Dan Luke wrote:
"Sydney Hoeltzli" wrote:
The lower drag of a new paint job (esp. if all control surfaces were
balanced and put into rig) can add a little bit of climb and speed

I've heard that this is an OWT (nothing personal, Sydney).

Nothing personal taken. It's a fact that several people I know
have seen this. You might note that I didn't specify it
was the paint itself; if the control surfaces were a bit out of
rig and put right, that could easily account for it. Another
factor is weight. 2-3 paintjobs with some patching and overspray
can easily add 30-40 lbs or more. Strip it off and replace with
one even coat, lighter plane.

How does a new paint job reduce drag if even rough paint barely penetrates
the bottom of the boundary layer?

Beats me. Your guess is as good as mine.

Cheers,
Sydney