Weekly Logs 2013

These are the weekly summaries of the work that was completed on Ocelot, in chronological order.
Newest entries are at the bottom so they can be read chronologically.
This page was getting too big, so we split it into 2012 and 2013.

Lee and Mike spraying gelcoat on the targa-bar

Week 61, December 31, 2012 - January 6, 2013:
A long week for us, as we worked all 7 days, including New Years.  Our big accomplishment was that the targa‑bar was stripped, prepped, masked, and sprayed with 2 coats of our "Ocelot White" gelcoat by Mike and his AME team!  The bimini was also prepped and 2 coats of gelcoat were shot onto the underside.  The top of the bimini got some gelcoat but a compressor malfunction prevented finishing it.  We only had a full set of workers on Thursday and Friday, and no workers at all on Monday, Tuesday, or Sunday, which let us get 2 full coats of Nyalic on the starboard side of the mast.  Jon hauled out a huge tarp from the workshop, taped over its holes, attached it to a long PVC pipe, and attached it along the starboard side of our tent so it could be raised and lowered when necessary.  Sue finger‑sanded the starboard deck to fair the Thai gelcoat into the surrounding fiberglass.  Houa made excellent progress in the heads, ripping out the old rotten wood and building replacements in plastic‑board, which should get installed next week.  Two men from Luck Engineering arrived and finished tacking together the railing for the starboard grab‑rail.  Many of our removable hatches, louvers, etc were prepped for final gelcoat while the AME team was spraying.  Many of the vertical walls in the cockpit were also sanded to prepare them for gelcoating, and the starboard sugar‑scoop got more filler to improve its shape.  Amanda spent several hours in her bunny‑suit, smoothing several patches of fiberglass on Ocelot's hulls.

Mike and Deng spray final gelcoat layers on the bimini top

Week 62, January 7 - January 13, 2013:
We noticed a wonderful change in the yard's attitude towards us this week - they actually seem to like us.  Mannop spent hours repairing our compressor (he's quite a mechanical magician) and wouldn't accept any payment beyond parts.  Hope the attitude lasts!  Cris called our whole team together for a meeting on Monday and translated everything so everyone's on the same page.  On the bimini, the men sanded and filled the top and the AME team came to finish spraying the gutters and edges with gelcoat.  Then our guys flipped it over and started wet‑sanding the bottom, starting with 400 grit.  Jack and Chai spent most of the week filling and sanding smaller panels, hatches, and louvers in the newly expanded workshop, getting several ready for spraying with gelcoat.  Baw led a team filling and sanding the starboard sugar‑scoop and then masking and spraying it with our ISO 2500 gelcoat.  While he was spraying, he also sprayed 5 smaller hatches and covers that had been finished.  The team from Luck Engineering finished completely rebuilding both of our aft grab‑rails.  Houa fitted the headliners and 2 plastic‑wood boards in each starboard head.  He finished shaping the other 3 pieces for those heads, but wants to paint them before installing them.  Then he moved over to portside and cleaned it to begin his work there.  Sue and Amanda got TMT, who made our tent, to do all of our headliners for us, a big job.  Jon ran a test on the mast wiring conduit to determine the force needed to force it up the mast - 286kg or 630 lbs.  Several folks worked on the vertical surfaces in the cockpit.  They also finished most of the surround for the teak on the aft‑deck.

Middle of shoot - tape on near side has disappeared under gelcoat

Week 63, January 14 - January 20, 2013:
Two big accomplishments this week: First, the underside of the bimini was sanded to 2000 grit and polished, giving it a mirror-smooth reflective finish.  Second, the team prepared the cabin‑top and Mike sprayed all the areas outside of where the nonskid will go (the "gutters") with gelcoat.  This involved applying more durable masking to the windows and filling all 100 mounting holes with epoxy, de‑coring the 22 holes that still needed it.  The team from Luck reworked the sugar‑scoop grab‑rails so they fit better, then took them off for final polishing.  Houa was pulled off the bathrooms and put onto making new plywood for the headliners, to replace the water‑damaged ones.  These were then epoxy coated.  Lots of work in the cockpit, and Jon remounted the starboard side aft cockpit door, as well as de‑coring the area around the emergency steering bearings and the engine room hatch pulls.  Several other small epoxy jobs got done, including filling the holes in the starboard chain‑locker and in the bottom of the life‑raft locker and where the backrest bolts to the aft cockpit seat.  Jack kept sanding the hatches and the cockpit seat, preparing them for gelcoating.

Mike spraying the foredeck inside a plastic tent of masking

Week 64, January 21 - January 27, 2013:
The week started slowly but we ended up getting a lot done.  Nut spend several days sanding the underwater parts of the hulls (for which he received additional pay) removing the high spots so we don't have to use as much filler to fill the gouges left by the grinders that took off the gelcoat.  K worked with Houa all week.  They epoxied and sanded the headliner boards, then ripped out some wet plywood in the portside cabins.  Houa ripped out some rotten wood from the portside heads and started making plastic‑wood replacements.  Jon mounted and trimmed the portside aft cockpit door and disassembled our feathering Kiwi prop, finding a bent spring inside.  He drilled a pair of drain‑holes in the new hatch gutters up forward, so we can mount PVC drain‑pipes in them.  He also found how to modify West System epoxy pumps so they'll work with our Epotek epoxy!  Baw's team worked on the foredeck, directly in front of the salon, and on the targa‑bar, getting them ready to be sprayed with gelcoat.  Sue and Amanda kept a close eye on Baw's team, asking them to fill small defects they'd left behind.  Friday and Saturday were gelcoat spray days, as Mike and his team from AME sprayed the foredeck, the lower targa‑bar, several hatches and louvers, and touched up 2 areas of the bimini.  Our team did much of the masking, and provided support when they weren't sanding the sprayed bits.  Jack put tiny blobs of gelcoat on the pinholes that formed in the gelcoat, saving us an additional sanding step.

Baw and Jack smoothing out filler under the sugar-scoop

Week 65, January 28 - February 3, 2013:
The bad news this week is that we found that the epoxy filler on the outsides of our hulls and all along the waterline is very soft and porous.  Whether sun damaged or poorly mixed, it ALL has to come off before we can start re‑contouring the hulls into nicely rounded shapes.  Lots of sanding that we weren't planning on.  But the rudder bearing project looks a bit easier than we'd thought, due to larger than expected rudder‑tubes.  Baw and Nut made excellent progress and finished preparing the port side‑deck for gelcoat, bagging it in plastic to preserve their work.  They also made good progress on the starboard deck, spreading filler on the hatch supports and sanding it smooth.  Houa and K worked on portside, creating plastic‑wood strips for the heads and removing the rubber and plywood kick‑boards in the cabins, replacing them with formica.  K cut his thigh and needed 7 stitches, our worst accident to date.  Jon found that West Epoxy pumps can be modified for our Epotek epoxy, which led to us applying phenolic‑epoxy mud to the starboard outside waterline.  Two more applications were required before we had a nice, smooth transition from topsides to hulls.  Sue and Amanda worked on polishing the spars and cleaning bits that need to be replaced.  They also bought some epoxy paint from another cruiser, but it turns out not to be appropriate for nautical work.  Jon repaired R2D2, our shop vac, and de‑cored our 2 water‑fill holes on deck.  The starboard topsides were long‑boarded (again) and some filler was spread into some low areas.  And we spent a wonderfully glorious Sunday out on the water, sailing to a neighboring island for some snorkeling.

Sanding off the remaining bad filler using big polishing motors

Week 66, February 4 - February 10, 2013:
Lots more sanding and filling of the starboard topsides, but Baw mixed some of our new gelcoat with some filler and it didn't harden, so it ALL had to come off - a huge job that saw the yard contributing several power tools to us, all for free!  Now we're back to filling and fairing, making the topsides smooth and uniform.  The guys typically do 2 filling/fairing cycles a day.  Jon epoxied in the gutter drains for the 2 new forward hatches and filled where he'd de‑cored the water‑fill holes in the deck, and he also repaired a powerful grinder and a small palm sander that we can now call our own.  Baw shaped the starboard bow and then moved over to port, sanding away the old filler first.  We got the mast flipped over and Sue and Amanda started polishing the port side.  Our headliners came back from TMT and we talked with Doyle (China) about making us new sails.  Jon and Amanda started designing the pattern for the cockpit teak, and also removed the starboard cap‑shroud chain‑plate.  Our new worker, Duk, started sanding off the old epoxy filler from portside.  The inside waterline of starboard hull was sanded clean and smeared with 2 layers of phenolic epoxy filler.  Houa and K found problems with the steps up to the portside bunks so they did a lot of repair work, as well as making new bits of teak trim to go around the formica.

Spraying gelcoat on the starboard topsides - goodbye stripes

Week 67, February 11 - February 17, 2013:
Both cap‑shroud chain‑plates were removed, along with their backing plates.  The silicone around them was cleaned up and then the 3 lower bolt‑holes in each were de‑cored before all of the holes were filled with epoxy mud.  Eight water/fuel vents were also de‑cored and filled with epoxy mud.  The starboard topsides were filled and faired smooth, then Jon and Amanda shot in a gelcoat line (above the waterline but below the paint line) with the laser.  Port topsides needed more work as it had more bad filler to remove as well as the old whale damage repair, then lots of filler was added to make it all smooth again.  The waterlines on the inside of starboard hull and the outside of port hull were sanded back and phenolic‑epoxy filler was screed on and sanded smooth.  Sue and Amanda put in a lot of time polishing the mast.  Houa and K worked on new bits of teak trim for the cabins, and new supports for the cabin floors.  The starboard topsides and the port side‑deck were completely masked off with heavy plastic so Mike and the AME team could spray gelcoat on the starboard topsides on Thursday, and the port side‑deck on Friday and Saturday.  The guys started sanding the starboard topsides with 320 grit and soapy water but after the gelcoat spraying was finished we put them to preparing port topsides for gelcoat.

Lining up the drill with strings to remove the lower rudder bearing

Week 68, February 18 - February 24, 2013:
Most of the effort this week went into filling and long‑boarding the port topsides, getting them ready to be sprayed with gelcoat.  Sue, Baw and Nut put in a lot of time preparing the starboard side‑deck for gelcoat, filling areas that need it and sanding out little pin‑holes.  Sue and Amanda also put in a lot of time on the mast, and fetching supplies for the men.  The vertical walls near the entryway and behind the aft cockpit seat were sealed with epoxy (to prevent some blue paint from showing through) and then sanded rough to prepare them for gelcoat.  Jon repaired the charger for our battery‑drill and used a friend's sharpener to sharpen several of our drill bits.  Houa worked long hours alone, repairing much of the work that K had done badly (K won't be back).  Jon used string and a pair of tapered plugs to find the exact axis of our rudder shafts, and super‑glued strings to the hull as guides for drilling out our old rudder bearings.  The yard provided a big drill and with Sue and Amanda acting as spotters, telling Jon which way to point the drill, he drilled out both of our old rudder bearings and enough of our rudder‑tubes to accept our new rudder bearings. This job was much tougher than expected, taking the best part of 4 days.  The port inside waterline was sanded and filled with phenolic‑epoxy, and most of the guys started working on the bows, between the hulls, filling and fairing.  Jon and Amanda shot in the port gelcoat line with the laser, but Baw felt that port topsides needed more work.  It turned out that Mike was too ill to spray gelcoat so that was put off until next week.

