In the first picture you can see I've cleared the main deck of all the obstructions I can.  The anchor is in the anchor locker, the shore power cord is zip tied to the lifeline and all the lines for handling the sheets have been moved from the deck.  Time for a good scrub down. 

One thing about my new home at the Naval Air Station that I'm not too keen on is, all the P-3 aircraft.  It seems they leak a lot of oil.  My deck was covered in a finely atomized film of aircraft exhaust.  Not fun to remove.

I've tracked down the soot problem and it's 1950s technology.  Good thing they'll be replaced some time in 2012... Maybe... I hate politicians.

With the supplies gathered it's time to start priming.  This seems awfully familiar.  Thank God no bottom paint blue involved with this job.

I'm not going for broke with the primer this time.  I'm only hitting the areas that require it.  The primer fills minor imperfections and checking in the gel coat, so I'm only hitting the areas that require it.  My deck is in excellent shape with the exception of the cockpit, I'm only painting to reseal it after 20 years of UV.  When I clean the deck it looks great, but if dirt touches it it stains.  The gel-coat has oxidized and become way too porous for easy maintenance.

photo of cockpit deck before and after priming

Twenty years of stepping in and out of the interior of the boat has taken its toll on the deck just outside the companion way.  It's by far the worst checking and cracking .  The good news is the moisture meter says everything's alright with the core material; no water has penetrated.  The Interlux Epoxy Primekote primer did an outstanding job of leaching down into the cracks and filling them.  The only effort I had to put forward was mixing it in the proper proportions and pushing a roller across the deck.

Got to the boat early this morning, dried the dew off the decks, sanded a few of the primed areas, and started the masking process.

Several hours later the taping is done, the temperature is perfect for painting, but the wind is now blowing too strongly.

The day after masking, the weather is perfect.  After drying the dew off the deck, and a good rub down with 202 solvent; I spent the next 4 hours painting the deck and cockpit.  Painting the deck is not nearly as fun as the sides where you can grab a 12" roller,  roll it right on, and easily see the spots you've missed.  I can't wait for the second coat when everything is even closer to the same color.  I've come to the conclusion that, no matter how good I am at this, or how satisfying the final product is; I will never paint boats for a living, nor will I help someone do it.  I'd rather help my buddy, the piano collector, move from his tenth story apartment without the benefit of an elevator.

Here are the results 4 coats later.  Now I just have to remove all the tape and do some touch ups.

Below:  The final product, tape removed and rigging back in place.

click image for full size view