Cabin stripped, sanded and sprayed!

As the work has progressed on Mayhem! over the lat four and a half months, the majority of the work and the improvements have been to her exterior. Now... we all know that what is on the inside matters more than what is on the outside... and each time that I peered down below, I was reminded how truly ugly Mayhem was.

With a half gallon of Awl Grip left from painting hullsides and topsides, I thought I might be able to do something about it. The only problem of course was to get decent results on an a product like Awlgrip, you have to put serious effort into pre-work. What does that mean?? MORE SANDING!!! Uggg... gag me with a barbie-doll.

Some previous owner of Mayhem had painted over everything inside. Including perfectly fine teak trim, hardware, wires, and anything else that got in the way of his roller. Because I ddin't know what type of paint it was, I had to take it all off. Down to gel-coat we go.

Starting with 80 grit, then going to 150  produced results good enough for who it's for and I then set to cleaning up. Once I masked off all the teak , I taped over windows, hatch, and all the screw holes that go through the deck. Anywhere that atomized primer or paint may find its way out onto my shiny topsides was closed off. The unfortunate consequence is extremely poor ventilation during the spraying... but hey... I have a billion or more brain cells right?A TSP washdown and she was ready for primer. I sprayed 545 Epoxy primer all over everything on the inside.

After letting the primer cure overnight I was quite pleased with the mid-way look of the cabin. Of course.... what would a project be without MORE STINKING SANDING. Using 220 grit, I sanded down everything that was supposed to be smooth (some sections of the hull interior are "unfinished" and do not sand well. I left those. )Well... 220 grit paint dust is fine stuff and it took forever to get the inside thoroughly cleaned. I started with a thorough shop-vaccing, then a TSP wash down, then more vacuuming.A second TSP wash down and an overnight dryout and she's ready to spray.

By the time I had paint mixed and practice my sprayer settings and patterns, more dust had settled on horizontal surfaces in the cabin and it was no longer smooth. Another quick washdown with acetone did the trick.

Finally... the magic happens! My HVLP sprayer was set at about 55PSI. 1.4mm tip and paint thinned 25%. After a thin "mist coat" I let it flash off for 35 minutes. Spraying in the bow and v-berth was very challenging, and unfortunately, a close inspection of the forepeak will reveal no shortage of "hollidays", but this is a lightly traveled area of the boat and I am not overly concerned.

The second and third coats went on fairly "wet" and by the third coat, I was unable to see much of anything but the beautifully glossy sheen of Awlgrip Cloud White.

This afternoon's adventure to the shop where Mayhem is being transformed was quite a joy. The paint has set up and turned out splendid. There are a few places where I have runs and a couple places where it isn't quite thick enough but for the most part it turned out excellent and I am 95% satisfied. I am feeling more and more confident with the sprayer and had I done the Toe Rail, Cabin Primer, and Cabin Topcoat, prior to the barrier coat and bottom paint, I likely would have tried with more earnest to spray those coatings on the bottom rather than roll them. This would have saved me more.... sanding.

Now I am working on taping off for non-skid. I hope to be done with non-skid by mid-week and starting to bed hardware next weekend. I really am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but unfortunately, I do still have to sand and burnish the bottom. 

Here are some great pictures of the transformation!

Sanded, teak is stripped and ready to be masked.

Bulkhead is cut out to open cabin up. Holes are patched and sanded smooth, masking is underway.

Benches, floor, v-berth, all sanded and waiting for primer.

Looking aft... the quarter bert was a bear to sand and prep for painting. A close examination may reveal a few holidays.

Completely masked off, windows covered, and ready for primer.

My fume filled oven for the next couple of days.

To prevent atomized paint from making its way through deck screw holes, every single one was masked off.

First coat of primer went on nicely. Sprayer worked like a charm.

Even with just primer sprayed, it is looking a world better.

First coat of Awlgrip Cloud White laid on. You can already begin to see the hard glossy finish that will be left after a couple more coats.

Second coat on and looking terrific!

Second coat over settee and hull wall.

Two coats in v-berth and ceiling. Three on all smooth surfaces to give it that extra glossy goodness.

After three coats on the galley, walls, cabintop sides, and settee and quarter berth... I am ready for a break!

This boat project is really aging me... my hair turned gray in a matter of hours!

Masking tape removed revealing a lovely finished product. Nice, smooth paint lines, solid covering, and only a few minor runs. I am very pleased.

V-berth is much more inviting. Once the new cushions go in, this baby will be a weekenders dream.

You can see the high gloss finish of the walls here. Shiny and easy to clean.

Amidship looking aft. You can see the holes where compass, knotmeter, and depth sounder were are filled, faired, and pretty.

The galley area and teak trim around cabinets is in pristine condition and ready for a final touch.

Having the bulkhead between the settee and the trim reduced in size really opens the cabin up and makes it feel less cramped.