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I have started painting DeNada. 2 Weekends ago I got the hull sides painted. Last weekend I painted the cabin roof and sides.

Now the "Lovebugs" have shown up and painting activities have stopped for a few weeks until they leave.

I still have the gunwales and the forward deck to paint......and the bottom.

We will go ahead and paint the bottom and may be by then the Lovebugs will be gone.

I swear....I believe they can smell paint from a thousand miles away.











I am not exactly satisfied with the shine but I am bound and determine to launch very soon and I am bound and determine to figure out this "Painting thing".

hb

I feel your pain. I've been trying to paint the foredeck on my B20. The pollen here is crazy right now--things just turn yellow. So, I've gotten the bow of the boat in the garage enough so that it doesn't get covered in pollen, and I realized I just don't have this painting thing figured out. That, and you get into a nice groove rolling and tipping and she starting to come along and some bug decides to land in the paint. I'm either splashing as is, or trying one more coat....its fishin' season.

Good luck with the paint job. From your pics, you've gotten it a helluva' lot better figured out than I. She's lookin' sweet.

Harry

Looking good. Don't get frustrated.

Maybe we should all chip in and buy Gert a ticket to the next NE get together and he can teach everyone how to paint a boat with a brush.

You have to admit, he has that process down to a science.

Looking good Harry; keep up the great work!

coming along nicely harry

Looks good Harry!

The trick for getting your paint to lay down & shine is proper thinning and conditioning the paint. A easy way to see if it's thinned enough is to use the stir stick trick. After removing the stir stick let the paint roll off and wait for it to start dripping. Usually 12 to 15 drips is a good mix, on hot days a little more. Yes the paint will be really thin but it has to be. If your rolling, mix a 50/50 mix of paint and clear for the final coat. When spraying the paint cross links and the clear comes to the surface but when rolling you put on one coat at a time and you don't get the cross link of clear. I dropped the tipping part with a brush and tip it off with the roller with amazing results. Make sure you don't load the roller with paint, just enough to get a 2 to 3 foot section at a time then go back and lightly tip off the bubbles in the same direction you applied the paint. If the paint doesn't lay down right away add more reducer.
A local painter showed me this method and my boat looks like it was sprayed. I also have a few tricks for nonskid.

Regards,
RussP

Coming along nicely, Harry. Know you'll be glad to get wet soon!

Br,

Patrick

Russ,
Curious about the non skid. I want to do AWLGRIP non skid and have a pattern. Some say a roller with a pattern in the roller itself and others with a spray gun.
Any thoughts?

Harry,

It's coming along and looking good.


Here's a trick if you want that "wet" look...put it in the water!

Carl

Carl wrote:Here's a trick if you want that "wet" look...put it in the water!

I really and I mean really like the way you think, Carl! ! !

Its beginning to sprinkle rain here this afternoon......does that count for the "Wet Look"???


Russ
Thanks for the tips........please explain "Crosslink"......what does it mean and how does it come into play when talking about paint???

hb

VERY nice Harry .... congrats

Hi Harry ,

for an outside job it looks great !!

If you want to have more gloss on her do the following.

sand her down with grid 600 , after that again with 1000 , then again with 2000 and then polish her with rubbing compound. first with fast cut ( 3M)
and after that with fine machine polish.

You will have a mirror finish !!!

The only tricky thing is that must not sand through your layer of paint

good luck.

Damn, Harry, makes me want to get Dreamsicle in the wa. She's looking great!
Went to work on her yesterday and ended up spending the day helping a friend get his blow boat ready for racing season. I'm his crew. He had some fiberglass work to do and hadn't a clue.
What is it that Cap't Mike used to paraphrase about the joy of just messing about on boats.
Get'er wet Harry.
Here's to a fabulous and fun season!

Harry Babb wrote: I really and I mean really like the way you think, Carl! ! !

Its beginning to sprinkle rain here this afternoon......does that count for the "Wet Look"???


Russ
Thanks for the tips........please explain "Crosslink"......what does it mean and how does it come into play when talking about paint???

hb

Sorry Harry, rain does not count!

Carl wrote:Sorry Harry, rain does not count!

Rats! ! !

hb

Looks amazing! All that hard work and patience is worth it in the end.

When we shot Tailhook, we had a few hitch hikers in the clear coat -- seems spiders don't react well to Imron fumes -- had at least 1/2 dozen of them fall off the shed and into the clear -- couple of them permanently. Adds "character."

Harry,

Looks great , we have had the same issues with painting outside bugs, then when the day we have is good rain.

Ditto what Gert said on the wetsand/buff technique it will get her wet.

Spencer

Great job Harry! You guys all have more confidence then I do taking on one of these jobs.

I just gutted my upstairs and added a new bathroom in anticipation of baby number two just primed the walls this weekend and I can say my skills aren't even close.

Looking forward to that post after the first run!

Harry, Lookin good my friend....you and your crew have been busy..nice to see her all dressed up n ready for the river...get her wet and enjoy the heck out of her...you can paint her again any time...BH

Almost ready for a cold beer sitting on fantail......looking good, you'll be there before you know it.

Giff wrote:Almost ready for a cold beer sitting on fantail

That was a special evening Giff.....I remember it like it was yesterday.

hb

Nice Harry!
Getting to paint means your getting that much closer to water. I was thinking we would get our boats in the water about the same time, but now I'm certain I will ride in your boat, before you ride in mine!

Keep it up bud.

Hey Scot
Mechanically the ole girl is done and has been done for some time now.

Everything has been together for dry fit at least once and then removed for paint.

Once I paint the bottom all I have to do is slip in the shafts, rudders, strainers and transducer in and I could launch.

I've not touched the interior and don't intend to until winter.

