Painting

(Click on the photos to make them larger)	After fiddling about with the craft for what seems like months I decided to take the plunge and tear everything out of the hull. Now everything is out it looks very bare but it does mean I can prepare the craft for painting which I think you will agree, Is rather exciting!
A general shot showing the engine removed ready for the hull to be painted.
Because the engine sits so close to the bulkhead I have had to cut this area out of the bulkhead between the seating area and the engine bay to allow the water pump pulley to sit without rubbing against the wood. It did not need to be this big but I figured better save than sorry!
I could have made some wooden hatch covers but to be honest they would have looked rubbish so I have gone for the more expensive option. These hatches are a single piece self sealing plastic moulding with a twist handle locking mechanism. I am undecided as to wether to paint them or not.
Closeup of open hatch. You can see the black rubber sealing strip around the edge of the lid. The compartments inside the hatches are quite small but even so, having somewhere dry to keep things is always going to be a good thing. The right hand hatch (the one in the photo) Will hold the fuel pump and filter along with the wiring loom and control cables. The lefthand hatch will be used as a dry storage area for tools or clothes etc.
	Fixed the photo upload problem and have added some more below :-)
The engine bay, storage compartments and dash area has been painted with 15 year white paint. The rest of the craft has been strenghtened with fibreglass tape and then painted with a layer of filler which I am in the process of sanding down to give a smooth finish before painting. I HATE SANDING!! The fine dust gets everywhere! (Including on the camera lens!)
This is a general shot of the front of the craft, this is what it looked like before I started sanding so its quite rough. (Im not sure what I would do without that vacum cleaner!....Its amazing at removing the nasty polyester dust!).....Just dont tell my mother that I pinched her vacum and put it in the garage!!!
Protection is the name of the game! When using the belt sander a lot of dust was kicked up, hence the need for a breathing mask, eye protection and ear defenders. This combination of protection is very uncomfortable and means I can only work for about an hour before my face starts to melt! The things we do for the joys of owning a hovercraft :-s
	We have paint!!!!!!
After what seems like months of filling and sanding, and filling and sanding I decided that enough was enough and mixed up some paint and applied it.....The change from the grey dusty looking craft even shocked me, It actualy looks half decent now.... However, I am not sure if the paint is going to set and stick to the substrate so keep your fingers crossed for a few days more :-D The paint is wet in these photos so it looks a bit too shiny!
WHAT A DIFFERENCE!!! The paint almost matches the duct which is quite good :-)
This is only the first coat, so it should start to look a lot smoother once I have applied another two coats. Cant remeber if I have said this before so I will add it here: The paint I am using is a marine paint designed for oil rigs and ships etc. It is called Jotun HardTop-Flexi. Although it is experimental on wood, other people have reported amazing results because the paint is so flexible it wont crack up when the wood flexes. It is not amagingly cheap, but it should be worth it! The paint can be ordered in any RAL colout and comes in two parts and is mixed together just before application. It can be sprayed on although I chose to use a roller for simplicity, and initial results look promising! (If you want more info on the paint, get in touch with me!)
	Thats it for now, I will be adding more paint tommorow and will report on the progres as soon as there are more photos available. Duncan