Again, great to hear from some guys who have been there. Anyone else have an opinion on the other side? As Bill suspected, this would indeed be my first hull painting attempt (although that doesn't scare me), and I would need to use the roller/brush method since I don't have a sprayer. Then again, how much would it cost to do the prep work and then have a pro spray it if I wanted it painted? But if I can just sand and buff, I'd prefer that for simplicity and durability.

Hey, I got the boat for $300, but it's not your average $300 junker. The sails are great, and it came with an extra tramp in good condition and a newer set of shrouds. Although I plan to keep it, I suspect it will be worth substantially more when I'm done fixing it up. To that end, I wouldn't mind putting some $$ in it and having a nice, unique boat for around $1000. Not that I WANT to spend $1000--about half of that appeals to my darker, "cheaper" side... <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

BTW, attached is a pic of what I'm facing with the striping.