Triumph and Glory for Moomins (plus) and 8 Great Truths about boat painting

Not only did we not come last in yesterday’s quiz at the Wheatsheaf in Crick, but we actually got on the podium!!!  Yes, us Herbies joined forces with the Moomins (aka Simon and Ann(e?) of Nb Melaleuca and the redoubtable Rick of Long Buckby and came third in the quiz under the joint team name of Moomins.  Utilising such obscure knowledge as Bugatti being the French motor manufacturer taken over by Volkswagen, and actually recognising a photo of Christopher Trace who did Blue Peter when it was in Black and White we managed to win back our entry fee.  A Triumph,  although Rick is still grumbling about the quiz master’s idea of which of Newton’s laws of motion is which.

During the last few days I have been up to my elbows in paint, restoring Herbie to some semblance of respectability by refreshing the paint on the fore and aft cants and decks, the gas locker lid, the starboard handrail, and the starboard gunnel and then derusting and repainting an area of the roof where the ash pole had been lying and quietly eating into the paint.

There’s always more to do of course, but it was a worthwhile start to the season.  During the process I was reminded of a few Great Truths about boat painting.

1. there are only about two days a year when the weather is suitable for boat painting and the day you choose is never one of them.

2. painting out of doors is a real pain because of all the dust and insects and spats of unexpected rain.

3. a gust of wind can blow paint off the bristles of a brush

4. horizontal surfaces need painting far more often than vertical ones.

5. red paint looks nice but it covers less well than any other colour

6. good masking tape is dear but worth it.

7. Always have a rag and some white spirit handy to clear up accidental smudges in the wrong place.  I used so much I am now classified as Highly Flammable.

8. Brush Mate boxes are the best invention ever. You can keep a brush for every colour you need ready to use and never have to wash them out. Only an idiot wouldn’t use one once they had tried it.

I took advice I remember from Phil Speight which is when painting over a repair (eg a rusty patch, suitably Fertan-ed and primered) mask out a largish neat edged area around the repair and paint that.  I did a six inch wide strip along the edge of the roof capturing all the various rust spot repairs and painted that.  It looks so much better than lots of little paint patches and is quick to do.

Now I’m back at home and marvelling at how much the garden has grown in a week.