Part II restoring Apropos’ brightwork was accomplished during August-October 2017. Restoring the brightwork entails removing the existing varnish using a heat gun and scraper, fairing the bare teak by sanding, applying Awlwood Primer with tint, and building up the surface with 8 coats of Awlwood Clear.
Last summer, the following parts were finished:
- Caprail & outer planks
- Cockpit combing (vertical & horizontal)
- Coachtop eyebrow
- Misc.–bowlight bases, flu cap
Part II this summer included the following:
- Cockpit seating
- Boom gallow
- Butterfly hatch
- Turtle hatch
- Wheel
- Small deck box
- Misc.–throttle/transmission lever knobs, compass base, winch bases
I had near perfect weather, sunny but not too hot, for applying the gloss coats. The only thing I did differently from last summer was to use foam brushes instead of high quality bristle brushes. I found the bristle brushes were nearly impossible to clean up after each use, and it was easier to just throw away the foam brushes after each coat. I built up the 8 coats of clear by applying 2 coats per day, then letting it dry for over 24 hours, and lightly sanding with 320 grit.
The butterfly hatch took a lot of time since I had to remove the bronze hinges & stainless steel window guards, and mask the windows.
Some of the parts (wheel, small deck box, knobs, compass base) were removed from the boat and refinished indoors after the weather became cooler and rainier in October.
I also took some time to clean up the brass compass housing that was severely corroded from the constant salt spray while offshore. I had to get fairly aggressive with 80 grit sandpaper and an orbital power sander, then work my way up to 2500 grit paper and finally hand-buffing with polishing compound.
Finished helm polishing
