AKBASSKING
Active Member
- Apr 13, 2008
- 4,649
- Boat Info
- 1988 Yacht Fisher
- Engines
- Twin 375hp Cat 3208 T/A
ActiveCaptain had an article on this. Thought I would pass it on.
Every person walking down the dock had the same reaction, "I didn't
know you could do that!" So we thought it would be good to pass along
one of our latest discoveries.
Many boats like ours have white, fiberglass antennas. Over time the
fiberglass starts to come out causing uncomfortable handling as the
microscopic shards penetrate the skin. This is especially bad at the
top where the antennas bend in the wind causing the paint to flake off
over the years.
As part of our total electronics refit this winter, we decided it was
time to replace our sad looking antennas. Fortunately, the topic came
up when we were meeting with the owners of Lambs Yacht Center. Downing
asked a key question: "Are the antennas still working?" Well, yes, in
fact they were performing as perfectly as the day we first keyed the
mic's some 9+ years ago. "Then why not just paint them?" he asked. We
responded, "You can do that?"
We did some research and discovered that even on Shakespeare's website
they give advice about painting the antennas:
http://www.shakespeare-antennas.com/media/faq.asp?c=9&q=17
This would save a lot of money and avoid the hassle of running cables
through the bases of the arch. We honestly had no idea this could even
be done.
We purchased a quart of Easypoxy white from Defender (think Defender
first!) for about $30. The antennas were lowered, disassembled into
sections, and hung in reachable areas around the upper deck. After some
cleaning and light sanding, 2 coats of paint were applied while we were
at Ortega Landing. To complete the job, another light sanding should be
done and a final coat should be applied - we'll finish that when we get
to the Chesapeake in about a month.
We found that Easypoxy went on better with a normal brush than a foam
one. The brush strokes seem to magically fill in and produce a nice,
glossy finish. It all cleans up easily with mineral spirits.
Replacing the 16 foot VHF antenna and 22 foot SSB antenna would have
cost around $800. It would have taken about 3-4 hours of effort to
complete. Instead, the cost of painting them was about $35 and an
easier 3-4 hours of effort (not one curse word).
The antennas have now been in their new painted state for about a
month. The new radios work great and the antennas are shiny and
white and perfect. This is a great little job that's easy to do and
makes for a nice spring project.
Every person walking down the dock had the same reaction, "I didn't
know you could do that!" So we thought it would be good to pass along
one of our latest discoveries.
Many boats like ours have white, fiberglass antennas. Over time the
fiberglass starts to come out causing uncomfortable handling as the
microscopic shards penetrate the skin. This is especially bad at the
top where the antennas bend in the wind causing the paint to flake off
over the years.
As part of our total electronics refit this winter, we decided it was
time to replace our sad looking antennas. Fortunately, the topic came
up when we were meeting with the owners of Lambs Yacht Center. Downing
asked a key question: "Are the antennas still working?" Well, yes, in
fact they were performing as perfectly as the day we first keyed the
mic's some 9+ years ago. "Then why not just paint them?" he asked. We
responded, "You can do that?"
We did some research and discovered that even on Shakespeare's website
they give advice about painting the antennas:
http://www.shakespeare-antennas.com/media/faq.asp?c=9&q=17
This would save a lot of money and avoid the hassle of running cables
through the bases of the arch. We honestly had no idea this could even
be done.
We purchased a quart of Easypoxy white from Defender (think Defender
first!) for about $30. The antennas were lowered, disassembled into
sections, and hung in reachable areas around the upper deck. After some
cleaning and light sanding, 2 coats of paint were applied while we were
at Ortega Landing. To complete the job, another light sanding should be
done and a final coat should be applied - we'll finish that when we get
to the Chesapeake in about a month.
We found that Easypoxy went on better with a normal brush than a foam
one. The brush strokes seem to magically fill in and produce a nice,
glossy finish. It all cleans up easily with mineral spirits.
Replacing the 16 foot VHF antenna and 22 foot SSB antenna would have
cost around $800. It would have taken about 3-4 hours of effort to
complete. Instead, the cost of painting them was about $35 and an
easier 3-4 hours of effort (not one curse word).
The antennas have now been in their new painted state for about a
month. The new radios work great and the antennas are shiny and
white and perfect. This is a great little job that's easy to do and
makes for a nice spring project.
