Original S&S Swan Hull White

Dear fellow S&S Swan owners and S&S Swan association members,

I have just acquired a Swan 41 (hull #047) named "Maje" (previously Senta) and I do hope I will be able to contribute in the future with my own experiences with Maje to the high quality of the practical information I see exchanged by the members on this forum.

For the time beeing I have to admit I am rather on the questioning mode and you might see a few requests from me in the coming months.

First question is on the traditional "white" color of the S&S hulls.

As we are planning to repaint the hull, I'd like to get a white as close as possible to the original gel coat white  and from what I read, the awlgrip paint recommended is a mix of 50% Snow White and 50% Off White.

Can you please confirm or share your experience?

Thanks a lot in advance

Matthew

Dear Matt,

Congratulations and welcome!  This is the greatest site and the people here are warm, generous and very smart...and we have the Professor!  I know this because mostly I just keep asking questions!

With regard to the color, I read in previous threads that off-white was used successfully by some.  I recently purchased off-white for my boat but will be using it for the deck first and will be able to judge the color at that time.

Others with actual and current experience will have better information.

With warm regards,

Chris Mabel's Casse Tete 43/003

Dear Matt,

I echo Chris's comments about the forum.

I replaced my rig with a painted mast and boom in Awlgrip Off White. It is not the same as the hull, but near enough for me and blends in very well. Being in the air and some distance from the hull, you do not get the direct comparison tho. I have also re- gel coated the Transom - a fantastic job done by my local yard and you would struggle to see the join!!

Best of luck with your project.

Rob Mably.
Sarabande 47/029

Dear Chris, thanks a lot for your quick answer. No doubt about the forum: you are already a proof of your nice comments about the members.
I received some advice that the mix of 50% snow white to the Off white was "bringing too much white" (so to speak...) compared to the original gel coat color, hence the question to the members to reassure me. I know in the end it is a matter of personal preference and taste but I'd like to get some feed back and eventually pictures on the 50% mix.
Thanks to all in advance. Maybe the Professor has the "key" to my question?
Matthew

Thanks Rob!
I was not already thinking of the mast, but the idea is interesting actually.
Did you paint the original Nautor mast?
Did you upload on the site some pictures of your transom repainting and your mast? I'd be really interested to see the outcome.
Thanks,
Matthew

Matt,

My feelings about paint are only do it if you really have to. Gel coat is by far a better surface for the hull, more easily repaired and I think looks better, that is why I went to the expense of re gel coating the Transom instead of painting it. I hope never to have to paint the hull.
As for the rig, it is carbon, and I just didnt want a black rig. Protecting the paint on the rig requires rethinking where you stow your halyards etc. I dont think I would consider painting an alloy Nautor mast, it would be very expensive to do a really good job I would think.

Thanks for the picture Rob. She is beautiful.
Agree with your comment on the gel coat, but you're lucky if you actually still do have a nice one after 30 to 40 years. In our case, unfortunately, the many years of polishing (among others) were not really giving us so much choice. I might go for a new gel coat at a later stage. Let's see.
Cheers,
Matt

Dear Matthew
Equal parts of Off White and Snow White is the "official" mix for getting the same color as the gelcoat, but some people have sharper color senses than others.
It is not a good idea to paint an aluminum mast if the anodization is in good shape. Paint does not stick well to aluminum, and will flake off and need renewal now and then.
Paint attaches well to FRP.
Kind regards
Lars

Dear Matthew,

I had my own 38 re-gelcoatted in 2006, and they did the job with Jotun NG 2000, this is quite brighter than the original color, but I liked it and so went on with this, then I opted for Awl Grip for the deck; it was quite difficult to have the same color, but a good shipwright did it and I am satisfied with the final result.

I agree with The Professor, keep the mast as it is unless it is very very demaged, as painting over the anodized aluminum is a very tricky job, and in case you would like to paint it, my suggestion is to sand blast it before, which means you have to completely dismantle it (a job anyway worth doing after a few decades...).

Fair winds!

matteo (38/067 Only You)

Thank you for confirming Lars!

Dear Matteo,
First and foremost, thank you very much for this site and forum!
Indeed Only You looks really beautiful proving it is worth looking for perfection even in these tiny differences in color tones. I'll surely follow the advice of the Professor for the mast. I need to look at how to protect it though, but i saw there is another post on that theme.
Best
Matthew