Blast cleaning and repainting steel hull

Preparing and painting a steel yacht hull



Good example of long-term waterline UV damage.

Faded and well worn paintwork, especially along waterline
where UV damage is the most intense it seems.
 

After over a decade of ware and tear, and the odd tussle with pontoons during winter storms that involved the transfer of paint from the boat to the woodwork, since the last coat of paint the topsides and hull were due some attention. Hull was dry blasted back to clean metal below the waterline, and coated immeadiately (within 4 hours) with three coats of International Interguard 300 epoxy. Some fairing and spot blasting and priming were also needed before several coats of International Interprotect epoxy primer were applied over the whole exterior hull. Toposides were finished-off with International Perfection undercoat and finally three coats of International Perfection (Mauritiaus Blue). International Trilux (hard)antifouling was applied onto tacky Interprotect epoxy primer below water line as a base/mark coat, and waterline marked in with white Trilux. A few coats of an ablative (self polishing antifoul paint) will be applied over the top of the Trilux before launching.

Blasting work and spray application of Interguard 300 was carried out by Marine Blast and all other prep work and painting completed by Halcyon Marine Coatings (aka "Saunders"). Standard of paintwork is extraordinarily good, and I know a thing or two about painting steel boats after so many years of intimate dealings with rusty steel and corners. Note that all topsides paintwork was completed by hand using roller and brush techniques. Good example of an outstanding mirror finish with this technique. Interguard 300 base primer was applied using airless spray equipment.

 



Holy Loch Adventure

During the summer, August 2009, with a crew including Jenny Wright with Ruth and Duncan (newly arrived from Singapore) and Susan, myself and Ruairidh Skerryvore took us quickly to Holy Loch, just across the Firth of Clyde, heeled well over under all sail in about 25knots of wind. Most of the crew thouroughly enjoyed this, but others enjoyed the arrival much more. The highlight of the voyage was the discovery that Mackerel were running and willing to take any lure that came close to the water.