[Stephen McCann]

Hello All,

Been enjoying taking Colchide out on the Solent when I can but am keen to make her nice and shiny – given her location on the Hamble – does anyone know of a decent paint shop (by that I mean reasonable and good!) that would do her justice on the top deck. I don’t quite have the luxury of time yet… Plus I can’t be turning up to Portsmouth on 12 May in rag order…

Thanks

Steve A89

Topic

[Nick Phillips]

Hi Steve.  Its great to hear you are having fun with Colchide – she looks to be enjoying her new home on the Hamble. And will do so even more with a new coat!

In any wooden boat painting situation you need to consider what a repaint might involve. It is not uncommon to find small defects as you strip the existing layers of paint.  So it is good to find someone who is also able to make these good in an appropriate way before painting.  Boatyards are an obvious call but could be expensive?  An individual boatbuilder / finisher might be a cheaper solution. Unfortunately I can’t help with any names. Hopefully someone will help on here, or you could ask for recommendations through your club or even at places like The Elephant Boatyard who do a lot of wooden yacht work.

Nick

[Mike Dixon]

Hi Steve,

Sorry, can’t help with suggesting a ‘trusted tradesman’.

Agree with Nick though, that it’s as well to strip right back to bare wood before re-coating.  Better to deal with soft spots rather than discovering them at a later stage.  Atalantas are well known for harbouring less than sound areas on the decks where water has been allowed to stand.  Just a fact of life and no reflection on former ownerships – but it does happen all too often.

Cheers

Mike

[Fairey Mary]

FWIW I would recommend building up your own confidence in doing the work yourself.  Learning is fun but start with a trivial fix and build up from there.  Don’t be afraid for it to get a bit tatty, as long as the paint is ‘functioning’ don’t stress and get depressed about it not being in showroom condition.

When I eventually got around to repainting Marys top sides the white paint was powdery with many micro-cracks.  But she was solid underneath.  I am guilty of putting good paint over bad and it is not a long term solution, the moisture can seep in along the seam of old paint.

But you do need to keep an eye on rot and it is good to have a friendly shop with whom you can exchange cash for confidence in a job done well. But I encourage you to wear you patches with pride 🙂

Personally I am a fan of having a good cover or shed and keeping fresh water off the decks when stored.  IIRC Colchide is a good starting point so you should have many years to build your capabilities.

[Stephen McCann]

Thanks all – took your advice and did a lot of scraping down! The main benefit of A89 is the fact that ‘Uncle Bernard’ sheathed Colchide in Marglass when she was being built.  I had a short window in which to do it – which involved dodging end of Apr/early May showers – i did not quite get everything sorted – but my deadline was a rigger and this weekend in Portsmouth!! So when you do see her – please be gentle about my craftsmanship 🙂 – that said – really delighted at how fresh she’s looking.

[Author]

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