Thought the NFM port lights would be difficult to tape, but found a great method. My wife made a template for the opening by using charcoal to trace the outline on water color paint paper. Once she had the outline, she made 7 more copies. It is fairly stiff and holds up to water well. Then p[laced tape around the template edges. Once deck to port light was in place, I held the template in place and rolled the tape on to the NFM unit. Once both tapes were in place, a wide tape could be placed over both to cover the small opening between the 2 tapes. I have posted several photos of how I taped the ports. Note in one photo the main tools I used; tape, scissors, small screw driver (used to push tape into joints) and angled popsicle stick (used to smooth the tape in place). Used a quart of gel coat (color matched by Fiberglass Coatings in Sarasota - $70 and lots of 3M painters tape). Since I had the bright work off, I sanded and applied 3 coats of Captains 2015 varnish. I was going to remove the teak grab rails, but discovered my headliner is attached to the cabinetry at the head. my headliner is in good shape so ended up taping the rails. As with every project, prep is the key. Used mineral spirits to prep surfaces prior to taping and acetone to prep all surfaces prior to spraying - Be sure to use gloves with chemicals and a mask when spraying. Biggest issue is to clean the spray gun after each use. Bought a product called "naked Gun" to clean the spray gun, but found acetone was more effective.
If anyone would like more information on this project, feel free to email me at
telindsay@comcast.netTom Lindsay
Hooligan #370
Attachments: |
Taping Port Lights 1 - Opening Cover Template.JPG [ 688.09 KB | Viewed 0 times ]
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Taping Port Lights 2 - Ready to Install.JPG [ 705.16 KB | Viewed 0 times ]
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Taping Port Lights 3 - Taping Complete.JPG [ 531.35 KB | Viewed 0 times ]
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Taping Port Lights 4 - Ready to Spray.JPG [ 599.16 KB | Viewed 0 times ]
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Spray Complete 1 - Port Side.JPG [ 466.54 KB | Viewed 0 times ]
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Spray Complete 2 - Bow.JPG [ 449.84 KB | Viewed 0 times ]
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Spray Complete 3 - Deck Reassembled 1.JPG [ 471.09 KB | Viewed 0 times ]
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Spray Completer 4 - Deck Reassembled 2.JPG [ 523.81 KB | Viewed 0 times ]
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