We brought Percy in 2012... she was 20 years old then and had been lovingly looked after by the builder and owners Tony and Gill Redshaw. The paint was looking a bit tired into our early years of ownership so we took the plunge and booked in for a full repaint with John Sanderson at Dadford's wharf on the Stourbridge canal and I purchased new windows.
Percy on her way to be repainted piloted by my good friend John.
We've tried to follow the after care advice of a polish spring and autumn but inevitable scrapes have taken their toll. The most annoying was a scar from trying to get Percy into the silted up moorings here at Shebdon when the plank used to get on and off while mooring up was pushed into the front bulkhead....
So we did something not really done before on any of out boats we started to paint....
Earlier this year I rubbed the scabs back Fertan'd it and primed it and left it.... we came to the boat this time with a nice new orbital sander and mesh disks ( great kit) and dark green Craftmaster undercoat and top coat. I rubbed the scabs back re did the Fertan etc then two coats of undercoat and two top coats with sanding between ever lighter. It looks well not John Sanderson well but passes my satisfaction test... my fail was not properly filling the scabs expecting the paint to do that.... lesson learnt and that's what we do these jobs we learn as we go.
On the roof over the engine room there has always been a area that was well filled due to at some point a dent being put in there.... it is in one of the top plate welds and has been a persistent problem with cracking of the filler which cracks the paint water gets in and it looks bad. Job 2 was to remove the old filler treat the steel and critically this time as said before I used two pack liquid metal that I hope will be a stronger more permanent surface. It took a lot but again sanding between coats of this stuff with some filled to get the last few lows filled and we are getting there. It needs more work a bit more rubbing back and some final filler then a couple of coats of paint.... it's all overkill as we have a 200w flexible panel that is going to be bonded over this area which will give it total protection in the future and will not be seen until the panel is replaced.... more than likely by future owners. But I wanted to at least give it the right finish and protection even if its the wrong colour - I'll use up the small bit of dark green undercoat and top coat - not be seen but apologies to the next owners as and when they find it ... hopefully it'll be understood what and why it was done - especially if they read this !!
Pleasing work, painting is not the bogey man job I always thought and I have more areas I will go at next year... the rear around the tiller needs some paint as does the well deck.
Top tip a tarp and some rubber magnets with m6 threads and bolts that go thru the eyelets on the tarp to protect the new paint from wind and insects... worked well for us and I'll use it again for those two areas....
Eventually the roof will get done but that will be a dry dock job coinciding with blacking the hull.
We did a bit of walking and relaxing and ate well .... I do like the Shroppie and our mooring
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