0 Regrets Facelift

There comes a time in a boat's life that the age starts to show. You know, like the forehead wrinkles, crinkle eyes, 2nd chin etc. Not that any of my friends or I have these maturity scars. At least a bit of sanding, paint and care can erase much of the Regrets badges of maturity. So, to help our 0 Regrets a paint therapy was scheuled.

Watching my new, best friend dangling from the tentacles of the travel lift is a bit of a nail biter. 0 Regrets is a small boat compared to the 61 ft. boat lifted the next day, but that is not my boat. The yard crew, Rotterings, were very professional and helpful thru the process. We must remember, two old guys are going to paint this most valuable boat and we will need all the help we can find. First things first, SANDING. The boat was blocked close to the ground which made for belly flop painting. Our plan is to paint the hull and bottom with the most expensive paint known to the universe. Damn the $$$$.

The photo does not show the 3 days of sanding required to reach this stage of the facelift. Like when the doctor says this may make you a bit sore. I could not lift my arms over my shoulder after this event. Fortunately, I had expert help. Albin Bill lives on a 36 Albin, just like ours and has year of experience. He agreed to be my mentor and captive slave during the process. I discovered after 1 day that I was the captive and he called the shots. Well, Mr. Smirf, (blue color) worked like a young man preping the 0 Regrets for the surgery.

As I mentioned, Bill is the expert and spent several hours sanding in a 3 ft. area where the most damage had occurred. The painting was to soon begin. But, every moment I thought we would paint Bill said "no we have to -------". Like when the Dentist drills, drills and drills, takes a break and you thing Oh My God, he is done. Only to return with a new drill and fresh from his break. We finally began the painting after the 72 hr. sanding.

We sectioned off a portion of the hull to make the job a bit more organized. The picture indicates 1/2 of the hull with two coats of new paint. This section proved to be the easiest portion. The upper portion reqired many steps on the rickety ladders to apply the new paint. By the way, the paint only costs $250 per quart, yes that is correct, $1,000 per gallon. Fortunately we only needed 2 quarts.

This photo gives an indication of how low the boat was blocked. The skag under the prop protects from those time when I stick 0 Regrets in the mud. The paintng of the bottom is not glamorious but a real necessity. This required the old guys to lay on backs and bellies to paint the keel and botton. Getting down is not hard it is the getting up "I have fallen and cannot get up". Without further Nobel award winning prose, or continue whinning, the finished product can be revealed.

Needless to say we are very proud of the new look. The stripes are now teal in color and she really shines. Fortunately, we should not have to paint the hull again in my lifetime and the bottom need painting about every 5 years. Next time the bottom may be painted with a check book. Oh the joys of boat ownership. Next major task will be the improvements to the cabin and flybridge. Next year after a rest and more $$$$. Happy Sailing, Adm. Denise, Captn. Barry, Deckhands Bella and Bailey