Replacing the boat shop tarp, or, UV is Not Your Friend

The tarp on the boat shop started looking a little the worse for wear earlier this summer. There was at least a couple of small rips visible from the ground, up near the ridgepole.


One fine morning, we walked out to the boat shop to find the tarp on the ground on one side -- a huge split had opened up and down it came. Repairs were contemplated. Duct tape was priced. A new tarp was purchased. 


Tarp 2.0 is white, and not quite as big as the old grey one. It's laced to a row of nails along the bottom of the shop. Tarp 1.0 was laced on one side, but rolled around a 2x4 and nailed to the base of the shop on the other side. Smaller in this case seems better.

Without the tarp, you can see the boat (nice!) and the stuff against the wall of the shop (less!)
 -- but mostly, it's just way too hot to work inside when it's sunny.Trevor and Russ survey the task.

Robbie tied cord to the tarp, threw the ball of cord over the shop then cut the pulling ropes to length.
(Good arm!  Jays take note!) No photo of actual pulling of tarp available, since the photographer
had a rope to pull too. A certain amount of straightening and tugging had to happen up top too -- lots of friction.

And here it is, in place and lashed on.

Other things have been happening, too -- mostly interior painting and sanding. Not as many updates recently since the painting process isn't all that exciting when you're doing five coats (three primer and two topcoat on interior surfaces.) It would be an ongoing sequence of, "Look, here it is, white!" followed by, "Look, here it is, even whiter!" We'll update when it reaches ultimate whiteness. (Or in this case, ultimate Hatteras Offwhiteness.)