Painting the Bottom

25-27 August 2008

Doug Hem, of “The Antifould Doctor” was quick off the mark to get some paint on the bottom of the boat, once the anti-foul had been soda-blasted off. After a sand the previous day to get rid of the last antifoul around the edge and under the cradle pads, Doug masked off the below waterline area, then gave the yacht five coats of white epoxy. Luckily for that time of year, the weather was kind, with sunny to overcast but not too cold for curing and not damp at all.

In the hands of an expert the spray gun just seemed too easy. The five coats were completed in just a day, including the masking off. This made the hull look fantastic, filling up small pinholes, and giving it a really good waterproof basis for the subsequent coats of black anti-foul.

It seemed a pity to have to cover the lovely glossy epoxy but it's a necessary evil so as to have a stroong key between the epoxy and antifoul.

After an overnight cure, three coats of black anti-foul was applied the next morning. The transition from the patchyb soda blasted surface, then to a smooth white hull and subsequently to black was an amazing transition to watch.

The difference from the original crusty, flaky, thick old anti-foul to a smooth Black finish underneath the hull made a big difference. After all, from my vantage point on the ground that was the biggest view that I had!

When the weather warms up, and it is suitable to paint the top sides, we will put a white stripe above the anti-foul and grey up to the toe-rail from there. Once the old faded blue top sides are gone, but will look a lot more presentable.


I must admit to a slight disappointment that I didn't know that a grey anti-foul was an option (I saw Doug spraying two hulls grey a month later) as it is not as severe, but it may end up looking better for longer in black after subsequent coats of sacrificial anti-foul. The grey topsides will make a big difference.

Now I need to remove the toe rails to make the sanding and painting easier and to secure the currently loose rails again. Interestingly, I hate green and Moira always said, when we were looking for a yacht to buy, that we'd end up with a green boat! Guess what colour is underneath the current blue - GREEN!