Sail Life - Fairing the deck and prep-work for paint - DIY sailboat restoration 

My grand daughter just informed her Mom that she was watching "The Sanding Channel" with grand pa,lol

You keep saying "I'm not an expert at this, so don't blindly copy what I'm doing," but after watching you for a few years, I would blindly follow most anything you do. Between you and Andy, I feel like I have the two most expert people in the world to follow!..

A person that works on boats is also qualified to carry another title, 'Professional Sander' ;-) Seems like that's what 80% of any project entails! Looking great Mads!!

Even original boat builders generally don't go for this level of detail.

I have NEVER seen anyone so tenacious! My God you are detail oriented. That boat will be exceptional when you are finished. Thank you for the videos! I look forward to them every weekend.

I couldn't stand to sail that perfect boat. It belongs in a museum.

I have finally finished binge watching all of the Athena episodes. I finally feel like I can comment/add my $0.02 worth from time to time. Can’t wait until a topic come up that I might be able to help with.

You might not be a professional...but Madds you most certainly qualify as a Pro-Am ! I wish I could see your work in person.

I think I'll make your time lapse song my wake up alarm, it makes me so happy

Hopelessly addicted to your videos. Contemplating a purchase & refit myself - but just building up arguments for pulling the trigger or not and which tasks I could DIY. Thanks for all the effort Mads.

I squinted and squinted and squinted and all i saw was stupid prepwork, and I LOVED it :)

Because you do the best work ever, I think you should remove the wood and paint underneath. Thanks for the videos. I appreciate and am encouraged by your patience and craftsmanship.

Im leaving for bootcamp soon and i cant wait for the 8-video-binge when i get back.

It pains me to say this but I'm a new subscriber and watching this brings back the nightmare that was my father taking 35yrs to finish his boat part time, all the sanding, the dust, the mess, the endless roadblocks, the perfectionism/aka doing it "right", granted he started from scratch but the process is the same. Living a cruel dream... seems that's why do people do this too themselves, save up and pay someone who is a boat repair specialist to do the work or if that's too expensive face the fact you bought a dud and cut your losses, don't get stuck in the sunken cost fallacy, which is the trap I think my father fell into. When I hear Mads say only 2 more years to go and I see the crazy hours he's putting in(just like my father did every single day of my childhood) I get flash backs of my father saying that same thing every few years. Granted all boats require endless maintenance but the real question you need to ask yourself is do you want to be a boat builder or boat sailor? Either way good luck Mads!!

I'm actually starting to get excited about inside projects again now that the outside is in the final stretches! Great job!

You have to leave some of the "old" boat, Dont touch the teak around the door.

Kudos on the Gonzo machining of a custom router bit. R-E-S-P-E-C-T !!!

There should be a spiffy award for boat repair. :)

"somewhat extensive refit"🤣

Got a like for the burned shirt, that was hilarious!

Mads, I vote for protect the teak trim pieces for the moment. You may want to get rid of it later, but save it for now. Also, you are not allowed to give yourself a viking funeral while you are alive.

I think that boat is going to wind up nicer than some show cars I have seen!

I really enjoy seeing the fairing and prep work. I’m a complete rookie and this has been very helpful as I prepare to move into that phase on my little S&G skiff.

I'm very glad to see you separating the core from the fixings. So many boats cut the corner on that. Of course, you have a special reason to want to avoid future core rot! By the way, be careful with your health with those 14-hour days. I'm a lot like you, and just kept going and going for years (decades) like that. Now I have ME/CFS and have been told I'm a typical case. Develop a relaxation habit. I'm sure you'll be getting a lot of quiet time on cruises too!

I just caught up with a bunch of your (wonderful) videos so this won't feel very topical but here goes: considering how easily and often things on boats break, I think you might regret doing away with the spare head

That’s a “fair” amount of work! Great diy with the router, very little left to do by hand. If the companionway components don’t leak, it’s ok, for now. Go easy on the primer, you’ll be fairing again. A flashlight at a low angle, in a dark shed, with unsanded primer will reveal unfair spots. When your boat’s at anchor, & you’re rowing away in the dinghy, she will make you smile when you look at her!! Yer doin’ fine, Cap’n!!

Mads, love the bullet hole in your shirt, many thanks for all the vids you put out and keep us enthralled every Sunday. John. Wirral UK

Been watching for some time, and appreciate the effort you put into these videos Mads. Also, the fact that you are honest about what you can and can't get done in a certain time frame, well that is just the honest truth. Having jumped head first into projects myself, I think you would do a disservice to the youngsters with stars in their eyes about restoration if you didn't put the truth out there. There is enough of that instant fix stuff out there as it is.

I like the "franken-bit"!

Hi Mads - try using a long thin piece of wood batten (2-3M) to check the fairness over a larger area. Clamp one end and gently move it across the panel you are working on - it's cruel but it's honest!! Simply the best channel and keep up the good work!

