Note to self (and other builders): it takes one quart of mixed two-part Interlux paint to cover one coat of everything exterior above the nets.

We thought the purchasing department might have gone a bit overboard on paint buying, but the last Off White quart was cracked open late today to start the rudder and radar / vane tower. With the hard top and hatchboards still to go, (plus a few cockpit area spots needing a third coat) hopefully we have just enough!

Prepping for, and rolling out, this hard candy shell style marine paint has been quite a learning curve, including trial and error of supplies. One has to go bold, even when running up the hill to Home Depot to buy more foam roller covers. Yea, get four of those 5-packs, we’re going to burn through them! Mostly science, but part art in getting the thinner amount right, how much pressure on the roller, etc. I’ve actually not been “tipping” off after the roller; getting good results with small rollers, going back over the work after about a minute and having the roller pop the first pass’ bubbles. Anyway, here are a few glamour shots at the end of a long work weekend.

And for those of you who’ve been in the shop and seen these parts strewn about in their ugly/raw forms, happily note they’re shiny and about ready for prime time.

And here on the port side anchor locker door you see the hawse-hole where the windlass mounts and drops the chain below the deck.

Well, Bob it probably won’t be 72 degrees in the shop during the evenings this week, but if it’s in the 60s we’ll get cracking on the topsides (that today seem a helluvalot bigger than blank BurmaShave billboards to paint…