Neew Sun Cat

[steve brown]

Well my new boat did not come in April but am told it will be ready early June. Good things are worth the wait they say.  Her name will be Nunki. Nunki is the second brightest star in the constellation Sagittarius. It is my second boat and my astrological sign. Nunki means "God of the waters" according to ancient Sumerian language. That is fine with me. Good sailing to all this Summer. Steve

[Bob23]

Let me offer an early congratulations, Steve.
  Where will you be sailing? Be sure to post a photo of her here at the site when she arrives.
Bob23

[Tom Ray]

Early June? That's NOW! Let's see it!

[capt_nemo]

Steve,

Congratulations on your New Sun Cat "Nunki". I'm sure you will enjoy sailing and tinkering around with your Sun Cat as do most of us Sun Catters.

Along with the decision to buy a Sun Cat you have yet another decision to make regarding how you prep your boat for future use. And, the sooner the better! Take a long hard look at the entire boat when you get it, especially all the exterior and interior wood (visable and hidden). Then ask yourself if you intend to use her just as she comes from the factory, or while still New, perform some tasks that will preserve her structure and enhance her value to you and any future owners.

Depending on what your decision is, there are some recommendations I could share with you regarding how I "prepped" my brand new Sun Cat for future use.

Welcome to the Sun Cat Family!

capt_nemo

[steve brown]

Cap'n Nemo, Sure, I am open to any information you would like to share regarding prepping my new boat.  Thanks, Steve

[capt_nemo]

Steve,

OK.

The new boat has some wood outside and a lot of wood inside, all of which comes UNCOATED and UNPROTECTED! Since the boat is New and the wood is essentially quite clean and pretty smooth, now is the time to put a protective (preserving) coat of your favorite wood finish on EVERY piece of wood on the boat.

My first priority was to coat all EXTERIOR teak with several coats of Cetol Light. I've used varnish before on several large cruising vessels but eventually switched to Cetol for all of the rest of my boats because of its virtues, not the least of which is NO SANDING BETWEEN COATS! I really don't like sanding. Whatever coating you choose, it is very important that, after making sure that the wood is clean and dry, you wipe down the wood surface with a rag moistened with fast evaporating Acetone. Be sure to change to a clean surface on the rag as you go. This will prepare the teak surface, which has natural oils in it, by removing most of the oils, drying the surface, and allowing the coating to really take a good hold on the wood. And, take the time to tape the fiberglass around the teak before coating, you won't be sorry. If you decide to use varnish, take a look at Epiphanes Wood Finish Gloss - no sanding between coats!

Then I turned my attention to the interior. With my boat protected in the garage I removed EVERY piece of wood or structure with a bare wood surface inside the boat - large and small. If it was totally hidden from view (and sunlight) like the storage bin covers under the cushions, I coated all surfaces with a good quality Epoxy, sealing the exterior surface completely from dirt and most importantly MOISTURE. The rest of the pieces in view were coated with several coats of, you guessed it, Cetol Light.

The small pieces are easy to remove and apply several coats of finish in a few days.



The larger pieces are not too difficult to remove and replace, but do require more space and more time.





Not only have I protected and preserved key pieces of trim and structure, but I've increased the value of my boat, primarily in my eyes, and perhaps to any future owner lucky enough to call "Frisky" their own.

[steve brown]

Cap'n Nemo, Thanks for your great information. I planned on using Cetol on my boat also; bought a can of it on sale at West Marine. I have already used it on my teak swim ladder steps. Thanks again. Steve