Color Scheme

I painted the boat about 15 different times on paper. I copied the plans on 8x11 paper and used colored pencils to get a feel for what it woul look like. I knew I wanted to stay away from the traditional blue bottom which is what you see a lot of in my area.

Somehow I always came back to the red and white. So, living in democracy I put it up for a vote with the family. The kids voted for the red and white. I thought about painting SOS on the bottom just in case anything should happen however, if I did that I would only be inviting an unwanted situation if you know what I mean.

I first gave the entire outer hull a coat of Rust-O-Leum primer. I then painted it with Rust-O-Leum oil based paint. I know that it is not a traditional boat paint but it appeared to have held very well. Rust-O-Leum does make marine paint but to be honest, I don’t really think it was worth it since my boat will not sleep in the water. If you don’t use marine paint, I recommend a good quality oil based paint. Stay clear of latex.

Everything was rolled on with a smooth foam roller. No spray gun used and honestly if painted correctly with a roller, a spray gun is really not needed. The paint was thick enough and settled nicely without any roller streaks.
The Big Tuna got two coats of primer. When dried, I sanded it very lightly. Then it got two coats of each color (red and white). When it all dried, I gave it two coats of Rust-O-Leum clear finish.

Preping the surface with primer.

Mask off your area if you are going to use 2 tones of colors. Keep that line straight. You can make a simple template and run it with a pencil to mark your line. Paint early and out of the direct mid day hot sun.

Keep it going. Stay in a rhythm. I think I was jamming to a little Jimmy Buffet while I was painting.

Break time for me. I did the middle where Lou Jr. could not reach. He did the rest and a fine job that he did.

Officially completed.
 

I had not seen an ice cream truck in over 30 years. I thought they were extinct. After a tough morning of painting. Some lunch time icecream was well in order. I had that cone with the gum ball on the bottom. Boy did that bring back memories.