80 Grit
In spite of cold and windy weather conditions that seemed more like early March than late April, spring commissioning efforts began this weekend and 80 grit seemed to be the right roughness for attacking the old bottom paint. If you’ve ever sanded a bottom, you know what a dirty job it can be. Toxic anti-fouling paint dust not only gets on the hull and clothing, but also into your eyes, ears, and throat. Naturally, you wear protective clothing, goggles, and a respirator, but still the fine particles seem to find a way through. And if you’re “lucky” enough to have your boat on a trailer, the body contortions you have to perform to navigate the trailer’s axles and rollers can make you wonder about your body’s “gumby-like” limits. But, we all get through it, doing the best possible job to ensure the bottom looks as professional as the topsides.
Lots more tasks on the way from cleaning the bilge to touching up the engine paint to checking the thru-hulls. So, time to get out the checklist and start marking things off. Launch is a just month away now .
