51 degrees and rising

The desire to get the boat in the water this spring is has reached a fever pitch.  Just after noon today the temperature outside reached the magic number: 50 degrees.  What is so magic about this number?  It is the temperature one needs it to be to apply bottom paint.  Immediately after lunch I headed for the marina.  When I arrived one other boater was there working on waxing his hull but within the hour, several other sailors had showed up and opened their paint cans.

This year, I have decided to switch up my bottom paint.  I'm going with a multi-season paint.  I'm hoping this will set the boat up for the next 2 years.  The sales rep says it may be good for three years with some touch up.

So this is some different stuff.  It is super thin and looks a bit like soapy water.  As I started I was beginning to have second thoughts.  It goes on super thin then it began to bubble.  I've seen this before with latex paints and this is a water base clean up paint.  As the paint dried the bubbles flatten out and the color darkens.  As the day went on and the temperature continued to rise and the paint seems to thicken.  For anyone using this product I'd recommend opening it the night before and stirring it.  I think this will eliminate some of the bubbling I saw at first application.  

1st coat done, defiantly plan on two coats. 

After the second coat the final product came out beautifully.  Now just to wait and see will it hold up for a few seasons.

On to the next stage, waxing.

Then back to the interior to service the scuppers.

Two afternoons and all I have to do is touch up under the trailer pads, pull the cover off and slap the outboard on the stern.