Rosa Motor Sailor Refit – Part Four
Welcome back to the East Med Yachting blog for another update on the refit of our motor sailer, Rosa. There’s been amazing progress made since we last posted – Rosa has been hoisted out of the water to receive a new coat of paint, some new antifouling and a stylish new vinyl logo. Let’s see how Captain Andi and Ivana got on.
We hardly recognise Rosa ‘on the hard’– the nautical term for being on solid ground. Here, she’s being prepared for a new coat of paint.
This picture was taken just underneath the hull as Rosa was prepared for some new antifouling. This is a special coating which protects the boat while it’s in the water, preventing the growth of barnacles, weeds and other marine life.
After being prepped for her new paint job, Rosa receives a layer of gel first. This smooths over the surface and ensures it’s able to receive the high gloss paint that will come next.
This is Captain Andi smoothing down the gel coating before the high gloss finish goes on.
Looking good so far! We know the sky looks exceedingly strange on this picture – it can be hard to show accurate progress of the boat from certain angles, so
we’ve tweaked the photo very slightly to make sure we show Rosa in her best light.
While the paint job is being completed on the superstructure, the entire deck needs to be covered with masking sheets. If a blob of paint were to fall onto the (newly-sanded) timber, it would be disastrous!
This image shows the top of the hull – the gunwale. More masking sheets have been positioned to protect the deck from stray splashes of paint.
The antifouling is now complete! This will ensure Rosa is protected when she enters the water. We know that the supports and wedges don’t look 100% secure, but we assure you, this is the tried-and-tested method used by boat builders for hundreds of years! Why tinker with tradition?
Her paint job is almost finished! As you can see here, Rosa looks super glossy and really impressive. We’re sure guests are going to love her new look.
The last finishing touch is a new logo applied to the stern. This is made from tough vinyl, as it will need to stand up to the elements, the sun and constantsplashes of sea water.
Another logo on the forward hull to complete the job.
To ensure there was a clear divide between the antifouling and the paint, masking was applied. Here you can see Captain Andi removing that masking to reveal a sharp, accurate edge – supervised carefully by Ivana, standing on the deck!
Last but not least, she’s back in the water, lowered in very carefully by a crane. Doesn’t she scrub up well?
Check back next week when we’ll be meeting the only specialist involved in the project (Pero the welder), as well as getting a glimpse of the new windscreen as it goes in.