Rudder taped with the taped bearing sitting on the shaft

Week 69, February 25 - March 3, 2013:
A good week as we made visible progress on several fronts despite Sue being out with a head cold for much of the week and Amanda having to fly to Penang to renew her visa.  The port topsides were filled and faired smooth, masked, scaffolded, and shot with 30 kg (66 lbs) of gelcoat, which was then completely wet‑sanded with 360 grit.  It needs some touch‑up re‑spray but it's looking nice.  Mike also gelcoated the nonskid gutters on the starboard side‑deck while the guys wet‑sanded the starboard topsides to 400.  The bulk of the prep‑work happened between the hulls and by the end of the week it had all been filled and faired smooth and the gelcoat line marked, with new filler around the emergency hatches and the trampoline holders.  The big news was that we got the new rudder bearings machined, aligned and epoxied in place, with release tape around them to facilitate removal.  Houa made good progress in the aft cabins, replacing some water‑damaged wood, remounting the headliner supports, building a new bed to repair the whale‑damaged one and extending both aft beds a few inches.  Jon completed several small jobs - a drain‑hole in the port topsides was found and opened up, 6 drain‑holes were de‑cored and filled, several tools were repaired, and much of the starboard gelcoat lip was faired.  Sue and Amanda put in lots of time polishing the mast, and Amanda chipped back some gelcoat that wasn't adhering correctly on the port sugar‑scoop.

P'Wat spraying the bows and the trampoline holders

Week 70, March 4 - March 10, 2013:
Baw wet‑sanded the forward half of the port topsides through 2000, and it's looking very nice.  But the aft half of port topsides needed to get rough sanded and re‑sprayed, as it was a bit translucent.  The starboard topsides were wet‑sanded up through 1000 and then all the many little pin‑holes were filled with dots of gelcoat.  The insides of the hulls and under the bridge‑deck were filled and faired and prepared for gelcoat.  The trampolines were dug out, suspended where they'll eventually go, and holes were drilled in the support tubes for the lashings.  The holes were then opened up into nicely rounded vertical slots, but we noticed that the rods that Golf put in there are too short.  Amanda found that she could chip off some of the gelcoat up on deck.  It obviously isn't adhering properly and will also have to be re‑sprayed.  We finished rough‑polishing the corrosion out of the port side of the mast and started polishing it.  Houa built the new bed for the port aft cabin, complete with opening hatches, and coated it all with epoxy.  Then he bought sheets of rubber and foam to build sound and thermal insulation to go under both aft bunks.  Our life‑rings were taken to Rolly Tasker to get recovered.  Unfortunately, Sue broke her wrist jumping off a drum and it will be in a cast for a month.  The good news is that Mike and P'Wat sprayed gelcoat on the port aft topsides as well as the entire area between the hulls!  The guys immediately started sanding the new gelcoat before it got too hard.  A hash‑pipe was found in our work area, and Jack and Chai were moved to other projects in the yard and we got 2 new workers, Beng and Nai.

Sanding (rock hard) gelcoat above your head is harder work!

Week 71, March 11 - March 17, 2013:
Most of the guys worked under the bridge‑deck all week, wet‑sanding the new gelcoat - a difficult job as they have to work over their heads.  Baw tried a pneumatic sander for a while until it blew a bearing.  Lek worked alone, sanding the aft half of port topsides, another area that was sprayed last week.  He got most of it to 400, so we want the dots filled before they go to finer grit paper.  Team Hacking made excellent progress on the mast (despite Sue's left arm being in a cast), getting the whole thing polished, most of it sanded to 600, and the top half (above the second spreader) sanded to 1000 and coated with Nyalic!  Houa worked in the aft cabins, repairing and epoxying in the bed in port (old whale damage), adding new access hatches under the bed, sticking on new sound insulation, enlarging an access panel so we can get to the fill‑pipes for the port diesel tank, and repairing the starboard engine access hatch.  Several side‑trips were necessary: Sue had to replace her initial cast with one more permanent, and she had to get her expiring passport replaced.  Jon spent a morning helping friends remove their masts, and on Sunday those friends hosted a wonderful BBQ/pool party.

Love the reflections in the polished gelcoat under the bridge-deck

Week 72, March 18 - March 24, 2013:
Lek did a great job on the port topsides, working all by himself as he wet‑sanded with 400, 600, 800, and 1200 grit paper, repairing the inevitable small gelcoat defects along the way.  Jon started sanding the gelcoat at the waterline, fairing it into the hulls.  This turned out to be a tough job that he eventually handed off to Nut.  He also spent time polishing the mast spreaders and finger sanding the fiddly bits at the base of the mast.  Houa built up some 4‑layer sound insulation and glued it to the undersides of both engine hatches.  He reinforced the starboard aft bed and replaced all of the headliner supports in all 4 cabins, modifying them to go around our new hatches.  Then he started removing some of the damaged wood from the middle of our old cockpit table.  Baw, Nut, and Pla spent much of the week wet‑sanding under the bridge‑deck, another difficult job.  But on Friday they were able to polish the aft section, which lifted everyone's spirits.  Bank and Yoong wet‑sanded the insides of the topsides, making good progress.  Sue sanded much of the mast 1‑handed, but making great progress, and on Sunday she and Jon were able to paint Nyalic from the 2^nd spreader down to the rope‑clutches.  Amanda spent much of the week chipping away at poorly adhered gelcoat on top of the cabin, a distressing discovery.  The yard buried a tire with a rope around it for us, giving us a better support for our tent.

2 strips of teak, held by wedges, being epoxied into the table

Week 73, March 25 - March 31, 2013:
Boy and his wife Kit started working for us - a delightful, hard working and talented couple who speak English pretty well.  Kit did intricate detail work on the mast and then jumped down into the port engine room and cleaned it thoroughly.  Boy helped Jon remove and replace the 4 toilet‑out sea‑cocks and also went with Jon on a great spending spree, buying lots of plumbing fittings in town.  Jon used those fittings to put together a pair of diesel manifolds for the new forward tanks, and also cut out and de‑cored 2 engine‑room vents and the 2 aft shower holes, and drilled out and installed 12 PVC nipples in the cockpit that will become 6 more cockpit drains..  Houa bought teak planks for the cockpit table and started tearing apart the 2 sides that need work, epoxy sealing the good wood and gluing new teak into one of the sides.  On Tuesday a pickup truck pulled out right in front of Jon, causing him to smash into the side of the pickup.  Jon was not badly hurt, but the scooter needed work, which the driver's insurance company paid for.  Lek continued wet‑sanding the port topsides and then joined Pla and Nut sanding off the repair bumps from the starboard topsides.  The rest of the team spent much of the week chipping off poorly adhering gelcoat from the deck and cabin‑top.  The problems are more extensive than originally thought, so we've decided to have AME prepare the cockpit and sugar‑scoops, so they'll take full responsibility for everything working.  Unfortunately, some miscommunication caused them to only come 1 of the 3 days they were planning to.  Amanda's college house‑mate Liz visited so Amanda didn't come in much this week, preferring the beaches and bars of Phi Phi Don, but she and Sue did get 2 layers of Nyalic on most of the spreaders as well as the base of the mast.

Jon's birthday dinner party - MUCH more food came out later

Week 74, April 1 - April 7, 2013:
A productive week.  Jon made up and installed 2 diesel fuel manifolds up forward, next to our new tanks, and 2 back in the engine room.  Jon also replaced the fiberglass rods in our trampoline supports with longer rods of the correct size.  Amanda joined Jon in assembling the mixing valves for the bathrooms.  Houa finished epoxying in teak planks into our cockpit table and the 2 halves were wrapped up and stored.  Then he started repairing the teak lattice between our trampolines.  Pla and Lek moved around the topsides, filling gelcoat pinholes and wet‑sanding with ever finer grades of sandpaper.  Baw and Yoong, and Nut and Bank before they left the team, scraped off almost all of the gelcoat that had been sprayed on the decks, a huge job.  Sometimes it was underlying filler that came off, but sometimes it was just the gelcoat, obviously sprayed on inadequately prepared surfaces.  Baw and Yoong then sanded the edges to fair everything in, and put down thick vinyl where the nonskid will go so they know where to walk and where not to walk.  P'Wat showed up to prepare the cockpit and sugar‑scoops, but he also didn't prepare the (epoxy) sugar‑scoops adequately, and the filler he put down was very soft, so Mike took over those jobs.  Hem, our mechanic, arrived and removed the raw water pumps from the engines so he could install better impellers and seals.  Sue finally got her cast off, but her arm still hurts and she can't work with it much, although she documented our progress and sanded some mast bits.  The filler on the transoms was ground off and replaced with several layers of fiberglass and phenolic filler.  Amanda continued polishing the forebeam and the spreader bars.  On Sunday the spreader bars got a good coating of Nyalic, and much of the mast got a second coat.

The valve cover-plate had to be trimmed down to fit, but it's in!

Week 75, April 8 - April 14, 2013:
Hem, our diesel mechanic, finally returned to finish a couple jobs that Jon wanted done - rebuilding the salt‑water pumps with the correct Yanmar parts and installing our 2 new Jackmaster bypass oil filters.  Jon spent a lot of time in the bathrooms, installing the new water mixing‑valves for the sinks and showers.  He also repaired an area where water was getting in back at the transoms.  Yoong and Baw and Nut sanded virtually all of the deck and cabin‑top, smoothing down the edges of the chipped‑off gelcoat and applying filler where necessary (and being extra careful about cleaning and adhesion).  Then they moved on to sanding some of our hatches and cleaning the fo'c's'les and grinding underneath our keels and washing the underwater areas in preparation for the epoxy barrier coats.  Phuket Fiberglass delivered 50 liters (13 gallons) of epoxy for that underwater barrier coat.  Lek and Pla finished the pinhole repairs and sanded the topsides up to 1500 grit, then they cleaned and painted the undersides of the engine hatches.  Sue and Amanda worked on polishing the forebeam and the anchor support beam, and Sue spent a lot of time in the apartment, working on our taxes.  We turned the mast on its back and started cleaning up bits of mast hardware.  Houa spent the week rebuilding the teak grate that goes over the anchor support beam, between the trampolines.  Mike brought a team to prepare the swim‑platforms for gelcoat, and spread some soupy epoxy on to level them out.

