PAINTING YOUR SEA SPRITE…LET’S GET READY FOR SUMMER

Bob Rude – Sea Sprite 785 – Oasis

I’ve had a number of local sailors comment on how much they love the new paint job I have on my Sea Sprite.  If you want to do the job yourself, here are some tips and lessons I learned from doing this during the spring of 2023.  This post in its entirety can be found in “Technical” for posterity as well as here.

First, realize that this isn’t going to be as fancy as having a professional spray paint your boat with Awlgrip.  But, it’s going to be about 95% as good and a heck of a lot cheaper.  From 5-10 feet away, it’ll be hard to tell you didn’t have a professional spray job.  

Here’s a list of the materials you’ll need to get started.

MATERIALS

An orbital disc sander with a built-in bag to gather the sanding dust (I used a 5” electric Rigid model from Home Depot – $65.00)

Packets of Diablo sanding discs having the following grits:  80, 100, 120, 150, 220). Buy the packets that have roughly 20 discs per packet.  ($10.-$20 per packet)

Foam brushes – 1”, 2”, 3” width.  Buy a box of each.  Available online from Jamestown Distributors.  Cost about $20 per box.  Each box has approximately 20 brushes.  Throw away after using.  Good for varnishing, too).

6” foam rollers, pan, and handle for the roller.  Only use foam rollers if you want a nice final finish!  DO NOT USE KNAP ROLLERS!  Home Depot or Jamestown Distributors.

Epiphane Polyurethane Top Side Paint (Two Part) – $70 per quart.  You pick your color.  You’ll need at least two quarts.  (Defender Industries – Order on-line once you’ve checked out their color chart)

Epiphane Two Part Semi-gloss polyurethane primer.  Choose white or grey, depending upon your boat’s final color.  Two quarts at around $50 per quart. Defender Industries

Ephiphane Brush Thinner – $20.00.  Defender Industries.

Lots of lint-free rags

Flexible sandpaper blocks of various grits – Home Depot

Tyveck suits and a good respirator.  Clear eye protection is also a good idea. 

Plastic mixing pots for mixing the two-part paints – Jamestown Distributors.  Price varies by size.  Sold in packs of 5. 

Now that you have all your materials, you’re ready to get into it.  You’re going to develop some new muscles from holding the sander against the hull.  Be patient.  

I would recommend beginning the sanding on the stern of the boat.  Start out with the 80 grit sandpaper.  Starting at the stern will give you a good idea of how you’ll need to transition through the different grits of sandpaper to eventually end up using the 220 grit.  Also, if you make a mistake on the reverse transom, it won’t be as visible as if you’ve done it at the bow of the boat.  Think of the transom as your “practice area.”

Your first pass of the hull with the 80 grit will knock down some of the high spots and maybe eliminate some of the scratches and dings you’ve incurred over the past few seasons.  

The project begins…The original green gelcoat that had been painted over with a cheap one-part green paint.  This photo was taken after the first sanding with 80 grit sandpaper.

Don’t be surprised if your hull looks “splotchy.”  Notice how one of the photographs of my early sanding appears.  The hull looks like a pinto animal.  You may need to use a fairing compound if you have some big dings.  You can hose your boat down with a garden hose to remove some of the dust collected from the sanding.

The old paint as been completely sanded off using each of the sandpaper grits.  This is what the hull looks like.  Notice there are still some minor hull irregularities probably caused by original hull mold.  Try to get the hull faired as smooth as possible 

I hope you’re not exhausted from these repeated sandings.  You’ve only accomplished the first step in getting the hull prepped for the primer.  From this point on, you want to repeat the sanding with successive finer grit sandpaper.  Don’t be afraid to change the sandpaper as you go along.  Let the newly affixed pad do the work of leveling the hull.  After completely doing the hull with all the different grades, you’ll be ready to think about painting.

At this point, you should mix a solution of 75% water and 25 % alcohol in a bucket of water.  Using a wet rag, wring the water from the rag and gently wipe the hull down, wringing the rag out frequently will remove any dust and impurities that may have occurred.  

While you can sand the boat in sunlight or shade, when it comes time to paint, you need to be careful not to apply primer or paint in direct sunlight during the heat of the day.  It’s better to paint when the hull is in the shade or earlier in the day.  If that means you’ll only be able to do half of the hull, so be it.  The worst case scenario is trying to roll on primer or paint on a hot hull.  The paint will dry as soon as you touch the roller to the fiberglass and it will inhibit the slow drying of the paint that you need in order to get the paint to level out and create a smooth surface and a nice shine.

