Woodworking Tip of the Day: Winter Shop Air: Ventilating for Epoxy and Solvents in the Cold

Wicked cold out there this week, and the shop doors are shut….. The heater's humming, the dory's on the strongback, and I'm about to wipe her down with acetone before the next coat of epoxy. That's exactly when a winter shop turns on you. In July the big doors are open and the air takes care of itself. In November everything you put in the air stays in the air, right there with you and that heater.

Why it matters: A closed-up shop is a box. Solvent and epoxy vapor build up in it. WEST SYSTEM says plainly that vapors can build up in unvented spaces, and they want ample ventilation or an organic vapor respirator. Acetone, the stuff we all wipe with, has a flash point of 0°F per NIOSH. Its vapor is heavier than air and can travel along the floor to a flame across the room. Then there's the heater itself. An unvented kerosene or propane torpedo heater puts carbon monoxide into the room, and it adds moisture and CO₂ too. Those feed amine blush on your fresh epoxy. So the same heater can light the vapor, gas you, and wreck your coat. Let's fix all three.

Materials

• Disposable nitrile gloves (neoprene, butyl or natural rubber also work per WEST). Plenty of them
• NIOSH-approved organic vapor (OV) cartridges, black label. If you'll be sanding too, use combination OV/P100 cartridges, black and magenta (3M 60921 is one)
• A zip-top bag or sealed container for the respirator between uses
• Foil-backed rigid foam insulation, tape, and a light bulb or heating pad for a warm box
• Your solvents, with the lids kept on

Tools

• A window or box fan you can set in a window blowing out
• A half-face respirator that fits your face
• A battery-operated CO alarm
• A thermometer in the shop, and one in the warm box
• For heat while the epoxy cures: an electric heater with a thermostat and a tip-over shutoff

Steps

1. Heat the shop first, then shut the flame heater off. Bring the shop, the boat and your materials up to temperature with whatever you've got. Then, before any thinner, acetone or solvent finish comes out, turn off every heater with an open flame or a glowing element and let it cool. Jeff Jewitt makes the same point in Fine Woodworking: stoves and heaters with an open flame or glowing element are a hazard around flammable finishes. Propane construction heater makers agree. One DESA manual says to keep the area clear of gasoline, paint thinner and other flammable vapors.
2. Set up cross-ventilation, not a stir fan. Put the fan in a window near the work, blowing out. Crack a window or door on the far side for make-up air. Then stand so the fresh air comes past you first, across the work, and out the fan. A fan in the middle of a closed shop just stirs the vapor around and into your face. Jewitt's rule for hand-applied finishes is a fan rated in cfm about equal to the room's volume (length x width x height). A 16 x 24 shop with 8 ft ceilings is 3,072 cubic feet, so look for about 3,100 cfm. He's clear that it only works if you give the replacement air a way in, and that it isn't enough for spraying.
3. Put on your gloves and respirator, and check the seal. Every time you put the respirator on, do the negative-pressure check from OSHA's appendix. Palms over the cartridges, breathe in gently so the mask pulls in, and hold it ten seconds. If it stays pulled in with no leak, you're sealed. Then do the positive check: cover the exhalation valve and breathe out gently. You should feel a little pressure and no air leaking at the edges. Skin is the bigger exposure with epoxy, though. WEST says skin contact is the most common way people get exposed to resin and hardener, and sensitization can come after many exposures or just one. Glenn House, Gougeon's product safety director, says a typical 4 to 6 mil disposable lasts about 30 minutes with epoxy, so change them before then, and double-glove on long jobs.
4. Wipe or brush, then purge. Do the solvent wipe or the epoxy coat. Keep lids on the cans and get solvent rags out of the shop. Let the fan run until the smell is gone. Then close up and heat again. That's Jewitt's winter routine too: apply, vent, then close up and reheat for drying.
5. Keep the epoxy warm instead of the whole shop. Build a box from foil-backed rigid insulation with a light bulb or heating pad inside. WEST says to keep resin and hardener at 70°F to 90°F that way. Warm epoxy pumps and mixes better and wets out better. Warm the joint itself with a heat lamp or hair dryer, or tent just that area. Know your hardener's floor. WEST 205 Fast cures down to 40°F (4°C), but slowly. 206 Slow and 207 Special Clear shouldn't be used below 60°F (16°C), and 209 Extra Slow not below 70°F (21°C). As a rule, cure time doubles for every 18°F (10C) drop.
6. Heat for the cure without combustion in the room. If you need heat while the epoxy cures, WEST says to avoid unvented open-flame heaters that burn kerosene or fuel oil. Unburned fuel can contaminate the surface, and the extra moisture and CO₂ contribute to amine blush. Turn up the thermostat, or use electric heaters or electric blankets. CPSC says an electric heater should have a thermostat and a tip-over shutoff, and to avoid ordinary extension cords. If you do run a combustion heater at other times, follow its fresh-air rule. That DESA manual calls for at least a 3 square foot opening to outside air for each 100,000 Btu/hr.
7. Change cartridges on a schedule and store them sealed. 3M says to write the date on the cartridges when you open them, change them on a schedule, and change them right away if you can smell or taste the solvent. Between uses, store the respirator and cartridges in a sealed bag or container, away from the vapor. Even sealed, vapor can migrate through a used cartridge overnight. 3M says that for chemicals boiling below 65°C, an OV cartridge shouldn't be used longer than one shift. Acetone boils at 133°F, which is 56C. So after an acetone day, those cartridges are done.
8. Hang a CO alarm in the shop. CPSC says unvented fuel-burning heaters pose the greatest CO threat, and mild CO symptoms like drowsiness, headaches or nausea are often misdiagnosed. A battery CO alarm is cheap. CPSC says to test alarms monthly and replace the batteries every year.

