SailNet Community banner
  • SailNet is a forum community dedicated to Sailing enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about sailing, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, repairs, reviews, maintenance, and more!

boat paint

3K views 11 replies 5 participants last post by  mikehoyt 
#1 ·
I have a boat that was built in 1967 and it has been painted several times. first of all it is a fiberglass boat. Some of the paint is flaking and none of it was done very well. There are lots of brush marks in her. and in the past anything that was not flat was just painted over. I believe that the entire boat needs to be striped or sanded down maybe to the gel coat. what would be the best way to do this, and what would be the best way to re paint her or gel coat. I am wanting to re bed all deck hardware any way. but I would just soon do this one station at a time.
 
#2 ·
How come everybody has these cute names? Anyway I am in the middle of this right now.My boat was built in 1965 And I think at some point the boat was painted with a latex house paint.Sand ,apply primer,sand fill nicks,more primer, sand fill nicks ,more primer.Depending on how much of a marina queen you want to be you can repeat this process forever.Interlux is better if you want to roll and tip you can get excellent results with either thier one part or two part poly. Awl grip is best if you can have it sprayed . Awl grip does not recommend roll and tipping.
thomas
 
#3 ·
I just finished stripping and painting my boat. I used a stripper by Klean strip that was fiberglass safe. I looked for it forever and finally got it ordered for me from an auto part store. I think that is definetly the way to go for paint removal. Paint choice is a completely different matter. As you will find out, everyone has a prefence on paint. Ask around your marina, and check what is used locally. I went with VC-17 by interlux. It is for racing and a bit pricey. Even though i am not much of a racer, it''s supposed "ease to repaint" next year seemed worth it to me.
 
#4 ·
obeic,

Repainting the deck can be a huge job. Especially if you do not want to have "brush strokes" and plan to remove rather than tape around hardware. I just had my deck refinished (I say "had" because I hired someone to spray it). Sorry to be long winded but here are some thoughts:

1. Paint usually fails at its edges first. Removing hardware rather than taping around it is a good way to inhibit this sort of failure.

2. Success usually stems from the prep work. Everything I have read indicates that poor prep work will ruin even a good painting job. Prepare for a lot of work.

3. Refinishing decks is more work than refinishing the hull. There are more obstacles on a deck than the hull. Boat yards charge significantly more to do a deck job because of this.

4. Prep work involves the most labour. If you are a do it yourself kind of sailor a good compromise is to do the prep work yourself and have a pro apply the paint. This will keep the cost reasonable. Be sure to read up and do the work right. There are many articles on this and some in Sailnet.

5. Spraying is an art form. There are different types of spraying equipment suited for different applications. Using the wrong one is not always successful. I tried initially to spray my own boat and ended up sanding most of it off and hiring a professional.

6. Start with your dingy.
Who really cares if you mess that up? I rolled/tipped the dingy and it looks good from about three feet. Up close it does not look as good as the spray job on the big boat (not nearly as good).

7. You will need a proper primer if you are applying over anything but gelcoat. The two part paints such as Interthane Plus are too harsh to use over existing paints.

8. Research the paint you wish to use. For do-it-yourself application a lot of people like 1 part paints such as Interlux Brightsides (sorry I only know Interlux products since I get those products at a discount). 1 part paints have longer pot life, are better suited for rolling, and the unused portion can be poured back. They are also cheaper by about 1/2. Two part polyurethane paints such as Interthane Plus are reputed to be harder, more resistant to abrasion and to last longer than one part paints. The pot life is shorter, these are harder to apply and the unused portion must be discarded once mixed. Awlgrip is another brand which is better known in many places.

9. 2 part products are Toxic! If sprayed indoors forced air breathing apparatus is required. Outdoors you still need a good respirator.

10. Use whichever brand your painter is most accustomed to. In hindsight I realized that where my painter was very familiar with Awlgrip that I was taking a chance supplying him with Interthane Plus by Interlux. I was lucky but where both paints are comperable I should have allowed the painter to use the one he was accustomed to working with.

