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Author Topic:   Need Waterline Painting Advice

minimontauk posted 05-11-2003 09:04 PM ET (US)
I put my 15' Sport CC in a local lake and marked a waterline at various points. I put the boat in my garage and leveled the boat on the trailer front and back, side to side,with respect to the floor slab, which appears to be nearly level. I marked points 1-1/2" above my three reference watermarks, bow and rear two transom corners. I tried to get tricky with a laser pointer, but a tiny error in level multiplies maddeningly over the 15' length, like leveling a transit. My alternate method is to cut a 2x4 to the distance from top of slab to 1-1/2" above my three reference watermarks, using it to walk marks down the boat. This method is at the mercy of any dips or out of level spots in my garage slab. I figured I'd lay out one side, then use that as a measuring guide to lay out the other. Is there a better way I haven't thought of?
Sal DiMercurio posted 05-11-2003 10:00 PM ET (US)
Put a pencle mark 1-1/2" above the water line at the transom & around to the sides, then go to the waterline 3/4 of the way to the bow where the "V" starts & mark that the same as the stern, then put the end of your roll of masking tape at the stern & hold it away from the boat & tight so it wont sag.
Then slowly bring the tape to the mark 3/4 of the way to the bow & let the tape stick it'self, then press it down.
Now comes the fun part, the bow, mark the waterline again, go up 1-1/2" & tape a string, then back way from it & look at the angle & make sure it isn't going uphil or downhill.
Good luck & have fun.
Sal
dfmcintyre posted 05-12-2003 10:24 AM ET (US)
You were half way there with the laser pointer:
Go rent for a day, one of the spinning laser levels. Go out about 10-15 feet infront of the bow, but off to the side set up the tripod. Line up the laser line with all the points. You don't have to worry about trying to level the trailer, all your doing is essentially creating is an electronic chalk line. Repeat on the other side.
Don
kgregg posted 05-12-2003 12:39 PM ET (US)
"one of the spinning laser levels"
Don is on the money with this idea. I used one of these laser levels when finishing basement recently. There is no easier way to draw straight line on any surface (including boat hull). Kevin
andygere posted 05-12-2003 01:58 PM ET (US)
Don't use masking tape, the paint will bleed through. Get a roll of 3M Fine-line tape, which can be found at better marine supply stores and anyplace that sells autobody supplies. This is the only way to get a really crisp water line. The half-inch width worked well for me. A band of masking tape above it is good insurance against accidental brush/roller strokes. I used a cheapie laser level that worked pretty well, and taped directly to the laser line, working at dusk so it was easy to see. Also, don't leave the tape on longer than you have to or the adhesive will get left behind when you peel it.
minimontauk posted 05-12-2003 04:28 PM ET (US)
Wouldn't I want the laser directly in front of the bow so that the beam hits the hull below the overhanging chines? If I put it to one side, I'll have to relocate the whole setup to hit the parts I missed. This was the problem I had with the laser pointer, if you move it at all, you have to start from scratch on the setup.
dfmcintyre posted 05-12-2003 07:28 PM ET (US)
What I mean by off to the side, is just enough to aloww the laser to run down the side, but also hit under the bow areas also. You might have to experiment.
D
minimontauk posted 05-13-2003 01:01 PM ET (US)
I spent 4 hours last night laying out waterline. I couldn't rent, beg, or borrow a laser level in my area, so I ended up using a laser "strait-line" gadget, looks like a tape measure with bubble levels in it. It's really meant for casting a straight line along a floor or wall, but I jury rigged up a base to hold it level at waterline height. It took forever to get it lined up right, but I managed to get what looks like a decent waterline down one side. Try as I might, I coudn't get the same setup to work right on the other side. (Hull slightly asymetrical/distorting on trailer?) I ended up laboriously transferring measured waterlne dimensions from one side to the other. Laying out the bow was torture! On my back, solid conc. Ouch! W'ell see how I did when it floats. Thanks for the advice.

