Boats with lavish brightwork are rare because the corresponding maintenance costs, either in labor or cash, are extreme. In my case, the costs are primarily in the form of labor, but the return on the investment will be high. The exterior brightwork on Thalassa corresponds to the following: Masts (2), booms (2), toe/cap rail, rub rail, cockpit coaming, house and trim, hand rails, and dorade boxes.

It was back in 2012 when I applied the 1/2-inch teak panels around the house, and last year I completed the trim and corner pieces, as well as the companionway molding. It’s finally time to finish. I began by checking the angles of the moldings to make sure they will not collect water. I determined that they will not.

I did the requisite sanding, then cleaned everything with acetone, then taped:

The first coat is a 50/50 mixture of varnish and mineral spirits.

Sanding between coats is required. Some people suggest “hot coating” as a means to apply more than one coat between sanding, but I don’t want to take short cuts.

After two coats:

After the third you start to see some shine:

Meanwhile, the masts are up to 6 coats…

…then 7:

There are two reasons for sanding between coats:

(1) Sanding provides a “tooth” into which the next layer can adhere.

(2) Sanding knocks down high spot, leading to a glassy smooth finish.

With regards to (2), I was not totally satisfied with the progress, and you might notice the evidence in the photo below.

I took the masts down from their supports, and laid them down on the padded sawhorses. In this position I was better able to do a thorough sanding, both by hand and with the orbital, all with 320-grit paper.

After this all-day job, I was satisfied and applied the 8th coat to one side of the masts. I will flip and do coat 8 on the other side soon. I may or may not hang the masts again, depending on how the one-side-at-a-time looks.

I had originally planned on 9 coats, but the thorough sanding likely removed a coat or two worth of material, so I will continue to 12 coats.