An interesting map, some thoughts on a sharkless world, and a needful/scary riff on adaptation…
I’ve received a few emails on the subject of a new paint job for the Islander both pro and con but in a polarized sort of way. The funny thing, for me at least, is that in a world of low wages, more people are not all that positive in hacking the system to make it more affordable.
Of course, being born with cheap seats genes from both sides of the family, I tend to look at every boat project through a “How can I do this project the best way possible and not piss money away in the process” lens. To be specific, when looking at paint, I’m mostly looking at performance, long term durability, as well as bang for the buck.
The problem is that not a whole lot of folks have used tractor paint for their cruising boats. There’s a surfeit of information available on “yacht paints” but the only way to find out how well tractor paint will work on your boat or even how to best paint with said tractor paint is, pretty much, in the Ultima Thule zone and you’re pretty much on your own. Which, doing what everyone does, is just stop signs on the roads I like to travel.
The downside (and yes Dear Reader there is always a downside) is that a year or so from now we may be pulling in to some port in Uruguay with a paint job that can only be described as leprous. So it does go…
In the meantime there does seem to be a whole lot of folks painting their cars with tractor paint with good results so worth checking out.
Oh yeah, I should get about a dozen of these to get me through the current debacle.
“How can i do this boat without pissing money away”…….is what Im asking myself being offered a 25ton wooden boat “with issues”. Point is, money will have to be spent. The only real consideration is if its being “pissed away”, or is it providing me with a home while also keeping the chainsaw away from the few of its kind left? I would see a LOT of tractor paint in my future if my 56 year old Furgerson is anything to go by; its the prep making it stick is key, by some accounts.