Good progress Rico...
Like C-187 my boat had silicone everywhere. And there is still more to remove. So tell me what was your procedure for removing the silicone? So far I have been using all types of scraping devices from carbide scrapers to high speed steel scrapers that I could hone razor sharp to razor blades themselves. Then a solvent wash and finally sanding. The worst areas are in the non-skid. Most of these I will recore and cut away the silicone. But for the few areas I can't I took a trim router with a mortising bit in it and actually cut the top surface of the gel coat off along with the silicone. I figured this way I was not grinding it into the remaining gelcoat.
I struggled a long time with colors also. My favorite color is the dark navy blue hull similar to what C-227 did. And I like the white and red trim colors with it. But alas I live in Florida and that is just too hot down here. I like to spend a week at a time on my boat and it gets hot enough with a white hull. I've been told it is not good for the fiberglass below that dark color either in this hot sun.
I also considered red but in this sun it fades very quickly and would need if done with gelcoat a significant buffing job every year. It also would be hot down here.
I also considered briefly an off white cream color that would look really good with the brightwork. It would not show scratches easily and it would be a classic looking color. And if I did not want to make the non-skid a slightly darker color than the rest of the deck, I might have gone with that. But I really like the non-skid area to be a slightly darker color which defines the area that it covers and just plain looks good. And with a cream color hull and deck I would have to use something like a biegh non-skid and I'm just not a beigh kind of person.
So in the end I decided on the light gray topsides like you did on 'Mephisto Cat' and the gray non skid with a white deck. I will probably use a white bottom and a red waterline stripe. But the bottom color is not yet set in stone. Since 'Destiny' will sit in the water 9 months out of the year a white bottom even with ablative paint might not be a good idea.
When it comes to the rub rail I decided I like what C-227 used which will soften the blow from any bumps against the dock and protect against scratches. That is part of the reason I decided to fill the toe rail with polyester putty and glass over the area. The other part is the Genoa track that will mount through the toe rail. At least then the screws will be buried and not lead directly to the inside of the boat. And my work will also strengthen the joint. My only concern with this rub rail is where the hull side and stern come together. If I can't make a miter joint there that I like I will have a cover plate fabricated that will make the transition. If you don't remember what he used here is the picture from his post.
JERRY CARPENTER - C147
A man can succeed at almost anything for which he has unlimited enthusiam.
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Colors, brightwork, & jewelry
