July 12, 2010

I spent the long July 4th weekend in Los Angeles with Carol, with the idea that the yard would have nine work days available to do their part by the time I was back. I had expected them to sand the bottom for me and spray the bow with the left-over matching AwlCraft to repair the scratches. When I checked with them on Tuesday following the holiday, they had done nothing. So, when I headed for the yard early on Sunday morning I didn’t know if they would have sanded the bottom, painted the bow, neither, or both. I was logistically and mentally prepared for whatever I found. What I wasn’t prepared for was to not find the boat. It was a bit of a shock to drive up and see bare ground where my boat had been for almost six months. Once the panic reflex gave way to reason, I realized they must have moved the boat-hopefully to paint the bow. But, because Napa Valley Marina is the largest yard in California, with significant acreage and lots of boats both in dry storage and in work areas, I had a lot of land to cover to track down my boat. When I finally found it tucked between two rows of boats in dry storage, I was delighted to see that everything had been done and the bow looked terrific. The shiny new paint matched perfectly and made the whole boat look better. While it had been hovering around 100 degrees in Sacramento, it was a good 15 degrees cooler in Napa, and in the morning it was a very pleasant 65 degrees. Perfect for applying the white vinyl bootstripe tape I had bought when I was in LA. I carefully laid down some masking tape along the top edge of the existing bottom paint. This tape would both ensure consistent space between the new white stripe and the bottom paint below and mask the top edge of the red Vivid bottom paint stripe I would apply later in the day. Next came the vinyl tape with its peel-off paper backing. It was of course a bit tricky to apply, but having the masking tape as a guide helped. Unlike when laying down a masking tape waterline, you can’t lift it and reapply several feet of tape as much as necessary to get a smooth line. I just hoped the edge of the existing bottom paint had been done well and made a smooth curve, since the new white stripe would just reproduce that curve, but would make any bumps or waves more visible. In the end, I rated the result “not perfect, but good enough.” Next, I had to mask the actual static waterline using the marks I had scribed previously. Having done this before on previous boats, I had developed a pretty effective technique. The trick is to pull out several feet of tape, lightly tack down one end at the starting point, then, holding the tape taught, slowly bring the opposite end (with the roll) to the hull near the next mark. I frequently have to pull off a couple of yards of tape and reapply it, making adjustments with the free end as I go, trying to keep the length of stretched-out tape level. It’s easier to show it than explain it. In any case, the final result, while again not quite perfect, was satisfactory.
I had ordered a quart of Vivid red bottom paint to paint the area between the actual static waterline and the masking tape at the top edge of the existing bottom paint, which arched several inches further up the hull sides. At more than a hundred dollars for the quart, I hoped it would be enough. My estimate, based on the advertised coverage, indicated it would be, but I thinned it as much as I dared anyway to stretch it as much as possible. I rolled on two coats that afternoon, with paint to spare. Having no previous experience with Vivid, it will be interesting to see how the red color holds up once it gets wet. Stay tuned to see if turns into a blotchy copper oxide light green after some water time like most other bottom paint does above the static waterline.

While my arms were heavy by the end of the day, it was nice to have accomplished some things that made a big visible difference...and to see the day coming when I can put Circadian back in the water!