I got my HIN (Hull Identification Number). Basically a boat’s equivalent of a VIN on a car. AKA the serial number. I’ll talk about this process more in another post. The number normally starts with a 3 character manufacturer ‘s code but for home built boats it is the state and the letter X. In my case ILX to start it.
It needs to be at least 1/4″ tall and affixed to the boat in a way that is not easy to remove. There are a few locations that it can be placed and I went ahead and put it in both spots. One is on the outside starboard (right) side near the stern (rear) of the boat and the other is on the side wall in the cockpit.
I tried a handful of different fonts until I found one I liked that read clearly but wasn’t obnoxious. A quick print at various sizes showed me that a 30pt size would be just over 1/4″ tall. This was then printed on transparency “paper” off a laser printer. I cut each one out, dabbed on a bit of epoxy and dropped it into place. I then flooded more epoxy over it. The next day I sanded smooth and then applied a second layer of epoxy to further seal it in.
The timing could not have been better on this as the next step is to varnish the hull. So once these are dried I’ll give them a final sanding through the grits and be able to start on the hull.
Speaking of varnishing the deck got a sanding. Most areas received 400 grit with a few sags getting 120 and then 220 first to even them out. This may be the last coat as I already had a very smooth and deep surface and if this one goes on as good as the last I should be done with the deck. Of course I won’t know until tomorrow when it’s dry and I can check it.
So the list is still varnish, seat, seals, hatches and deck lines. With luck I’ll get three coats on the hull Thursday, Friday and Saturday and if the third coat is good then be able to do the final fittings on Sunday. Although at this point if there is still varnish left I’ll probably keep adding coats to ensure adequate protection but I think I’ll be out or just about out after the hull and I still want to get at least one more coat inside the cockpit and hatch areas too.