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Author	Topic: Need Waterline Painting Advice
minimontauk	posted 05-11-2003 09:04 PM ET (US) I put my 15' Sport CC in a local lake and marked a waterline at various points. I put the boat in my garage and leveled the boat on the trailer front and back, side to side,with respect to the floor slab, which appears to be nearly level. I marked points 1-1/2" above my three reference watermarks, bow and rear two transom corners. I tried to get tricky with a laser pointer, but a tiny error in level multiplies maddeningly over the 15' length, like leveling a transit. My alternate method is to cut a 2x4 to the distance from top of slab to 1-1/2" above my three reference watermarks, using it to walk marks down the boat. This method is at the mercy of any dips or out of level spots in my garage slab. I figured I'd lay out one side, then use that as a measuring guide to lay out the other. Is there a better way I haven't thought of?
Sal DiMercurio	posted 05-11-2003 10:00 PM ET (US) Put a pencle mark 1-1/2" above the water line at the transom & around to the sides, then go to the waterline 3/4 of the way to the bow where the "V" starts & mark that the same as the stern, then put the end of your roll of masking tape at the stern & hold it away from the boat & tight so it wont sag. Then slowly bring the tape to the mark 3/4 of the way to the bow & let the tape stick it'self, then press it down. Now comes the fun part, the bow, mark the waterline again, go up 1-1/2" & tape a string, then back way from it & look at the angle & make sure it isn't going uphil or downhill. Good luck & have fun. Sal
dfmcintyre	posted 05-12-2003 10:24 AM ET (US) You were half way there with the laser pointer: Go rent for a day, one of the spinning laser levels. Go out about 10-15 feet infront of the bow, but off to the side set up the tripod. Line up the laser line with all the points. You don't have to worry about trying to level the trailer, all your doing is essentially creating is an electronic chalk line. Repeat on the other side. Don
kgregg	posted 05-12-2003 12:39 PM ET (US) "one of the spinning laser levels" Don is on the money with this idea. I used one of these laser levels when finishing basement recently. There is no easier way to draw straight line on any surface (including boat hull). Kevin
andygere	posted 05-12-2003 01:58 PM ET (US) Don't use masking tape, the paint will bleed through. Get a roll of 3M Fine-line tape, which can be found at better marine supply stores and anyplace that sells autobody supplies. This is the only way to get a really crisp water line. The half-inch width worked well for me. A band of masking tape above it is good insurance against accidental brush/roller strokes. I used a cheapie laser level that worked pretty well, and taped directly to the laser line, working at dusk so it was easy to see. Also, don't leave the tape on longer than you have to or the adhesive will get left behind when you peel it.
minimontauk	posted 05-12-2003 04:28 PM ET (US) Wouldn't I want the laser directly in front of the bow so that the beam hits the hull below the overhanging chines? If I put it to one side, I'll have to relocate the whole setup to hit the parts I missed. This was the problem I had with the laser pointer, if you move it at all, you have to start from scratch on the setup.
dfmcintyre	posted 05-12-2003 07:28 PM ET (US) What I mean by off to the side, is just enough to aloww the laser to run down the side, but also hit under the bow areas also. You might have to experiment. D
minimontauk	posted 05-13-2003 01:01 PM ET (US) I spent 4 hours last night laying out waterline. I couldn't rent, beg, or borrow a laser level in my area, so I ended up using a laser "strait-line" gadget, looks like a tape measure with bubble levels in it. It's really meant for casting a straight line along a floor or wall, but I jury rigged up a base to hold it level at waterline height. It took forever to get it lined up right, but I managed to get what looks like a decent waterline down one side. Try as I might, I coudn't get the same setup to work right on the other side. (Hull slightly asymetrical/distorting on trailer?) I ended up laboriously transferring measured waterlne dimensions from one side to the other. Laying out the bow was torture! On my back, solid conc. Ouch! W'ell see how I did when it floats. Thanks for the advice.