: I've been spending a fair bit of time/effot on getting the hull
: smooth and free of most imperfections because I know as soon as
: that black gloss hits the surface, any/all humps, bumps and dips
: will stand out like sore thumbs!!

I painted my 'cheater rolling boat' - even with light-coloured paint and a fair bit of orange peel, sanding scratches show through.
The two-part paints I've used put on a pretty thin film, and don't hide much.

*Be sure to get a good clean fair line at the chines and sheer, as any differences in 'rounding over' the edge will show up after paint.
I should have used the long board more, and re-applied fairing compound to get that right, but I was in a hurry and not very concerned about cosmetics.

Thanks for the blog and pics. I gotta get busy in the shop!