Houa finishing up the assembly of our teak lattice

Week 76, April 15 - April 21, 2013:
Houa finished most of the hard work on the teak lattice that goes between Ocelot's trampolines - cutting out the teak strips, routing them out, fitting them together, and epoxying them into their frame.  He also added more teak and ash (no holly here) to one of our floorboards.  Baw and Pla prepared much of the cockpit for gelcoat, sanding and filling all the many fiddly bits.  Jon found that some serious work was needed on the floor of the cockpit lockers so Baw and Pla ground off the bad gelcoat, then removed and replaced some delaminating glass.  Lek sanded the helm seat and the engine hatches, getting them ready for gelcoat.  Then he built up and painted the edges of the cockpit hatches, to better support the teak that will go on top of them.  Lek and Pla spent some time on the cabin‑top, filling dips and sanding chipped edges smooth.  Amanda rough polished the anchor support, boom, and forebeam, but then a grinder attacked her so she moved over to help Jon on the mast.  They untangled and rearranged the halyard chaser lines in the mast and pulled all of the main PVC wiring conduit sections up the mast.  Our new Dynex Dux diamonds need special mast fittings, so Jon opened up 8 thimbles to put over spreader‑tips.  With the changing monsoon, Jon reinforced our tent supports for SW winds.  Sue dug out our mast bits and started cleaning them up, helped rough polish the spars, and also helped Jon with the mast wiring conduits.

The 4 templates on the 4 starboard sugar-scoop steps

Week 77, April 22 - April 28, 2013:
A major change of direction - Mike (AME) agreed that instead of spraying gelcoat around where the nonskid will go, then sticking the nonskid down and then spraying more gelcoat around the edges, it would be simpler if the nonskid went down first and then he could do a heavy spray of gelcoat around the edges of the nonskid.  This would save lots of masking and sanding, give us one fewer layer on the deck, and probably save all concerned both time and money.  So Baw and Team Hacking spent the week preparing for the nonskid - marking off the borders of where it will go, smoothing the existing deck, laying parallel alignment lines down the deck, and building the first 10 templates for Mike to use for cutting out the nonskid panels.  Ben and Lek worked under Ocelot, sanding and painting the undersides of the cockpit hatches and the shelves from the scuba locker and the fo'c's'les.  Houa finished both the teak lattice and the broken floorboard he's been working on.  He put gaskets on the engine hatches so they could be put back in place, cut 3 sheets of 3mm plywood into thin strips for the templates, routered out the areas for the swim‑ladder hinges, and made 10mm plywood covers for the other 14 deck hatches so we won't risk falling through one.  Pla worked on the cockpit lockers, putting a thick layer of epoxy filler and some glass on the floor, and spreading polyester filler on the walls to smooth them out.

Houa planing a nice face on one of his big teak boards

Week 78, April 28 - May 5, 2013:
Work focused on 3 areas this short, Labour Day week: our new teak, the cockpit, and the nonskid for the deck.  Houa bought $2,000 of big teak blocks and spent the week making expensive sawdust - cutting the teak into strips for the teak floor in the cockpit, planing the strips flat, and routing a groove in the edges.  He ended the week with 75 nicely planed and prepared teak boards ready to cut down to size.  Baw, Pla, and Lek spent much of the week in the cockpit, preparing it for Houa's teak, measuring the edging and building it up where necessary, filling the bottom so it's flat and the right height, and sealing the filler with waterproof epoxy resin, all to Houa's exacting specifications.  They also cleaned out the dive and rope locker, and epoxy sealed the frames that hold the shelves up in there.  Jon and Amanda laid out exactly where many of the nonskid panels will go on the deck, and made careful templates of the first 32 areas, almost half of the 75 templates we'll need.  This is a frustrating job, as they need to plot where the deck hardware will go, and they've got to show how all the nonskid diamonds need to line up, when Ocelot has very few straight lines.  Baw's brother Ben spent most of the week in the port fo'c's'le, sanding and cleaning it to paint.  Sue, our photographer, split her time between taking pictures and polishing the forebeam supports, the anchor beam support, and the forebeam itself, which she was able to Nyalic on Sunday.

Laminating strips of teak together in a curve for the eyebrows

Week 79, May 6 - May 12, 2013:
Some good achievements this week.  Houa built a beautiful pair of curved, laminated teak rain‑gutter eyebrows, one to go over the entryway and the other over the galley window.  Each has several improvements over the originals.  Houa also made 3 teak mounting blocks to replace the old plywood ones under our spinlocks and turning‑blocks.  Pla and Baw repaired the last of the whale damage in the port engine room.  Then they ground back and reinforced 5 of the 8 areas around the rudder‑tubes with 4 layers of fiberglass (with Jon doing the last 3 areas).  The fiberglass still needs to be sanded and painted.  Baw and Lek spent much of the week preparing the cockpit for gelcoat spray, scheduled for next Monday.  This is a high priority so Houa can start laying down the teak flooring in the cockpit.  Dui and Ben and Pla had the really grotty jobs - smoothing the old gelcoat in the fo'c's'les and the chain lockers, to prepare them for painting.  Jon and Amanda spent much of the week drawing out exactly where we want the nonskid to go on the foredeck, and making up templates so Mike can cut the nonskid to the correct shapes.  As part of that they found where a reefing pad‑eye has to go at the base of the mast, and ground back the filler so it could be mounted flat.  Jon de‑cored the anchor‑winch bolt‑holes, but they still need to be filled.  Sue made good progress polishing spars and sorting and cleaning bits and pieces.  With Amanda she took a complete inventory of the bits stored in our apartment.  Team Hacking also worked out now many mast steps we want (27) and where they need to go.

Baw shooting gelcoat into our big under-cockpit lockers

Week 80, May 13 - May 19, 2013:
A productive week!  On Monday, Mike started and Baw finished spraying much of the flooring area of the cockpit with gelcoat.  Then Mike loaned us his big gelcoat gun and Baw got on a gelcoat spraying roll.  On Wednesday he sprayed the big deep cockpit lockers, on Thursday he shot the aft‑deck, lazarettes, and helm seat, and on Friday he shot the chain lockers and the entryway steps!  AME's machinists drilled out our 14 mast tangs and (eventually) pressed in stainless steel inserts.  The fo'c's'les and one chain locker were painted with primer.  We found that the Nippon epoxy paint sold to us by cruising friends doesn't perform well at all, and a lot of time was spent removing it.  We decided to use Sikaflex to stick down the teak in the cockpit, instead of epoxy, and Mike delivered 2 fresh cases from Bangkok to put in our fridge.  We removed the vertical davit supports and Mike took them to the powder coaters to get painted.  Jon and Amanda built a small mold and glassed up a shelf for the washing machine.  They also de‑cored and filled the bolt‑holes for the anchor winch, and worked feverishly (between gelcoat sprays) to finish the difficult curved nonskid templates.  We bought more acrylic and Houa cut it up to make more of our toothbrush holders.  Houa also started making the long toe‑rail to go across the aft‑deck, behind the cockpit.  On Saturday we left early to visit friends in Ao Po to begin a weekend‑long celebration of our 34^th wedding anniversary.

Lek and Baw finished the aft cabin-top to 1500 grit!

Week 81, May 20 - May 26, 2013:
On Monday we celebrated our 34^th wedding anniversary - and put Amanda on a plane back to the US.  We miss her already.  Baw shot the front of the cockpit with gelcoat, then his team took down the masking and spent the rest of the week sanding and polishing the cockpit gelcoat.  Ben joined the cockpit team once he finished sanding the helm seat.  Jon and Amanda managed to finish the worst of the curved nonskid templates before she left.  Houa finished the aft‑deck foot‑rail, then started building the inside trim for our 2 new hatches, making a mold from some of our other trim first, so the trim pieces should all look the same.  Jon and Sue got a lesson in stainless steel from Mike and Wiwat, but we need to find out if we can get our swim ladders electro‑polished in Bangkok.  Later, Jon and Sue worked on the nonskid alignment lines for the louvers, looked for appropriate plastic to line our anchor well, and removed the horizontal davit supports for Mike to get powder‑coated, replacing the supports with temporary PVC pipe.  Sue continued polishing the boom and forebeam.  Jon sanded and filled the chain‑locker hatches, prepared to glass on the washing machine shelf in the port fo'c's'le, repaired a broken wire on the autopilot motor and mounted the motor and reduction gear, got all the supplies to add new drains to the battery hatch gutter, and dug trenches and walls so the rainwater drains away from Ocelot.  On Friday and Saturday we got some pretty torrential rains, so we're now officially in the wet season.

Houa, Baw & Jon fit the new motor onto our compressor

Week 82, May 27 - June 2, 2013:
A lot of cockpit work this week, first sanding the gelcoat but then adding filler to the big beds on either side, smoothing them down, and spraying more gelcoat on the beds and the entryway.  But instead of borrowing E‑Us compressor, we finally broke down and replaced the motor on our compressor (and repaired the cracked engine mounting bracket).  Baw also sprayed the rope/scuba shelves, the 4 internal fo'c's'le hatches, and the 4 plastic‑wood pieces that go in the bathrooms.  Houa spent some time trying to create the interior trim pieces for the 2 new forward hatches but got frustrated so we asked him to install the acrylic in our 10 newly powder‑coated deck hatches and 2 big fo'c's'le hatches instead.  Sue is learning to use the scooter more so she published her scooter driving instructions.  Sue also spent many hours sanding and polishing the forebeam and sorting and cleaning all the many bits for the hatches.  Jon filled and sanded the old handle holes on the 2 chain‑locker hatches, and mounted our washing machine shelf in the port fo'c's'le.  Mike delivered the many nonskid panels that he's cut, sold us a new liferaft, showed us a sample of the mast steps he's making for us, and showed us samples of the 316 hose‑clamps that AME carries.

Houa preparing cabin-top panels while Baw works on portside

Week 83, June 3 - June 9, 2013:
A high energy week of preparing and gluing nonskid panels to the deck.  But on Tuesday Sue slipped on a plywood hatch cover and fell through the opening, cracking a rib, so she recuperated at the apartment for the rest of the week.  Mike from AME brought helpers for a couple of days to show our guys everything to do.  Shapes were corrected, edges straightened, backs cleaned, alignmnet checked, decks were sanded, cleaned and masked, wood battens cut, and heavy water-jugs schlepped.  Mike gave a quick demonstration for everyone on a small hatch, with Wiwat providing translation for our men, and then we started on the decks in earnest.  We started in front of the salon, by the anchor winch, and moved out and down the decks.  By weeks end we'd glued down 26 (of ~80) panels.  Pla, Lek and Ben continued sanding the cockpit gelcoat while the AME guys were with us.  Once the pieces were down, some needed glue picked out from around the edge, then they were re-taped and masked with thick vinyl.

