On Watch Sailing Blog #1
Preparing for Season 2023 – Paint!
This winter has been unusually mild. Lyra has a long list of maintenance items and improvements to do. With the warm weather, we’ve gotten a jump on many of the to-do list bullet points. Perhaps most visible, a new paint job!
It’s amazing how a new paint job makes Lyra pop! We’ve gotten so used to the process that we do it every couple of years. In the photo to the left, the starboard side is sanded with 320 grit paper on a vacuum sander. The port side is still untouched.
It takes an afternoon to do most of the sanding, and another few hours to fill and fare any scuffs. Then all we need is a warm, windless morning and we roll and tip the paint on. If we are lucky, we will find a perfect morning in early March to make it happen!
Over the years, we’ve used both Awlgrip and Epifanes paints. We like both and will use Epifanes for the hull. Once you understand how to use it, the paint applies beautifully and has a nearly spray quality finish if all goes well. It’s also repairable, which is a huge selling point for us. Just like a car that’s driven a lot, Lyra sees more wear and tear on her high gloss paint job than most boats do.
At this time, the hull is completely sanded with my Festool 6″ DA sander with 320 grit. This tool was a big purchase, but it has amazing dust collection, is very light, and sands to a gorgeous flat finish. We’ve had best luck with the “soft” pad, as it follows the natural curves of the hull, while leveling the surface.
A few nicks and dings from the mooring pennant and other wear and tear have also been fared out. For non structural faring such as this, my go to product is 3M Marine Premium Filler.
Once we have a paint day, we will wipe down all of the surfaces with denatured alcohol, tape off, wipe down again, wipe with a tack rag and then paint! It can be hit or miss doing this outside, but even if we have to redo the process for some reason, it’s far less expensive than putting the boat in a paint booth for a professional spray job.
