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The Ever-Settling
Waterline (Page 5)
This page was last updated on 20 October 2002.
Sanding
Preparation and Painting the New Boottop
With my top edge of the new
boottop now taped off, faired by eye, and looking good, I taped over the bottom
paint (the new line), which is also the bottom edge of the new boottop. I
left the barest amount of the bottom paint showing above the tape line so that
the new boottop paint wouldn't have any unsightly gaps or tape lines.
With the new boot all taped off
with 3M silver #225 tape, I sanded the old Awlgrip between the lines to prepare
for the new stripe. I started sanding by hand with 220 grit paper, but
soon tired of it, so I switched to a palm sander with 220 grit for the bulk
sanding, taking care to feather the edge of the old boottop where visible to
prevent any unsightly lines later. The beauty of the silver tape is that
it is tough enough to stand up to being sanded over with a palm sander.
When I had the whole area sanded, I switched to hand sanding and 320 grit paper
to take care of the edges near the tape, where the sander didn't quite reach,
and to further smooth out the surface and the minor swirl marks left by the
sander. I wore a 3M respirator and goggles while I sanded.
When the sanding was done (it
didn't really take long, but I sure do hate sanding!), I wiped off the dust,
repaired a few small areas where the tape had been damaged by the sander, and
wiped the boottop down with Awl-Prep plus solvent, to remove any surface
contaminants, dirt, dust, and whatever else might have been on there.
Then, I tacked the area lightly with a tackcloth. The weather was mostly
overcast with some sun breaking through here and there, and around 60 degrees,
with a light breeze. The forecast called for possible showers, but
it looked OK for now, and I checked a local weather radar picture to see what
the story was--it looked OK, so I decided to go ahead and apply the first coat
of snow white Awlgrip to the new boottop.
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I had plenty of Awlgrip left over
from the initial painting project, so I gathered the various components and
prepared to mix a small batch. I put on my trusty respirator before
opening any of the cans. Into three separate small waxed paper measuring
cups, I poured 2 oz. of the base color component, 1 oz. of brushing
converter, and a couple ounces of brushing reducer. I pored some extra
reducer (T0031) into another container and submerged the bristles of my 2"
badger brush to clean them while I mixed the paint. Then, I combined the
base and converter into a small plastic container and mixed them well,
then thinned the mixture with a bit of the reducer. (.5 oz or
so). After spinning the reducer out of the now-clean brush, I tested
the consistency of the paint on a piece of glass, and added a bit more reducer
because the first attempt was a bit too thick. Now it was just about
right. Bringing the cup of reducer and a mixing stick with me, I went out
to the boat to begin painting.
I started on the port side at the
centerline beneath the counter (stern), since the inevitable lap mark would be
least visible here. I could tell as soon as I started brushing that I had
to add more reducer, so I added a bit to my container before continuing. I
painted in a clockwise direction around the boat, stopping once or twice along
the length of the side to add a touch more reducer--it really does evaporate out
of the pot, and you must add more when the brush starts dragging, or when it
just seems the wrong consistency. I brushed around the stem and continued
down the starboard side towards the stern. I was very pleased with how the
paint was coming out. There were a few little pieces of debris that found
their way in here and there, but since this is the first coat it doesn't
matter. The paint leveled beautifully behind me, though I did get one run
right aft of the stem on the starboard side, where I applied the paint too
thickly.
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 The
key to brushing this paint is to remember that when you've just finished
brushing an area, brush marks will remain behind you. But they level out
within a minute or two if you've done everything right. Attempts to end up
without any brush strokes the second you've finished the area will fail,
and will ultimately lead to overbrushing the paint, which will lead to just what
you're trying to avoid: brush marks and insufficient leveling, and you
will curse the paint. Keep the consistency right, add more reducer
frequently as you go, and don't fuss with trying to eliminate brush marks
immediately as you brush. Just apply a consistent, smooth coat, not too
thick, and it will level out beautifully. Really. But if you brush
it too much, or try to "fix" errors, or brush an area after it has
begun to set up, you will have a mess.
The amount of paint I mixed was
just the right amount for the boottop; I had a small amount left over, but
couldn't have mixed any less without running out along the way.
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I really like this paint.
It works well for me. What can I say?
Final
Coat of Awlgrip
I couldn't do the final coat for
a few days, since the weather was not good for painting. I did go out and
sand the first coat the next day, using 320 grit and just deglossing the surface
and sanding out the few flaws--a bug here or there, and one or two small runs.
Following the rain, we had a
nice, clear, dry day--a bit windy, but it seemed OK in the spot between the
trees where the boat is, so I decided to go ahead and get the final coat
on. I was pleased with the outcome--a few bugs got in the paint (where do
they come from, anyway!), and in one spot some water from the toerail ran down
the hull and across the boot. (I had dried the whole boat off before
beginning, but apparently I missed this drop.) In any event, these are
minor problems, and don't affect the quality of the boottop. Some paint
did run across the masking tape and onto the bottom paint--not a big deal at
all, but in case you see the white marks on the bottom that's the deal. Of
course this will get covered up in the spring when I paint the bottom.
When the paint had dried
sufficiently, I removed the masking tape. The new stripe looks great!
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Project complete. I'll post
some pictures of how this looks in the water next spring. Sorry for the
long wait!
CLICK
HERE TO SEE A SERIES OF BEFORE AND AFTER PHOTOS OF THE WATERLINE SIDE BY SIDE
(Large Page)
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