Not for the linear polyurethane fan boys...

Just another day in the fossil fuel death spiral, an added advantage, and in the "As far from sporting as you can get" department...

When it comes to boat paint I'm a big fan of Rust-oleum Topside because it does the job and is cheap at $20.99 a quart. That said, not too long ago I used to pay right around $10 bucks a quart. 

I also use Rust-oleum 'aluminum' protective enamel for the hull and it only costs $12.99 a quart. It's an odd paint being mostly aluminum but a single test coat I put on in 2017 (just after Hurricane Maria) has held up really well. Next haul out I'll be doing two coats which will only take a gallon and cost less than $50 bucks. When you consider that a single quart of one part polyurethane these days goes for $50 or more that's a huge savings. The only downside is that a lot of folks think I have an aluminum boat.

I keep meaning to compare and test the Rust-oleum Protective Enamel in white to the white Rust-oleum Topside as it's less than $12 dollars and seems quite similar to the "marine" version. 

As I'm not a fan of linear polyurethane silliness for cruising boats I won't bother to point out what AwlGrip and reasonable facsimiles cost.

Listening to some variations on a theme songs

So it goes...

A possible alternative to a higher priced product...

A step in the right direction, Scalzi with a common sense approach to masking, and let's not forget these essential workers...

I'm currently painting my cockpit with a water-based latex floor and porch paint and, so far, I'm really liking it. The coverage is good, it's cheap, and being able to clean up brushes and rollers with water is awesome.

Of course, the real test is how it will hold up and look in a couple of years time. More on that subject in a couple of years...

Listening to a literary playlist

So it goes...

Some seriously tough paint...

Bad news on the publishing front, George Takei with a better than cunning plan, and an apt analogy from EBM...

While watching this "test" of Hamilton's buoy paint I couldn't help but wonder how the other one-component topside paints would fare in comparison.

Looks like some seriously tough paint.

Just a thought but, as I have a dinghy build that will require painting soonish, it might be educational to paint it with a combination of a few different topside paints and see just how they compare in a real-life daily use dinghy situation.

Listening to Matthew Grant

So it goes...

Interesting times...

West Marine may want to take note, something interesting, and writing advice in a world of weaponized, aerosolized horseshit...

So, Russia says they'll shoot down any missiles sent towards Syria and the launch sites of said missiles will be "targeted". A somewhat sobering thought.

tRump takes to twitter to show who's boss. Seriously, has there ever been a less competent man born to be a world leader?

We are so fucked.

Me? I'm going to do some sanding, a bit of epoxy fairing, and then, hopefully, paint the coach roof sides so I can install new portlights tomorrow.

After which, I'll pour myself a very stiff rum, crank up some music, and try to pretend everything will be peachy keen.

Note to self...

Buy more rum.

Listening to Birds of Chicago who are really quite good.

So it goes...

Did someone say Dazzle?

A very bad idea, EBM with a very good point, and in the "God may beg to differ" department...


Hat tip to Jason Kottke

Listening to Elise LeGrow

So it goes...

Something worth looking into...

A little needful reading, what one asshole person was doing on that day, and in the "why the fuck is someone not in jail over this kind of fuckery" department...

Just maybe, a better form of antifouling you may want to check out.


Neosil Presentation v1.0 from Vault17 on Vimeo.

Listening to Big Thief

So it goes...

Great moments in Dazzle...

Five simpler words, some depressing stupidity, and in the "Not really all that surprising but it does explain a lot" department...

So, I'm finally getting around to that new paint job soonish and looking for ideas and came across this bit of Dazzle wonderfulness.

Listening to Wussy

So it goes...

I really need to buy a case of masking tape...

A plethora of good reading, somewhat nervous making, and doesn't the rampant stupidity just make you want to scream...



Listening to an album's worth of John Lennon covers

So it goes...

Pimping your ride....

A pithy booze review, some post-truth politics, and an interview worth paying attention to...

Bringing a Sangria (one of my favorite boat designs) into the current century.



Listening to Brother's Keeper

So it goes...

A paint job for under $100 or how Interlux Brightside is history/toast aboard my boat......

On how beans are the coming thing, a very interesting subject, and a reality-based assessment of where things stand...