So glad you were able to use the plastic squeegee idea for the fillet!

Wet the area in thinners or iso and look at your reflection. This gives you a really good idea how the fairing is going. Love the channel. Keep up the good work!

Sand paper works very well to smooth out plastic spreaders that you have cut to shape. Very nice work.

Mads great job on the paint prep i can hardly wait until you start painting and adding hardware and rigging that's when she's really going to be standing proud .. the bottom came out " pretty spiffy "

Sunday is complete, I've watched my favorite boat refit channel. I wouldn't take the teak off around the companionway, leave it and refinish.

Hi Mads, Just thinking of your fuel tank. You suggested that you may put in additional tanks, if you do you will probably need a fuel pump to transfer fuel to the day tank. I would consider putting in a manifold to feed the pump with stopcocks on each line. Another manifold on the outlet, one to the fuel tank and another to the heater tank and possibly the generator tank. I would also consider putting a manual pump in parallel with the electric one in case it breaks. It happened to us part way across a long windless passage & we had a nightmare of a job transferring fuel. If the deep bilge area is not suitable to put a fuel tank in, just paint it, then glass in some batons half way down then you could put in a bit of plywood in for an extra bit of storage and you have room for a bilge pump pick up. Loving your project. Alan.

Oh your shirt caught fire? First time huh?... I'm building my boat in steel and setting myself on fire happens multiple times a day :D Love watching you work though, You do great work!

Keep on keeping on Mads, looking good!!

spiffy up the wood on the door with some varnish to make it look bling, bling...holes in shirts, adds character...I've got a whole draw full of holey shirts....

Glorious Glorious sanding.

Keep in going Mads. We’re seeing a big splash right around the corner!

thats what ben did on his sail dingy ,sailboat story.no rotting wood around the holes great idea.

We are stuck on you! Great work!

My wife and I love sailing and I love wood working, so I would seem there is a lot of sanding in my future. 😀

Mads, you are my „Sander Hero“ ! I appreciate so much your detailed videos. Just started to do some TLC to a J27. Looking forward to your next video.

... now i know, what I missed the last years: a little bit of sanding :-))

You are doing a great job. I suggest sanding and oiling the teak in the cockpit. Varnished teak looks great, but it takes regular re-sanding and applying a fresh coat of varnish to keep that spiffy appearance. I also suggest going with a synthetic wood product for the seating area in the cockpit as it will not rot.

awesome job as usual Mads..I am glad that you did not rush to process for the sake of the video...keep up the great job

You are a working animal ! Good job.

Wish you could see what I am doing to my boat.. but you inspire me every time

Removing the teak trim will allow you to paint more completely - no need to cut-in around the teak. It would also open up the possibility of installing hinged doors instead.

Long-time subscriber never said anything but your eye for detail is amazing don't skimp on the companionway make it right that's all for now

Not really a safety sally but I got a chuckle out of making a custom router bit. It took a while to catch on. Most of my router bits are solid carbide and they would have reshaped the file.

Another spiffing video madds thanks.

Hi Mads yet another great video i have literally been with you for years!

Leave it alone. It's in good shape, looks good, and with some sanding will be right as rain!

Loved the time laps.

Tape the teak, don't give yourself extra work, your doing enough. Thank you for a great channel, well done

Tape up your teak and Not remove it. Very funny Mads. That's a good one.

Good on ya Mads. Keep at it. It will all be worth it in the end.

Three cheers for Gloria! :D

Glorious, glorious sanding keeps you in shape! Bring it on!

Really amazing attention to detail, in both the physical work and documentation, all with a very watchable style, excellent story-telling and personality. Thank you for posting and for bringing us along on your skill-building journey! Enjoying this and looking forward to the future phases of your adventures! Greetings from NYC! Oh, in however many years, if/when you're ready to move on to another boat or perhaps onto other things altogether, can I buy your boat?! :)! (I know I'd be getting an incredibly solid and well-designed vessel!) Greetings from NYC!

Your attention to detail, not only for shining topcoat but also for the stength of all parts of Athena is amazing. I hope you will get her ready for outside storage in time. Enjoying every video you make. And about the teak, you should be able to get it new, it’s teak!

Ava must love those manly sanding arms! If history has taught us anything it is that a Athena is a very poorly built boat. Thus, I am hopeful that when she begins to flex off shore all that fairing compounding doesn’t start popping and cracking. Give my regards to the OCD society in Denmark🤪🤣😜

congratulations for your determination, a greeting from Catania

PS The black plastic retainer rings that hold the helm unit together - the binnacle guard tubes run thru them and they fit into the flat aluminum plate onto which the compass is bolted - are a pain as they loosen and then the whole unit wiggles. I cut the curved tops off of mine with a hacksaw so I could continue to use them to hold the tubes tight, but than ordered some stainless steel collars from McMaster-Carr to hold them down. the collars tighten up with an Allan key. The whole unit is much more stable with the collars.

