V-Bottom Skiff Refinishing
June 6, 2025 · 36 min · 33K views
What this video covers
Louis Sauzedde refinishes a 23-foot v-bottom skiff he built, applying two coats of TotalBoat Wet Edge one-part polyurethane paint by roller in a working shop.9:54
The prep sequence begins with a homemade dust-free orbital sander — a random-orbit sander mounted in a bucket — used to knock down orange peel across the entire hull using a single worn screen pad.3:44 Hand sanding follows with 220-grit paper wrapped around a chalkboard eraser, sanding through the finish coat into primer in places.7:36 Sauzedde explains this is intentional: the existing finish coat acts as a fairing layer, and the paint's easy-sanding properties mean no re-priming is needed where primer shows through.3:16 One sheet of 220-grit handles the whole hull without clogging.7:01
Waterline taping uses 1.5-inch tape; Sauzedde demonstrates a grip technique — fingers on the tape side of the roll — to prevent the roll from pulling tape off the hull.11:11 Special Thinner 100, compatible with the polyurethane, wipes the hull between coats to remove dust and tape residue.15:54 Rolling without tipping produced a flat, smooth finish; tipping was tested and abandoned.19:56 Painting starts at the transom to calibrate paint thickness before moving to more visible panels.18:04
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