Boot Stripe Added to the Far Reach

[John Stone]

For a number of years I have considered adding a boot-stripe to the Far Reach. I prefer the way she looks without one thigh several friends thought it would enhance her looks. I like the simpler more classic look with the white topsides and red bottom paint. Sort of like Dorade or the old Alden designs. Less is more.

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But after the last two voyages to the Virgin Islands her waterline was banged up--mostly from mooring balls. While I could remove the staining I could not do anything to restore the clear polymer protective coating created by the curing of the Alwgrip topside paint. Without the protective coating the stains quickly returned. I reasoned if I painted an Awlgrip boot stripe it would be the sacrificial paint that I could simply reapply when it showed wear.

It took a while to figure out how to do it so it would be crisp and level, yet be properly wide under the transom counter (a foot wide!) and have the gentle swoosh forward I thought necessary to make it look proper. I added a one inch wide white stripe between the bottom paint and the bootstripe to effectively raise the top line of the boot-stripe for more protection height without making the stripe look too wide.



I think it turned out well. There was a little bleeding under the tape in a few places. I'll sort all that out when I apply new Alex-Seal topside paint next time. For now this is a good start and it will give me a chance to see how I like it before we repaint

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[jfischgrund]

Very nice addition -- looks great!

[Jim Walsh]

Nice job. It’s not nearly as simple a process as one would think. After first masking it you have to observe it from a distance and adjust the masking to obtain just the right gentle curve forward and aft, if not the result will not look fair at a distance. I did mine back in 2017. I chose not to preserve the white spacer because I found it was never pristine. I took the opportunity to raise my boot top by an inch and I stayed with the original sable brown but it was sprayed in Awlgrip. It has stood up remarkably well, and like many things on Orion, is best when observed from a boat length away…

[John Stone]

Thanks Jim. I can't layout the tape by hand and get a fair curve--it's always wobbly. I had to come up with a mechanical way to do it. Once I figured out how, it was not difficult. I have seen people who can do a beautiful job by eye alone. Amazing.

[JD-MDR]

Looks Great. I love it with the white stripe. Isnt there a name for that? Im waiting to haul out at Ensenada MX. Not till Jan 29. I put a boot stripe a few years ago but now I think I will raise the bottom paint 2” and lose the bootstripe. Now with the boat loaded down it sits right at the boot stripe aft and about 1:2” below st the bow i see some boats have the bottom paint 4-6” above the waterline. I dont like that look I hope 2” wont look bad

[John Stone]

Thanks John. I think 2" will look excellent. I have a little jig I made for raising your waterline exactly the right amount especially created to address the changing slope of the topside under the stern. If you're interested I'll send you a couple pictures. You can make it from some scrap wood.

[JD-MDR]

Thank you. I can see in the photo how it works

[DMacFl]

Very clever jig.