Author: The Slow Boat Builder

International paints recommend sanding with 320-400 grit sandpaper before applying the final coat. So here she is (now looking like a boat so must be a “she”) sanded down, masked up and ready. I switched to a foam roller for the final coat. The rollers I used on coats 1 and 2, despite being good… Continue reading Final coat

Time to see what the selected colour looks like. We chose Night Blue – Perfection Pro Topcoat of course. It turned out a little lighter than we expected, but I am not complaining. As per the undercoat, applied by roller. The first three pictures below are after the first coat. The paint went on without… Continue reading Topcoat

Having added another two coats of undercoat, I had to mark the progress with a post. The pictures don’t look any different to those taken with only one coat, but it really has happened – honest!

I can’t put it off any longer. It is time to start painting. My trepidation is about whether the finish is good enough. It is so hard to tell with the patchy colour of the resin, but running my hand over the surface, it feels like it is smooth. The edge of Coppercoat provides a… Continue reading First Coat of Paint

It seems a little strange to think about antifouling already, but it is a lot better to apply Coppercoat while the boat is upside down than attempting to do it crawling underneath and being dripped on. So, this stage is about Coppercoating! Coppercoat is interesting stuff. All boats kept in the water need antifouling and… Continue reading Antifouling Already?

After all the sanding, I need a couple of coats of resin to provide a good base for paint and Coppercoat. Not a lot to look at, but I have added a couple of pictures below showing the nice glossy finish. Which of course I then sand a little to give the next layers something… Continue reading Top layer of Resin

It is quite a while since I updated my progress. I have made progress, although there have been some distractions. I decided that before putting my Shrimper back in the water, I should treat the spars to a lick of varnish (or really Cetol Filter 7 plus). And then with Lagom waiting for me in… Continue reading Distractions, more sanding and a length of Fishing Line

I have been working, honest. But quite a lot of work is required to show visible progress. This stage is all about providing a surface ready for painting. The fibreglass cloth needs to have a good layer of resin to protect it, and surface needs to be fair and smooth. The first step was to… Continue reading Fairing

One of the challenges of building a boat for the first time is that it takes time to find the best ways of working. There is only so much you can learn from books and the internet. Having tried various ways of hanging a length of cloth from the top, I discover what is, for… Continue reading One side done. On to the other

It is quite a while since I posted. All the pictures up to the gas bottle were taken in October. Since then life just got in the way – Putting my boat away for the winter, Holiday in Italy, Holiday in Holland, Christmas, New Year. It is tough being retired! Let’s get on with the… Continue reading Sheathing; and a Winter Break