Upper Coat for 'Minnow'

Today I applied the first upper coat of International Toplac to ‘Minnow’s’ hull, cabin trunk, hatch and rudder stock. I’ll giver them a second upper coat for a better and more lasting finish. The boat will be well and truly sealed against the elements and she’ll be cushioned against accidental abrasion during use.

The upper coat is International’s Atlantic Grey which is lighter than their Pre-Kote undercoat, but this lighter grey will reflect more sunlight, which can only be a good thing for reducing surface temperature when the boat is exposed to the full glare of sunshine. Dark colours will absorb more of the sun’s rays than lighter ones. In this respect, black is the worst for a boat. Initially it looks smart, but it quickly loses its gloss, and seawater coats it with salt stains. It also tends to bleach the paint. If she’s a wooden boat and caulked, the sun will play havoc, because of the differences of heat conduction between the two materials. The surface paint will expand and contract at different rates, causing it to fracture.

The only concern I have regarding grey, is that the boat will to a certain extent camouflage her when at sea. On the other hand, her red sail should make her clearly visible. I am torn between painting the mast and spars with orange or yellow paint to increase the boat’s visibility, and coating them with Deks Olije because it is easy to maintain and it looks attractive – and it is an exceptionally good preservative. I could combine the two, by applying Deks Olije to the most part of the mast and orange or yellow to the top. The boom and yard are already painted, so perhaps a coating of orange or yellow paint on the exposed parts might be in order.

Most of the interior I shall paint with a fairly neutral light colour – cream or off-white is hard to beat. A darker colour is better for the floorboards and the bilges. Epoxy is good, but expensive. International, Danboline is excellent for bilges.