Day One and Two - The Work Begins...

Everything removed from the center console

Once the weather cooperated, work on the Hewes began. The first step was to remove everything from the center console including the useless speakers. The GPS had to be relocated, and the rod racks needed some attention. All the holes in the console were filled with Marine-Tex as well as the holes all over the boat's gunwales and hatches. As the Marine-Tex was hardening, everything was taken out of the various hatches so I could  decide where to store what. With that done, I called it a day.

The sides below the gunwales needed to be sanded

Holes and chipped fiberglass needed to be filled

The next day, after the Marine-Tex had hardened, the hatches, gunwales, and console were sanded with an orbital sander and 120 grit sandpaper, followed by some touch up with 220 grit sandpaper. I masked off the rubber rub rail and prepped the surfaces for paint with acetone.

Rubrail masked in preparation for paint

Mixing 10 ounces of Petit EZ-Poxy topside paint with a little less than 1 ounce of Petit Brushing Thinner (a Petit rep advised to use up to 10% thinner with the paint to minimize brush strokes), the mixture was stirred and then brushed on all of the edges and around the hatches. I also painted the center console, the sides of the boat below the gunwales, and both the front/stern surfaces below the hatches, down to the deck.

All edges and console painted

The sides painted

A second coat of paint was applied, and all things considered, the transformation had begun. Just with what I had painted, I could see a big difference. It was time to let the paint dry and come back for the next step - Painting the deck and hatch surfaces with non-skid paint.