How the Nietzels Pulled Off a Full Paint Job in One Week

Some boat projects happen in a weekend, but as many boat owners know, they mostly take much longer than that. For Navigating Nietzels, it was a week-long stretch of long days, cold Coors Lights, and created a memory that is sure to stick around for years to come.

Evan and Carly recently shared a full repaint of their boat where the couple was joined by Evan's dad, Joel — a retired jack-of-all-trades who turned his downtime into a week's worth of serious boatyard labor. The goal was to sand, mask, and paint an aging hull from bow to stern before their deadline to move the boat.

The Prep Work (It Always Takes Longer)

Before a drop of paint touched the hull, the crew spent days sanding, cleaning, and masking. Frog tape laid the clean lines and duct tape held the plastic sheeting. Every cleat, railing, and fitting got covered. As Evan puts it: "The prep work is the most important part."

These are wise words, because any experienced boater knows, a paint job is only as good as the surface underneath it.

Once the sanding and masking were done, they wiped down the entire hull with TotalBoat Dewaxer & Surface Prep, applied with a microfiber cloth to strip any remaining wax, grease, or contaminants before paint ever touched the surface. It's a simple step that makes a serious difference in adhesion — especially on an older hull that's seen years of wax buildup.

Spraying Wet Edge: A First for the Boat

For the topside, the crew chose TotalBoat Wet Edge Topside Paint in glossy white, and they had a plan to spray it on. Not many DIYers attempt to spray Wet Edge, but with Joel's experience and a quality sprayer in hand, they went for it.

After dialing in the thinner ratio — landing closer to 20% rather than the minimum recommended 10% — the results spoke for themselves. To thin Wet Edge, they used TotalBoat Spray Thinner to bring it to the right viscosity for the gun.

The sheen was smooth, the coverage even, and watching that first coat transform a chalky, faded hull into something that actually reflected light again was, in Evan's words, "one of the most satisfying moments of this whole project."

💡 Pro Tip: Before you spray anything in a boatyard, check with management first. Yards often require a fully enclosed or vented workspace for spray painting. The Nietzels found this out after their first coat when a yard employee spotted them mid-spray. They had to switch to rolling and tipping for coat two, which still looked great, but the lesson is worth learning before you pop open the gun.

For the second coat, they rolled and tipped, and were pleasantly surprised by how solid the finish came out. Both methods work beautifully with Wet Edge!

Rolling on Spartan Bottom Paint

With the topside done, they moved below the waterline. Using TotalBoat Spartan Antifouling Bottom Paint, the crew rolled on coat after coat — several gallons in total — protecting the hull for the season ahead.

The Payoff

By the time Joel flew home after ten days, every inch of the boat had been transformed. Topside: bright, glossy white. Bottom: fresh Spartan. Cabin: painted. Non-skid surfaces: done with TotalTread.

Standing back at the finished result, Evan put it best: "It's a new bow is what it is. Looks so sharp."

That's what a good paint job, and good products will do!

Follow Evan and Carly's sailing journey on YouTube and support them on Patreon.