The day had arrived to complete Somerledi's barrier coat - the epoxy-based paint meant to protect the resin infused fiberglass hull from water ingress, leading to the obnoxious blisters (osmotic damage to the hull's fiberglass laminate) that a number of fiberglass hulls eventually are afflicted with. In fact, when the innocuous bottom was stripped of it antifoul paint, the last thing on my mind was the discovery of over a thousand small blisters, but that's what was revealed. The grinding work ensued and the blisters were repaired, albeit shallow and more cosmetic in character, but they were addressed and hopefully put to bed. Blisters are something to be reviewed by captains when their boats are hauled for seasonal bottom paint application, and while not demanding of immediate attention, can metastasize into significant structural damage.

Arriving at Somerledi, I began the day's work by sanding back to fair the final skim coat of fairing compound applied in the previous work session, but I continued on to sand the entirety of the hull to ensure a good subsequent bond with the final two coats of barrier paint. The Total Boat product being used has a 60-day open time for repainting , but because of the partitioned work in applying the barrier paint (moving sailboat stands, and isolated patches of blisters re-worked), I decided on the conservative side and prepped the entirety of the hull. With that bulk of work completed, I rinsed the hull and allowed it to air dry while I gathered tools and materials for the barrier paint application. I mixed a larger pot of paint and set it to the side to allow for the 15-minute induction time. While the paint was chemically doing its thing, I wiped the hull with acetone rag and acetone to remove the remaining contaminates.

With an 8" roller, I applied the barrier coat from bow to stern on the port side, and stern to bow on the starboard side. Upon reaching the end, the starboard bow, I mixed another larger pot and repeated my efforts. I paid specific attention to the recent blister repair areas and Gaven them at least three coats of barrier paint. So across the hull, the barrier coat was at least 3 coats and up to 5.

Somerledi's owner has procured the thru-hulls and seacocks to be installed, so this project in likely next on the list of more significant work to be done on this classic. There are a few other tasks to complete and will likely be the ones given attention in the near term.

Total Hrs: 5.25