MOAM's shop note: The mistake I see most is the guy who opens a window "for ventilation" and leaves the torpedo heater roaring right next to the boat while he wipes her down with acetone. That's the worst of everything: an ignition source, CO, and a blush factory, all in one corner. Here's the trick. Do your solvent work first thing, right after you've warmed the place up and shut the heater off. The shop holds its heat long enough for a wipe-down. Then purge, close up, and let the epoxy cure under electric heat or in a tent. And never clean epoxy off your hands with solvent. WEST says not to. Use a waterless skin cleanser, then soap and warm water.

MOAM Out.

Sources: WEST SYSTEM: Preventing Overexposure WEST SYSTEM: Epoxy Safety (PDF) · Epoxyworks: Cold Weather Bonding · Epoxyworks: Let's Talk About Amine Blush · Epoxyworks: Disposable Gloves · Fine Woodworking: The Finishing Environment (Jeff Jewitt) NIOSH Pocket Guide: Acetone · ICSC 0087: Acetone · NIOSH cartridge color chart (CDPR) · 3M 60921 OV/P100 cartridge 3M: Reuse of Organic Vapor Cartridges · 3M Respirator FAQs · OSHA 29 CFR 1910.134 (Appendix B-1 seal checks) · CPSC: Space Heater Safety · CPSC: CO Alarms · CPSC: Kerosene Heater Safety · DESA propane forced-air heater manual

New Real Estate Listings on the North Shore Today – Thursday, November 12

New Listings Today – North Shore 29 Towns

Morning, North Shore, the MOAM's been scrolling the new listings again….. 47 new listings hit the market over the last 24 hours, across 17 North Shore towns.

Top towns: Salisbury and Salem with 7 each, Peabody 6, Lynn 5, Newbury 4, and Marblehead and Amesbury with 3 each.

By property type: Residential 33 · Residential Lease (rentals) 10 · Residential Income 2 · Commercial Sale 1 · Land 1.

The MOAM's take: Salisbury and Salem tied for the lead today, and homes for sale made up most of the new inventory.

Contact Nanepashemet to view these.
Nanepashemet Real Estate Services
Call or text 781-727-6516
jnestor@nanepashemet.com

MOAM Out.

