Painting Tips from a Professional Boatbuilder - Doug

11 Sep 22:

Our friend Doug built wooden Drascombes in England for years, and he shared a few paint tips for us:

-Never sweep the floor before painting, sprinkle water around instead to damp the dust down. 

-If you paint the bottom before turning the hull over, when the paint has thoroughly dried and hardened, you can use the same masking tape for the waterline by moving it onto the hardened paint surface, saves a lot of masking tape and does the job well. 

-A very small amount of thinners added to the paint helps it flow better, especially in cold temperatures, about 5ml to a 500ml tin, (depending on the brand of paint). 

-Always stir the paint from the bottom of the tin upward. 

-If using paint from a previously opened tin, always strain it into a clean container before use, ladies tights are ideal for that purpose.😉  (Editor: Doug did not mention if the tights were to be reused by the ladies later...)

-Decant part used tins of paint into a smaller airtight container to reduce the air space, it'll keep better and longer, glass screw top jars are ideal for that. (Editor: Also "Stop Loss" bags are popular today)