Filler

[stewfisch]

Hi folks,
I recently bought a 1962 Sealancer that the previous owner did a really nice restoration on. I'm getting ready to transform the white hull color to the original and "correct" Lemonade. A friend of mine has told me that I should show the boat just because it will turn heads. He has been a judge for a decade and then some. He has pointed out some small and easily correctable flaws before any paint is applied. There are a number of small "divots" where the fasteners holding the hull together were not properly filled during the restoration. The present coating is Pettite enamel. I need a recommendation for a filler to eliminate these little pests. It's not like they follow a pattern. They're more random so they will stick out like a sore thumb when one looks down the strakes with "Lemonade" with a gloss finish. Should I prep the divots using steel wool as an abrasive to give the filler a surface to adhere to?

Thanks in Advance, Stew Fischer

[LancerBoy]

Do not ever use steel wool on a boat. No matter how much you clean, residue of steel will remain. And it can quite easily get under your paint or stain or varnish. And we all know what steel does in a moist environment. Rust. Use bronze wool.

Most likely you will have to sand to give some "bite" for the new filler to stick. Smith's "Fill-IT" can be used as filler or Famowood.

Andreas

[stewfisch]

Andreas,
Thanks for that info. Point taken on the steel wool. On the road to fresh paint!
Stew

[stewfisch]

Hi folks,

Time to change the direction of this thread. The hull has been sanded, "filled" and finish sanded. The KIRBY lemonade is ready to rejuvenate my Sealancer to it's original splendor. Thread drift begins now. I've picked out a name for my boat. I understand there are people who don't believe in naming smaller boats. Each to their own. My boat is over 50 years young. I'm older than my boat. That being said, My boat is getting a name! I want to use Kirby lemonade on a well varnished mahogany transom. Do I simply sand the general area, apply lettering and shoot it with clear? Suggestions are welcomed.

Stew Fischer

[LancerBoy]

Naming any boat is fine. My Thompson boats all have names: Thommy; Valhalla; The Blue Bomb; Super Duper Big Thom. But none are written on the transom.

I am not sure how to go about actually placing wording on the transom. Gold leaf is very common amongst the inboard boat crowd.

Andreas

[Bill Dunn]

I had mine made at a local sign shop. They are vinyl and self adhesive and look pretty good. I put them in the same place you were describing. As long as the varnish is clean and free of grease or oil you shouldn't have any problems. Mine have been on for a couple years and I haven't had any problems. I didn't put any clearcoat or anything else on them. That would be a nightmare when you wanted re-varnish. I think it only cost about $25 or $30.
Bill

[Phill Blank]

Stew,

You might want to look at the vinyl letter decals that are available thru a few different site on the net. They are a lot easier to do and one advatange is when it comes time to revarnish you can remove it and get a new one to put over the new finish. Letter styles and layouts are numorus and available in different sizes.
There are many many colors available in vinyl to match almost anything you have. I used them for my sailboat year back and it worked great.

If you do deside to paint the name on, I would suggest using a "liquid sand" product before painting to give the varnish a tooth for the paint to bight onto.

Good Luck,

Phill

[Bill Dunn]

That sounds a lot like the ones I used. This place specializes in boat numbers and lettering and any other outdoor lettering on vehicles of any kind. They have many different styles to pick from. I have had the numbers on my boat from here for 5 years with no problems. They also can be removed without much work.
Bill