EP58 - Refit Reality Check | Cold Weather Ends Our Deck Painting Progress

Episode Overview

This week, we made real progress on the deck refit — and then hit a hard stop thanks to winter weather.

The plan was straightforward: prep and paint the aft deck, including the sugar scoops, helm stations, and transom alley. We put in the work up front, spending days sanding, repairing fiberglass, fairing surfaces, and laying down primer. Everything was lined up and ready for paint.

Then the temperatures dropped.

With curing conditions no longer viable, we made the call to stop at primer and save the final paint for warmer weather. It wasn’t the finish we wanted, but it was the right decision — and a very real reminder that refits don’t happen in a vacuum.

Before we could even think about paint, we had to deal with what was underneath. In EP52, we discovered that the teak deck was far beyond a cosmetic fix and made the call to remove it entirely rather than trap problems below the surface. This episode picks up right after that decision—moving from teardown to preparation.

With the teak gone, the real work began: fiberglass repairs, fairing, and priming the deck so it would finally be ready for paint… until winter weather brought everything to a halt.

👉 If you haven’t seen it yet, EP52 shows how we got to this point and why removing the teak was unavoidable.

📽️ Watch Episode 58 👉

Aft Deck Prep and Priming

Before the weather turned, we completed all the critical prep work:

• Sanding and surface prep across the aft deck
• Fiberglass repairs and fairing
• Primer coats on the sugar scoops, helm stations, and transom alley

From a prep standpoint, the deck is ready. The primer protects the work we’ve done and gives us a solid foundation when we’re able to paint later — either farther south or once spring arrives.

When Weather Decides the Timeline

Cold temperatures made proper paint curing impossible. Pushing ahead would have meant compromising the finish and likely redoing the work later.

Calling it “good enough for now” isn’t always satisfying, but it’s often the difference between steady progress and wasted effort. This was one of those moments.

In-Between Projects That Still Matter

While waiting on weather windows between rain and cold snaps, we focused on smaller but important jobs that move the boat forward:

• Rebedding safety rails for better security under sail
• Replacing deck hatch latch seals for smoother operation

These aren’t headline projects, but they’re the details that make a boat safer, drier, and more comfortable to live aboard.

In This Episode

• Aft deck sanding, repairs, and priming
• Cold-weather limitations on paint curing
• Rebedding deck hardware
• Hatch hardware replacement
• Adjusting expectations during winter refit work

What Comes Next

With deck painting on hold, we shift focus to projects that can move forward regardless of temperature.

That shift leads directly into EP59, where momentum picks back up with major mechanical work — installing sail drives, mounting engines, and tackling one of the biggest milestones of the refit so far.