Deep penetration and Low Vis
We've now removed 90% of the old varnish from the foredeck, side decks, and stern area. This has had a treatment of MAS Deep Penetrating Epoxy plus one overcoat of MAS Low Vis 2:1 epoxy using slow hardener.
Why we use MAS epoxies
I'm often asked why we use MAS epoxies rather than the other brands on the market. The main reason for me is that MAS isn't made from the same base materials as so many other brands. I've used all the other brands over the years, and over time I've become sensitised to their products — my skin itches and flakes, and I get into quite a state with them. With MAS, because of the unique chemistry, I can get it on my skin, work with it all day, and have no effect on my health — except that when I peel dried epoxy off my skin I lose a bit more hair, but it's cheaper than a wax at the beauty parlour.
The next reason is ease of use. This matters a lot to me — because it's a simple 2:1 mix, it's easy to get a good blend of hardener through the resin. The pot life and cure time are both in the user's favour, and stop you running around like a headless chicken trying to get things done before it sets off in the pot.
No blush, no wax. This has been the downfall of so many projects over the years, where people believe they've removed all the blushing or waxing, only to find it's still come through and prevented good adhesion of the finishing coat, causing lift and peel. I can also use MAS at really low temperatures and still get good results, and thanks to the formula I can mix 3- and 5-litre buckets without it going off in the pot, while still getting great penetration into the material.
Safety matters too. While there's heat produced in the reaction between resin and hardener, it's never a violent reaction — unlike some other products I've used, I've never had a bad experience with fire using MAS.
One argument I come across often is that MAS isn't Lloyd's-approved like some other products. Lloyd's approval is a good thing, but it applies to one fixed recipe only, and you have to stick to it rigidly — it can never change. So if the approval was obtained in the 1960s, the product hasn't changed since, and hasn't benefited from any of the improvements chemists have found. MAS is always trying to improve its products, making sure customers get the most modern, most beneficial version for their project. To me, a lot of these certificates just mean “old-fashioned and never improved.”
Progress on the hull
The transom was in a really bad state, and on first inspection I thought I'd have to laminate another layer of ply onto it. But with some gentle sanding — and yes, it took a long time — I think we've saved it, and we'll be able to keep it varnished in the final finish.
The centreboard case along the transom will be looked at later, as the bottom edge has a little softness in it, and we'll tackle that when we replace the bottom rubbing band.
Junior has now been rolled over, and each day I spend about 20 minutes removing the old screws from the hull and replacing them with poly nails and epoxied dowels.
Moving Junior without a trailer
The original trailer had seen better days — when we tried to move it, a wheel sheared clean off. Thanks to our forklift, Eleanor, we lifted the whole boat off the broken trailer in one go and got her balanced safely on old drums while we worked out the next steps for the remaining hull repairs.
What's left to do
There's still work to do on the centreline plank and the removal of the centre rubbing band, along with the ongoing job of taking out all the old screws, some fairing, and then sealing all the joints before we clothe the hull.
In between all this, we've decided to replace the rig with a junk rig, designed by Allan Boswell — the same rig designer behind our schooners.
Meanwhile, in the shed
A very quick update on the schooner in the shed: our 36ft schooner is coming along slowly — very slowly. We're almost finished putting the final coat on the hull.
Next steps will be to add the waterline, then drag her out of the shed, turn her over, and pull her back in for deck work and fit-out. If I say it fast, it sounds easy.