The cockpit is getting cleaner and whiter every day

Week 84, June 10 - June 16, 2013:
A bit of a washout week, as it rained almost every day, several workers stayed home on Monday and Tuesday, and Sue's cracked rib kept her out of action for the first half of the week.

Much of the cockpit was polished up to 1,500 grit Most of the nonskid panels had the glue picked out of the edges and were then covered in thick vinyl Many of the remaining (few) templates were made and given to Mike Welds on the rudders were ground down in preparation for reshaping the rudders The temporary solar panel supports were removed so the shoulders of the targa‑bar could be polished New trampoline holders were made and given to Mike to be powder‑coated A new plan for the interior trim for the forward hatches was made and the first one assembled A recessed hole was routed out of the deck for the anchor‑winch chain‑stripper A new piece of teak plywood was made for the front of the salon Hatch hardware was cleaned and a list of needed new hardware was sent to Mike and Goiot More sheets of nonskid were made and several panels cut and delivered to Ocelot

Houa laying a nonskid panel on the top sugar-scoop step

Week 85, June 17 - June 23, 2013:
A good week, as we glued down a lot of the nonskid.  Even the weather cooperated, with little rain in this, the rainy SW monsoon season.  This week we:

Got a new worker, Heru, Baw's sister's husband - and he speaks some English! Replaced the horizontal davit support bars Got 25 new aluminum inserts for our hatch handles from our local machinist Built up and assembled the second piece of interior hatch trim for the forward cabins Ground and filled the starboard forward hatch rim so the new hatch trim fits correctly Ground and prepared an indent (recess) for the anchor chain stripper Got our new mast steps and refurbished trampoline tracks Prepared, stuck down, and cleaned up 20(!) new pieces of nonskid over 4 afternoons Mike agreed to replace the 4 nonskid pieces that were damaged in manufacture

Mike checking wood stiffeners on the swim-platform carbon

Week 86, June 24 - June 30, 2013:
An absolutely beautiful week weather‑wise, as we had no rain at all.  This week we:

Glassed in our recess for the anchor chain stripper De‑cored and filled the 2 forward hatch rims so the trim fits correctly Cut the underlying headliner to fit the new hatch trim Filled and faired 2 areas of the cabin‑top that had small depressions Built complicated nonskid templates for both swim‑platforms Bought Baw a new 1.8mm spray‑gun (he will pay us back over several weeks) Sprayed gelcoat and polished the 2 areas next to the vertical davit supports Mounted the 2 vertical davit supports and joined them to the horizontal supports Constructed a total of 8 splash‑molds for stainless steel protectors for our bows and sterns Sanded the gelcoat on the aft cockpit seat up to 1,500 Prepared all of our remaining pieces of nonskid (5 pieces total) Started renovation of the teak grate that goes in front of the entryway Glued down 2 more big pieces of nonskid on the cabin‑top Prepared and Nyaliced parts of the forebeam, brackets, and the last 2 spreaders

After sanding, the Golden Teak looks really nice

Week 87, July 1 - July 7, 2013:
A good week, despite all the rain.  This week we:

Centered the cockpit hatches so we know exactly where they'll go Drew alignment lines for the teak on the cockpit floor and hatches Glued down the teak on 3 of the big cockpit hatches (but not the battery hatch).  WOOT! Prepared several areas for nonskid (but no nonskid was laid down) Sprayed gelcoat around the edges of 5 hatches and the new interior hatch trim (some twice) Re‑sprayed gelcoat on the 7 hatch covers for the scuba shelves and the fo'c's'les Measured how much the bimini will flex with 1 and 2 people standing on it Finished making all the remaining nonskid templates Finished cutting out and trimming all 18 of the remaining nonskid pieces (Mike is still bringing 6 pieces) Polished the top of the targa‑bar up through 1,500 grit and started polishing the sides of the targa‑bar Started fitting the 6 access panels in the targa‑bar Sorted the boat bits in the salon and moved them to our storage unit Replaced 4 speaker wires and ran a new cockpit lighting wire

Baw, justly proud of his varnish in the starboard forward cabin

Week 88, July 8 - July 14, 2013:
A good week, despite having to fly to Bangkok for a day to renew our visas, but on Sunday we celebrated "The Day All of France Celebrates Sue's Birthday."  Other accomplishments for the week include:

Filler added around the 6 targa‑bar access panels so the panels sit flush with the surface Underside (filled area) of the targa‑bar re‑sprayed with gelcoat Targa‑bar sanded up to 1,500 grit Machine polished several of the access hatches for the targa‑bar Both port and starboard interiors cleaned Planned the sugar‑scoop lighting, including a nighttime test with 2 different types of LED Stuck down nonskid on the port bow, under the salon side windows, and under the galley window Glassed the swim-ladder hinge areas and sanded them smooth Discussed the varnishing projects and options with Baw Starboard interior teak sanded, masked, and 1 coat of varnish brushed on Flew to Bangkok for a day to renew our Thai "retirement" visas Drilled some drain holes in the battery compartment hatch gutter Teak stuck down under where the cockpit table goes Cockpit table sanded for epoxy/varnishing Celebrated Sue's birthday on Sunday with friends and much festivity in Ao Po

Baw spraying more epoxy on the cockpit table halves

Week 89, July 15 - July 21, 2013:
Good progress all week despite Jon's absence to join in Phuket Race Week (sailing a 28'/8.5m Firefly catamaran) but some sideways steps on Saturday.  This week we:

Got 4 coats of West epoxy on both sides of the cockpit table Brushed 2 coats of AwlBrite on the cockpit table, but some oily rags contaminated the second coat Polished the top of the targa‑bar so we can start replacing bits up there Sanded and got the first coat of varnish on all 4 cabins Stripped back the high wear areas of the salon, sanded them, and epoxy coated them Removed our salon table, stripped off the varnish, and sealed it with West epoxy Framed, filled in, and stuck down the teak in the 3 sections under the helm seat Cleaned the grooves and calked 5 of the 7 areas of teak currently stuck down Worked out the lines for 3 of the 4 remaining teak areas (only the aft‑deck remains) Routed out the slots for the swim ladder hinges Sanded much of the boom to 400 grit Received our newly polished targa‑bar "shoulders" and our hatch gaskets from AME Jon broke the little finger on his right hand when a rope caught his hand while racing

Starboard shoulder piece, with Jon filing open a rope hole

Week 90, July 22 - July 28, 2013:
Some good accomplishments this week, despite a 3‑day Buddhist holiday.  But Jon's broken finger from the end of last week certainly slowed him down, as he can't (or shouldn't) really use his right hand.  Our accomplishments for this week include:

Prepared and stuck down a total of 18 pieces of nonskid over 3 days - only 7 pieces left! Blocks were mounted on the newly polished stainless targa‑bar "shoulders" and the shoulders mounted A double block for the mainsheet traveler control lines was mounted in the top of the targa‑bar The mainsheet track was (mostly) bolted down to the top of the targa‑bar The first layer of epoxy on the high wear areas of the salon was sanded and a second epoxy layer applied The salon tables got a second layer of epoxy Built and stuck down the complicated king‑board frame for the port side of the cockpit The stainless steel "armor" for the bows and sterns got some fitting by the AME machinists All cabins were sanded and a second coat of varnish was brushed onto the starboard cabins Half the boom was sanded, prepared, and Nyalic‑ed, as well as 4 ancillary bits

Ocelot with new epoxy on her bottom

Week 91, July 29 - August 4, 2013:
The big push this week was getting the hulls cleaned and sanded so we could apply our epoxy barrier coat below the waterline, and do it before the forecast rains halted all epoxy operations.  This week we:

Used the laser to mark out and tape off where the antifouling paint will go (paint‑line) Completely cleaned and sanded both hulls below the paint‑line - twice Sprayed both transoms (only) with finish‑coats of gelcoat Rolled 6 coats (about 40 liters) of epoxy onto the hulls - slightly more than planned Mounted the mainsail traveler control blocks on the mainsail track (on top of the targa‑bar) Stuck down and calked the teak floor on the port side of the cockpit Built and stuck down the complicated teak frame for the starboard side of the cockpit Drilled and tapped the mounting holes for the tensioning rod for the center of the targa‑bar Sanded all woodwork and applied gloss varnish coats #2 (port) and #3 (starboard) Brushed the first of 2 coats of satin varnish onto the starboard side interior Applied a third coat of West Epoxy to the high‑wear areas of the galley and salon Discovered "Filiform" corrosion under the Nyalic on our spars, so emailed Nyalic Sanded back the corroded areas, prepared them, and painted on more Nyalic Gave Heru, Baw, and Houa raises for their excellent work Made a new cast for Jon's hand and broken finger Built templates and cut out where the bimini will interfere with the targa‑bar hardware

Receiving the big, gooped up sheet of nonskid for the bimini

Week 92, August 5 - August 11, 2013:
Our big accomplishment this week was that we (finally!) finished gluing down the nonskid!  WOOT!  Our other accomplishments this week include:

Sanded, cleaned, and glued down all 4 bimini nonskid pieces and 3 more on the port swim platform Put the floors back in the hulls, covered in vinyl, in preparation for spraying varnish Played with some tints to remove some of the water stain in the starboard aft cabin teak Masked the starboard side and sprayed a final coat of satin varnish on most of the interior Sanded and brushed several coats of 2-part polyurethane varnish onto the high‑wear areas of the salon Sanded and brushed several coats of polyurethane onto the 5 table‑pieces Retrieved 28 doors from the storage room for sanding and varnishing Attached the top and bottom of the targa‑bar tensioning rod, which also finished the mainsail track Sanded, prepared, and caulked the starboard side cockpit teak Scarfed together some long teak pieces for the aft‑deck frame Battled "Filiform" corrosion under our Nyalic on all 3 spars Drilled 7 new mounting holes at the back of the bimini Epoxied in 2 additional drains for the battery compartment hatch, and connected up all 4 drains Made a drawing of link‑plates for our diamonds and took it to a machine shop Found an occupational therapist on a neighboring cat who is helping Jon look after his hand Houa's injured ankle kept him home for the last 3 days of this week

Lek sanding the cabinet doors, preparing them for more varnish

Week 93, August 12 - August 18, 2013:
The major push this week was varnishing.  Most of the doors were sanded under Ocelot's stern, and the varnish was applied in 2 varnish tents, one under Ocelot and the other under a neighboring cat.  This week the team:

