Roll and Tip Awlgrip for the Far Reach

[John Stone]

What a time we have had with paint. As part of our 6 year rebuild, we had the topsides of the Far Reach professionally sprayed by an Awlgrip certified painter. Other than the upholstery and the new sails it's the only thing I did not do myself. For six months of sailing we had no issues with the paint. However, upon arrival in the BVI after our 1600NM offshore passage we had bubbles all the way around the hull above the waterline--like a bootstripe of small bubbles. There was nothing I could do at the time but sail and enjoy my time in the West Indies. Upon my return to the US we hauled the boat and invited the Awlgrip reps to take a look. It's a long story and for more on it you can visit our website. However, I will say that Awlgrip, to their great credit, covered the cost of all the supplies we needed to repaint the boat--paint, converter, reducer, wipedown solvent, wipping rags, tack cloths. They also included barrier coat and bottom paint. The local Technical Rep, Andy Jamison, has been very good to us. There was no way to go back to the original painter who had passed away. So, regarding labor, which Awlgrip would not cover, we were on our own.

For many reasons, we decided to roll and tip vice pay the shockingly high fees associated with spraying in a boat yard. We started off by sanding the bubbles off last fall. We could not get anything else done as there was just too much going on. The temps were too cold by Nov. So, the boat sat on the hard waiting for spring. We applied 545 primer about 10 days ago and faired it in. Then, last week we built a 360 degree wind screen to block the typical 15-20 mph southerly winds, which is key to getting the paint to self-level. We erected scaffolding all the way around the boat to provided unrestricted access for painting.

After the wind screen was erected we sanded the whole boat. We gathered all our supplies and yesterday Gayle and I did a complete walk through developing the choreography to minimize delays once we started to paint. This morning Gayle and I rolled and tipped the first coat. We made a few mistakes in the first 10' getting our technique down but after that I was very pleased with the results. One to two feet away on the port side it looks sprayed. We have three more coats to go--so there is plenty of time for disaster. But, at this early point I am very optimistic. Tomorrow we will sand off the few flaws we had where we started and then apply the second coat. We have some wx moving in so there could be some delays but we might be mission complete by the end of the week.

More to follow.

[Jim Walsh]

Looks like you're off to a good start. Your wind screen is very impressive. It's the preparation that distinguishes a nice job from an outstanding job. I'm sure you'll end up with an outstanding result.

[John Stone]

Awlgrip Roll and Tip complete. We applied the fourth coat today. I think it turned out extremely well. We struggled with figuring the technique out but finally nailed it with the last coat.

To be truthful, rolling and tipping done correctly is a whole lot of work...and it takes a lot of days to complete the steps. Sanding is required after every coat. We also had rain days and a number of too windy days to paint days. And if there is any wind to speak of you need a wind screen which we built around the boat. The wind screen turned out to be essential to allow the paint time to level out. We originally left the bow end of the shed open but finally closed it off as well. We tried rolling and tipping with a wet badger hair brush. When it worked it was like a mirror. But it was inconsistent for us. We had four feet of perfect and then hideous brush marks for a small section.

Finally, we rolled horizontally (6" wizz hot dog foam rollers) and lightly tipped vertically with a three inch Jen-poly foam brush. Absolutely consistent. Not quite a mirror but darn close. The pictures are shot from about two feet away--on the scaffolding. We changed our rollers and foam brushes every 8-10 feet of horizontal distance.

We will pull the tape day after tomorrow.

[Jim Walsh]

Great results, John. My compliments to you and your dedicated assistant.

[John Stone]

Jim, thanks. Gayle has been right there sanding and slinging paint every step of the way. I'm lucky that way.

[steveg]

Great job. What is the material used in the construction of the bulwark?

[John Stone]

Hi Steve
We milled African mahogany for the strakes and welded 1/4" bronze plate for the bulwark brackets.

You can read all about it here: http://www.farreachvoyages.com/projects ... warks.html

[gates_cliff]

Jim, thanks. Gayle has been right there sanding and slinging paint every step of the way. I'm lucky that way.

Lucky Man!

[John Stone]

Over the last couple weeks we completed the reprinting of the Far Reach with Awlgrip using the roll and tip method, replaced the external nuts on the bulwarks with flush ones, repainted the bulwarks, disassembled the temporary windblock, and today reapplied the name and hailing port.

[Jim Walsh]

Looks great John, time to go for a sail?

[Chrisa006]

That is beautiful!! Thanks for sharing.

[John Stone]

Lordy I hope so Jim. We are going to do a little family camping first I think. Then I'll install the bowsprit, paint the bottom, and launch. We have a series of small projects lined up for the winter we will fit in between some much needed sailing. The usual stuff: new dorade boxes, drop in bug screen for the companionway, a vented drop board for use when sailing downwind in the rain, a couple of custom made latches I've been thing about making. We may even add a couple LED interior lights.

[tjr818]

Very nice John. Not to detract from your post, but what is that green boat in the background, it almost looks like a Junk?

[John Stone]

Hi Tim
My best guess is it's a Tom Colvin designed steel junk. Colvin is a very interesting guy. Former professional mariner turned naval architect and cruiser. I have one of his books called "Cruising as a Way of Life." Full of sage insightful ideas and info. Highly recommended.