Restoring a 75 year old sailboat
A partnership for a spring refit enabled Luc to prove that, with the right products and expert advice, it is possible for a DIY project to produce sensational results.
Labor of Love: The hands-on restoration of an
iconic 75-year-old wooden sailboat
For proud New Englander and young liveaboard sailor Luc Milam, the magic of life on the water brings profound fulfilment and an adventure is always on the horizon.
A life lived ‘out there’, exploring the wild, rugged coast of Maine, is where Luc finds true joy – ‘weaving through the islands, tilted in the breeze, canvas ablaze in the late afternoon light’.
Stewardship of the things that enrich and inspire is at the heart of everything, whether that is preserving the legacy of the vessel he sails or sharing his stories of cruising the magnificent New England waters alongside his loyal rescue dog Lucky with his ‘Holiday in Maine’ audience.
Finding Holiday in 2023 was love at first sight. Luc’s dream boat, a 1951 Herreshoff H28 classic wooden sailboat built in Canada following the plans of esteemed yacht designer L.Francis Herreshoff, fits completely with his ethos for simplicity afloat and is one of the few of this design still actively sailing, attracting attention wherever she voyages with Luc and Lucky at the helm.
With a passion to keep this iconic wooden vessel’s spirit alive, Luc’s commitment to restoring and protecting Holiday can only be described as a labor of love.
We partnered up to enable Luc to prove that, with the right products and expert advice, it is possible for a DIY project to produce sensational results.
A special refit for an anniversary year
Growing up in a Connecticut river town, 26-year-old Luc’s young life has resonated with the call of the sea.
After a first summer covering over 1,000nm single-handed along the New England coast, Luc and Lucky, a pup who was born deaf and left partially-sighted by an accident, had their sights on new adventures.
In 2026, the duo planned to head for Nova Scotia for Holiday’s 75th birthday to discover more about the mystery of her eastern Canadian origins.
During the winter, from a rented farmhouse on Deer Isle, a bridged island in Maine’s eastern region, Luc built a bow shed for Holiday so he could complete the long project list.
At the top of his hands-on maintenance jobs list was to work on repairing and upgrading the decks, and to protect the hull with antifouling paint to prevent marine growth, minimize drag and accentuate the clean, sleek lines of the yacht.
Coating systems fit for a classic DIY challenge
After a cold Maine Spring, Luc opted to begin the coatings refit in May when the warmer temperatures allowed for the products to be applied most effectively.
Equipped with paint rollers and a paint suit provided by our team, Luc was ready to tackle the DIY project, drawing on his considerable previous refit experience, with back-up support available from our technical expert Tim Taylor.
Holiday’s traditionally canvased decks make up the majority of her topsides, so, not only do they need to look good, they also need to be safe to walk on in all conditions.
Luc selected Interdeck from Interlux, a tough, slip resistant deck paint that protects the surface from every-day wear and tear – suiting both the yacht’s classic aesthetic and the practical need for secure footing.
“The texture of the Interdeck is lovely on feet and paws!” said Luc. “Holiday’s decks are not designed for the suspended grit non-skid paint and the Interdeck fit the aesthetic of her decks much better with its more subtle, but still effective, non-skid properties. We are super-stoked with the non-skid properties relative to other paints we have used.
“The one-step Interdeck was quite nice and easy to apply; tack-free time made for some solid flexibility.”
When Luc’s attention turned to bottom point, he knew an effective antifouling system for Holiday was essential. A swim to clean the hull would become less practical as they headed into the cold waters of the Bay of Fundy.
He had been left disappointed the previous year with the performance of a different brand of antifouling paint, which had slimed over in just a few weeks and required cleaning several times a month.
The choice this time was from our sister product range, Sea Hawk Biocop TF antifouling, an advanced dual-biocide paint for maximum protection in the harshest marine environments – and the results have been thrilling according to Luc.
Luc commented: “We were recommended Sea Hawk Biocop TF and have been thrilled with it. Its teal color is far more aligned with the traditional Herreshoff green. Two coats went on very nicely, and two months into cruising, the bottom paint has held up amazingly. The bottom is still spotless and I swear the boat feels faster. Plus, we get the time saved cleaning the bottom in the water.
“We are grateful to go with the best of the best in the Biocop TF!”
Poetry in Motion: Heading for New Horizons
Making future adventures possible, the coatings refit has left Holiday protected and looking her best for a significant anniversary journey and many more years of exploration.
Luc added: “I reached out to AkzoNobel to support the projects that Holiday needed completed and break the stigma that your average DIYer cannot paint their own boat. Market research shows that Interlux and Sea Hawk* are premier brands in the marine coatings space and I wanted a more professional alternative to the overmarketed, poor quality products I had tried previously.
“The result is that I have more confidence in the boat being protected and looking good.”
Follow Luc’s adventures on Substack and Instagram
· Holiday in Maine | Luc Milam | Substack
*Sea Hawk Biocop TF is recommended for professional use only. Always seek expert advice and support when using Sea Hawk products. For more information, visit www.seahawkpaints.com