Listing data courtesy of MLS Property Information Network (MLS PIN); listings shown are held by various brokerages. Nanepashemet Real Estate Services, MA Broker Lic. 136995-RE-B.

Boston Sports Morning Report — Thursday, Nov. 12

Not for nuthin'…. But….. the Celtics gutted out a win in Toronto last night, and the B's have the Habs at the Garden tonight with first place in the Atlantic on the line. Here's your Thursday board.

New England Patriots

• Yesterday: No game (lost 45-27 to Green Bay on Sunday)
• Today: No game
• Next: Sun., Nov. 15, 9:30 AM ET, @ Detroit Lions (in Munich, Germany; Fox)
• Standings: 5-4, 2nd in the AFC East, 2.5 games behind Buffalo (7-1), currently the No. 7 seed in the AFC

Still holding the last AFC playoff spot. Shake off the Green Bay game and get ready for an early-morning kickoff overseas.

Boston Red Sox

• Yesterday / Today: No games, it's the offseason
• Next: Opening Day, Thu., March 25, 2027, @ Seattle Mariners (start time to be announced; home opener at Fenway is Thu., April 1 vs. Cincinnati)
• Final 2026 record: 87-75, 3rd in the AL East, out in the Wild Card round vs. the Yankees

Hot stove season. Pitchers and catchers can't come soon enough.

Boston Celtics

• Yesterday: Won 98-93 @ Toronto
• Today: No game
• Next: Sun., Nov. 15, 6:00 PM ET, vs. Dallas Mavericks (TD Garden)
• Standings: 10-2, 1st in the Atlantic (1 game ahead of Philadelphia, 9-3), No. 1 seed in the East, 5-game winning streak

Not the prettiest one, but a win is a win, and that's five straight. Home for Dallas on Sunday.

Boston Bruins

• Yesterday: No game (won 4-1 vs. Florida on Sunday)
• Today: Tonight, 7:00 PM ET, vs. Montreal Canadiens (TD Garden, NESN)
• Next: Sat., Nov. 14, 7:00 PM ET, vs. Minnesota Wild (TD Garden)
• Standings: 13-4-1, 27 points, 1st in the Atlantic, No. 2 in the East; Tampa Bay and Montreal are each a point back (26)

Four straight wins and a crowded top of the Atlantic. The Garden should be rocking tonight.

That's the Thursday board. Enjoy the day, Boston.

MOAM Out.

New England This Morning — November 12, 2026

Not for nuthin'…. But….. The rain's lining up on the shore this Thursday. The sun's peeking through a soft pink-and-gray sky over Marblehead Harbor before the clouds win out, Mount Washington's camera is still buried in rime with snow in the forecast, the Mad River covered bridge sits under a flat gray sky waiting on rain and snow, and Bartlett's ridges are fading into a blue haze. Here's how four corners of New England looked around 7:40 this Thursday morning.

Marblehead Harbor (BYC Oceanfront) — The sun's breaking through puffy clouds over the far shore, laying a pale silver-gold sheen across a calm harbor dotted with moorings, with the little green-roofed shed sitting out on the dock. Enjoy it while it lasts: rain likely after 8 this morning, cloudy with a high near 52 and an east wind 8 to 16 mph, gusting to 29. Grab the umbrella.

Mount Washington, NH (Observatory North View) — Nothing but thick rime caked across the lens again. A chance of snow, cloudy with a high near 23 and southwest winds 10 to 20 mph, gusting to 30. Less than an inch of new snow possible. Still winter up there.

Mad River Valley, VT (Great Eddy Covered Bridge) — The old covered bridge in Waitsfield with the flag out front, a still river mirroring the farmhouses, rusty late-fall brush and bare trees under a flat gray sky. Rain and snow today, cloudy with a high near 39 and hardly any wind. A good day for the woodstove.

Bartlett Experimental Forest, NH — From the top of the NEON tower, bare gray hardwoods and dark spruce run out to White Mountain ridges going soft and blue in the haze. Mostly cloudy with rain likely after 10 and a high near 41. Get your walk in early.

Webcam views courtesy of the Boston Yacht Club, the Mount Washington Observatory, Mad River Valley Television and NEON/PhenoCam.

