3.9 – Saturday

Today was big! We got up on time and ran to Lowe’s for a few more supplies – we broke a roller Thursday because we bought the super cheap rollers, this morning we bought some much nicer ones that are more ergonomic.

We needed the barrier coat mixed up and rolled on before it got too warm – Sean said that was part of our problem Day 1. We confirmed that the mixing bucket measurement was definitely off, we measured out 1.5 qts of both parts (3 qt total, according to the bucket) and both paint cans were half empty, so 3 qts in the bucket is actually a gallon. On the plus side, we applied an even amount of barrier coat to both sides today. I’m so happy to be done with barrier coat, it’s like painting with thick glue. As you can see in the photo below, there’s barely any difference between the white and the gray colors.

I’ve been trying to figure out when we can get the boot stripe done. The problem is that to mask for the boot stripe, I need to place tape on the top edge of the bottom paint, which I can’t do until the bottom paint is done and completely dry. If I wait for that, it will add a couple days to our timeline just for the flippin boot stripe. Or, I could use the same masking that we’re using for the bottom paint, and then the bottom of the boot stripe will have some visible dark blue paint that literally no one will ever notice. That’s been my mantra lately, will anyone see this tiny imperfection? No? Then don’t worry about it. NO ONE WILL NOTICE.

As I started painting the boot stripe, Kyle started mixing the bottom paint, once it was mixed we saw no reason for him not to get started. Normally we’ve been in a rush to get the painting done, but that was the 2-part epoxy, this is just paint so there’s a lot more forgiveness.

This stuff is BLACK. Blacker than space! But it rolls on easy, and I’m VERY pleased to tell you that it easily filled any of the pinholes we missed with the epoxy.

The first layer of bottom paint went on pretty quickly. We were both completely beat after, but it was a hot, sweaty day. We rallied for one last task – driving to Cooper River Marina for showers!

3.10 – Sunday

The weather this afternoon looked iffy so we wanted to get everything done this morning. By noon we had the second bottom paint coat done, then I got started on putting a second coat on the bootstripe. As soon as I did that I realized I was supposed to scuff the first coat before adding another so we took a break and ate lunch. It’s incredible how much arm muscle it takes just to do the minor things like put a line of masking tape down, or scuff the boot stripe. Even painting the boot stripe involves my left arm doing a static bicep curl with a quart of paint for about 40 minutes. After the second layer of boot stripe was on, it was time for the best part – removing all the masking!

Kyle also put a layer of Trilux 33 on the sail drives and the old prop (the new prop is shiny and doesn’t need it). All in all we wrapped up by 2pm today.

We’ve been making a list of what needs to get done before we go back in the water, and one of the top projects is to find something to protect the hull from the slings. When we hauled out, the slings pulled off most of the old boot stripe and left scuff marks all along the gelcoat. The boat yard leaves the slings laying in the dirt, and now that we’ve got fresh wax and paint I want to make sure we protect the hull.

In pursuit of that goal, we stopped at Cooper for showers and hit the thrift stores on the way back. We went to Goodwill By-The-Pound and found some ratty old (clean) towels that we can tape to the hull for protection. Four towels and a few other odds and ends cost just over $7.

She finally looks like a boat again! It’s been quite a transformation.

We’re ready for the slings now, so we’ll need to work with the boatyard to get lifted up.