by Paul | Sep 2, 2021 | Boat Building, Fabrication, Sailing & Cruising
The Mirage 5.5 sailboat I recently acquired is in reasonably good shape for a “free” project boat but does of course require quite a bit of restoration work before it will see the water again. To many folks, the list of projects may seem overwhelming, but the secret...
by Paul | Aug 26, 2021 | Boat Building, Sailing & Cruising
In Part 3 of this series, I apply “aircraft” paint stripper and then sand down the spars to remove the mast and boom coatings down to bare metal. I then prime and paint the spars, getting them ready to re-install hardware. Part 2 dealt with cutting down the mast and...
by Paul | Aug 19, 2021 | Boat Building, Sailing & Cruising
The latest addition to the Shoestring Shipyard Fleet! This is a Mirage 5.5 sailboat, designed to IOR racing rules, built in Florida. It is 20 feet in length and has a swing keel. This was posted on the Facebook Marketplace late Monday afternoon (8/16/3032) for free...
by Paul | Aug 13, 2021 | Boat Building, Fabrication, Sailing & Cruising
I posted Part 1 of this series back in the beginning of March (2021). IN that video, I stripped all the hardware from the mast and boom to prepare them for stripping to bare metal and inspection. This part deals with cutting down the mast and boom to the proper...
by Paul | Aug 5, 2021 | Boat Building, Fabrication, Sailing & Cruising
In Part 4 of this series, I apply 12oz fiberglass tape around all the edges of the ballast keel molds. Once the epoxy has cured, I sand down all the high spots and rough edges, plus I go over the entire ballast keel molds with 80 grit sandpaper using an orbital palm...
by Paul | Jul 29, 2021 | Boat Building, Fabrication, Sailing & Cruising
In Part 3 of this series, I finish grinding and sanding the trim wood around the outer edges of the ballast keel molds and fill any imperfections and screw holes with putty. I then coat the outer ballast keel wood surfaces with epoxy resin, then lay out fiberglass...
