Building Allie Kat
A Somes Sound 12 1/2
Wood Protection and Finishes
About as much fun as watching paint dry. It takes a lot of time – there aren't any shortcuts.
I used Total Boat Penetrating Epoxy Sealer, TotalProtect Epoxy Barrier Coat Primer, Total Boat Topside Primer, Total Boat Wet Edge Topside paint, and Pettit Neptune HRT Water-Based Antifouling Paint.
Penetrating Epoxy
The penetrating epoxy is very thin to begin with and you can further thin it with acetone if desired. It takes a long time (days) to fully cure and it cures with an amine blush that needs to be washed off before further coatings can be applied. Two coats give a shiny finish – then very light sanding before proceeding with primer paint (it's a thin coat and easily sanded thru). I bought the half gallon kit and have some left over after coating the exterior of the hull, the centerboard trunk – inside and out, and the centerboard. I will need to buy more before the boat is complete.
Barrier Coat
The TotalProtect barrier coat needs to be thinned to get an even coat. It dries very quickly and does not behave like an epoxy at all – it's a fast drying paint. I bought the quart kit and had enough to paint the interior of the centerboard trunk, the lead ballast keel, and the entire exterior of the hull. Everything got one coat except the hull below the waterline got two. It's imperative to wait a few days before sanding because the paint is soft at first and you will sand right thru it if you sand too soon.
TotalProtect barrier coat is used for metals as well as wood. I made sure before mixing the stuff up (very limited shelf life) that the lead ballast keel was ready for paint. Oxidation needed to be cleaned off the lead keel before painting. I wore a dust mask and sanded it with an aggressive grit on my random orbital sander. To clean the centerboard slot in the lead I bought a cheap set of bore-cleaning wire brushes and ran them in my power drill. They broke and shed bristles, but I got the job done before destroying the last of the six brushes in the set. I put just one coat of barrier coat paint on the lead using a foam roller.
Topside Primer
The Total Boat Topside Primer was expensive, difficult to apply, and probably unnecessary. I started with 1 quart and painted the hull above the waterline. It was difficult to get even coverage over the TotalProtect barrier coat primer. I sanded and tried a second coat and ran out before finishing the job, so bought a second quart. In the end, after a few days to let it cure, then much sanding I had the topsides ready for the top coat. I should have skipped this very expensive primer and painted my topside paint over the TotalProtect barrier coat primer.
Topside paint
The Wet Edge topside paint needs to be thinned, but only a little. They have a special brushing thinner for this paint and it dramatically increases drying time. I thinned my first coat 10 percent as directed and it took over two days for the paint to harden. I didn't thin the second coat at all and it hardened in about 12 hours. I had some sags that needed to be sanded in the second coat. I also had a problem with brush strokes showing. I sanded the blemishes and used a Scotch-Brite pad to scuff the rest and put the third and final coat on, thinned about 2 or 3 percent. In this last coat I got a mostly good finish with just one sag that I'll repair later (I'm getting really sick of painting).
Antifouling paint
The Pettit Neptune HRT water-based antifouling paint was easy to apply. I scuffed the barrier coat with 80-grit and then painted on the antifouling paint. I used a laser level to mark and tape the waterline – I moved the painted waterline up about 1 inch above the actual. I put two coats of slightly thinned antifouling paint on according to directions. You can see brush strokes in the paint, but the instructions say that they will disappear when the paint goes into the water.
I permanently marked the design waterline at the transom and the stem when it was still bare wood. To make a reference that would later show thru all of the paint I glued a piece of cotton string stretched straight at both waterline marks - the cotton soaked up the penetrating epoxy nicely. It will be interesting to see how she floats in reference to these marks.
Varnish
I like Epifanes clear varnish. I used a foam brush to put 5 base coats on the transom over the two coats of penetrating epoxy, lightly sanding between coats. After I paint the name on, I'll add two or three more final coats using a fine natural bristle brush.
One Way to Paint a Boat Name
Like varnishing brightwork, there must be a thousand different ways to paint a name on a boat. I used a combination of stencil, masking tape and free hand.
The name went on my boat's mahogany transom which is finished bright.
I started by sealing the mahogany with two coats of TotalBoat Penetrating Epoxy with light sanding between coats. On top of the epoxy I put on 5 coats of Epifanes Gloss varnish. The Epifanes comes out of the can quite thick – like maple syrup – so I thin it about 10 percent. Without thinning I have a hard time getting an even smooth coat. On a broad flat surface like the transom I use the roll and tip method for applying the varnish. I think this is a good way to ensure uniform thickness. It takes about ten minutes to apply the varnish and then you have to wait a full day for it to dry for the next coat. I lightly sanded with 220 grit between coats.
The name is painted with TotalBoat TotalGold Metallic one part paint, and 1 Shot Lettering Enamel.
I looked on the internet at the names on classic yachts and decided on a block font that I like the look of. In Photoshop Elements there's a way to curve text to follow an arc. The top edge of the transom is cut with a small arc and I put an arc in the name to follow the edge. Even though this boat has a large transom, the name has to go above the rudder putting it near the top and next to the curved edge. Putting the name on in a straight line wouldn't have been wrong – I just liked the look of it curved. I printed the name on paper (several pieces taped together) to check it for size and the right curve.
Before proceeding with putting gold paint on my pristine transom, I decide to practice a little sign painting. First my house, and then my neighbors got new driveway signs with our house numbers. The neighborhood is very nautical now. I practiced by painting five signs each with four numerals.
The stencil material is a thin plastic film with a sticky back. In my practice tries I found that printing the numbers in black made cutting difficult because it was hard to see where the knife blade had been. I tried different colors and settled on gray as the easiest color to see the cut. I set the printer up for the long thin stencil and it went thru without a hitch. The injet ink needs to dry overnight, and even then it will rub off if you're not careful. Cutting out the letters on the stencil is easier with a curved blade X-acto type knife. Don't cut thru the paper backing, just the plastic film – it cuts very easily.
Before placing the stencil, I sanded the entire transom in preparation for the sign paint and also additional coats of varnish.
When positioning the stencil on the boat, refer to the letters, not the stencil edge, in case the stencil material went through the printer a little crooked.
I painted 5 coats of gold paint, waiting 1 day between coats – I did not sand between coats. After peeling the stencil off I painted a thin outline on the letters. I chose dark green because the bottom paint is green. Black would have looked just as good. I used very thin auto detailing masking tape on the straight sides of letters and some of the gentle curves too. Tight curves and short straight segments were painted free-hand. Key to keeping a steady hand is a hand rest that bridges the wet paint (photo below). There is only 1 coat of the dark outline paint.
I finished the job with three additional coats of varnish over the entire transom including over the name. Between these final coats I use a scotch-brite pad instead of sandpaper. When the boat is completely done the transom will get an additional two or three coats of varnish.