I’ve included a photo of my primed hull.  You’ll need to put two coats of primer on with a 220 grit sanding between coats.  Again, wipe the hull with the water/alcohol mixture.  Primer comes in two colors.  Use gray primer for darker final colored paint or white primer for lighter colored paints.  Allow the primer to dry thoroughly and then do a final 220 grit sanding and clean up.  You’re getting closer to apply the paint!  Finally.

Once the second coat of primer has dried and been sanded, wipe it down and get ready for the first of two coats of paint.  Let the hull dry for a day or two.  Here are some additional tips. I needed plenty of tips. My painting coach is shown above giving me some pointers.

I suggest you start the painting by experimenting with your rolling skills by first painting the underside of the transom down near the rudder post.  You are bound to make a few rookie mistakes with the roller.  Make those mistakes out of sight.

I’ve seen so many sailors get jacked about putting the final touches on their boat by painting the bow sections first.  Invariably, they glop the paint on too thick and the finished product has roller marks or runny paint right where you don’t want anyone to see it…on the bow.  Be patient.  Attack under  the stern first.  You’ll be glad you did.  If you feel really frisky, you might move to the transom as your second painting endeavor.  Once you’ve master the art of using the roller with a light touch, you can move on to the port/starboard sides of the boat.  This photo shows my professional painting coach giving me a lesson.

There’s a real knack to using a roller.  Always roll from a point of existing paint to the section that hasn’t been painted.  As you finish the rolling stroke, use a flick of the wrist to get the roller to leave the hull with a light touch.

Someone may tell you to use a paintbrush to “tip” the paint.  I’ve painted two boats without tipping and the boats turned out beautiful.  I’ve never had success with tipping.  You choose your poison.  For me, I’m sticking with the foam roller…no brushing.

There may be sections of you boat where you will want to use a foam brush for detail work.  You may decide to mask off the toe rail before priming or painting.  If so, take one of the narrow foam brushes and use it for edging.  Then run the foam roller up to the section you’ve just painted. Do the edging as the same pace you are rolling.  That way the paint can blend in while it’s still wet.  

Once your hull has the first coat of paint, use the 220 grit sandpaper and gently go over the dried painted hull.  By now you should be a master sander.  Wipe the hull down with the water/alcohol mixture and let it thoroughly dry.  Then roll on the final coat of paint.  If you’ve done all the prep work, you should have a bright smooth  hull.  

In retrospect, I would estimate that 90% of the work is the prepping the hull for the final two coats of paint.  It will be hard to persevere through all the sanding but this is all the foundation for ending up with a beautiful boat.  Take your time.  You’ll be happy with the end result.  Don’t rush and make a mess out of a beautiful Alberg-designed day sailor.

Here are some photos of the final project.  I’ve added a gold-leaf cove strip to set off the deep read color of the hull.  I’ve applied two coats of the Epiphane Dark Red two-part polyurethane topside paint.  

A second coat of black Interlux CSC bottom paint is still needed.  I also ended up painting a new waterline with Epiphanes water line paint.  This can be painted on with a foam brush.

The finished product is in the water and ready to go.  I had a professional come and apply the gold leaf name on the transom.

Good luck to you as you restore your Sea Sprite.  All the time and effort will be worth it.Edit

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Herb With His Son Rob

As you might recall, Herb Brown, an icon in SS23 sailing on Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island, passed away a few weeks ago. There is to be a memorial for him on Sunday, September 24th, at 3:00 pm, at the Bristol Yacht Club on Poppasquash Rd in Bristol, RI. Here is Herb’s obituary that Bob Rude wrote for our website posted after his death:

It is with deep sadness that the sailing community of Rhode Island and beyond mourns the loss of long-time sailor and Sea Sprite aficionado Herb Browne,  age 92,  of Bristol, Rhode Island.

Herb didn’t grow up with a silver spoon in his mouth.  He spent his early years living in South Providence, a tough, rough and tumble place.  It wasn’t until he moved to the Edgewood section of Providence that he was introduced to sailing.  He took to it like the proverbial fish to water, cutting his teeth sailing Beetle Cats, one of the popular wooden one-designs of the day.  Later in life, after serving in the military in Korea and after living throughout the United States, he and his wife, Christine, ended up settling in Bristol, RI.  There, he quickly became engrossed in the sailing community and from 1977 to 1979 he served as Commodore of the historic Bristol Yacht Club.