A long time ago, maybe it was in "Messing About in Boats", Phil Bolger wrote in passing that, just maybe aluminum paint would make a good choice if painting your boat on a budget. As I recall, he cited several other good reasons, with one of them being that it should keep your boat a lot cooler in warm climates...

Fast-forward to a couple of years ago when I noticed someone had just painted an Out Island 41 with aluminum paint and it actually looked pretty cool if you appreciate the look of semi-polished aluminum. Sorta/kinda shiny (as in you might want to use sunglasses when checking it out) is how I'd describe it.

My thought process at the time was to wonder if I could find that old Bolger article, what aluminum paint (yeah, the stuff you paint on aluminum siding when you want it to look like aluminum) was going for over at the hardware store, and would or would not the sorta/kinda shiny look hold up or if the paint would oxidize to that blackish/gray patina I associate with unpainted aluminum boats like the Deerfoots.

Since I row past the OI-41 every couple of weeks  I've had ample time to check out how the paint job has held in the tropical sun, near constant salt-laden trade winds and a few storms... It's still sorta/kinda shiny, still looking good and with none of that oxidized look I was worried about. In truth the paint job still looks pretty awesome.

As it happens, about the same time the OI-41 got its aluminum paint job, I painted part of my deck with some high-priced ($48 a frelling quart) single part boat paint and just the other day I was beginning to see some serious wear and tear telling me it's time to repaint the deck even in low/no traffic areas.

To test the paint further, I bought a can of the aluminum paint ($8 a quart) and painted the top section of the topsides where the old blue stripe was with one coat to see how it would cover and work. Six months later it's adhering finestkind and, while two coats would have been better, one done carefully, pretty much does the job. Which surprised me because this aluminum paint (be warned) is seriously thin (as in HOLY SHIT THIS STUFF IS REALLY THIN!!!) being micro aluminum platelets in an oil/solvent matrix. To best describe the application it's a lot like painting your hull with water.

The resulting finish is very hard and very smooth which is exactly what you're looking for in a marine paint. Going on six months later, water still beads up on the finish and that's saying quite a lot. When I get around to painting the entire topsides I'll finish it off with a wax job on top (I've been waiting for an excuse to try the hydrophobic Eelsnot instead of wax) which should make it even better.

The best part, other than it's just a pretty awesome user friendly paint, is that it's cheap at $8 dollars a quart/$27 a gallon... I expect that two gallons would more than cover "So It Goes" with two+ coats with a lot left over for dinghies, touch ups, and suchlike. What's not to love?

The only downside I can see is everyone will think you have an aluminum boat...

Listening to Tim Lee

So it goes...

Ok, I'm not wild about painting...

The importance of history (the true sort), Joe making some sense, and a book that just might be worth reading...

I like boat projects.

Which, you might say, is no bad thing as living on a forty-four going on forty-five year old sailboat gives one ample opportunity for any number of boat projects. You might say I don't just own an old boat, I own a cornucopia of projects!

Of course, I'll be the first to admit, I like some projects a whole lot more than others. Painting, for instance, does not as a rule make for a warm and fuzzy feeling when it's on the list...

Know what... Guess what's on the list?

As it happens, I've been doing a lot of research into vinyl and vinyl wrapping as an alternative to painting. It looks interesting and a lot of the round-the-world race boats seem to be using it and it seems like it holds up...



It does seem tempting...

Listening to Julien Clerc

So it goes...

Well, my boat does need a paint job...

A rather apt Dickens analogy, Badtux on "haircuts", and a must read for those interested in education...

Some vinyl...

...and a somewhat cunning plan

Listening to Black Prairie

So it goes...

My life, made easier...

On depraved denialism, a film review, and the black powder option...

I actually enjoy painting... It's all of the associated stuff around it that I hate. So I'm always interested in stuff that makes all of that associated stuff easier.

Like this...

Which happens to be a lid replacement, paint mixer, and pouring thingy!

Called the Mixing Mate, it really is an answer to my prayers as it get around the messy/fussy parts of painting that drive me nuts.

Even better, since I still mostly use oil paints and always add Penetrol to the mix, it makes the whole mixing (and keeping it mixed) really easy. Same goes for using water based LPU paints like the ones from System Three.