MOAM Out.

Woodworking Tip of the Day: Sharpening a Handsaw: Joint It, File It, Set It Light

This is catching the MOAM's attention today….. the handsaw hanging on the wall that "still cuts fine." You push it, it skates, you lean on it, it wanders off the line, and you blame the wood. Most of the time the saw just needs ten minutes in a vise with a file. You don't have to ship it out. A touch-up is joint, file, and set only if it needs it.

Why it matters: A sharp saw does the work and follows the line. A dull one makes you force it, and a forced saw drifts. On the dory that means a frame bevel or a gunwale scarf you get to recut. Every Western handsaw cuts on the push, and the teeth come in two flavors. Rip teeth are little chisels for cutting with the grain. Crosscut teeth are little knives that sever fibers across the grain. You sharpen them the same way, with one difference in how you hold the file.

Materials

• A triangular taper saw file sized to the saw's points per inch (ppi). Popular Woodworking's chart (Matt Cianci): 5 to 7 ppi, 7 in. slim taper; 8 ppi, 6 in. slim taper; 9 ppi, 6 in. extra-slim taper; 10 to 11 ppi, 6 in. double extra-slim taper; 12 to 15 ppi, 4 or 5 in. double extra-slim taper. Other charts are off by a size here and there. Rule of thumb from Paul Sellers' crew and Wood and Shop: each face of the file about twice the height of the tooth
• A 10 to 12 in. mill file (bastard cut) for jointing a handsaw
• A scrap block of hardwood with a slot or a square face to hold the mill file square to the plate (or a card-scraper jointing guide)
• A fine India stone or a 600-grit diamond stone
• Scrap of the wood you actually cut, for the test

Tools

• A saw vise. Shop-made from two boards is fine, a vintage cast-iron one is fine. The point is to clamp the plate close to the teeth so it can't chatter
• A file handle. Never file with the bare tang
• A saw set (pistol-grip type), only if the saw binds
• A good light and a pair of reading glasses if you're my age. You're watching for tiny shiny flats

Steps

1. Figure out what you've got. Count points per inch, point to point, not teeth. Points = teeth + 1. Then look down the toothline. Teeth filed straight across, like tiny chisels, are rip. Teeth with little bevels on alternate sides, coming to knife points, are crosscut.
2. Clamp it in the saw vise. Cianci joints with about 2 in. of blade above the jaws, then drops the saw so the bottom of the gullets sits about 1/16 in. above the jaws for filing. Any higher and the file screams and chatters.
3. Joint the teeth. Lay the mill file flat on the toothline, held square to the side of the plate in your wood block, and run it from heel to toe with light pressure. Two to four passes usually does it. Stop the moment every tooth shows a tiny shiny flat on its point. Those flats tell you all the teeth are the same height, and they're your guide for the next step.
4. Shape, only if you have to. If jointing left some big flats and some tiny ones, the teeth are uneven. Disston's manual says to file straight across at right angles to the blade first, pressing toward the teeth with the bigger flats, until they come back to the same size. A saw that's been touched up regularly usually skips this.
5. File a rip saw straight across. Seat the file down in the gullet, level with the floor and 90° to the blade from above. That's zero fleam. Rake, the lean of the tooth's front face back from square to the toothline, is usually somewhere from 0° to 10° on a rip saw (4° to 8° is common). Hold the file's angle to match the teeth you've got, and it'll stay right. Use full, light push strokes and lift the file on the way back. Stop the moment the flat on the tooth disappears. Not one stroke more. Then move to the next gullet.
6. File a crosscut saw with fleam. Same seat, same light strokes, but swing the handle off square about 15° to 25°, which is fleam. That puts a bevel on the tooth's front edge. Crosscut rake runs steeper, around 15° (12° is popular too). File every other gullet from one side, taking each of the two flats about halfway. Then turn the saw around (or swing the file the other way) and file the gullets you skipped until the flats are gone.
7. Set only if it binds. Make a test cut first. If the saw binds, set it. Bend alternate teeth the same way they were set from the factory, and only the top half of the tooth. Disston warns that going deeper can spring, crimp or crack the plate. Light is right. Lie-Nielsen sets its panel saws at .005 in. per side and its backsaws at .003 to .004 in., which they say is enough for dry hardwood. Their advice is to reset only every other sharpening, not every time. (Disston's old manual sets before the final filing. Cianci sets first and evens it out with the stone. Either works. Just keep it light.)
8. Stone and test. Lay the saw flat and run the stone down each side of the teeth once, lightly, to knock off the burr. Then cut the wood you actually use. If it tracks off the line, it's drifting toward the side with more set or burr. One more light stone pass on that side.

