Me and My Boat: To Paint or Not to Paint

By the end of November the boat was ready for the next step.  I had removed virtually everything from the hull; fittings, wood work, hatch covers, and the obnoxious green paint.  The interior had been gutted and was void of all material.  The boat was now an empty shell.  She was clean and ready for a major make over.

Now the big question; what color to paint her?  I had discussed this with Marcia and we had a basic idea.  The boat would be painted the original color scheme, white with blue trim.  I even went as far as having my wife measure the trim line so we would know where to paint it. 

However, talking to Tim; he suggested we rebuild the interior prior to repainting as to avoid messing up the new paint job.  Good idea.  Nothing would be more annoying then scratching the shit out of the paint I had labored to affix to the boat.  So, painting on hold, rebuild interior.

I had been toying with ideas about the interior and how I wanted the layout.  It would be plush with marble to enhance the decking; carpet on the deck and around the fixtures.  Custom made cushions for the berths would add to the decorating scheme.  The theme would be ‘Jungle Love’.  The cushions would have zebra stripes of course and the bulkhead wound be painted with a plant life motif.  Different hues of green would make the occupant feel as if he were at an oasis.  Not!

It’s a small boat for Christ sake, it’s not like there was much of a choice.  The new interior would be pretty much the same as the old interior.  With the exception of the rotten wood and saturated foam flotation.  However, there would be some modifications. 

The original interior had two built in storage bins which also served as seats.  That is, if you were a pigmy.  Those would not be replaced.  Instead, my idea was to have some narrow shelving follow the curve of the bulkhead up to the upper deck.  The berths would remain the same with the forward berth being extended to make it actually useable for someone to sleep on.  Again the original design was meant for people of small stature.  The new interior would allow tall people to sleep in comfort or at least stretch out.

Tim, who had told me to, “just paint the stupid thing” and not worry about sanding it, had been waiting for me to finish so that he could play with my boat.  He wasn’t interested in sanding it or helping me sand it.  He wanted to get down to the real meat and potatoes of the project, and would let me do all of the ‘grunt work’, so to speak. 

While that was going on, I would go over to Tim’s house once in awhile and discuss the boat and future sailing adventures over a few beers.  The seemingly endless task of sanding the boat to prepare it for new paint annoyed him.  But he admitted that doing it that would ensure that the finish would endure for a few years.  Unlike his boat which was flaking terribly, and was as yet not painted on the very bottom of the hull.  This having the effect of looking bad when the boat is healed over to expose where the trailer skids make contact in a different color then the rest of the hull.