Project Seafari Tuna-fication

[oldbluesplayer]

TheHermit - I used Interlux Brightsides, and their 216 thinner, thru a standard spray gun, think I was running about 45 psi at the gun, with a dryer on the line. If you were going to brush, or roll & tip, you would use their #333 thinner, instead. The Brightsides is basically their low end paint, there are a couple other, higher end choices - maybe if I ever paint the sides, I'd go there, but not for the bottom. Now that I've got the new decals back on, I can't wait to wax and buff the sides - what you see in the latest pix is just at the compounded and washed phase - the 3M Finesse-It worked quite well.

Bill

[eggsuckindog]

WOW that looks so much better with the bottom paint off, keep going so you can get some Tuna. To bad the those young bucks are so far away now, although mines here and I can't get any help anyway-that other gender affliction

[bunderwood]

hEY WHAT DID YOU USE TO REMOVE THE BOTTOM PAINT? gRINDER? WITH WHAT KIND OF DISC?

[oldbluesplayer]

ESD - I've been wanting to strip the bottom since I got the boat - it probably had 30 years of accumulated bottom paint on it, the previous, and original, owner, kept it in the water - that bottom paint was so thick, and yet so leached out from immersion, that it looked like the boat was wearing a worn out scotch-brite pad, as a diaper !! So, I can't wait to see what a slick bottom does for performance !!!

How ? Dirtiest job I ever did - jack the boat up, crawl underneath, and go at it with a disc sander - 40 grit and 80 grit, then with an orbital sander with 100 grit ---

Warning !!! if you do this, wear a respirator, face mask, and coveralls !!!!! and even at that, I could only stand 2 hour stretches at most, and crawled out from under looking like a blue raccoon from the dust - strip in the laundry room, and head straight for the shower !! there were nights I just could not bring myself to dive in - overall, it took me 6 or 7 sessions, 1.5 - 2 hours each - and absolute arm breakers, holding a power tool up over your head.

I did hand wax and machine buff the hull sides tonight - and my arms just about fell off, but it looks good.

Now, back to that front bulkhead. And a trailer hub that needs to be stripped and new bearings installed.

Bill

[65Bowrider]

Bill,

She's really looking beautiful!
We had an interlux expert come out & look at our boat after painting. On the bow stem, just below the tow ring, the paint rubbed off due to it rubbing on the V-stop on the trailer. He told us it takes a good 3 months for the paint to completely cure. Other than that, we're very pleased with the interlux.

[nestorpr]

Looking good!! Love the red on white look. I also agree on bottom paint, if the boat's gonna live on a trailer, why paint the bottom??!! I think that bottom paint's only for boats that will stay on the water for weeks at a time, it also will rob some top mph. If someonw wants the "look" of bottom paint but will not keep the boat on the wtaer, then he/she should paint it with a much slicker hull paint like the one you used, Awlgrip or Imron, whichever will hold up better to the scuffing of trailering the boat.

[Bigshrimpin]

What about turning the radar arch the other direction? . . . I think it would give you much more fishing space.