MOAM's shop note: The mistake everybody makes is one more stroke "just to be sure." The second that flat is gone, the tooth is sharp. Every stroke after that makes it shorter than its neighbors, and a short tooth does no work. You'll be jointing and starting over. The pro trick is to stop early and come back. And don't let a saw get so dull you need a full re-tooth. Paul Sellers says a sharpen-and-set takes him about ten minutes. Do it when the saw first starts to skate, not when it won't cut at all. Another thing from Sellers: he files his 10 ppi and finer bench saws rip and crosscuts with them too, which keeps it simple.

MOAM Out.

Sources: Popular Woodworking: Saw Sharpening 101 (Matt Cianci) · Hock Tools: Sharpen the Saw, Part 1 · Blackburn Tools: Saw Tooth Geometry · Wood and Shop: How to Sharpen a Hand Saw · Common Woodworking (Paul Sellers): Setting Up and Sharpening a Saw · Common Woodworking: Saw Files · Paul Sellers: Saws, Sharpening and Refurbishment · Paul Sellers: How to Sharpen a Woodworking Handsaw (video) · Disston Saw, Tool and File Manual (1952) · Disstonian Institute: Saw Filing · Lie-Nielsen catalog (saw set specs) · Lie-Nielsen Back Saws care sheet

New Real Estate Listings on the North Shore Today – Wednesday, November 11

New Listings Today – North Shore 29 Towns

This is catching the MOAM's attention today….. 44 new listings hit the market over the last 24 hours, across 17 North Shore towns.

Top towns: Lynn 8, then Salem, Danvers and Gloucester with 4 each, and Merrimac, Ipswich and Amesbury with 3 each.

By property type: Residential 30 · Residential Lease (rentals) 11 · Residential Income 2 · Commercial Sale 1.

The MOAM's take: a big Veterans Day feed, and Lynn alone brought in eight.

Contact Nanepashemet to view these.
Nanepashemet Real Estate Services
Call or text 781-727-6516
jnestor@nanepashemet.com

MOAM Out.

Listing data courtesy of MLS Property Information Network (MLS PIN); listings shown are held by various brokerages. Nanepashemet Real Estate Services, MA Broker Lic. 136995-RE-B.

Boston Sports Morning Report — Wednesday, Nov. 11

Not for nuthin'…. But….. the Celtics took care of business in Philly last night, and they're on the road again tonight in Toronto. Nothing for the Pats, Sox or B's today, so grab a coffee and here's your short report.

New England Patriots

• Yesterday: No game (lost 45-27 to Green Bay on Sunday)
• Today: No game
• Next: Sun., Nov. 15, 9:30 AM ET, @ Detroit Lions (in Munich, Germany; Fox)
• Standings: 5-4, 2nd in the AFC East, 2.5 games behind Buffalo (7-1), currently the No. 7 seed in the AFC

Still holding the last AFC playoff spot. Shake off Sunday, pack the passports, and get ready for an early-morning kickoff overseas.

Boston Red Sox

• Yesterday / Today: No games, it's the offseason
• Next: Opening Day, Thu., March 25, 2027, @ Seattle Mariners (home opener at Fenway is Thu., April 1 vs. Cincinnati)
• Final 2026 record: 87-75, 3rd in the AL East, out in the Wild Card round vs. the Yankees

Hot stove season. Pitchers and catchers can't come soon enough.

