Day 132, Year 4: A Bump in the Road
Date: Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Weather: Back to Normal-Beautiful Day, No Dark Afternoon Clouds
Location: Boat Lagoon Marina, Phuket Island

When I reread last night’s log, it was obvious that it was late when I wrote it and the usual detail was not included. I mentioned that the heavens opened up and poured rain but I didn’t mention that we were walking to Royal Phuket Marina when that happened. Luckily there was a temporary tin shed (contractor’s outhouse) where we could get out of the torrential downpour. I also didn’t mention anything about boatwork, but that was intentional. We had our first disappointment yesterday with the paint job and I just wasn’t sure what to say. Now that we’ve had twenty-four hours to think about it, I can write about it.

Yesterday when we went to the boat, Luck was wet sanding the green waterline stripe on the starboard side with 2000 grit sandpaper. I was mortified. What was wrong? He explained that while they were spraying a big wind came and there were dust particles in the green stripe. Mark and I had not noticed this. But now for the second time a little part of the new paint was being sanded and then rubbed out with 3-M Perfect It III Extra Cut Rubbing Compound. Before I had a panic attack, Oh arrived and we expressed our fears about degradation in the area where Luck was sanding. Oh really believes that there will not be early degradation. Since we have three coats of AwlGrip instead of the usual two coats, he says this is no problem. All of the contractors here say the same thing, but naturally they would as they all have to do the same thing when a paint job is not perfect. We went back to the apartment and researched as much as we could. We’re still not sure what to do about this, but for now we are just leaving it as is. If more problems arise, then we might have to be more aggressive in our dealings, but for now we continue to trust what Oh is saying and are going along with his “fixes.” Mark and I never even saw the dust specks so we obviously need to put on our magnifying glasses. I cannot tell where Luck did the little fix, so I guess the good thing coming out of this is that we are learning what to do when we hit the dock and get our first ding in the paint. I will most certainly carry 2000 grit sandpaper and the 3M product for future fixes because you sure can’t see where the work has been done..

My goal today was to finally, really finish cleaning and polishing all stainless and every screw, bolt, nut, and washer from Windbird. Well, I didn’t quite make it. By mid-afternoon I was going crazy with boredom of doing the same thing all day, so I switched gears and went back to editing and naming photos. Maybe I’ll make the goal tomorrow and maybe I won’t, but I will certainly be glad when that work is done. At the end of this log, I have outlined my process for cleaning stainless, aluminum, and screws, bolts, nuts, and washers covered in caulk and rust. If anyone has a better way, please let us know!

I started this log earlier and it is now about 9 pm. I just heard thunder, so our rainy weather must be back. Windbird’s cabin top and cockpit are to be painted tomorrow or the next day, depending on weather. Even though we are under a tent, you don’t paint when it is raining. Rain usually comes in the afternoon and a morning painting would be fine, but tonight’s thunder show is different. I guess we’ll find out in the morning what is to happen about painting.

Stainless
I have been using a product from New Zealand called Grunt which you paint on, let sit for fifteen minutes, and then wash off. It is a gel, like Vaseline, and probably contains phosphoric acid although it does not say. But the rust really does go away. But we have found that things cleaned with Grunt rust more readily even though the product says that it leaves a protective coating. After every piece of stainless has been cleaned with Grunt, we then apply a product called Mirage. It is a polish that you can buy at boat shows in the US and we really think it extends the life of the stainless cleaning. Since I am just about out of Grunt, I have purchased a product here called Permatex Rust Dissolving Gel which does contain phosphoric acid. It is more like a liquid than a gel and does not work quite as well as Grunt, but it is what we can find here.

Aluminum
We have a lot of anodized aluminum on the boat and I have no idea how to clean that. But for the aluminum that is not anodized, I found a product here called Duro Aluminum Jelly Cleaner and Brightener. It does an adequate job, but I have had to apply it three or four times to get a decent result.

Cleaning Screws, Bolts, Nuts, and Washers
These little guys are a challenge. We removed hundreds from Windbird and all were heavily covered with black caulk and some were rusted badly. We have worked hard to find replacements for most, but I am still cleaning the old ones for future use. We first soak them in paint thinner, scrub them with a wire brush, then coat them with Grunt or the Permatex Jelly. After they are rinsed and dried, we then apply Mirage to each and every little piece. That is what is so painstaking.

090303 Day 132 Boat Lagoon, Phuket, Thailand–After the Green Stripes