Agreed

Work first paint in the off season.

Hi chug. Quite to the contrary. Talking to a crew member they were having an excellent season. Fish boats & work boats need to be at their intended work to make money. Mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, systems meticulously maintained but appearance not tended to until scheduled haul out. No money made while tied to the dock or during annual haul out.

Contrast the first vessel to the photo of this one astern of her. The second boat has likely just been relaunched from a haul out & hasn’t as yet fished in the ultra harsh saltwater environment.
Appearance is addressed but not while at work. Even the higher grade stainless, 316 ++, succumb to the harsh environmental conditions at sea.

Personally, I think that weathering a model well is more of an art than building a pristine"just out of the yard" model. I do not have the skills for it, I am the first to admit. Hat's off to anyone who is able, and patient enough, to acchieve the incredible results that we often see.
Thanks for posting Chum!

I guess the owner of the vessels didn’t have a good season.
Not enough money made to touch up the rust.
😂😎

I guess this is why most of us build the fresh out of the yard version rather than the old well used true to life. 😀

Well used working vessel