Long last, it was time to put the first coat of finish paint on the deck - on the smooth deck, the non non-skid portion of Froonie's deck. On a very windy 16th day of April, I prepped the deck for finish paint. The entire deck, smooth and non-skid portions, have been painted with three coats of Interlux Primekote - an epoxy based primer. Again, the original plan was to use Interlux Perfection, but with an eagerness to get sailing and a hesitation in taking a chance on ruining $75 / quart paint, I opted for the one-part polyurethane Brightsides. So, I made it through a windy day sanding the smooth deck portions only, but did not have a chance to tape off the seams dividing the smooth and non-skid areas. I finished the sanding day with wiping off the decks with wet rags, taking up most of the sanding dust.
After an early arrival the following morning, and completion of painting the topsides out of the way, I turned my attention to solvent washing the decks to pick up any remaining sanding residue, and taping off the non-skid areas. The wind tunnel I worked in yesterday did not manifest itself on this day. In fact, the weather on Sunday was an absolutely perfect day for engaging in the marine topside finishing arts: a trace breeze, low humidity, in the 70s, and not a cloud in the sky! I finished taping off the areas to be painted, using a 3M fine line tape, and proceeded to thin the Brightsides Off-White with Interlux 333 brushing thinner.
Again, the first coat of finish paint went on well - having so much practice painting the interior as well as the topsides. I again used a throw-away foam roller that, after some tweaking of technique, produce nearly a rolled-and-tipped result. I worked my way around Froonie painting the smooth deck portions - I will save the non-skid for after completion of this painting process. The non-skid will be a cream color (light beige), with the smooth deck being off-white - a classic deck color profile.
Nice glossy finish...
The last item on my list for this Sunday in April was to install the access plate to be located in the engine well. The engine well has taken on a rather dramatic transformation from when Froonie first arrived on the hard here in Florida. Aside from the fiberglass work, I have applied three coats of Interlux Primekote, and two coats of Petit Easypoxy finish paint. It was now time to install the access plate. The access plate will provide, as the name implies, access to the aft chain plate, stern light, and other deck hardware for installation purposes. The installation was more of a semi-finished / dry-run installation. I did everything but seat the plate flange in polysulfide sealant. So, next visit, I will back out the stainless screws and apply a generous bead of white polysulfide to the back of the access plate flange.
First picture is of the removable plate...well, removed:
...and back in place.
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