Herb always had an eye for beautiful boats.  During his time in Bristol, he witnessed the birth and evolution of fiberglass sailing yachts.  At one point, the largest fiberglass boat at the Bristol Yacht Club was a 30 foot, Pearson Coaster, owned by his friend, Joe Kinder.  Herb’s heart, however, was always centered on racing in one-design boats.  At the time, Pearson Ensigns and locally built Sea Sprites were the dominate one-design racing classes on Narragansett Bay.  That’s when Herb fell in love with a 23-foot Sea Sprite day sailer, designed by Carl Alberg.  As we all know, there’s nothing like the sweet lines of an Alberg design. 

Herb was an acknowledge master of one-design  Sea Sprite sailing in the region, campaigning his blue-hulled beauty named Scot Free.  As all sailboat racers know, having a crack crew comprises 50% or more of a skipper’s success.  Herb had two of the best young sailors one could hope for, son Robbie Browne and friend, Carter Skemp.  Herb would relish telling stories about skippering Scot Free.  Robbie and Carter would do everything else from sail trim to tactics.  

Herb modestly insisted that his job was easy…just drive the boat.

Eventually, Herb found it too taxing to be jumping around in the cockpit of his Sea Sprite.  It was then he transferred to a Marshall Cat.  He never lost his love affair with his Sea Sprite, however.  In his later years, Herb and I, along with our wives, would sit on the Adirondack chairs on the shoreline of the Bristol Yacht Club.  We would watch the boats sail through the mooring field while reminiscing about all the sailing characters we had met over our lifetimes.   Whenever a Sea Sprite under sail would pass into view, Herb would become animated and turn to me an say, “Bob, look at that boat.  Look how beautiful she is.”  Herb was right; there’s nothing quite as beautiful as a Sea Sprite under sail beating to weather.  

Herb’s insights into the Class and his knowledge about class development will be sorely missed as will his smile and wry story telling.  His absence leaves a gaping hole in our minds and hearts.

May he eternally sail on a lifted tack with a warm steady breeze.

Bob Rude

Sea Sprite Association Board Member

THE RACE AROUND HOG:  THE SEA SPRITE CLASS FINALE

Bright blue sunny skies, a perfect 8 knot sea breeze and 9 competitive Sea Sprites lined up on Saturday, September 9 to finish off a successful season of top-notch one-design racing.

The Race Committee of Tim Sandiford and Kayla Kowal set up a perfect starting line and gave us a clockwise course around Hog Island.  A maximum flooding tide paid dividends for teams astute enough play the eddies off Hog Island and the Portsmouth shore.  As one tactician described the race after finishing, “It was a race decided by hitting one tack correctly.”  Amen to that analysis.  Everyone had to navigate a rushing wicked current heading northward between Hog Island Light and the Mt. Hope Bridge.

Halfway through the race, the top three positions changed several times.  Leading over to the southwest corner of Hog, was hotshot Bob Catani and crew.  Once they turned the corner, they were off to the races for the finish line. Their circumnavigation time was 1:04!   Pretty amazing for a 23 foot one-design!

  The order of finish with boat and skipper were:

1. Bramasole – Bob Catani
2. Hope – Emelia Moreno
3. Oasis – Bob Rude
4. New Hope – Dom Messerli
5. Vexatious – Andrew McKeith
6. Zara – Chuck Rosco
7. Lullabelle – David Borton
8. Seeker – Ian Cozzens
9. Swallow – Jerry DeRahm

Below is the winning crew with the now famous winner’s perpetual one-of-a kind -trophy of Mr. Hog.

Following the race, skippers and crew were greeted on the BYC deck with free beer and pizza, courtesy of the Sea Spite Association.

There was the return of the famous Marino pulled pork sandwiches provided by the Marino family.

Andrea Rounds took photos of the racing and of the post-race gathering at Bristol YC. Here is a link to Flickr and the photos:

https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjAUdqo

The only cloud on the day was the fact that SS Commodore, Dom Messerli was unable to join the festivities due to a positive covid test a week earlier. Congratulations to Dom, however, for all his hard work promoting the class during the 2023 sailing season and his fourth-place finish.

Bob Rude

Oasis # 785