I've been out in MD on the boat now for a little over two weeks. We've made huge progress on the paint. After last week's post, we were able to get three more coats of barrier paint on!
The first coat we put on was white and we wanted it to cover all the places we had sanded plus sone area on the freeboard (the side of the boat that is above water) to help protect against any water incursion until we can spend more time finishing that area of the boat. Then we taped our water line and painted the next coat in gray so we could see to make sure we got full coverage on it.
Then another coat of white and one more of gray. Finally last night we took off the tape and got inside for dinner just in time as a huge thunderstorm rolled in and shook the boat with how load the thunder was while pelting us with rain. Luckily, in the temp here, around 90, the paint cures super fast!
The first round took the two of us around five hours to paint both hulls. It takes one gallon per hull. The second round took us about four hours. With each of these rounds we had to do some additional prep involving lightly sanding a few rough spots and washing or wiping down the hulls to remove dust and any oils from us touching it. After the second coat we were super careful not to touch any areas of the boat where we were going to paint. We did the last two coats in one big painting marathon yesterday and averaged about three hours per coat. And this time we got done early enough that the pool was still open so we could relax afterward!
Besides how much we enjoy being in a swimming pool - did you know that is how we met? - on Friday and Saturday, the restaurant that is adjacent to the marina has live music on their patio so we get to float in bathtub-temp water and listen to a nice little mini-concert! Plus we have a glorious view of the marina and all the boats in their slips.
I'm heading hone today, but John will join me there in just a couple of weeks. He won't be home for long, but we should get to celebrate his birthday with family (a few days early, but still) before he heads back. I come back out in October and we hope to launch or splash the boat then! Fingers crossed!
We are so very grateful to our family and friends who support us so much during this fun and a little crazy adventure! We couldn't do it without you! Much love to you all.
Now to figure out which marina we will keep SV Eternity at for the winter while we figure out solar panels and the support structure for them.
The first coat we put on was white and we wanted it to cover all the places we had sanded plus sone area on the freeboard (the side of the boat that is above water) to help protect against any water incursion until we can spend more time finishing that area of the boat. Then we taped our water line and painted the next coat in gray so we could see to make sure we got full coverage on it.
Then another coat of white and one more of gray. Finally last night we took off the tape and got inside for dinner just in time as a huge thunderstorm rolled in and shook the boat with how load the thunder was while pelting us with rain. Luckily, in the temp here, around 90, the paint cures super fast!
The first round took the two of us around five hours to paint both hulls. It takes one gallon per hull. The second round took us about four hours. With each of these rounds we had to do some additional prep involving lightly sanding a few rough spots and washing or wiping down the hulls to remove dust and any oils from us touching it. After the second coat we were super careful not to touch any areas of the boat where we were going to paint. We did the last two coats in one big painting marathon yesterday and averaged about three hours per coat. And this time we got done early enough that the pool was still open so we could relax afterward!
Besides how much we enjoy being in a swimming pool - did you know that is how we met? - on Friday and Saturday, the restaurant that is adjacent to the marina has live music on their patio so we get to float in bathtub-temp water and listen to a nice little mini-concert! Plus we have a glorious view of the marina and all the boats in their slips.
I'm heading hone today, but John will join me there in just a couple of weeks. He won't be home for long, but we should get to celebrate his birthday with family (a few days early, but still) before he heads back. I come back out in October and we hope to launch or splash the boat then! Fingers crossed!
We are so very grateful to our family and friends who support us so much during this fun and a little crazy adventure! We couldn't do it without you! Much love to you all.
Now to figure out which marina we will keep SV Eternity at for the winter while we figure out solar panels and the support structure for them.
The boat is looking great! Wish we weren’t five years behind you three/four! Keep up the blog, it takes a lot of work. I can’t tell you how often I refer to my blog. In fact, I write for myself and if others find it useful that’s great. I’ll keep watching and learning.
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