With the temperature just touching 20 Celsius today the first coat of topsides paint was totally dry by the time I started the second coat.

And here she is with the final coat of paint on her topsides.

Not forgetting the rudder blade...

...nor the rudder stock.

This leaves just the boot top to do and that consists of Five parts. Firstly the lower edge of the boot top is taped. By lower I mean the edge nearest the water. Secondly the upper edge is marked using a gauge. Thirdly the upper edge is taped. Fourthly the first coat of boot top paint is applied and fifthly the second coat is applied.

Once the boot top paint has dried Naiad will be ready to turning the right way up and that will also be the time to contact the Boat transport people and see if they will be able to put Naiad in the water.

I contacted the mooring master yesterday to ask about my new mooring. The boats keep having to be shuffled around when old boat leave and new boats arrive that are longer and/or wider that the old ones. Naiad, being the smallest of the boats in the club in just about all respects except height is the one that gets moved where necessary so that wider boats can be accommodated.

River Great Ouse
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Matthew Chadwick - geograph.org.uk/p/5288911

The white boat with the very dark blue canopy at the stern in the middle(ish) of the photo is where Naiad will be for this season. The boat currently on the mooring is leaving at the weekend. Once the mooring has been vacated I can have look and see if any modifications are required to allow for Naiad's low freeboard compared to the height of the pontoon above the water.

Exciting!