Joe Costa checking fairness with a batten. I was extremely fortunate to find him, as he's been an integral part of the process ever since. I had been dealing with the awl grip tech rep, who called me one day and suggested I call the purchasing manager at Merrifield-Roberts, as they had just finished fairing a 90' hull and had some awl fair they would let go cheap. It was a good deal for both of us, as the stuff has a shelf life and would go bad in another 6 months if I didn't take it. When I got there they asked who I had applying the stuff, and suggested I call Joe as they had just layed off their fairing crew. Joe came up, looked the project over, and said "sure, no problem, we can do". He showed up the following Monday with 3 other guys. Joe was the lead man and was still polishing his english, and the others didn't speak it at all, but we got along great and I was amazed by both the skill level and the work ethic these guys had. In about 5 weeks the job was done, and the hull is spectacularly fair. I would shoot a coat of high build primer on the week ends when they were gone, and they'd come in and long board all day long... an amazing job. Joe became a good friend, and has worked off and on on Saturday's ever since. He's the kind of guy who will dive into anything and figure out a way to do it... essential in a project like this. Next