Team 456 Work Day. Well, Scott came over this morning to help with boat duty. The plan: get her cleaned up so we can add some artwork, hull numbers, etc. We also hoped to sand down some rather large gouges in the bottom of the boat which were inherited from the previous owners. Steve brought some of his orbital sanders and some sandpaper and away we went. As you can see from the photo, above, there's considerable denting and scratching of the hull. Scott had to return to family and Steve broke for lunch and I pushed on intermittently throughout the day. Her sides are considerably more shiny though there are obvious areas around welds and rivets which we avoided for clear reasons. I've read that many commercial boats are dipped in phosphoric acid and given an electrical charge simultaneously. This creates a bluish tinge to the aluminum but imparts a protective layer of oxidation which is stable and prevents further corrosion. I sure hope we haven't created a nightmare by sanding her down. I'll probably go pick up some naval jelly at the Home Depot. I believe that naval jelly is essentially contains phosphoric acid and can protect aluminum. I'll have to research further.
Finally, an interesting read about what makes a boat fast. I suppose this is a science that can't just be googled and answered in one fell swoop. I did read that, counter to what's intuitive, a perfectly smooth surface slows you down. It basically said that if you get little air bubbles on the bottom that aides the glide.
We'll have to figure this all out soon. I just want to put stickers on our boat.
By the way, if you've read this blog entry and enjoyed it, can you click on this link and donate a dollar or two? It would really help working, low-income Austin musicians access much needed healthcare. And here's the link:
www.gofundme.com/Team456
Thanks,
Don
Team Cuatro Sinko Seis.