In this publication10 photos
After hull work, damaged paint almost everywhere I’d touched. Deck marks from sealant and primer. On the bulwark, exposed epoxy. Resin on non-slip, yellow hull scratches after the lock impact . Barnacles along the old waterline. On the keel, exposed metal.
Something needed doing, at least to stop her looking like a workshop.
A new waterline
A yard worker showed me to lay tape in one confident movement, rather than short pieces. Simple until facing nine metres of hull with tape in hand.
Aligned by eye, using the season’s highest barnacles as the new height. Unscientific, but if the sea has shown where it wants to live, take notice.
P80 on the sander removed yellow below the new line; the rest of the bottom sanded to grey primer too.
Epoxy primer and antifouling
Five epoxy-primer coats for water protection. Roll, about eight hours, key with an abrasive pad, next coat. Alternating colours showed coverage.
Primer over the new waterline, over-sanded patches and rusty keel areas. On the keel, sanded to metal, rust converter, primer.
Two final antifouling coats over primer and sanded surfaces.
Yellow topsides
Dirt, dried water tracks, scratches. Aggressive cleaning would turn gloss into uniform matt. Neutral-pH cleaner and soft sponge: Yachticon Black Streak Remover worked well.
Scratches levelled with P400, small yellow patches. First coat foam-rolled: a mistake, too thin with orange-peel texture.
Mohair roller for later coats. Fuller, smoother application, better coverage. Still no invisible blend: close up, the patch shows, fresh paint shinier.
From three metres, she looks new. Any closer to an old yacht, bring understanding.
White deck
Same approach. Worn-to-base areas: Epifanes Multi Marine Primer, three Mono-urethane coats, P400 keying between.
Dirty areas and repair marks lightly sanded, covered with white patches. Tidy again.
Non-slip
Epoxy spills and chips on KiwiGrip. P80, fresh KiwiGrip, texture restored by stippling with a brush.
Blended well. Most importantly, non-slip again, rather than a memorial to spilt resin.
The result
Very pleased. Paint maintenance wasn’t as frightening as expected. No perfect blends on an old hull; local repairs remain visible. But the overall change was enormous.
People asked about the paint. Walking the marina, I saw passers-by stop and touch the hull.
Perhaps the best compliment. Or perhaps I watch too closely who touches my paint.
#maintenance
Something needed doing, at least to stop her looking like a workshop.
A new waterline
A yard worker showed me to lay tape in one confident movement, rather than short pieces. Simple until facing nine metres of hull with tape in hand.
Aligned by eye, using the season’s highest barnacles as the new height. Unscientific, but if the sea has shown where it wants to live, take notice.
P80 on the sander removed yellow below the new line; the rest of the bottom sanded to grey primer too.
Epoxy primer and antifouling
Five epoxy-primer coats for water protection. Roll, about eight hours, key with an abrasive pad, next coat. Alternating colours showed coverage.
Primer over the new waterline, over-sanded patches and rusty keel areas. On the keel, sanded to metal, rust converter, primer.
Two final antifouling coats over primer and sanded surfaces.
Yellow topsides
Dirt, dried water tracks, scratches. Aggressive cleaning would turn gloss into uniform matt. Neutral-pH cleaner and soft sponge: Yachticon Black Streak Remover worked well.
Scratches levelled with P400, small yellow patches. First coat foam-rolled: a mistake, too thin with orange-peel texture.
Mohair roller for later coats. Fuller, smoother application, better coverage. Still no invisible blend: close up, the patch shows, fresh paint shinier.
From three metres, she looks new. Any closer to an old yacht, bring understanding.
White deck
Same approach. Worn-to-base areas: Epifanes Multi Marine Primer, three Mono-urethane coats, P400 keying between.
Dirty areas and repair marks lightly sanded, covered with white patches. Tidy again.
Non-slip
Epoxy spills and chips on KiwiGrip. P80, fresh KiwiGrip, texture restored by stippling with a brush.
Blended well. Most importantly, non-slip again, rather than a memorial to spilt resin.
The result
Very pleased. Paint maintenance wasn’t as frightening as expected. No perfect blends on an old hull; local repairs remain visible. But the overall change was enormous.
People asked about the paint. Walking the marina, I saw passers-by stop and touch the hull.
Perhaps the best compliment. Or perhaps I watch too closely who touches my paint.
#maintenance
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