You Can't Match This

Almost all Island Packets come from the factory with a unique creme colored hull.  Designer Bob Johnson deliberately chose this color for his boats to make them stand out in a crowd and it really works.  You can spot an Island Packet from a mile away just from the color of it's hull.  Most fiberglass boats are done in white and it's not just white but a stark, bleached white like the sheets from your bed after your Mom did the wash and hung them out to dry. You look at these boats on a sunny day and you have to squint because the reflection is so bright it hurts your eyes.  Island Packets are easy on your eyes in more ways than one.  They are beautiful boats with traditional lines and when you stand back and look them over they have that "just right" look to them.

After I got the chartplotter mounted at the steering pedestal I took a few pictures to show off the results of my hard work.  What they actually showed was the glaring white of the new instrument housing in contrast to the creme color of the cockpit. I learned in my model railroading hobby that you have to take a picture of what you're doing to see it the way it really is.  You might think you're done and you've constructed this awesome model but then you look at a picture and realize you neglected to paint the left side of the building or you forgot to add the smokestack to the locomotive.   It will always show up in a photo.


So, I thought I was finished but in reality I was just starting down another path of creative frustration.  I wanted to match that creme color that Island Packet had used so my custom installation would look like it came from the factory.  If this was a car it'd be a snap because you can go to the local auto parts shop and pick up a can of spray paint that's specifically mixed for your "Midnight Blue"1969 Buick Skylark.  Boats don't have the same kind of following that cars have though.  White is pretty easy.  I guess that's why the instrument housing came in white.


I went to the "Island Packet Yacht Owners Association" web site (click here) and asked on their forum if anyone knew of a matching color in spray paint.  No luck there.  I also wrote to the Island Packet factory with the same request.  Karsten Johnson (Bob Johnson's son) wrote back with a formula for mixing my own paint using Awlcraft paint.  He also suggested trying an "ivory" or "clotted creme" shade of Rustoleum spray paint but nothing specific.

I ended up removing the floor panel that covers a compartment under the Nav Station and taking it with me down to the local hardware store.  This is a new store and they have something like 4,348 different colors of spray paint.  Holding my sample up to the caps on the paint cans I found one perfect match in an indoor/outdoor enamel that's compatible with plastic.  Woohooo!


When I got back to the marina I carefully disassembled the housing, removing all the brackets and hardware.  The only piece I couldn't get off was the nameplate so I covered that with some masking tape.  Next, I washed the housing with TSP to remove any wax and oil that might have been applied at the factory.  Then I scrubbed it with a green pad until I had knocked down the high gloss finish.  This will allow the new paint to really grip on and have a lasting finish.  We have a group of storage sheds up by the parking lot and I just happened to know that the one next to ours is empty and thought it would make a great spray booth.  I got a cardboard box from the dumpster and taped up all the seams and corners with the flaps on the top taped open to extend the size of the box.  I placed the box on it's side with the opening facing towards the front and put the instrument housing inside.  This'll control the over-spray and protect the new paint from dust until it dries.  I sprayed two light coats and let it dry overnight.


The next morning I went up to the shed to see the results of my labors.  When I opened the door to the shed my first thought was that the housing looked kinda dark, darker than I had expected.  I held the paint cap up to it and sure enough it was about two shades darker than the cap.  Grrr.  I took the housing down to the boat, hoping it would look better there but it definitely was darker than I wanted.  It was a good match for the cockpit cushions but that wasn't my goal.

I took the paint cap, since that had the color I was looking for, and went to another hardware store.  These guys had a smaller selection but different brands of paint.  I found one called "antique white" that looks like it might be "The One".  I couldn't try it out though because the original two coats need more time to cure so I'll hafta wait until next weekend.  I think I'll try it out on a scrap piece to see how well it matches before I go to all the trouble of repainting the housing again.


We did have some success on another project though.  Our friend Anthony has been doing some woodwork for us.  He's building a teak valance to cover the heat and air conditioning ducts in the aft head and stateroom.  The one in the stateroom runs down the port side under an existing shelf.  Anthony widened the shelf to 10" and added a face panel with a recessed grill to allow the heat to escape from the duct inside.  The valance looks like a headboard for the bunk and the shelf is now wide enough to actually be useful.  He took the time to match the trim and existing woodwork in the cabin and it looks really nice.  He also did a few other projects for us in the forward stateroom, including  some teak trim to hide the wires for the home theater.  Cheri and I will be doing the stain on all this next weekend so I'll post some pictures when it's finished.

So here we are coming up on Spring.  We never made it out to go sailing this Winter, even with all the mild weather we had.  The last time we got away from the dock was the weekend following Thanksgiving.  When Cheri asked me what I wanted for my birthday (3/15) I said I wanted to spend the weekend on the hook so the plan is to have three days on the Wye River.  I think that's our new most favoritest spot on the Bay.  Maybe with the use of our new cool-man chartplotter we can avoid running aground this time!