Finished building the frames and sticking down ALL the cockpit teak in the 2 remaining areas - the aft‑deck and the entryway step Calked the grooves in the entryway step teak - only the aft‑deck left to calk Setup a long varnish tent under Ocelot with plastic on both ends to minimize dust Setup a more enclosed varnish tent under a neighboring catamaran (twice) Put 2 coats of gloss varnish on the insides of the cabinet doors, and 4 coats on the outsides Sprayed 6 coats of polyurethane varnish (including some Awl Brite) on most of the 6 table pieces Sanded and sprayed 2 coats of satin varnish on the portside cabin walls and bulkheads Built and epoxied in a mounting insert for the port depth transducer Started building mounting brackets to hold the rudders while we reshape them Sanded back much of the filiform corrosion under the Nyalic, and sent an email to the Nyalic president Mounted the speakers and got Ocelot's stereo working, only to find that it won't eject the CD in there... Celebrated 3 birthdays (Houa, the Thai Queen, and our son Christopher)

Polishing the cockpit table - reflection is a neighbor's mast

Week 94, August 19 - August 25, 2013:
The guys continued their varnishing, making excellent progress, but several other projects moved forward as well.  This week:

The last sections of cockpit teak were calked and covered, which finishes them until they get sanded The rudder reshaping project was started, with the rudders getting mounted and sanded Neil, a local rudder consultant, took measurements to generate the new rudder shapes Gloss varnish was brushed onto all sanded doors every afternoon (2‑4 coats each side) Many pieces were sprayed with 2 coats of satin varnish, finishing them One half of the cockpit table was polished, finishing it Several areas in the cabins were touched up with satin varnish, finishing that project The 33 interior cabinet latches (and buttons and rings) were sanded and repainted metalic silver Started cleaning between the nonskid panels, preparing to spray gelcoat on the deck Houa built and epoxy coated 3 pieces of teak to go on the port side of the salon The solar panels were bolted to the back of the targa‑bar The steering gear was greased and the floor of the rope/dive locker was replaced We found some rubber tubing to make the friction hinges for the hatches out of Manoon held a huge house‑warming party Saturday night We went sailing to Koh Phanak with Infini on Sunday

Baw sprayed 1 coat, waited 5 min, then sprayed a 2nd coat

Week 95, August 26 - September 1, 2013:
Another varnishing week, but most pieces got finished.  This week the team:

Sanded, prepared, and brushed umpteen layers of gloss varnish on many doors Sanded, prepared, and sprayed 2 coats of satin varnish on most of the doors Sanded, prepared, and sprayed 2 coats of polyurethane on most of the tables Polished the polyurethane to a fantastic looking high gloss Removed some damaged veneer from the front of the 2 forward bunks Built a thin sheet of replacement teak veneer, and had it epoxied and varnished Mounted 3 pieces of new teak back in the port side of the salon, and 1 by the entryway Machined 24 rubber friction devices for the deck‑hatch hinges Received new patterns so we can reshape the rudders Finally found (and bought or ordered) several new hinges for the cabinets Started mounting some of the cabinet doors in the cabins Started cleaning and sanding the cabin‑top in preparation for spraying gelcoat next week Re‑masked several windows and nonskid panels on the cabin‑top Started designing the teak frame for the entryway, and bought the teak

Beautifully varnished doors waiting to be installed

Week 96, September 2 - September 8, 2013:
This week we tried to wrap up the varnishing so we could move to gelcoating the deck, between the nonskid panels.  This week the team:

Scraped the varnish off the curved cabinet doors, epoxied them, and started varnishing them Finished sanding and painting the silver cabinet door latches Finished spraying polyurethane on the 6 table sections Sprayed 2 layers of satin varnish on many of the final pieces Wrapped the finished people doors and table sections and put them in storage Stripped back the varnish under the nav‑station and the forward salon to bare wood Decided to abandon the Nyalic and go with paint on the spars <sigh> Bought 8 liters of xylene for $100 to remove the Nyalic Planed down the new teak and started building the teak frame for the entryway door Cleaned, sanded, re‑masked and prepared the starboard cabin‑top for gelcoat Built a huge spray‑tent around Ocelot's salon Researched gelcoat proportions and sprayed 4 test strips - 2.5mm gun not working Sprayed final gelcoat on the starboard side of the cabin‑top Mounted the specialized door‑stops in all the cabins Rebuilt the 4 head door locking mechanisms after one failed and wouldn't open Hung and adjusted many of the 15 cabinet doors in the cabins

Baw spraying gelcoat on Ocelot's foredeck

Week 97, September 9 - September 15, 2013:
Rain delayed us for a few days in the middle of the week but we ended up getting in three gelcoat spray days, shooting the entire cabin‑top and foredeck (without Mike's oversight).  But we had a major problem with the 2 curved and very visible (and somewhat irreplaceable) locker doors in the salon.  The team's accomplishments this week include:

Prepared, masked, and sprayed gelcoat between the nonskid panels on the port side and top of the main cabin, and the foredeck Built and installed teak foot‑pads on our 25 aluminum mast steps Mounted and adjusted the last of the 15 cabinet doors in the cabins Removed the old acrylic from the 3 salon hatches, cleaned them up, built and reinstalled new acrylic Removed most of the Nyalic from the forebeam and boom Stripped the varnish from the 2 curved salon locker doors, but the sanders went through the teak veneer Removed 4mm from the fronts of the 2 curved doors preparing to re‑teak them Sanded and brushed a couple more layers of gloss varnish on the 9 bookshelves Built and installed 7 natural mosquito traps Retrieved, stripped, sanded, and epoxy coated the 6 slatted floorboards for the heads and galley Removed, checked, and replaced the portside engine blower (must be a problem in the wiring) Did lots of research on primers for aluminum, and painting vs. powder‑coating aluminum

Afterwards, a newly sprayed starboard deck!

Week 98, September 16 - September 22, 2013:
The big accomplishment this week was spraying the entire starboard side‑deck with gelcoat - a big job.  Other accomplishments this week include:

Measured the area of the side‑decks and sugar‑scoops to determine how much gelcoat will be needed Cleaned, sanded, cleaned, masked, built a spray‑tent and gelcoated the starboard side deck Ditto for the starboard sugar‑scoop Sanded the epoxy barrier coat and painted it with a tie‑coat primer to protect it Sanded the slatted floorboards and epoxy coated them a few times Abraded and cleaned one rudder, then covered it in 2 layers of fiberglass and smeared on some filler Sanded the Microlite/phenolic filler on the rudder and screed on some more to reshape the rudder Removed the old lifelines and salvaged the reusable parts Attempted to repair the teak on the curved cabinet doors, but one didn't work and has to be redone Sanded and epoxy coated the other (good) door Talked to several chandleries in Boat Lagoon to find the best primer for aluminum spars

Ocelot's portside & stern, with the growing spray-tent

Week 99, September 23 - September 29, 2013:
The biggest accomplishment this week was that we finished spraying gelcoat on the decks!  WOOT!  Other accomplishments by the team include:

Cleaned, sanded, cleaned, masked, built a spray tent, and sprayed gelcoat on the port side deck Ditto for the port sugar‑scoop, completing the deck gelcoat spraying Started sanding the cabin‑top and deck gelcoat Filled and faired one rudder until ready for its fiberglass skins Prepared the steel, glassed, filled and faired the second rudder but one side still needs more filling Repaired several cabin floorboards that were showing signs of plywood delamination Started building teak trim to go against the Formica kick‑boards in the cabins Sanded and epoxy coated the 6 slatted floorboards 3 times, and sprayed them with 2 coats of polyurethane Removed most of the Nyalic from the mast and spars Researched which aluminum primer to use on our mast and spars (no clear winner yet) Started building a spray‑tent for the forebeam Bought Baw a new 1.3mm spray gun for painting the mast and spars Polished the starboard topsides to protect them from water and sandings dripping down Made a drawing and talked to the machinists about new cockpit table supports

Everyone working while the boss (Baw) doodles with a pen...

Week 100, September 30 - October 6, 2013:
A very wet end of the week spoiled some varnish and prevented us from finishing the rudders, but the guys made excellent progress sanding and polishing the decks, especially with the 2 extra men.  This week's accomplishments by the team include:

Built up the rudders, sanded them to shape, and cut the fiberglass for their outer skins Sanded all deck gelcoat (not the nonskid) with 320, 600, 800, and some finer grits in places Prepared and sprayed more polyurethane on the slatted floorboards and the wineglass rack Removed the delaminating hatch supports in 8 floorboards and replaced them Worked on the teak trim next to the new formica kick‑board in the cabins Started building the new front for the damaged curved cabinet door in the salon Replaced our shore‑power connecter Completed an elaborate 10‑gauge wiring harness for the computers Ran 220vAC wiring to the galley and 3 of the 4 cabins Decided to use OceanMaster epoxy etch primer on the mast and spars Retrieved our sugar‑scoop grab‑rails from Luck Engineering for electro‑polishing Convinced Customs to renew Ocelot's temporary import permit Finished 6 (of 9) bookshelves and wrapped them up until we're ready to install them

Baw, Jon and Heru wetting out another sheet of biaxial

Week 101, October 7 - October 13, 2013:
This week was our third Vegetarian Festival, which is not at all what it sounds like.  But the main boat work was sanding and polishing the deck and the sugar‑scoops.  Other team accomplishments include:

Finished sanding the deck "gutters" up to 2000 grit, then polished them Sanded the new sugar‑scoop gelcoat gutters Cleared all the tools etc. out of the salon to facilitate work there Started building a teak rail around the salon seats to protect the chipping teak veneer Removed the rudder templates, sanded the rudders, and glassed them with 3 layers of biaxial Sanded and polished the forebeam, then sprayed it with etch‑primer and mid-coat Finished varnish repairs to 3 bookshelves (and other bits and pieces) Epoxy coated most of the big shelves on the sides of the salon AME welders came to cut and fit the stainless steel bow and stern protectors Removed one of the 2 acetone-damaged side windows so we can replace it Screwed 4 bunk steps back into place Celebrated Baw's 26th birthday with an ice-cream cake and sodas Watched a fire-walking and joined Vegetarian Festival procession

Spraying the bimini "gutters" between the sheets of nonskid

Week 102, October 14 - October 20, 2013:
A productive week, as we had lots going on and a good team.  Accomplishments this week include:

Prepared and sprayed gelcoat on the bimini, then sanded it smooth to 2000 grit Sprayed gelcoat around the louver nonskid, and started sanding it smooth Tinted our topcoat polyurethane to match our gelcoat Sprayed the polyurethane topcoat on the forebeam, so it should be finished now Sanded the boom and sprayed it with etch‑primer and mid-coat, then sanded and filled that Reglassed the tops of the rudders, sanded them smooth, and painted them with an undercoat Sanded and undercoated both fo'c's'le bilges, as well as the whale damage in the port engine room Mounted the teak rail around the salon seats Mounted new teak over the lifting veneer on the starboard salon shelf, so it now matches port Started stripping the varnish from the galley peninsula, so the teak will match better Sikaflex'd down the long teak aft‑deck toe‑rail Sanded the sugar‑scoops up to 2000, but they'll both need some touch‑up Epoxied the teak under the nav‑desk, the galley, and the far right salon shelf Started mounting the teak eyebrows above the entryway and galley window Cleaned the silicone out of the port salon window that we removed last week Polished out the acetone damage to both portside windows(!) Found our internal lights (whew!) so we won't have to replace them Started mounting our engine and sailing instruments Started cleaning up some of our old propellers, and found where we could get our folders repaired AME finalized the bow and stern SS protectors, and took them (and LCK's stainless) to be electro‑polished Hired Bo, a new worker (Bank's sister) to clean the engine rooms

