tophatyachts.com

Hi all

I purchased a top hat last week and am about to sail her from the marina i bought it at, 100kms south to her new mooring.

Before i do that, i thought i would give it a fresh coat of paint on deck and some varnish on all exterior wood.

Can anyone recommend a paint that can be brushed on and doesnt require too much drying time or prep work?

Heading into winter so hopefully i will get a couple of dry days before setting sail.

Thanks for any suggestions

G'day,
When I got my boat painted they deck a light grey.
I used Norglass deck paint which I got from Bias. I mixed a grey tin with a white tin in a ice cream container and then put them back in the tins but kept changing them over to get the same color.
It has been on the deck for about 12 months and has been pretty thrashed with tools, UV, walking on ect and still is fine. With the little bit of sand in the paint as a non skid and the deck moulds in your toppy it will be perfect.
I will use it again when the boat is ready for a bit more use rather than work.

Cheers,

Dawn Breaker

Congratulations on the new boat. I used non-skid one pack interdeck from International a couple of years ago. It was easy to apply and still looks good. I got it from Whitworths.

Cheers,
Mark

Welcome to the site Stonedpirate,

Did you buy 30m of chain and the new outboard you were talking about on the Seabreeze site?

And have you sorted out your navigation problems?

I have found that NRMA is the best insurer in NSW, how did you go?

The trick with deck paints, or any paint for that matter on fiberglass, is in the preparation and undercoat,
get those two things right and the top coats will last forever, give or take wear and tear.
Don't forget to check out your local hardwear store as I have found that they can be cheaper than Whitworths for the same paint!

Have you found an anchage between your start point and where you are sailing in WA, Mandurah to Bunbury was it?
At best it will take you 10 hours to sail that distance [average of 4.5knots] so you will need two crew if you are doing this for the first time as I think you are.
It would be best to do it in two legs, even if one of them is only 20 nm or so.

There are not many Top Hats in WA so make sure you get the names of any you see, and a photo if possible.

You did not mention what Mark your Top Hat is and its name, please go to the new members section and introduce yourself.

You will enjoy yourself like all of us owners over here on the east coast.

PS are you still planning to leave this Thursday.

Cheers guys.

I ended up with 10m of 8mm chain and 120m of 12mm nylon rope on a 25lb manson supreme.

Still havent sorted out insurance but ordered a long shaft 6hp 4 stroke yammy, should be here mid week.

Not sure about thursday becoause of delays getting hold of an outboard and possible thunderstorms brewing for late week. Will leave on first decent weather day from thursday onwards.

I am doing it solo in one leg. Will just take heaps of caffiene

Will head to introduce yourself section shortly.

The two pack Norglass paints I have used have been good, but I haven't done the exterior of my boat. The other type I use is the Aquacote two pack water based one. Some people love Toplac as it is a one pot paint and goes on well with the roll and tip method. As Phillip said, good preparation is essential. In fact, I would suggest that if you are not able to put in the time for the prep before you want to bring ya boat home then it might be beneficial to leave it until ya get home.

Louis