The fact that I moved the boat outside to work on it was both a blessing and a curse. I wouldn’t have been able to paint the boat inside and the added freedom of working space is unbelievable. But the weather turned cold, hampering the curing process of epoxy. I caught rain once and today when my wife tried to help me carry it we dropped it. As a result one seat got partially unglued. I was mad at my self for not giving it enough time to cure and bond. We moved the boat on our covered porch and I will work on it there for a while now. It is protected from rain and it is a little warmer. I have cut fiberglass strips and glued the seats with fiberglass on the outside also. This should seal the seats from over and under. I have to promise my self not to touch the boat now until the epoxy completely bonded. I think 3 – 5 days is best.

In the meanwhile I also worked on the oars. I attached the leathers and epoxied leather buttons to the top of the leathers.

I have purchased some wooden leathers at a local craft store and gold paint. I painted the letters and will see whether they are a nice fit on the boat. I want to attach them to the transom. The letters are quite big but my boat name will be ROSA therefore it might look ok with only 4 large letters on the transom.