Strake coating

It is usually good to have a boat that is waterproof. And in spite of using "marine" grade plywood, additional steps are required to make everything impervious to water. This includes coating most of the strakes on each side with two coats of unthickened epoxy. This is done to all but the bottom hull panel, and the number one strake, which will be covered with fiberglass later. And who better to coat the panels than my slightly OCD wife, Kathy? Her attention to detail will save lots of sanding later on, I'm sure. Actually, it was a group effort, with Kathy rolling on the epoxy, and me "tipping in" behind her, which means dabbing with a foam brush to remove bubbles. It was very easy to apply a thin coat, and avoid getting epoxy into the rabbet groove that will later be the joint between strakes when the hull is stitched. Also, I find the epoxy mixing budget mentioned in the book tends to be overly generous. What was supposed to take 16 ounces took us twelve. A hopeful sign that we won't run short of expoxy before the boat is finished. Total hours 4.75.