A Big Weekend. Part One.

Welp. The Gator Glide did not show up Friday as expected. This turned out to be OK.

Saturday morning, I ran to meet a good buddy in Jordan, MN to try for some early season Canadian Geese. It was not to be. With a full field of growing corn behind us and a field of alfalfa in front of us, there was no real reason for anything to land in our dekes. 

Which was OK as well. There was good company, lots of corny jokes and a beautiful sunrise to enjoy.

After I got home and took about a three hour nap, I woke to prep for the first coat of resin I'd be putting on the hull. One more light sand, then a warsh and then a wipe down with acetone.

I had West System's 105 resin (the basis on which the entire West System line is formed), the 206 slow hardener (figured it would be better to cook slow than fast) and the 422 barrier coat additive (provides additional moisture barrier protection to prevent blistering and also enhanced abrasion protection). I opted to get the pump system because...easy. I didn't want to mix things in a cup and try to eyeball anything. 

I was going to put some filler in it as well, but at the last minute decided there were enough additives going into the mix - no sense in adding more. 

Once mixed, I rolled the first coat on with a 7" - 3/8" nap roller. It started great. Then the pot started to kick off. As I was rolling on the last coat, the paint tray was laying in the grass steaming. Needless to say the part I did last turned out pretty lumpy. 

I smoothed as much as I could out with a foam roller, but the back half of the boat was a lost cause. It was clear I was in for some sanding once it cured. I decided just to leave well enough alone for the night.

Before my girlfriend and I went to dinner, the epoxy had cured to a slick surface. There were little raised particles where the roller had shedded.

So, as you can see, the epoxy on the front half of the boat went on smooth, the back half, not so much. A few chunks, lots of bumps. Agh. Best to go grab a Juicy LuLu at Lucky 13 and enjoy an Old Fashioned on the rocks. It was a long day.