The bimini is snuggled into place on the targa-bar

Week 103, October 21 - October 27, 2013:
Another good week!  Not only did we finish and install the rudders, we all but finished the gelcoating and we mounted the bimini up where it belongs!  Team accomplishments this week include:

Sprayed the boom with 2 coats of Interthane 990 polyurethane Sprayed gelcoat to repair both sugar‑scoops, the trampoline holders, and 5+ other places Sanded and polished the above sprayed gelcoat, the louvers, the starboard cockpit seat, & the bimini top Hoisted the bimini on deck, adjusted it into position, and started bolting it to the targa‑bar Installed the 2 bobstay pad‑eyes for our new prod Installed both cap‑shroud chain‑plates Sanded the rudders smooth and installed them! Glued teak veneer to a curved backing board for the curved salon cabinet door Glued new teak veneer onto some of the salon seats Fitted, sanded and mounted the teak eyebrow above the galley window Fitted and temporarily mounted the teak eyebrow over the entryway Removed the entryway sliding door and cleaned up most of the hardware Fitted and glued together the teak frame for the entryway door Started smoothing the anchor platform in preparation to paint it Stripped the varnish off the galley peninsula, sanded the teak and brushed on 3 coats of epoxy Finished epoxying the big shelves in the salon Removed the second acetone‑damaged salon window Cleaned many of the bilges and cabins

Our motley crew, having fun with LOTS of good food!

Week 104, October 28 - November 3, 2013:
An emotional roller-coaster week with several frustrations, but we moved doggedly ahead, despite a worker walkout on Tuesday.  Our main accomplishments were to bolt the back of the bimini to the targa‑bar and a lot of polyurethane sprayed on the floorboards.  Other team accomplishments include:

Aft lazarette and aft cockpit seat areas sanded and polished All 40+ pieces of floorboard were sanded and had their backs and edges epoxy coated Several floorboards were repaired and/or had their hatch‑supports replaced All floorboards were sprayed with 3 coats of gloss polyurethane Many floorboards were sprayed with satin polyurethane as well Salon epoxy sanded and 2 coats of gloss polyurethane brushed on The back of the bimini was bolted to the top of the targa‑bar with 24 10mm bolts Bimini front supported at the correct final height, and AME built templates for the front legs Bolted the starboard side louvers back into place Cleaned, serviced, and mounted one of our big cockpit winches Cleaned the silicone out the second portside window frame so the window is ready to be replaced Big shelves in the large (ex)hanging locker reinforced several ways and remounted Installed 3 of our 6 waterline vents Forebeam sanded and prepared for a second polyurethane topcoat Forebeam brackets mounted to the hulls and the distance between them measured Cleaned up the battery compartment and the emergency parachute anchor Mounted the catch for the galley window Mounted the hinges on the starboard engine‑room hatch Entryway "eyebrow" (rain gutter) positioned and permanently mounted Threw the workers an expensive and delicious fish and prawn lunch at By The Grace on Monday Frustrations: Several workers walked off the job on Tuesday after some frustrating mis‑communication Spent an hour talking to Baw about his responsibilities as our team leader A banana‑sized patch of poorly adhered cockpit gelcoat was found and chipped back Some of the satin polyurethane came out bumpy on the floorboards 1 of our 8 tent poles fell off its perch and had to be hoisted back into place Our HTC‑One smart‑phone fell off Ocelot and the front glass was smashed Extra glass on the bows means that the forebeam won't fit back where it was

Starboard went easily, port took some grunting (but no winching)

Week 105, November 4 - November 10, 2013:
Most work this week focused on the salon, the heads, the spreaders, and several shelves, but the exciting stuff happened around the forebeam.  Team accomplishments this week include:

Sanded and resprayed a polyurethane top‑coat on the forebeam Tested the fit of the forebeam, drilled new mounting holes for it, and mounted it between Ocelot's bows Sprayed the anchor platform, prod, and spreaders with primer and 3 mid‑coats Test‑mounted the anchor platform to see how big a spacer we need to build for it (22mm) Stripped the wall in front of the entryway back to bare wood to hide an old blemish Sanded the salon walls and seat‑backs, and brushed several layers of polyurethane on them Epoxied the teak veneer onto the rounded cabinet door, and coated it with 3 layers of epoxy Sanded and polyurethaned all the salon under‑seat hatches Sanded and/or replaced several floorboard supports in the hulls Sikaflexed 4 complicated strips of plasti‑board in the 4 heads Mounted the hinges on the portside engine‑room hatch Sprayed satin varnish on several floorboards and other miscellaneous bits and pieces Sanded and polyurethaned the beds in all 4 cabins Repaired some blistered gelcoat near the galley window and sanded it to match Found and installed new weather stripping for our sliding entryway door Cleaned the anchor windlass and drilled its 4 mounting holes in the foredeck Lubricated and mounted the hatch handles on the 10 small deck hatches Found our mainsail at Rolly Tasker and asked them (again) to clean it

Whole lotta mast sandin' goin' on

Week 106, November 11 - November 17, 2013:
The main thrust of the week focused on preparing the mast for painting, but lots of other good things happened as well.  Accomplishments this week include:

Finished spraying the spreaders and anchor platform Polished the mast and built a spray tent around it Acid washed, rinsed, sprayed primer, sanded, and sprayed a mid‑coat on the mast Sprayed the first of 3 polyurethane top‑coats on the mast Bolted the trampoline tracks on the anchor platform and the forebeam Mounted the forward end of the anchor platform Cleaned the anchor winch, drained and refilled its oil, and mounted it to the foredeck Sanded both fo'c's'les and rolled on 2 coats of Jotun 2‑part Penguard enamel Painted the raw fiberglass where the rudder posts were reinforced Mounted the engine controls above the helm station Sanded the salon and brushed on several coats of polyurethane, finishing all brushing Masked the salon to prepare it for a top‑coat of sprayed Epifanes satin varnish Experimented with several sliding door gaskets until we found a combination that worked Mounted the entryway sliding door and frame Fitted and mounted the teak frame for the entryway door AME machinists fitted and tacked together the stainless steel front legs for the bimini Talked to upholstery shops about salon cushions and new foam mattresses Rebuilt the hinges of several deck hatches Removed several rotten floor supports, and epoxy coated the rest Cleaned, sanded, and polished several interior hatch coamings

Baw & Heru having fun with the polished brass(!) cabin lights

Week 107, November 18 - November 24, 2013:
The threat of rain delayed many things this week, even though the heavy rain didn't materialize until Saturday.  But we still made progress on several fronts.  Accomplishments this week include:

The mast was sanded and got its second topcoat (of 3) The bimini legs were finalized and all new stainless was sent to Bangkok for electro‑polishing Starboard spacer built for the anchor‑platform bracket Anchor platform (and end bracket) bolted to the foredeck Several deck hatches had their gasket surfaces filled and sanded (still need painting) All 26 interior lights had their (brass!) bezels sanded and polished The 2 pushpits and 1 pulpit were polished, and the pulpit seats sanded Port topsides sanded with 2000 grit At‑risk headliner supports epoxy coated The big galley shelf behind the stove and the trash locker were sanded and got 3 layers of polyurethane The electrical cabinet above the nav‑desk was sanded and got 3 layers of polyurethane The 4 steps going down to the cabins were sanded (still need polyurethane) The salon was mostly masked off in preparation for its final spray of satin varnish Many floorboard supports got their neoprene cushioning glued on Checked the fuel tanks and mounted the 2 newly painted fuel gauge senders Started cleaning the port engine room Installed and connected up all 8 exterior vents Installed the 2 water fills and 2 of the diesel fills Hatch pulls for the 2 chain lockers installed Mattress templates made and taken to the foam mattress supplier The teak strip under the aft deck sanded back to nice wood Floor supports by the entryway leveled out

Starboard trampoline laced tight, port still unstrung

Week 108, November 25 - December 1, 2013:
A great week, as lots of projects were completed.  There's lots for Jon to do and the trick is finding things the workers can do, but for now they're all being kept busy.  Team accomplishments this week include:

Finished painting the mast Cleaned, sanded, undercoated and top‑coated both engine rooms Mounted and tensioned both trampolines Mounted the teak lattice on top of the anchor platform Mounted the "seagull striker" and the prod Sprayed the salon with its final 2 coats of satin varnish Sanded and painted all 15 pieces of interior hatch trim Mounted and bedded the hinges on all 4 foredeck hatches Repaired and repainted the sealing lips of the 10 small deck hatches Assembled the friction hinges and installed new gaskets in the small deck hatches Repaired and refitted the teak sill at the top of the starboard steps Removed and replaced the formica next to the stove Sanded and polyurethaned the shelf above the fridge Repaired and repainted the targa‑bar lights Polished up LOTS of stainless steel Replaced both engine raw‑water cooling valves with ball‑valves Removed and replaced the internal sail‑drive anodes Sanded, primed, and repainted our 2 cooking‑gas bottles Epoxied and sanded the winch base on the port side of the cockpit Filled the areas next to the formica kickboards in the cabins with epoxy filler Removed the broken bolts from both pulpits and started mounting the starboard pulpit Received our new foam mattresses, bought fabric and zippers and delivered all to our seamstress

"Tuning" the mast - note sighting board with nylon string

Week 109, December 2 - December 8, 2013:
A very productive week, with many projects coming together!  The projects are smaller now, so hopefully we'll be able to finish them faster.  Team accomplishments this week include:

Raised the mast onto drums and pinned the spreaders into place Measured the mast and rods so we could compute which rods went where Mounted and tensioned the rod mast diamonds, and verified the mast is straight Sprayed (& polished) the last(!) of the gelcoat on the helm seat and patches by the base of the targa‑bar Sanded and touched up (re‑sprayed) some rough satin varnish in all 4 cabins Remounted the 2 salon windows that were removed to have defects polished out of them Finished the polyurethane on the interior steps, and got 1 layer of satin varnish on them Sanded and varnished the insides of several interior lockers Sanded and re‑sprayed the toilet seats and folding mast steps with polyurethane paint Sanded,  polyurethaned, and varnished the top of the over‑fridge shelf Mounted & polyurethaned all 8 teak floor‑trim strips next to the formica kick‑boards in all cabins Masked and sanded the battery/electrical compartment so its ready for rolling on gelcoat Opened and inspected the interior of the starboard water tank Received both our dinghies and started sanding Tomcat, our big inflatable Cut, sanded, and epoxy coated a headliner board for the starboard forward cabin Replaced the stiff gasket at the base of the entryway sliding door Sanded and epoxy coated the overboard pole Started cleaning our 6 large fenders Started drilling and tapping the mounting holes for the 19 deck and salon hatches Filled 4 extra holes with epoxy mud up by the anchor winch Polished virtually ALL the stainless steel Painted OCELOT on our 2 cooking gas bottles Bought a new Dremel and used it to remove a broken stanchion base from the toe‑rail

The new gelcoat in the salon looks wonderfully clean!

