Skin Deep

On to the outside shell of my project boat: Having prepped the inside, we once again flipped the hull - with expert neighborly help - for the dermatology phase: applying the external skin.

Come to think of it, much of the time and effort already has revolved around making the surface of the wooden planks sea-worthy with ultra-thin layers of an epoxy seal.

Basically, it was sanding with 120 grit and 220 grit,

...then lay on the prime coat,

The primer CLC provided was battleship gray and I doubted that it was the right one. The pictures in the manual did not show a gray primer. However, I emailed and quickly got the response that, indeed, it was the correct primer.

...then sand some more,

(Note: sanding battleship-gray primer was quite a mess but luckily, the paint was not readily airborne so it was more of a dirt rather than a dust issue.)

...then apply first coat of paint,

(Note: I had selected Hatteras Off-White for the outside except for the top plank which will be varnished.)

...and sand with 220 grit,

...then apply the second coat
and sand 220 grit  - AGAIN!

...then apply third coat.


Sounds pretty straight forward and it was.

I admit that I'm pleased with the contrast of the creamy color and the okume wood veneer.

I am considering one additional coat of paint but will probably wait until the bright work is finished.
This combination of paint and "bright wood" (varnished) appears to be one of the more popular ones for this boat design and it is easy to see why.

Obviously, during this process there were hours of waiting for the paint to dry and cure before each coat could be sanded.

Coming up: what I did whilst waiting...

Also, as I was gazing at (and sweating over) the hull upside down, it all of a sudden became crystal clear to me why it was this particular boat that so much struck my fancy. It was in my genes. I'll explain...