Shelter Island Boat Works

I had painted the undersides of the deck structure prior to assembling it. I knew I could reach through the permanently assembled beams to paint the forward hull areas this first time. But how on earth, after the decks were on, I would be able to re-paint those areas I hadn’t a clue. Having concluded it would be unreachable for anyone other than a gnome, I went ahead with the paint.

After considering a few colors, I decided to paint the interior and the decks the same color – a semi-gloss off white. That would soften the look and provide a little contrast with the hull – a gloss white. I would be trying Kirby’s marine oil paint for the first time. George Kirby had a nice off white, “Maynard Bray Off White,” which fit the bill. I ordered a gallon, which was just the right amount for both the interior and eventually the decks.

I did a few tests to see how the paint flowed and covered. It was very thick in the can. I added some Penetrol (not sure the exact amount) for it to flow smoothly. The air temperature was around 65-70, and the humidity was low. Then I was ready to paint. The first coat covered fairly well, but clearly it would need another two coats. The paint remained glossy for some hours, and the color was very white. It turned out I would need to allow the paint to dry at least 2-3 days before I could lightly sand it for the next coat. The next two coats went on fine, but the brush marks took quite a while to settle. Eventually they would be minimal, but still somewhat visible. The color stayed white for a long time. It made me wonder what Maynard’s idea of “Off White” was! Eventually, it darkening into a nice off white after a couple of weeks.

I hand-sanded lightly between coats with 220 grit. I applied another coat to some darker spots. On those areas, it touched up surprisingly well.

First Coat – Wet

Last Coat – Semi Dry

Later, when I started to paint the decks, it would not be so easy!