Paint
Paint — It’s one of those things you want to get right. But it’s also apparently one of those things that can cost $100,000 if your boat happens to be in the 40 ton range.
Our criteria.
1) Good, not pretty. I could care less about gloss. Durable, is much better than gloss. Epoxy chalks in the sun and chalking is fine.
2) Basic color selection. Black, Grey, Yellow, Red and we are good.
Topsides 4200 sq ft
Hull Interior 4200 sq ft
Below the Waterline 1500 sq ft
Everything: Zinc Primer Amercoat 68 HS, air sprayer 0.07 tip, 1 coat, 3 to 4 mils, 5700 sq ft / 550 * 1.2 = 12 gallons
Hull: Coal Tar Amercoat 78 HB, 2 coats, roller, 8 mil, no thinner, 3000 sq ft * 2 / 78 * 1.2 = 95 gallons
Everything Else: Amercoat 385, 2 or 3 coats, roller, No induction over 70, 3 hour pot @ 70, 4200 / 218 * 1.2 = 23 gallons: 20 gallons Grey, 2 gallons Red, 1 gallon Yellow.
Keels and Casting
I finally got the keel patched and put the crew to work doing the nastiest job of the year. During the last few years of construction the keels have been collecting inches of grinding dust, plasma dust, weld spatter, tools, leaves and other assorted trash. Just add water and you get the picture. Now we wait for them to dry and they’ll be ready of lead. Mean while we are back to casting deadlights for the portholes.
Mucking Out is DONE!
Wet, cold, and muddy, but the worst is over and I have Jack, Hugh, and Martin to thank for it. Ok, so Martin was seriously late, but that was Delta’s fault. Now we just need a week or two of dry weather so they can dry out, and then it’s time to pour some lead!

Martin Kresadlo stopped in on a business trip. I shook his hand and pointed to a wet vac. This guy knows how to go to work.
The Gingerbread Crew
While nutcrackers pranced and sugar plums danced,
a special magic fell upon Seeker by chance.
A dusting by fairies or mystical things,
turned the boat and the crew into gingerbread beings.



Casting, Rudder, Hatches and other
The engine room hatch has a gasket. A second deadlight is cast. The rudder quadrant now has put out dowel pins as several of you suggested. Thank you! The chain to cable connectors are done for the chain and cable steering system. And you get to see me continue to fail to patch a hole in a keel. 🙂 Many thanks to crew members, Betsy, Su, Aaron S, Jack C, Jack S. Seeker crew rock!
If you love cars and motorcycles, then checkout Aaron Starnes web site and blog: www.aaronstarnes.com
More Clues….
Questioning the suspects…..
Rudder Quadrant / Keels / Deadlight
We had a great weekend despite the keels. Jack Sadrakula flew in from Chicago. We successfully cast another porthole deadlight, he help me unsuccessfully patch a keel. He then completed the gadget that connects the #60 chains to the 3/8″ steel cable for the chain and cable steering system, and then help me unsuccessfully patch the keel again. He then broke and fit the #60 chain and centered up the drive shaft coupler on the helm’s gear box and helped me unsuccessfully patch the keel again. Randy Martin drove in from Denton Texas and while Jack drilled, reamed and set the pull out dowel pins in the rudder quadrant. Randy help me unsuccessfully patch the keel. All and all it was a good weekend thanks to Jack and Randy. Next week I will be patching the leak in the keel.
Xmas Shopping
There’s still time to have a very merry SV Seeker holiday! Padding the USPS estimates (c’mon.. you know they’re running behind), we are pretty darn confident (no guarantees — but confident) that if you order a T-Shirt or Thermal Mug by this Sunday (Dec. 20, 2015), we can pop it in the mail first thing Monday morning and you will have it in time to shove it in your Christmas stocking.
Rates for USPS Priority mail in the USA are very reasonable. Priority shipping for T-shirts is roughly $5. For actual shipping charges, head on over to our Shop and you can fiddle around clicking the shipment buttons in your cart and see what the charges would be. Yep.. you can cram muliple items together and save on shipping charges when you go Priority.
Get your Jolly on and thanks for your support!












