Boston Celtics

• Yesterday: Won 123-101 @ Philadelphia
• Today: Tonight, 7:00 PM ET, @ Toronto Raptors
• Next: Sun., Nov. 15, 6:00 PM ET, vs. Dallas Mavericks (TD Garden)
• Standings: 9-2, 1st in the Atlantic (0.5 game ahead of Philadelphia, 9-3), No. 1 seed in the East, 4-game winning streak

That's a statement win, and it puts the Celts on top of the Atlantic and the East. Toronto tonight, then home for Dallas on Sunday.

Boston Bruins

• Yesterday: No game (won 4-1 vs. Florida on Sunday)
• Today: No game
• Next: Thu., Nov. 12, 7:00 PM ET, vs. Montreal Canadiens (TD Garden, NESN)
• Standings: 13-4-1, 27 points, 1st in the Atlantic, No. 2 in the East; Montreal is a point back (26)

Another day of rest for the B's, then the Habs come to the Garden Thursday with first place in the Atlantic on the line.

That's the Wednesday board. Enjoy the day, Boston.

MOAM Out.

New England This Morning — November 11, 2026

 

Not for nuthin'…. But….. Happy Veterans Day. The sun's up over Marblehead Harbor, Mount Washington's camera is iced over solid in a howling northwest wind, the Mad River covered bridge has its flag flying under a soft pink-and-gray sky, and Bartlett's ridges are standing out clear under a cool blue morning. Here's how four corners of New England looked around 7:30 this Veterans Day Wednesday morning.

Marblehead Harbor (BYC Oceanfront) — The sun's climbing over the far shore through a scatter of cloud, laying a bright gold path across a glassy, mirror-calm harbor dotted with moorings, with the little white shed with the green roof sitting out on the dock. Mostly sunny with a high near 54 and a light northwest wind 3 to 10 mph. A fine morning to stand on the shore and say thanks.

Mount Washington, NH (Observatory North View) — Nothing to see but thick rime caked across the lens for the third morning running. Partly sunny with a high near 23, northwest winds 25 to 50 mph with gusts as high as 65 mph, and wind chills as low as 3 below. Real winter up there already.

Mad River Valley, VT (Great Eddy Covered Bridge) — The old covered bridge in Waitsfield with the American flag out front, a still river reflecting the sky, rusty late-fall brush and bare trees, and the farmhouses across the water, with the morning sun  trying to break through a pink-tinged deck of cloud. Partly sunny with a high near 49 and barely a breath of wind. A quiet, pretty Vermont morning.

Bartlett Experimental Forest, NH — From the top of the NEON tower, bare gray hardwoods and dark spruce run out to the White Mountain ridges, sharp and blue-green under a pale sky. Mostly sunny with a high near 44 and a light west wind. Good hiking weather if you bundle up.

Webcam views courtesy of the Boston Yacht Club, the Mount Washington Observatory, Mad River Valley Television and NEON/PhenoCam.

MOAM Out.

Woodworking Tip of the Day: Bottom Paint on a Wooden Boat: Hard or Ablative, Two Coats and an Extra at the Waterline

Not for nuthin'…. But.. every November the boats come out of Marblehead Harbor wearing a beard, and every April the same guys are back in the yard with a scraper, wondering why last year's bottom paint quit in August. Most of the time it wasn't the brand. It was the prep, the coat count, or the wrong kind of paint for how the boat actually lives.

Why it matters: Antifouling only works if there's enough of it, in the right places, stuck to a surface that will hold it. Interlux says it straight in their paint guide: under-applied antifouling fouls early and can cost you a mid-season haul-out. And the waterline, stem, keel and rudder edges see the most turbulence, so they wear through first. Two full coats is the floor, and those spots get a third.