Right now I am in the FIID mode (Forget It I'm Done).....the only thing on my mind is to launch and run the ole girl.

I intend to getter in the water in the next few weeks, work out any bugs, fish a little and be ready for the Blue Angels air show on Pensacola Beach this summer (unless they cancel it).

Quite frankley,for now, I fallen out of love with the "Process" of boat building......I just want DONE.

In 1985 Jo Ann and I purchased a Log Home kit and proceeded to build her/our Log Cabin to live in. At first I was really excited but when the project went on for way to long (only 3 years.....DeNada is 4+) I found myself in the same situation FIID.......just get finished! ! ! !


Where are you on your project? The last I remember it was pretty much roughed in and you took some time off build a Jeep.

What engine did you decided to go with??? Got any update pics??

hb

harry your almost there, i can see the smile on your face now, you have earned it

Hi Harry,

Yup, still stuck on the jeep that was suppose to be a quick 4 month project...yeah right.

The boat is still rough, need to finish stringer system and flooring (cockpit sole for the boat gurus) But the ideas are still flowing = good sign.

I will be running the 471, set up as a TI (cooler between turbo and blower) at around 250-275hp. I believe DD designates differently than other MFGs. When the cooler is under the blower they call it a TA, I think!

Although I am stalled, I have continued to gather bits and pieces. Gear, rudder, steering, wiring, glass, etc etc..so it should be a 25 Bertram "kit" by the time I start assembly..lol.

First chance I get to come your direction I need to see your boat and pickup that turbo I left with you! The elbow we originally discussed should still work fine for me, just a different turbo connection.

Scot
Are you still gonna need the 5" elbow?

Your Turbo has been sleeping in my toybox for some time now.

What Turbo are you gonna use?

I may be coming your way in the next couple of weeks. Will call you when I firm up my trip.

I have to go meet a new purchasing manager and start breaking him in....its a never ending job.

hb

Next step:





I see that the "Love Bugs" are leaving......so now may be I can get the deck and gunwales painted.

hb

nice boot strip harry

looking good Harry, just keep going and it'll be done in no time.

Harry what color is the hull sides? I can see the boot stripe is flag blue. The same as my boat but cannot see hull color is that off white. Or a very lite shade of blue. Anyways the boat looks great but then again that is your trait.

Bob Lico wrote:Harry what color is the hull sides?

Bob......I'm calling the hull Light Blue or may be even "Ice Blue".

DeNada was blue when I bought her. When I was sanding on the hull I discovered that she was White from the beginning and was painted blue sometime in the mid 90's.

All I did was to take one of the Air Vent cutouts to my paint guy, he did a computer "Color Analysis" then mixed the paint for me.

Its funny about me and colors. When I was in my teens I decided to paint my car. I chose a very pretty color of green and actually did a very very good on the paint job. After cleaning my paint gun I removed the paper from the windows and stepped back to take a good look......never been so disappointed in my life.......it looked like an Avacodo Refrigerator.....looked like crap. The next day I wrecked the car and when it I repainted it I choose Midnight Blue......much better.

My point is that generally I am not very good at choosing paint colors.....but on the contrary Ms Jo Ann is a freaking master at colors.

I went to the paint store and picked out the Boot Top Blue and I am Very Very pleased with it.

hb

I believe that's the color of my boat ice blue.with flag blue boot stripe and silver metallic accent stripe.like you I had no hand in picking out the boat colors . I was determine to paint oyster white but was convince a 31 Bertram is a moment in nostalgia and needs a color to reflect that period of time .cannot make it a plain Jane like painting a Ferrari grey just does not accent the car.the color of your boat was the choice of Calvin Klein!

Harry, Lookn good...let Joanne pick out name n hailing port colors too...lol....what color bottom?? next picture should be her floatin at the river house...BH

Bob H wrote:next picture should be her floatin at the river house...BH

I think and hope it will be real soon......and I can assure that you guys will be the second to know.

Having had to listening to all of my bellyachin you guys are entitled to the maiden voyage......who's in?

Bottom will be BLACK. There will be a .7" wide "Hull Color" stripe below the wide Boot Top stripe and the bottom paint.

I think I have a promise to keep! ! !

hb

Harry

She is really looking sweet. She will turn some heads once you are done.

Sorry, I am old school. No blue on the boat, even if it looks good!

so am I however I really don't feel I am a good judge of what color belongs on what.south Sayville is directly across from Fire island pines the most exclusive town on fire island. There is a restaurant on the water near where the ferry boat departs . I stop in for a quick bite and the former owner of my boat was sitting with Calvin Klein whom owns the first huge home on the water going in to the Pines . Well one word led to another after be introduced and I broke out the picture of my 31 under construction .he look at the photo and sketch in the colors the same as Harry is painting his along with JP.and a few others.Rawleigh I hate a big car color in bright red however a corvette convertible looks best in red and mid years is worth about 8 percent more.not my opinion it just is. Shades of beige or brown look good. On a Benz however on a boat brown looks horrible. Old school? Could you imagine painting your wife's BMW two tone turquoise and white!!!!!!! Yet it looks great on a 1955 Chevy convertible.

Damn Harry, you have been busy. Denada will be floating soon it looks like. Lookin' sweeeet! I've been outta pocket and busy with the No Bitchin', Just Fishin' stuff among other things also.

Shoot me an email when your gonna go test run it. I'm ready to go Cruzan, lol!

DQ

Harry, Save me a seat on that maiden voyage..Ill bring the patron...lol..BH

And Ill help drink it.

Harry,
I was getting ready to ask you about the color, but, Bob L. beat me to it. Sounds great...and you did it yourself...you ought to be real proud.
Good luck,
John.