Week 110, December 9 - December 15, 2013:
The jobs are getting smaller, so in theory we can finish them faster.  This week focused mostly on sanding and gelcoating the subfloor of the salon, and working on our dinghy, Tomcat, but many smaller jobs were also worked on.  Team accomplishments this week include:

Removed and replace a damaged floor support in the salon Leveled and epoxy coated all floor supports in the salon, and glued on neoprene padding Sanded and gelcoated the entire sub‑floor of the salon Installed most of the flooring in the salon and covered it with protective thick vinyl Sanded all paint off Tomcatand sprayed an etch primer and a mid-coat onto the floor Tomcat's outboard serviced and tested Outboard cover repaired and beautifully painted Built an outboard stand so the engine could be cleaned and sanded for painting Mounted all 10 small deck hatches, and 1 (of 2) new forward cabin hatches Mounted both pulpits and both pushpits, and ran 2 temporary lifelines up Ocelot's sides Sanded and gelcoated the entire battery/electrical compartment in the cockpit Removed the gasket from the battery hatch and sanded the teak flat Installed the last 2 pieces of teak trim to the inside of the entryway door Built and installed the supports for the teak grate outside the entryway Installed the hatch‑pulls in all 11 floorboard hatches, and installed the floorboards Cleaned out the old silicone and reinstalled the gaskets on the 2 salon port‑lights Removed the old gaskets and cleaned out the old silicone from most side port‑lights Polished the 3 portside salon windows Inspected both water tanks, vacuumed their bottoms and re‑sealed them Finished the last few polyurethane and varnish jobs in the salon (we hope...) Sanded our overboard pole and painted it bright day‑glow orange, with a clear topcoat Removed and replaced the old mirrors in each bathroom Replaced 2 broken battery lugs Replaced some bad wood at the base of the fridge and under the old freezers Sanded and epoxy coated the bare spots on the sail‑drives Cleaned our Baja Filter, connected up the fuel fills, and added 23 liters of diesel to port tank

Baw spraying enamel around the floor of Tomcat

Week 111, December 16 - December 22, 2013:
Good progress this week on several fronts - the teak cockpit floor was sanded and repaired, the bilges got cleaned and painted in gelcoat, the deck hatches were stuck down, and Tomcat, our big dinghy, got lots of pampering.  Team accomplishments this week include:

All 4 big cockpit hatches had their gaskets removed and the fiberglass ground to level them The cockpit was masked and the teak got an initial sanding, to smooth and level it The Sikaflex caulking in the cockpit was inspected and repaired as needed Many bilges and lockers were sanded, cleaned, and coated with new gelcoat The 3 salon and 2 fo'c's'le hatches were screwed down, handles added, and new gaskets installed The 2 salon port‑light openings were sanded and epoxied and made ready for the hatches The 8 port‑lights in the hulls were cleaned and new gaskets installed Tomcat's engine was cleaned, sanded, primed, and painted a shiny silver Tomcat's paint was removed, dings filled, and everything repainted, with nonskid on the floor The polycarbonate for the emergency hatch holes was cut and drilled to fit The 2 portside louvers were polished and installed The new grab‑rails on the sides of the main cabin were installed The step up to the helm from the entryway was installed We found a supplier of foam for our salon cushions Platforms were made and installed for the new shower‑drain sumps and pumps The teak and holly flooring in the salon was all positioned, and supports added as needed The teak grate just inside the entryway was trimmed to fit We received our newly covered mattresses from the seamstress 300 liters of diesel was bought and filtered into our tanks, and the gauges calibrated

Lunch with Daryl & Loretta at a beach restaurant in Nai Yang

Week 112, December 23 - December 29, 2013:
A short week with a delightful Christmas break in Nai Yang with good friends in the north end of Phuket, but we still got lots of good things done.  Work focused on gelcoat repairs on deck, gelcoating the bilges, mounting our newly electro‑polished stainless steel from Bangkok, and repairing some varnish in the salon.  Team accomplishments this week include:

The cockpit teak was sanded flat, and the sharp edges rounded off The big cockpit hatches had new neoprene gaskets glued on 3 areas in the salon that showed an epoxy "blush" were sanded back and new polyurethane brushed on The last hatches, the salon port‑lights, were mounted The whole deck was washed clean and meticulously inspected Several areas on deck got tiny gelcoat repairs, and 7 small areas were re‑sprayed The old bolt holes for the sugar‑scoop grab‑rails were gelcoated and polished Both sugar‑scoop grab‑rails were mounted (with screws rather than bolts) The portside swim‑ladder was mounted Both forward engine bilges were cleaned and painted The portside engine was bled and started The 3 transducer through-hulls were mounted The starboard side bilges were sanded, cleaned, and gelcoated New under‑sink cabinet doors in the heads were cut, shaped, and epoxied Tomcat's bottom got a final coat of 2‑part enamel Tomcat's outboard anode was cleaned for re‑use, since we can't replace it The galley windows were polished The cockpit table supports were retrieved from the machine shop Heru's wife gave birth to his first child, a son! Jon took a spill on our scooter and has 4 good scrapes down his right side

Trimming the central hatch so it closes, all 3 big hatches open

Week 113, December 30, 2013 - January 5, 2014:
Another short week, as we're now down to 5 workers (Houa, Baw, Pla, Heru, and Yando) and several didn't show up around New Years.  But we still made good progress, despite most businesses being closed.  Most work centered around gelcoat touch‑ups and cockpit hatches.  Team accomplishments this week include:

All 4 shower pans had bad gelcoat ground back and were sprayed with new gelcoat Several small patches on deck were masked and re‑sprayed, some 2x when the color wasn't correct Many stainless steel hinges and hatch pulls/latches were polished Hinges for the 3 big cockpit hatches were mounted, and the hatches trimmed to fit Mounting holes for 2 of the 6 cockpit hatch handles/latches were routed out Hinges for both aft cockpit seat hatches were installed Aft cockpit seat backrest was installed Both bimini legs were set in place and mounting holes were marked on the bimini The portside bimini bolt holes were de‑cored Both jib‑sheet tracks were repaired and mounted, with bolts tapped into the epoxy The mounting bolt holes for the emergency hatch polycarbonate sheets were drilled and tapped Both depth transducers were installed and their wires run to the nav‑desk The outboard cover was reassembled, with the rubber gasket siliconed in place A rusty bracket in the outboard was removed, sanded, acid treated, and undercoated New doors are being made in plywood and formica for the cabinets under each head sink A small, hollow sounding patch in the cockpit had epoxy injected underneath it The gloss polyurethane trim in the salon got its final coats and was polished to a high gloss Our first letter of recommendation was roughed out and sent for translation

The portside bimini epoxy injections went much as planned

Week 114, January 6 - January 12, 2014:
Bit of a slow week, as we're having trouble finding things the guys can do with minimal supervision, so the jobs are smaller.  The week focused on the headliners, touching up the gelcoat around the nonskid, repairing the gaskets for the hatches, and preparing the bimini for its new legs.  Team accomplishments this week include:

Touched up much of the gelcoat, especially around the edge of the nonskid Removed the foam from the front corners of the bimini Drilled the holes for the water‑catch pipe to the bimini legs Filled the bimini corners with epoxy, fiberglass strands, and micro‑balloons (didn't harden) Brought most of the headliners from the storage room and began fitting them Bought Houa a pneumatic staple gun so he could make minor repairs to the headliners Routed out the teak and installed all 6 handles on the big cockpit hatches Started and tested the starboard engine - worked fine, first time! Used carbon paper to mark where to grind the 4 foredeck hatches to make them sit down Made and installed custom neoprene gaskets on the 4 foredeck and 3 big cockpit hatches Finished building (and test installed) the 4 cabinet doors for under the head sinks De‑rusted both engines and treated them with phosphoric acid and undercoat Filled several old screw holes in all 4 heads Re‑sprayed and sanded the 2 aft cockpit doors Installed the starboard aft cockpit door Ran a new diesel line from the port forward tank to the aft cabin Found the water leaks on the 2 aft cabin hatches Painted marks on our anchor chain, but it was poor quality paint and must be redone Replaced the port engine room float switch Tidied up much of the wiring behind the helm station

Last bits of (blue-taped) stern armor stuck down

Week 115, January 13 - January 19, 2014:
Again, a week of mostly small jobs, but they all need to be done.  The main focus was putting the stainless steel "jewelry" on the swim‑platforms, but we also made significant advances in the bathrooms, headliners, and the bimini.  Team accomplishments this week include:

Ground and polished the 4 swim ladder hinges until they worked smoothly Mounted both swim ladders Mounted the 3 pieces of stainless steel trim on each swim‑platform Mounted the 2 stainless steel "shoes" on the bows Tried to cure the soft epoxy in the bimini with heat, but didn't work Tested removing a waxed bolt from epoxy - successful! Drilled out 12 (of 14) bolt holes in the forward corners of the bimini Epoxied 12 bolts (and 24 nuts) into the forward corners of the bimini Fitted, trimmed, and re‑stapled several of the headliners Took apart a curved headliner for the port aft cabin and started rebuilding it Sprayed gelcoat on several old holes in all the heads, and polished them smooth Sprayed gelcoat on 6 patches around the deck, and polished them smooth Several smaller "dit‑dot" gelcoat repairs, mostly around the edges of nonskid Painted markings on the chain and winched the chain and anchor into place Removed and re‑bedded the 2 leaking aft‑cabin hatches Drilled and epoxy coated 5 holes for the new diesel lines to run through Mounted the door pulls and latches on the 4 head cabinet doors Repaired some of the damaged varnish in the cabins Routed out the battery compartment hatch for the new hatch pulls Sanded the rounded salon cupboard door and brushed on several coats of polyurethane Epoxied the 10 teak plugs into the anchor platform Returned malfunctioning Dremel to Phuket Hardware for warrantee repair Talked with the cushion people to repair several salon cushion covers Extended our Thai visas, hopefully for the last time

