unlike any other coating I've ever used, really different. I was going to use similar products on the big boat with the first project for the two parters to be the deck. I've got some of the Perfection Varnish too, a two part clear, varnish-like, coating for exterior woods. If anyone has tried that out I'd like to know what the results were like.

Big question now is what next? The interior finishes are moving along, the interior rebuilt too. Once the interior rebuild is complete, and everything is finished what should I be tackling next? I could just into interior systems; electrical, plumbing. I could get cracking on the engine rebuilt. I could start with the deck and hull finishing. I'm inclined to at least finish off the exterior of the cabin trunk so I can get the ports and deadlights installed just to keep the interior that much cleaner. I've got a lot of exterior woodwork to do, hatches, companionway slider, dorades, coamings, etc. Any suggestions?

David

[Tim]

Thanks for the update. Looks like things are moving right along.

Big question now is what next?

I think once you have the major interior work done, it's time to think about exterior finishes so you don't end up having to wait too long to get going on deck hardware, trim, etc.

If your timing works out, it's great to get the engine in the boat before you start painting, though. If not, you'll just need to be extra careful later to avoid damaging anything--not that big a deal.

[Rachel]

Thanks for the update! Lots there to read and photos too. I'll be interested to follow your continuing use of Perfection.

Personally, I like it when you just keep on adding to the same thread. When I log in, I click on "posts since last visit," so it's not like I'm going to miss it even if it's tacked onto an older thread, and oftentimes I'll recognize the thread name, too. For example today, I saw "Islander 32 updates" and thought "Oh goodie, Suntreader has posted an update!"

Rachel