Thank You Mads for sharing your spiffy videos !! I love watching them and learning so much . You are OK in my book Mads 👍👍⛵️🇺🇸

When I have to stand in any of my home projects I use a strong flashlight to check for inconsistencies on the surface area I work on... you just slide the flashlight with the beam parallel to the surface and check... personally found it more practical than using rules and and other straight objects especially when I have to deal with curve. Plus you can use the light while sanding to keep In check where you are. You can also use a simple champ laser if you want sometimes it is better for bigger surface areas. Love your project. I hope I'll get to work on my own sailing boat soon

The “inside of the engine compartment”, sure brings back some memories ;-) Regarding the entrance of the boat. Do you want to keep something from the “original boat”?

Hi Mads, you're doing a great job. On the teak part of the hatch I would recommend that you don't remove it. I did and regretted it. Lots of money and time to replace. Just use a good two part teak cleaner, a bit of light sanding, and apply the finish of your choice.

By the time you're done you will have rebuilt that boat better than the original manufacturer built it in the first place. Hope you never find anther boat you like better. If youu do however, please let me know I'd love to buy this boat as I couldn't get a better built one anywhere. Love, love, love your videos!

When you get to the pedestal there is an aluminium/aluminum putty called Devcon that should help with corrosion repairs.

I can't wait for you to start painting already. You're really good at this stuff I'm learning a lot from you.

Just a little nervous with you kneeling on deck next to the portlights and no safety harness on. A scaffold next to Athena to stand on while you sand would make me feel better. Great work as usual. Hi Ava.

2:00 You can use a powerfull spotlight to find imperfections

You can always do the cabin door teak after she splashed

Been binge-watching two week now... now I'm up to scratch and hate waiting for next weekend... Love your work and admire your spirit in the face of set backs. Thanks for sharing your journey! held og lykke ;-)

Leave the Teak!! Cheers!

That wood around the hatch is needed isn't it for securing the sanders, I mean if the hatch were left unlocked they might get misplaced(?) Love the channel and your production please carry on, but what if no glorious glorious sanding? Doesn't bear thinking about... Take care... Steve

Mads Dahlke, The Most Professional and Competent Amateur Boatbuilder On Earth. Mads in Turbo Mode a Sight To Behold. If you get Tired of Software, you can probably make GOOD Money in any boatyard in the world, Mads. I foresee you having ZERO Problems with earning Cruising Money when you and Eva Go To Sea. Suggest you take as many of your tools with you as possible, and become Mads The Mercenary Fiberglasser and Traveling Boatyard.

I'm voting to keep the hand rails - cover with tape for protection while painting. they will look nice with your teak or teak-like cockpit Great episode Mads, Cheers from PEI Canada, Bryan

I say tape the teak and leave it alone! :) well till you are done with the top coat. maybe a good sanding and teak oiling after you are done with the major stuff!

Good work Mads. As usual :-)

for the outside edge, i use a piece of sandpaper folded over twice and then run a crease down it and sand by hand with it until you get the profile you desire

Great video Mads.

Sail Life: Hey Mads! Just gotta ask; You gonna fare that shirt? Now that that's outa the way--- I'd say your cockpit has the decided look of _Swisse Cheeze_ ? And stop telling everyone you're just a _programmer/software enguineer_ ... You're well on your way to bein' a top-flite _boat builder_ ! Lookin' good my man. Keep 'em comin.

Leave the companionway in place, its a good project for later, only 12 projects at a time until youre outta the shed!

Another great video.

leave the teak in place then sand it &varnish it at a later date to spiffy it up!

I'm not a boater but I have been following you with great interest ( you have inspired me to be more professional ) You are such a perfectionist so going by all the job could have left and didn't redo it just in case

Great Job! Glorious Sanding is your calling. Thanks for sharing and showing us the process of renovation.

If I hold my breath and squeeze my eyes I can see the color 😆

Mads, you have come this far, I say redo the teak.

New subscriber...sampson boat sent me.

Well done Mads!! The reworked router bit is pure genius!! It is not something I would ever do for a harder substance, but for 'glass and compound it is perfect. It all looks great, and can't wait for primer. As to your question....leave the border around the fittings with the paint. It looks more professional than having the non-skid all the way around the fittings

The progress you are making is amazing Mads! I love the 'Franken-bit' idea - brilliant. You and the work you are doing is such an inspiration. Thank you for sharing all the work you do on Athena :)

All of your gougeon products are compatible and interchangeable if you're running into a cool day but you need some working time if you had four pumps of resin you can add two pumps of slow Hardner and two pumps of fast hardener to get a medium speed set .

Another well done video Mads. Thanks

Great Video. Your quest for perfection is inspiring.