Check out Rhapsody's bottom job while suspended in the sling just before going in the water on 24 April. You can see the reflection on the starboard bow. This is the results of spray painting using a Wagner airless sprayer (Home Depot sale $85), followed by incremental wet sanding with 220, 320, 400, then 600 grit paper. The final finish was burnished with fine bronze wool.

The paint is Blue VC Offshore. It picked up the gray tone from wet sanding and will probably revert to blue in the water.

My arms are shot now.

That's a beautiful looking bottom job. I'm impressed.

What doesn't impress me is the laziness and/or forgetfulness of the yard who launched the boat. They forgot to secure the pin for the forward sling. Working at a boatyard myself, that's one thing we always check...

By the way, my name is Kyle and this is my first post on the BB. My family is in the processing of buying a J/30 here in Maine and hopefully we'll get a surveyor to check it out soon so we can proceed. The boat is Mainstream currently owned by David Gooch. I've been reading the BB for a number of months now and it seems like a very close knit community that's full of useful feedback and solutions. I'll post more when I have more to say!

Kyle - welcome to the forum. We have Mainstream in the class database but with no hull number. Do you know what the hull number is (the TSP number on the transom is even better info that includes the hull number!).

Where is the boat located - all we have is Maine?

Thanks,
Bill

I've only seen the boat once for a couple of hours and I wrote the number down and lost it. It's a 1979 currently located in Falmouth, ME, but hopefully soon to be Freeport, ME.

I'll update you when I get home from school in a few days.

Bill-

Nice work. Having done a similar job (+templating/fairing keel), it makes a significant difference as you've most likely already experienced. The owner of the J/30 freaked out when pulling back into the slip... the boat just kept going and didn't slow as quickly as it did prior to the burnish job.

Cheers,
- Jeff

OK dumb question. I'm about to do a similar exercise with VC Offshore. One of my unknowns is how much paint to buy. How much paint did you need to do the 3-4 coats recommended?

Each coat was a little less than 1 gal. I now spray with an airless sprayer thinned 30%.

Thanks for the help. If one is going to wet sand and burninsh, Interlux recommends four coats. Looks like I'll be needing 4 gallons then. By way way it's illegal to spray VC Offshore in Canada. I will need to use foam rollers. Hope this does not impact the quantity required.

Where are you going to haul Dominique, and why did you opt for VC Offshore over Micron CSC or another ablative? The rate of mussel growth in PNW is just absurd!

Are you going to template/fair the keel too? I'd be interested in coming down and helping out to learn before we haul mine.

Interesting to note, I did not know it was illegal for us to spray VC Offshore. Even with the proper tarping?

Scott,

I will likely haul at Mosquito creek. I am putting VC offshore on because that's what's on there already and the conversion process to ablative would be even more painful. Besides I want it smooth and fast :-). In the summer months when growth is really bad I have it dived fairly regularly anyways.

The previous owner templated the keel and rudder. I have the templates in my garage if you are interested.

I will be wet sanding and burnishing the bottom. Any bottom prep help will be appreciated. Waiting to do a deal on instruments before making the final arrangements... looks like Raymarine ST60+. It's going to be an expensive haulout but I might as well get it all done at the same time.

Next haulout will be the prop I think.