Upper Hull | Applying Gloss!

The big day came when I applied the first coat of white Epifanes 3248 gloss to the upper hull.

I employed the tools and techniques learned from practice on the companionway slide and drop boards.

The paint is thinned with 10% Epifanes Brush Thinner and applied with a Rota foam sleeve roller, and tipped out with an ANZA Elite Pro 100mm tipping out brush.

Here they are.

The brush is washed with thinners before use and kept with its own tray of thinned paint for tipping out.

I wash the brush with thinners when mixing a fresh batch of paint to keep it soft and supple.

This approach worked well in the trials and again when painting the upper hull.

Here is the first coat on the forward deck well and cabin roof, viewed from starboard.

This is what the cockpit looked like.

I did this over two days; one for the cockpit and one for the topsides. It took about nine hours in all.

There are some residual brush marks but they are not excessive, and I did not once lose the wet edge.

And the finish is flat and very shiny.

So overall I am pretty pleased with the outcome. I will leave the paint to harden for a couple of days before I sand it for the second coat.

I can hardly believe that we really are approaching the end of the repaint, and the boat is looking good!