Materials

• Antifouling matched to how the boat lives: hard for trailered boats, boats stored out of the water and racers who burnish; ablative for a boat that sits on a mooring all season and should wear away slowly instead of building up (Interlux)
• The paint maker's thinner/solvent wash (Interlux Special Thinner 216 or Brush-Ease 433; Pettit 120)
• Primer or tie coat if the old paint is unknown or incompatible, or if you're going over bare wood with a paint that calls for one (Pettit's ECO HRT, for example, wants 6627 Tie-Coat on bare wood)
• 80-grit paper
• Fine-line tape for the waterline

Tools

• Short-nap solvent-resistant roller (Interlux says 3/8"; Pettit wants 3/16" or less for ECO HRT) and a cheap wide brush for the edges
• Sanding block, bucket and sponge for wet sanding
• Fitted particulate respirator, nitrile gloves, eye protection and a disposable suit. Old copper paint dust is nothing to breathe or track into the house
• Drop cloth to catch the sludge, and a stir stick. Lots of stirring

Steps

1. Decide if you need it at all. A dory that lives on a trailer and goes in for the afternoon doesn't foul like a mooring boat. Plenty of us keep a dry-sailed boat in good bottom paint or epoxy and just hose her off. If she's staying in all summer, keep going.
2. Pick the type to match the old paint and the use. Hard over hard, ablative over ablative is the easy road. Check the maker's compatibility chart. If you don't know what's on there, seal it with their recommended primer before you go on top.
3. Prep the surface. Old paint in good shape: wet-sand with 80 grit and wipe with the maker's thinner. Bare wood: Interlux's ACT sheet says sand with 80 grit, wipe with 216, and thin the first coat 10% so it soaks in, then two more coats unthinned. Epoxy-coated bottom: put the first coat of antifouling on inside the primer's overcoat window (Pettit Protect is 5 to 8 hours at 70°F). Miss it and you sand the epoxy with 80 grit first.
4. Set the waterline a little high. Run the top of the bottom paint above where she actually floats. Chop, wakes and a loaded boat ride higher than a calm day at the float. Take the gap off your own boat, not off a blog.
5. Stir, then stir again. The biocide settles to the bottom of the can. Mix it all back in and keep stirring while you work. Thin only if the paint drags, and never more than 10% by volume (Interlux).
6. Roll two full coats. Respect the overcoat time on the can. Interlux ACT, as an example, wants 12 hours between coats at 77°F and 50F or warmer to apply. Pacifica Plus is 4 hours. Every paint is different. The can wins.
7. Add the extra coat where she wears. A third coat on the waterline band, the stem and forefoot, and the keel and rudder edges.
8. Don't rush the launch. Interlux warns that skipping dry times leads to detachment, blistering or cracking. ACT is 12 hours to launch at 77F; Pettit Protect needs 72 hours after the last epoxy coat at 70°F. A cold April in Marblehead stretches all of it.

MOAM's shop note: The guy who dry-sands old copper paint with a random-orbit and no mask is in every boatyard. Don't be him. Wet-sand, wear the respirator, and catch the sludge so it doesn't go down the ramp. And one more: copper paints like ACT say right on the label not to use them on aluminum. That goes for outdrives, too.

MOAM Out.

Sources: Interlux Boat Paint Guide · Interlux ACT product sheet Interlux Pacifica Plus product sheet · Interlux: Antifouling Questions Answered · Pettit Protect application guide Pettit ECO HRT instructions

New Real Estate Listings on the North Shore Today – Tuesday, November 10

New Listings Today – North Shore 29 Towns

Not for nuthin'…. But….. 29 new listings hit the market over the last 24 hours, across 17 North Shore towns.

Top towns: Lynn 5, then Salem, Boxford and Beverly with 3 each, and Newbury and Newburyport with 2 each.

By property type: Residential 11 · Residential Lease (rentals) 13 · Land 3 · Commercial Lease 2.

The MOAM's take: that's a busy Tuesday feed, and rentals edged out homes for sale. Lynn leads the pack, and Boxford showed up with three land listings, which doesn't happen every day.

Contact Nanepashemet to view these.
Nanepashemet Real Estate Services
Call or text 781-727-6516
jnestor@nanepashemet.com

MOAM Out.

Listing data courtesy of MLS Property Information Network (MLS PIN); listings shown are held by various brokerages. Nanepashemet Real Estate Services, MA Broker Lic. 136995-RE-B.