The only remaining question is whether the model sized for gallon cans is up to the task of anti-fouling paint... I'll let you know next time I do some anti-fouling!

Listening to Renaud

So it goes...

Just another Sunday in paradise...

Not the best news I've read today, follow the money, and this is interesting...

It's Sunday, the waffles are cooking, and, I expect, I have a date with some sandpaper and paint!

Sadly, it's not dazzle time yet... More touching up some stuff in the cockpit and other spots in need of a little "help"...

For those with an interest, my paint of choice for "So It Goes" in all places other than the actual hull (I now use System Three water based LPU for that) I use Rust-oleum because it's user friendly, gives a good long-lasting finish, and it is CHEAP in comparison to other marine paints... I just can't see using paint that costs $50 a quart when one that works just as well goes for $15.

The other product I find impossible to live without where painting in the tropics is concerned is Penetrol which I use to adjust the properties of the paint instead of using thinners.

So, some waffles then a little sanding, some paint, and you never know but there might even be a little cold beer in the mix as well... A nice way to spend a Sunday in paradise!

Listening to Ezra

So it goes...

More about that waterline...

About incarceration for profit, the UN gets it right, and Orlov muses on American propaganda and financial shenanigans...

One of the nice things about doing a serious purge of stuff on "So It Goes" that is not earning its keep is it makes room for stuff that you talked yourself out of buying because you did not have room for it.

Not that I'm going crazy... I'm adding another rod and reel combo to the having fun gear, picking up a couple of needful tools and, just maybe, something with strings on it.

The other advantage is we'll be able to reclaim the old waterline. The downside though is a new paint job becomes part of the mix. I am seriously looking at going the vinyl sign material route for the new paint job and been spending a lot of time looking at sources for scrap sign making materials thinking that this would be no-hassle way to go dazzle... Which, most folks don't realize, is still be being used on a pretty regular basis.

Current Dazzle warship

Sea Shepard Dazzle

I think I'll be trying it on the dinghy first...

Listening to Lucy Kaplansky

So it goes...

A project I have to deal with (part 2)...

Now, where was I...

Oh yeah... The thing about electronic anti-fouling is that it is not a Darth Vader ultrasonic death beam at all but a lot like that dude at work/school/down the street that really annoys you... Or, in a nautical setting, a lot like that guy on the BendyToy 38 that spends all his time on the Latts and Atts forum while scoping out the anchorage with his binoculars hoping to catch someone being "topless". Yeah, THAT annoying loser dude!

Is that the sort of guy you want to anchor next to or hang out with?

Electronic anti-fouling works along the same lines. It simply sets up a vibration in your hull that grates on the nerves of various slimes and critter life that makes them think your hull is simply not a hip place to be... Much like my reaction when I go into a cafe and the sound system is playing Barry Manilow's greatest hits. Which is to say I'm out of there before you can spell C-O-P-A-C...

With me so far?

Now that you know how it works, it really does start to make a certain amount of sense because being annoying is a much more accessible goal than actually destroying or going ballistic on the critters...

A company down in the Antipodes who has stores worldwide, Jaycar Electronics (sort of a cross between what Radio Shack used to be and Heathkit), has a kit for an electronic anti-fouling system that looks to be just like every commercially available system around...

The big difference is that the "kit" costs about 10% of what an off-the-shelf electronic anti-fouling unit will cost.  In our case for "So It Goes", us being a dinky boat, we only require one unit which would run about $180. Kind of makes a couple of hours with a soldering iron look attractive.

You do know how to solder don't you?

Now, if or if not this unit will actually work, is still something of a conundrum... On the other hand, it costs less than a gallon of decent anti-fouling paint so I consider it an acceptable risk. Plus, I have the added advantage of knowing the concept actually works from our previous boat, Loose Moose 2...

That said, I'm still thinking that the proper approach is something of a hybrid affair of electronic and a film that is annoying as hell (sort of like the guy on the BendyToy 38 with added Barry Manilow soundtrack if you will) to the critters we'd rather not take up residence on the hull.

My buddy Mike over at Bianka Blog had an interesting post on an Alchemical solution (a lot to be said for Geeks with chemistry sets) for possible DIY anti-fouling paint which is certainly an interesting avenue. Another interesting tidbit that has come to my attention is Lanocote (yep, the sheep grease folks) is now marketing a Lanolin based anti-fouling and it's cheap... Yowza!