Shooting 5200 under where the (raised) bimini leg will go

Week 116, January 20 - January 26, 2014:
The big accomplishment of the week is that we finally got the bimini legs bolted onto the bimini and onto the deck, which clears the way for several other jobs.  The headliner project also got a lot of attention, and it's taking a lot longer than we expected, but it is moving.  Baw and Heru both expanded their talents to new (for them) jobs.  Team accomplishments this week include:

Upper bimini legs trimmed and modified to accept bolt positions Bimini bolted to the upper legs Cabin‑top drilled for lower bimini legs, new 10mm bolts made up, and legs bolted on Corners of bimini filled, sanded, masked and gelcoated Several headliner pieces modified to accommodate the thicker foam and reading lights One headliner piece rebuilt when it was discovered to have soft wood Headliners essentially finished for both aft cabins All 4 heads sanded, filled, masked, gelcoated and polished All 7 remaining winches stripped, cleaned, greased, mounted, and reassembled 2 clusters of spinlocks and a set of turning blocks mounted to the cabin‑top All 3 remaining low‑volume bilge pumps replaced with 25 gal/min (90 L/min) centrifugal pumps 2 handles mounted on the inside walls of the sugar‑scoops 2 new handles mounted on the backs of the targa‑bar 2 pad‑eyes mounted to the side decks Insides of emergency hatch openings sanded, gelcoated, and polished Rounded cabinet door and nav‑table shelf sprayed with several coats of polyurethane New vinyl put down in the salon, and 2 floor pieces repaired Repaired Dremel recovered from Bangkok Hardware Work started on plumbing in the new forward diesel tanks Work started on replacing the portside toilet hoses Thai Sailing delivered our new salon cushions and bid on our dodger and side curtains

Ocelot is getting more put together every day!

Week 117, January 27 - February 2, 2014:
A busy week of plumbing projects, cockpit projects, dinghy projects, and headliners.  We're down to about 3½ workers, but we're actually making excellent progress.  Team accomplishments this week include:

Mounted the diesel fills, vents, and sight glasses to the new forward diesel tanks Connected the new diesel hoses from the forward tanks to the rear manifolds Replaced both portside toilet outlet hoses Connected the tops and bottoms of the 6 new and 4 old cockpit drains Connected and tested the 2 new shower‑drain systems Mounted our convertible helm seat Mounted the cockpit table to its legs, and the legs to the cockpit floor Mounted the 3 mesh covers over the lazarettes aft Mounted the 2 HDPE "skid‑pads" that keep Tomcat away from the lazarettes Built, installed, and painted new engine mounting plates on Tomcat Installed a foam bumper on the back of the outboard to protect Ocelot's hull Built and installed a fiberglass bow-tang over the old aluminum one Mounted zincs and folding wheels to Tomcat's transom Mounted the outboard semi‑permanently and locked it onto Tomcat Reworked countless headliners to make them fit with their thicker foam Mounted new spring‑loaded off‑wind jib‑sheet blocks Primed and painted the insides of the 4 foredeck lockers Mounted the 4 new cabinet doors under the sinks in the heads Polished the overhead lights and sprayed them with 2K clear‑coat Polished all the winches Mounted new zinc anodes to the sail‑drives

Assembling all the roller gear sections on the headstay

Week 118, February 3 - February 9, 2014:
This was largely a week of deck fixtures and headstay roller gear, with some interior varnishing and headliner work as well.  We have a nominal splash date of early March, so we're hustling to get everything done.  There were a couple of setbacks, but that's to be expected, and we made good progress.  Accomplishments by the team this week include:

Made and installed custom rounded fiberglass backing plates for the 4 big cleats Finished and mounted all of the headliners in the 4 cabins Retrieved the 20+ headliner pieces for the salon, and installed the first 3 Cleaned up our new headstay Checked all furler extrusions, tapped some more holes, and assembled the furler extrusions Mounted 3 folding steps and 8 fixed steps on the mast Mounted the mainsheet traveler control‑line spinlocks and turning blocks in the targa‑bar Repaired and installed the dinghy‑hoist roller turning block Mounted the portside aft cockpit door/gate Mounted the 2 medium‑sized cleats on the aft‑deck Installed the 4 cabin doors Polished and sprayed clear‑coat on the 4 faucet holders for the heads Installed the faucet/showers in the heads and tested them (and the water system) Modeled the bimini water catch strainers, gave to AME to build Swaged a steel painter to Tomcat's new bow tang, and mounted the engine Sanded, polyurethaned, and mounted 3 cabinet doors Sanded and painted the trim around the aft cabin beds Several minor gelcoat repairs to the decks and targa‑bar Installed 4 (of 15) of the interior hatch trim pieces Retrieved our 3 newly filled propane bottles, but our stainless steel tank was leaking Drowned the port engine when the hose was left on for too long

Heru and Baw traded off using the heavy polisher

Week 119, February 10 - February 16, 2014:
The big pushes this week were polishing and waxing Ocelot's topsides, including under the bridge‑deck, and preparing the salon headliners for installation.  We also completed much of the electrification of the mast, and finished mounting the big cleats and bollards.  Team accomplishments include:

Washed and polished the entire topsides, and waxed all but the starboard topsides Pulled all 4 wiring cables through the mast to the masthead Connected up the masthead tri‑color and the wind instruments, and soldered on the VHF connector Installed the 2 big LEDs in the masthead light, including baffles for the tri‑color Built and installed the wiring conduit for the front side of the mast Installed all 4 wiring cables up the front side of the mast Finished installing the mounting "ears" on the 11 long headliners for the salon Installed the 2 big polycarbonate windows over the emergency hatch holes Removed the water from port engine, replaced the injectors, and ran the engine briefly Installed the life‑raft in its lazarette Installed the anchor winch solenoids and tested the system Mounted the main galley faucet, but don't like that it's so big Mounted the foot‑pump faucet in the galley Laid out, drilled, tapped, and mounted the 2 bow bollards Finished mounting the 4 big cleats and their fiberglass and steel backing plates Installed the reefing pad‑eye next to the mast Installed all the split‑pins in the mast rigging, and the 6 spreader boots Repaired the tight teak shower grates, and glued neoprene under them Took our tanks and crumbling dive regulators in for servicing and repair Delivered our seized Profurl upper swivel to Boat Lagoon for repair Asked Rolly Tasker to repair our sail‑cover, and put OCELOT on the sides

Jon and Heru working on a jammed pull-through string

Week 120, February 17 - February 23, 2014:
A good week, as we charge headlong to a hoped‑for 3 March splash.  The work this week focused mainly on getting the mast and boom ready to mount (outside) and the salon headliners (inside), but many other projects were completed along the way, despite being down to only 4 workers these days.  Team accomplishments this week include:

The Running, Steaming, and Foredeck lights were mounted and wired up 4 rope leader‑strings were rerun in the boom All 12 sheaves in the boom were installed, with (new) cover‑plates A 6th spinlock was mounted to the mast All 14 remaining mast steps were mounted All wires at the base of the mast tidied up and secured All 6 mast halyards run and the extra rope secured 6 mast rope fairleads installed Gooseneck fitted to mast Mainsail halyard block stripped and cleaned (needs plastic ball bearings) Port propeller reassembled and both feathering propellers installed The galley shelves were sanded and received several coats of varnish Installing mounting ears on the salon headliners was finally finished The jigsaw puzzle of headliner pieces around the galley was mostly mounted Several pieces of headliner were mounted, starting on the port side of the salon All smooth deck gelcoat was cleaned, polished, and waxed Some damaged varnish in the cabins was repaired Bottoms of the keels were ground flat, sanded and primed LED lights and 3 ceiling sections installed in all 4 heads The fo'c's'les were cleaned and some gear was moved in The bimini water‑catch screens were received from AME and installed Stainless steel bash‑plates were bolted to the front of the anchor platform The compass pedestal was sanded and the compass mounted The stainless steel bow shoes were sanded, epoxied, and primed The internal LED lights were tested The portside engine had several bolts de‑rusted, treated, and painted The last of the topside waxing was finished, and the wax cleaned off the waterline Ocelot's bow name and logo were designed and ordered The forward mast wiring conduit was secured to the mast Several small bits of teak trim were built and installed in the cabins Stainless steel steering wheel polished up Our mainsail cover was repaired and Ocelot's name put on the side Thai Sailing came by for another fitting of our dodger and side curtains

Once the mast was in position, we had to tighten up the rigging

Week 121, February 24 - March 2, 2014:
Goodness - so much accomplished as we head for a March 3 launching.  The big items were putting on the antifouling, finishing the salon headliners (a huge job), dismantling (and selling!) the tent, and erecting the mast.  But the list of smaller jobs is much longer.  Team accomplishments this week include:

Bottom sanded and 2 coats of antifouling applied (black and blue), with 2 more coats in high‑wear areas Our wonderful tent was disassembled and sold to another boatyard (now we're burning hot in the sun) Virtually all salon headliners cut down, reassembled, and screwed into position Galley shelves installed behind the stove Ocelot's name and home‑port decals finished and stuck on Cap‑shrouds moved down from their storage area in the tent rafters, plastic piping removed Cap‑shrouds cleaned, ends polished, and installed on the mast PVC cap‑shroud covers bought and sliced to go over caps Headstay cut to length and Norseman terminal fitted Headstay installed on the mast All wires and ropes on the mast tied firmly to the mast for lifting Radar platform built, mounted, and radar mounted Ocelot moved onto the launching trailer and moved out 20' to allow crane access Mast and boom lifted onto Ocelot and fastened into place Main‑sheet, vang, and main‑sheet traveler control ropes installed Stack‑pack and mainsail installed, with battens and reefing lines (but not lazy jacks) Dodger and side shades fitted, modified, delivered, and installed Sleeping mattresses delivered with better covers New diesel tank lockers cleaned and painted Galley 220vAC socket wired up Stove sparker batteries installed and tested Gas shutoff solenoid tested, and all stove/oven burners tested Tomcat's engine tested and Tomcat hoisted in the davits Helm seat cushion velcroed to the helm seat Main halyard block rebuilt The 4 head doors were mounted Newly repaired scuba tanks and high‑pressure regulators received and stowed All sea‑cocks checked and necessary repairs made Engine oil and water checked and topped up as necessary 12v computer power plugs wired up in the salon Compass cover sanded, painted, and reinstalled Storm anchor chocks built, installed, and the anchor mounted Steering wheel mounted GPS tested and found to work Ocelot switched over to internal power (solar panels) Rubber bumpers added to swim ladders, for both up and down positions Winch handle holders polished up Emergency tiller access plates screwed to the deck Most of our boxes of ... stuff moved to Ocelot and hoisted on board

Ocelot is pushed into the (thankfully) calm ocean

Week 122, March 3, 2014 and on:
Launched!  Now the real fun begins...

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