Fibreglassing

[Barry Pyeatt]

Well now, establishing a waterline.

Most accurate way. Float it when it is all done and loaded as you will sail it. Have someone in another boat or floating along around the boat and mark it. Virtually impossible to mark it when you are in it by moving around the edge and reaching down to do it.

Second way, wait until the second season and check the dirty (scum) line.

Third way, study a lot of the photos of other weekenders and guess.

Fourth way, Guess, considering this. As you change your loading in one of these little boats the wateline changes. Shift your weight and it changes the line. Empty it has one line, with you on it it changes the angle and the placement too.

There are other ways too. Know the weight and displacement then it can be calculated.

That is one of the primary reasons why small boats generally don't have watelines painted on them.

[Simon]

Thanks Barry, I suppose it can't hurt to paint the black stuff a little higher than the actual waterline and then refine it after a season or so by painting over the top of the graphite at a lower point. Then again maybe I'll just paint the whole lot with paint. At the current rate of progress I'll have plenty of time to think about it anyway. :roll:

[Barry Pyeatt]

Simon,

You know that is so true. There is still time to decide what you want to do. Colors are a very interesting choice ifor boats.

If you go to a large marina and walk the docks and pay attention to the boats that are there, you will notice several things. Once you get past all the white plastic and blue covers. The most prevelant thing to me is the number of boats that have antifouling paint on them and waterlines that don't necessarily match the true angle of the boat at rest. Most all of them are significantly above the true waterline. The reason for that is a visual trick when they are loaded up and underway it gives the impression that there is an actual waterline there. It also gives a definition between the bottom paint and generally the white glass hull above.

On traditional wooden boats it is somewhat different with colors. Dark colors are typically duller and not high-gloss. Hides the imperfections and shadow lines. Lapstraight hulls look great with white or light colors because the shadow lines are very important with them.

On smooth hulls, dark high gloss colors tend to magnify the imperfections where white hides them and you don't notice the imperfections nearly as much.

Take a look thru the galleries in both of the Stevenson related websites, and notice the contrasts between light and darks on the boats. Darks are very traditional, whites are more contemporary. If you are going for a fine furniture finish that mimics fiberglass, then you want a high gloss and probably white or a light color. And your prep work needs to be really good. If you are going for a more durable 40' work boat finish, flat er darker colors work well. They hide a whole lot of little mistakes and errors. Add a nice bright light colored natural wood rub rail and the eye will follow that and ignore the darker background around it. Same thing with a darker rail on white or a light color. Or with bold graphics. The eye gets drawn to the most interesting part of the picture and away from the problem areas.

Graphite added to the epoxy is one thing the drift boat group seems to believe helps them with their boats. I think that school is still out on that.

But it is tough. And slick! But there are a lot of compatability issues with types of paint you can use with epoxies.

Phil's Weekender looks great. He has one fine looking boat and he takes care of it. He has thought out his needs and sailing conditions and made some good decisions on what he wanted to do to prevent a lot of maintenance issues. Some of those issues don't necessarily have a great deal of relevance for a purely fresh water boater or for the occasional dip into the salt.

But they are very real in his area. I am intrigued by his graphite coating, it negates the need for bottom paint and maintenance should be next to nothing. It certainly is tough. But if you look at photos of his boat in the water, when it is loaded the waterline is different than when it is empty. Just the way it will be.

[Simon]

The painting/finishing issue is probably worthy of a whole other thread, but just for completness of this one, I'd be interested to here your take on Devlin's view of dark/light paint, in particular for topsides. He has done plenty of tests and is firmly of the opinion that dark colours should be avoided upstairs, since they have significantly shorter lifespan in the sun. I don't suppose that's ever stopped anyone whose built their own boat from painting it their favourite colour, especially if its parked undercover for the large part of its life, but it is something to think about. In particular for me, since I would like to paint large parts of my boat a dark green (I've heard called "British Racing Green").

We'll have to see ....

[Pat Mellema]

I have been thinking of going 1 of 2 ways on my keel. I am thinking of using a rubber coating like a truck bed liner or going with a 3/8" strip of oak to keep it from wearing I am not sure witch way to go. Has anyone tried the rubberized coating and how does it work.

[Barry Pyeatt]

Think you could buy and replace a lot of 3/8" Oak for the price of coating it with bed liner. With the oak strip you can see what is needing attention. Curious, how you would know when the bed had rusted out under the coating. :? Or rotted out under it on the keel. :roll:

We use the Spantex on the decks and cockpits because it is a waterproof membrane and it is out of the water for the most part. I just get concerned about keels and hull components that can't be checked easily to see if they need attention. But that is just me. Coat the bottom and it would probably be quite resistant to all the issues we face with bumping, scrapes and the stem sure would take impacts against a dock/rock better. Especially if it is thicker there. But then that is why they make bumpers out of used rubber tires for work boats. And they are easily replaced. There is a company in California that does topsides with it.

[Barry Pyeatt]

Devlin has a well founded argument in my opinion. Dark colors topsides breakdown faster and cause more maintenace headaches than light colors do. I say that with some experience, although only in particular areas of commercial boating. But I always remember getting into my 55 Merc convertable with the black paint and black seats in the summer and frying my bare legs. Same thing happens with dark colors topsides on boats. Interiors stay cooler, seats more comfy if they are light. Light colors last longer and dont' breakdown as quickly with paint either.

If you are looking for a great combo with British Racing Green, try Golden Oak, and Light Tan or Beige topsides. Nice classy combo. Try the lower hull Green, the mid rail line in the tan or beige with green on the sides of the cabin and golden oak for your brite woodwork. Make up a nice Golden oak open grid floor for the cockpit. Classic!

But it is your boat and you will come up with a great combination.

[SeaEagle]

I used to race (sailing boats) in the Marlborough Sounds in New Zealand, where alot of the beaches are made up ofl triangular shaped granite (think lots of small indian arrowheads).

Myself and a few other locals started running lengths of (split) pvc type hose along the bottom edges of keels and bilge boards - this worked really well and is probably what I will do. 14ft of hose will cost maybe $10

[Phil Gowans]

Simon,

I didn't even attempt to conform to the waterline. My graphite is about 5 inches higher than the chine all the way along the hull. Because my hull is dark green you have to look really hard to see where the separation is.

My goal was "British racing green". I find that my green looks almost black. Because of the angle of the hull and the kind of lighting you get on water, dark colors look really dark. For that reason I wish I had chosen a bit lighter color. I don't think the hull sides really attract that much sun, at least on a weekender. Remember that when the sun is at it hottest it is shining on the deck not the sides. My dark deck does show some signs of getting too much sun though. I'm glad I keep ALOHA covered 99% of the time.

SeaEagle,

PVC - totally sacrificial. That's an interesting idea. How would you attach it? That's where my no metal on the bottom becomes a problem.