Not listening to Mandy

So it goes...

A project I have to deal with...

Sick and twisted at the Values Voters Summit, taking the sweet home out of Alabama (play that dead band's song), and if everybody had a notion (bike + surfboard = surfari)...

I tend to put things off...

One of the things I've been putting off is coming to a serious decision about what to do about anti-fouling for "So It Goes".

Part of the problem is there has been a shift here in the Caribbean in that yards where you can haul and do your own work are beginning to disappear. Not that the yards are going anywhere but simply that more and more yards will only let their employees work on boats and that brings the cost of hauling and new paint into a somewhat problematic zone. Problematic on two levels, one being that it elevates the cost to the pain threshold and two, that the quality of labor (although expensive as it is) is less than I'm comfortable with... What to do?

The paint we currently use gives us two years or so of good performance but now that we are at the ass end of the cycle we are into dive & scrape anti-fouling mode. As it happens, no small number of frugal cruisers have done very well doing the dive & scrape two step, not bothering with anti-fouling paint at all... The trick to it is simply to do it regularly and be in water that is warm enough that a couple of hours a week scraping critters will not turn you blue in the process.

As paints go, I'm not overly impressed with the high cost anti-foulings which really do not seem to work any better than the lower cost ones... When you think about it, the folks selling anti-fouling paint don't really want to make more effective and longer lasting paint they simply need to sell you on the idea that they do and logic would suggest that a longer lasting and more effective anti-fouling paint would cut deeply into some folks profits... Something you may want to keep in mind next time you are in the paint aisle of your local chandlers.

I have been looking at CopperCoat as, in theory, it seems a sensible approach. The idea of ten years (or more) effective lifespan with all its attendant savings (fewer haul outs, etc) makes it quite a bit cheaper than even the cheapest of cheapseats anti-foulings but someone I know has had less than a happy experience so, for better or worse, it most certainly is not on the possible list any longer.

Anyone who knows me knows (I do go on about it) that I have had excellent experience with a no longer available electronic anti-fouling system. I keep looking for a reasonable facsimile but the search has so far remained fruitless. I have found a very inexpensive source for a type of electronic anti-fouling that I will be trying, but as it's very different from the one we had such a good experience with, I am less sure of its results... That said, being that the electronic anti-fouling I've found is cheaper than a single gallon of name brand anti-fouling paint (batteries not included of course) so, even if it works just to slow down fouling, it still looks like a good investment.

But more about that tomorrow...

Listening to Rod Stewart

So it goes...

Some excellent customer service...

Resilient Manufacturing (well worth a read), why it might not be a good thing that our economy is now based on Wall Street, and as long as we're speaking of Wall Street...

So far, this morning has been akin to wifi hell... Well, not wifi hell exactly as we have a good signal strength, acceptable ping times and decent packet loss figures but when all is said and done no email or web access...

Aaarrrrggghhh...

So, we call the folks who provide the service and tell them they seem to have a problem and, as par for the course, he tells us everything is peachy keen and it must be "our" problem. When we point out that, in point of fact, it is not our system that seems to be at fault but theirs, he goes all passive aggressive and offers us a refund (which we'd take in a shot if there was another source of wifi on the island). Of course, now that the offer of a refund is on the table there is no longer any pretense that the company involved will make any effort to fix the problem as their company policy seems to be if you don't like crappy service simply go away...

I bring this up because it is not at all unlike dealing with a lot of marine industry business whose modus operandi when dealing with a client is concerned is...

1. It's always the client's fault.

2. If we say sorry that does not mean we have any intention of fixing the problem.

3. We'd rather have you go away then do our job.

Makes you kind of wonder how some folks stay in business...

Like a lot of boatfolk, I'm always researching new products for "So It Goes" (call it the perpetual upgrade syndrome) and it is surprising just how seldom an email to a company making electronics or other high-ticket boat gear gets answered or, if answered, having it be something useless like telling me to go check out their website (I should point this out because so many websites tell you to contact the company for more information so sending you back to the website is akin to a kind of infinite loop purgatory).

Which in a roundabout way brings me to paint...

