Painting underway

After much procrastination and more sanding I finally got to the point where I figured it was time to put a coat of two part epoxy primer/sealer on and see how it looks.  I went with International Interprotect, thinning it about ten percent for the first coat.  I had been a little hesitant to start, wondering if I had done enough fairing but you have to stop at some stage or it will never get finished.

Because of the boat cradle I decided do it in two parts, the underneath of the hull (which has a large flat surface unlike many boats) and everything on deck.  This will be followed with the sides of the hull (two curved chines) from deck down below the waterline to the bottom.  I cut in the edges with a brush and then rolled the rest with a 160 or 180mm roller (not foam).  The stuff stinks, so throw away overalls, two sets of gloves and full respirator were the order of the day.  All the shed doors were open for ventilation as well.

Pictures will hopefully make clear what I have coated so far.

Looking aft from the stem at the underneath surface before, gives you and idea of the width of the flat area as it goes aft to the cabin area and then in again to the transom.  Still have a few bolt holes through the keel to fill (including through the lead, some of which I cannot get to at the moment):

And after.  The hull sides from here up to the deck are yet to be done:

The underneath from aft:

Anchor well forward:

The transom from the side:

The cockpit from the side:

From the front deck looking aft (before I did the cabin):

Looking forward down the port side after cabin done, light was failing so a bit dark but you get the idea:

Overall I am fairly impressed.  Particularly the deck and rear quarter deck where the surface is a bit thicker and smooth with no ability to see through the coat.  Some other areas are a bit thinner, but there will be at least another coat and possibly two once I have sanded a few runs and filled some spots.

I had to remove a couple of props each side under the boat to get at the bottom, but none of them had any weight on them.  I didn't want to remove the sides ones as well leaving nothing, but they don't have weight on them either at the moment.  I will strap the boat to each side of the shed before I take the side ones out for safety, and will probably finish underneath and put the props back before I do the rest of the hull.  Slower but the idea of lying underneath painting with nothing each side to prop the hull if it moves doesn't appeal to me.

More sanding and painting to come, used about 4 litre of paint (one can with hardener as well on top) so far.  Mixes three to one and needs a good stir and to sit for 10-15 minutes before use but so far so good!