Well, I still have to put 2 more floor joists in but that'll come in a couple of weeks. I sprayed the inside of the bow and the floor with Elastomeric paint. The paint expands and moves with the boat instead of cracking. I primed the inside sides with an oil based primer and will spray the inside tan a little later.
I have FINALLY scraped and cleaned the steering wheel (I think the hardest part of the project so far), primed it and painted it an Almond gloss.
Now for the part I really enjoyed and am very proud of. As you can see in the pics, the steering column had a very heavy chrome cover over it. No only was it scratched but also painted on and anything I did to it just scratched it more. It is very tough so I had to get tin snips and channel locks to rip it off. Then the fun part, really...I enjoyed it...
I took little strips of dark walnut and cut them in customized triangle strips, beveled the edges and glued them on one by one like a custom puzzle until I worked my way all the way around. I sanded very carefully until it was smooth all around and all the edges fit together. I double coated the inside with Gorilla Wood glue and specialized super glue.
Once smooth, I stained the wood steering column cover and added several coats of lacquer for a nice sheen. I think it's going to look so cool sitting up against the cherry wood dash board!
I've also got the first bow rib up and in place.
Calm Seas,
Dan
