Roll and Tip Paint Application

All the weeks of hard work and preparation have payed off.  I has taken countless hours of glassing, priming sanding, fairing and more sanding to get to the point where the paint can start flowing.

As most of you know, there are a couple of ways to apply Awlgrip two part paint. If you had the boat in a boatyard spraying it on might be easier and take less time. This job is being done with the boat in the water, so to keep the neighbors happy, the roll and tip method is being used.  Rolling and tipping refers to the application method of the paint.  The paint is rolled on evenly and it is then tipped with a fine hair badger or china bristle brush to smooth it out.  The tipping takes out all the bubbles and allows the paint to flow out into a mirror like finish.

After another sanding of the primer the surface was wiped down and the painting began. The pictures below show the process. One person is rolling on the paint and one is following behind tipping.  Three coats will be applied with a lite sanding in between.

Wow, it takes a lot of work to bring this old boat back to life.  In the end it is a labor of love, making something that has been neglected and old new again, seeing an old classic restored to her original beauty! There is an extreme amount of satifaction knowing that new life has been given to this grand girl!

WHY WE CALL A SHIP A ‘SHE’

We always call a ship a "she" and not without a reason.

For she displays a well-shaped knee regardless of the season.

She scorns the man whose heart is faint and doesn't show him pity.

And like a girl she needs the paint to keep her looking pretty.

For love she'll brace the ocean vast, be she a gig or cruiser.

But if you fail to tie her fast you're almost sure to lose her.

On ships and dames we pin our hopes, we fondle them and dandle them.

And every man must know his ropes or else he cannot handle them.

Be firm with her and she'll behave when skies are dark above you.

And let her take a water wave - praise her, and she'll love you.

That's why a ship must have a mate; she needs a good provider.

A good strong arm to keep her straight, to comfort her and guide her.

For such she'll brace the roughest gales and angry seas that crowd her.

And in a brand new suit of sails no dame looks any prouder.

The ship is like a dame in that she's feminine and swanky;

You'll find the one that's broad and fat is never mean and cranky.

Yes ships are ladylike indeed, for take them altogether

the ones that show a lot of speed can't stand the roughest weather

Author unknown

 Starting up front on the bullworks

 Down the port side to the stern

 Up the starboard side

 Touching up around the chain plates

 Starboard side

 Stern completed

Look at the shine

The Pink Fairing Goo!

After the fiberglass mat was epoxied down the long process of fairing has started.  The pink goo was spread across the whole deck in hopes of making it smooth at a babies bottom. Speaking of babies my brother Brad became a Grandpa today with the birth of his daughter's son.  Now back to fairing. The pink goo is called Awlfair, it is an Awlgrip product that is an integral part of the whole process to smooth out the deck. 

You can all see the pictures below of Brad and his crew.  They have spent countless hours on their knees fairing, sanding more fairing and sanding. Spot filling those missed spots and sanding again.  Brad sent me another set of pictures today with the caption "It's a beautiful thing".  He was referring to having completed the last coat of primer on the deck after the fairing process.

This has been a project that started with the buying of the boat in 2003, that is 8 years ago.  The project really began with a young man who had a dream of adventure and wrote famed captain Irving Johnson to see if he could run away and join the crew of the Yankee Clipper.  He held onto that dream even after his father failed to mail his letter.  Dreams are a funny thing.  If you hold onto them long enough they magically become reality.  This day is more than pink goo and snorting sanding dust, it is about working everyday to make your dreams come true.

The pink gooo!

 Faring on the deck

 Fairing 

 Fairing Sanded down

 Spot filling

 Priming after fairing

 Priming the starboard side

 Priming the deck

 More deck priming

 Priming the port side

Reglassing the Deck

The Florida crew just keeps on amazing me on how much they can tackle and get done.  All the PO 46's had teak decks applied at the factory.  They were all built in the early 1980s and most need replacing if they have not been already.  Many owners have redone the decks in teak and other have opted for a greener option.  With teak prices being what they are and teak wood becoming rarer it made sense to save a few trees and just glass the deck.

There are many benefits of just glassing  and painting the deck.  Teak decks are beautiful but require maintenance and sealing to keep them looking good.  The fiberglass deck on the other hand is bulletproof and requires a hosing down and scrubbing once in while.  The boat is in Florida which is another reason the glass and brighter surface made sense.  Dark brown teak decks create an oven down below during the summers in Florida.

The object of this rebuild after all was to maximize the enjoyment while minimizing the maintenance and work that it take to keep a boat up.

 Cutting and rough fitting the fiberglass mat

 Dry fitting mat

 More mat

 Bow view

 Port side

 Fiberglass resin rolled into the mat

 Priming the starboard side

 Primer on the foredeck

More priming

 Priming

High build primer starboard side

Primer on the deck

The next step is to fair the deck using Awlfair and then she will be ready for the non-skid application.

Fairing and Priming

The crew has been busy in Florida fairing and sanding the bull works.  I am sure their knees are sore by now.  The starboard side was primed today April 1st, 2011.  The rest of the primer will go on the port side tomorrow. Great work guys! The Awlgrip will go on after the primer and then onto the non skid for the deck. A little progress each day.  The end is in sight.

Priming the starboard bow

Starboard bow

Starboard Stern

Starboard Stern 

Starboard

Port

Starboard bow primed

The crew taking a break!