Okay, now that the glass has been laid down, we are shifting to the fairing process. And fairing is a PROCCESS. It is not a one and done deal. It takes many iterations to get it right, Apply fairing compound, sand, apply fairing compound, sand, apply fairing compound, sand, etc., etc.. Over and over again till it is just right.
Side Explanation Note: What does ‘fairing’ mean? Fairing is a process of making the surface both smooth AND correctly following the lines and curves of the surface. Take for instance the back of a boat, the transom. Most instances the transom surface is both rounded/curved left to right (port to starboard) and also top to bottom. The process of fairing the transom is to make all of the curves/angles/roundness ‘correct.’ In this case it takes a lot of time sanding with a flexible long board sander. You can make any surface smooth, but that does not mean it is fair. In boat lingo, ‘fair’ means that the surface is fair to the eye – smooth with no unnecessary ups or downs. A surface can be smooth without being fair. Any surface can be smooth yet also have ‘rolling’ peaks and valleys. A fair surface, on the other hand, is both smooth and has no peaks and valleys – i.e. the contour of the surface is smooth and naturally follows the lines left/right and up/down. Does that make sense? I hope so…
So, over the next week or two, I am going to be fairing both the entire transom and the upper and lower parts of the pilot house that were just glassed in. The process of applying fairing compound, sanding it down, applying more fairing compound, sanding it down again, etc. is not very interesting nor does it make for interesting pictures. But that is where we are at in the process. So buckle up to be be bored. But I will tell you, as the person doing the process, when you get to the end of the process and see the results of the work, it feels great!
Let the sanding begin…
