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Sunday, March 26, 2017

Black: It's the new Black

ever so stylish
So here's a shot of the new test hull in its smooth and ever so stylish coat of black antifouling paint.  Beneath two coats of that lie two coats of BLUE antifouling paint, and then four coats of epoxy barrier coat because the guys who did the sodablast on this hull screwed it up, rather badly.

Black over Blue
If you're wondering why black over blue, it lets us know when the bottom paint gets thin:  when we begin to see blue under the black paint, it's time to pull and re-do the thing.

Bottom paints contain materials toxic to marine organisms, usually copper compounds.  When barnacles or worms try to attach or burrow, they encounter the copper and drop off.  Some of the newer paints contain other anti-slime and algae chemistry as well.  The paints come in two flavors:  hard and ablative.  The hard bottom paints are modified epoxy paints, and are typically used where the boat sits in the water without moving for long periods of time.  They're quite durable, but if pulled out of the water, the surface will oxidize rapidly (usually within 72 hours) and become ineffective.  Ablative paints are "self polishing", slowly sloughing off the surface of the paint to reveal more of the copper beneath, thus making them self-renewing..  They are used in situations where the boat may be pulled out of the water or trailered frequently.  As "Tesla's Revenge" will not be taken out of the water for long periods of time, we chose a hard paint.

The theory is:  it's water cleanup.  The fact is, it's damn hard to get off anything, including skin.
We're excited; racing time and the weather to our splash date in two weeks.  Stay tuned.

Second half of our composting toilet build shortly, btw.

More stuff over at Life, Art, Water.

M

2 comments:

  1. It's been a couple of years, I guess, since we've been in contact. I'm the expat in Panama in love with the whole shantyboat thing and followed you from your building stage to launch and early marina days.

    Health issues (emphysema) are forcing my repatriation to the states. I'm leaving Panama on April 24th. And headed to Ft. Lauderdale where I lived, off and on, for about 35 years. Naturally I can't afford to live like "normal" people do and pay extortionate rents, and I'm looking for a new adventure.

    I've already done The Great Loop, and I've been up and down the east coast from Cape Cod to Key West a half dozen times so looking for something different. Towards that end I want to cover the littoral of the Gulf of Mexico all the way from Florida to the Mexican border. It's pretty shallow water so I needed a small sailboat with a swing keel. I intend on living "on the hook" most of the time. A friend of mine who I had a marine repair business for several years, went and looked at a 1971 MacGregor 25 last Saturday (ironically April Fools Day) He sent me photos. Cosmetically rough, but also had a lot going for it. .. a nearly new Yamaha 15 hp with electric start, bimini top, newly upholstered cushions, etc. Guy accepted my $2,500 offer. Stef is on his way to fork over the cash today and keep the marina berth until I get up there.

    Interesting that you're doing a sailboat. I have to delve into the blog deeper to find out the origins of this phenomenon.

    https://onemoregoodadventure.com/2017/04/05/counting-down/

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  2. The MacGregors are nice boats. Fast, as I recall, and fairly roomy. We'll be following you as well :)

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