Boston Sports Morning Report — Tuesday, Nov. 10

Not for nuthin'…. But….. Tuesday is a big one on the Boston sports board. No Pats, no B's, no Sox today, but the Celtics head to Philly tonight for a first-place showdown. Grab a coffee, here's your short report.

New England Patriots

• Yesterday: No game (lost 45-27 to Green Bay on Sunday)
• Today: No game
• Next: Sun., Nov. 15, 9:30 AM ET, @ Detroit Lions (Munich)
• Standings: 5-4, 2nd in the AFC East, 2.5 games behind Buffalo (7-1), currently No. 7 in the AFC

Still holding the last AFC playoff spot. Get that Sunday out of your system — the Munich trip is up next, and it's an early one.

Boston Red Sox

• Yesterday / Today: No games, offseason
• Next: Opening Day, Thu., March 25, 2027, @ Seattle Mariners
• Final 2026 record: 87-75, 3rd in the AL East, out in the Wild Card round vs. the Yankees

Hot stove season. Pitchers and catchers can't come soon enough.

Boston Celtics

• Yesterday: No game (won 117-97 @ Milwaukee on Sunday)
• Today: Tonight, 8:00 PM ET, @ Philadelphia 76ers (NBC)
• Next: Wed., Nov. 11, 7:00 PM ET, @ Toronto Raptors
• Standings: 8-2, 2nd in the Atlantic, 0.5 game behind Philadelphia (9-2), No. 2 in the East

Win tonight and the Celts take over first in the Atlantic. Then it's right back at it in Toronto tomorrow. Circle it, folks.

Boston Bruins

• Yesterday: No game (won 4-1 vs. Florida on Sunday)
• Today: No game
• Next: Thu., Nov. 12, 7:00 PM ET, vs. Montreal Canadiens (home)
• Standings: 13-4-1, 27 points, 1st in the Atlantic, No. 2 in the East; Montreal is 2 points back (25)

A little rest for the B's, then the Habs come to the Garden Thursday with a two-point cushion on the line.

That's the Tuesday board. Enjoy the day, Boston.

MOAM Out.

New England This Morning — November 10, 2026

 

Not for nuthin'…. But….. Tuesday's got the sun on the coast and the ice up top. The low sun is laying a gold path across Marblehead Harbor, Mount Washington's lens is crusted over in the clouds again, the Mad River covered bridge is sitting quiet under gray skies, and Bartlett's ridges are catching the morning light. Here's how four corners of New England looked around 7:30 this Tuesday morning.

Marblehead Harbor (BYC Oceanfront) — The sun's just up and blazing over the far shore, throwing a glittering gold path across a calm harbor dotted with moorings, with puffy clouds drifting overhead and the little white shed with the green roof sitting on the dock in front. Mostly sunny with a high near 55 and a west wind 8 to 12 mph. About as nice as a November Tuesday gets.

Mount Washington, NH (Observatory North View) — Rime and ice crusted over the camera for the second morning running, with the summit socked in the clouds. Mostly cloudy with scattered snow showers after 1 p.m., a high near 31, and west winds 20 to 45 mph. The crew up there is earning their keep.

Mad River Valley, VT (Great Eddy Covered Bridge) — The old covered bridge and its American flag stand over a still, glassy river in Waitsfield, with rusty late-fall brush, bare trees, and the farmhouses across the water under a lid of gray cloud. A chance of rain showers after 9 a.m., mostly cloudy with a high near 49 and a light southwest breeze. Bring the umbrella if you're out and about.

Bartlett Experimental Forest, NH — From the top of the NEON tower, bare hardwoods and dark spruce run out to the White Mountain ridges, with morning sun picking out the slopes beneath a deck of clouds. Mostly cloudy with a high near 48, a light west wind, and just a slight chance of a shower after 5 p.m. A good day to get a hike in early.

Webcam views courtesy of the Boston Yacht Club, the Mount Washington Observatory, Mad River Valley Television and NEON/PhenoCam.

MOAM Out.