One of my projects in the not too distant future is a new paint job for "So It Goes". Since I have some "special" plans (OK yes a CUNNING PLAN) to do something a whole lot different than the norm, I have some questions about paint, comparability, and methodology that I need answers to before I spent a small fortune on paint. Now, in these dire economic times, you'd expect that my mailbox would be overflowing in replies of helpful marine painting info and advice...

Yet, for some reason my paint file remains empty... Yep, that would be zero (nada, rien, 沒什麼) responses from folks I want to buy paint from (well, in truth, that would be from folks I DON"T want to buy stuff from now). Kinda makes you wonder if their sales force can be so inept how they do on the after-sales service... Ya think?

The thing is, every time I talk to someone in the marine industry I hear much moaning and gnashing of teeth about just how dire the current economic situation is but they simply do not get the fact that part of the problem happens to be of their own making...

Yesterday, I saw that a bike maker had used an interesting coating on their new bike model so dropped the shop a quick email and lo and behold a couple of hours later I got an answer to my question, some thoughts on why it is a great coating for bicycles but not so much for boats, and a link to the company that provided the coating material in case I might want to give it a try or research it further... Just imagine if I had asked them a question about buying a bike!

Now, for those not up on bikes and the cycling industry, I should point out that while most industries in the US of A are dying or in need of some serious life support, the cycling industry is in growth mode and doing just fine. I won't go into all of the reasons for this as there are simply too many but one of the most important factors is good customer service... Something the marine industry should take note of.

Rant over

Listening to Crazy Horse

So it goes...

Something to look into...

As a lot of folks know, I'm always looking into alternatives to the same old same anti-fouling scenarios. You might say I have an open mind to the idea that there may be a better way...

So, I'm quite interested in a new product I have been hearing about... "Prop Glop" (you have to admit the name does have a certain ring to it) is an anti-fouling system for props that can be applied underwater... Cool!

Since we have a composite prop that apparently no traditional anti-fouling paint will stick to for any length of time I find it needful to scrape the prop on a much too regular basis. So a product like this would be no bad thing from where I sit (that being anchored in the sunny Caribbean).

I'm definitely going to be looking at this in depth in the not too distant future!

Welcome to the future... Electronic anti-fouling

There has been a longstanding discussion on one of the cruising forums about electronic anti-fouling systems...

Well, hardly a discussion but more a parade of people with opinions and no real personal knowledge on the subject saying anything but the same old same ain't going to work.

Sigh...

Funny thing is you used to hear the same sort of arguments where multihulls were concerned and, like the discussion on electronic anti-fouling systems, most of the anti-multihull brigade knew pretty zip about cats or tris but they knew (by damn) that they did not work!

Fast forward to 2010 and just about anywhere you go you'll see catamarans cruising, daysailing and doing the lion's share of chartering. Meanwhile, all the magazines that published editorials saying that multihulls were not only an affront to sailing tradition, nautical sinew, and nothing more than floating death traps, are telling us today that if you don't have a cat you are simply not cool.

So it goes...

Like multihulls before, electronic anti-fouling scares some people. People, who as it happens, have a lot of money invested in the status quo and like the same old same just fine. Paint companies make and sell millions of gallons of toxic paint, boat yards depend on folks having to haul out every year or so to put poison on their bottoms and every time we paint our bottoms someone's bank account gets bigger (everyone's but the poor fool painting his bottom). Make no mistake, but there most certainly is entrenched interests who have a serious stake in continuing with the system as it stands. As long as there is a profit involved they will keep doing what they are doing.

As I've mentioned before, we had electronic anti-fouling on our last boat and it worked in the Med, Atlantic and Caribbean. It did not use much in the way of power and except for the fact that we had a couple of parts fail we'd still be using it. Sadly, the company that made our unit went out of business (no doubt, bringing happy camper smiles to the paint companies' faces) and at the time we could not find a replacement.

I'm not sure if any of the existing electronic anti-fouling systems actually work but I do know that next haul out I will be installing a system. The cost of hauling out these days is becoming a process more a thing akin to armed robbery than commerce. All said and done, I've never felt good about working with poison whether to my health or to the health of the oceans I call home.

Progress is actually seriously cool... Come join the future!