NHCAD

Topside

The top deck was painted green to go with the yellow hull (Vermont colors I guess). While sanding off the old paint, it looked like the original color was teal or some type of '60s blue.

The top deck also showed a lot of cracks in the gel coat. The only spot that needed patching was the ID of the mast hole. Again, the fairing mixture (epoxy + hardner + microfiller) was the solution. Let it harden, sand it smooth.

I used a wood chisel to scrape silicone off the sides. Silicone was used to adhere a piece of garden hose (slit along its length) as a rub rail. It looked really tacky, so it had to go. This picture shows good detail of the condition of the topside in general, cracked gelcoat, orange-peeled texture of the paint, and the original color underneath.

The paint I used on the top deck is Pettit EasyPoxy Bikini Blue. Instead of a 1/4" nap roller like I used on the hull, I used a trim roller (very small) which was able to get the sides and top of the raised ridges. Again, I quality natural bristle brush for 'tipping' to give it the smooth look. One coat of white undercoat as a primer and then the bikini blue on top of that. I added a little paint thinner to my pan to make the primer and paint run better after tipping. Also a quick hand sand with 220 grit between applications to knock down high brush strokes.

Here is a picture of the top deck with just the primer. After sanding it, I pushed it outside to wash with a hose and sponge. The water drops are more visible on the hull.

A fair portion of the primer can be sanded off. It acts as a binding agent between the gel coat and the final paint. It's ok to be a little transparent in spots. The smoother you can get it before the final paint the better. Just make sure there isn't any dust on the surface when you go to paint, it will show up in the finished product.