11. If you want your boat in the water in the near future maybe you should do this project next season. My deck drove me crazy last year because the previous paint job was rushed and was breaking down. It looks great now, cost me approx $2000 canadian from start to finish, and I am still doing related work. The painting was done last fall but the fittings are slowly going back on now. It is a lot of work!

PS. These are not really paints and in most technical literature are referred as coatings.

Best of luck,

Mike Hoyt
 
#5 ·
Replied under General Questions as well, but saw Brightsides referred to above. Tried it on our deck and found it didn''t last well - wearing thin and off in less than a month. Due to ease of application, I tried it again on our daughter''s Blue Jay hull. Looked great until she started using the boat -- scratches, dings, all over the place. If you have above-water surfaces that won''t get bumped or scratched, it looks fine, but it simply doesn''t seem to be tough enough for "real world" situations.
 
#6 ·
Paulk, I think before you have said you have had bad results with Brightside. I am a dealer of Interlux and Awl -grip products. I agree two-part paints are much tougher, but factor in cost ,ease of application and I will always say Brightside is a very good product. The commercial fishermen in my area buy Brightside from me all the time and I sleep very well every night. Are you using the proper primer underneath?
thomas
 
#8 ·
Mike, like you stated above paint fails at the edges. Ideally you would want to remove everything before you painted the deck and cabin.Alot of times this is not possible and people will tape around stanchions etc.I believe this creates more of a problem.If you cant remove deck hardware etc.I would recommend a good cut in brush.Two-part Interhane is an excellent product you will have very good results. I f cash is an issue Brightside is the next best choice . Like I said before my commercial fishermen use it all the time with excellent results. I dont know how more "real world " you can get.
thomas
 
#9 ·
Thanks Thomas,

I removed all stanchions, pulpits, cleats, winches, intruments, etc... Also removed cockpit locker hatch supports (wood), all hinges, fittings, mast step, grab rails, hatch slider rails, windows, etc, etc...

Did not remove wood around companionway entrance, toerail (way way too much work and huge potential problems if done incorrectly) or genoa and jib tracks (rebedded last year and a whole lot of work).

While cleaning the still attached woodwork for refinishing I noticed that the edge of the paint where it was taped could be a weak point. You are definitely right about this. My solution is a thin bead of silicon (or maybe even 4200) in the corner where the wood meets the paint. I used this trick when laying cushion flooring in home bathroom to prevent the edges lifting where the floor meets the bath tub. I may also do this around the genoa tracks and toerail edge if I suspect problems with paint edge.

My concern is the durability of the paint where flex occurs in a deck, where there is foot traffic and where blocks, whisker/spinnaker poles, etc... typically rub the paint. Does anybody have experience with this and Interthane Plus?

As for cost ... Yes it is expensive, especially when you have experiences with painting outdoors that entails extra sanding and additional coats. The company I work for has a marine supply division that stocks Interlux products. Thankfully this helps somewhat with the costs.

One final comment. I used the leftover Interthane Plus to paint my hard dingy. When I was finished some paint was remaining in the roller pan (about 1/4 inch). I left it to harden. Two weeks later I pulled it out of the pan and it is like a piece of flexible rubber. Is this normal?

Thanks again and good luck to all the other painters out there!

Mike
 
#10 ·
Mike, you will have to let us know your results with Interthane Plus. I think Paulk said he painted his decks with it a couple of years ago and it is still fine.I have also removed everything plus I have glassed over my portholes so I have an unobstructed working area.(will be installing three round bronze ports on each side)I am using Awl-Grip on my decks. I am going to roll and tip it with some non-skid in it so I am not worried about the finished look. Awl-grip does not recommend this but I have been anxious to try this.A guy right next to me in the boat yard roIled and tiped Awl-Grip and I think it looks top. I overheard some one else say it looks terrible, but this same guy has been in the yard for four years and it doesnt look like he will be leaving anytime soon.I bought a crown for him today and will be giving it to him tomorrow.To each his own. I have alot of fun here,but it does not compare to the fun I am having with all of the old salts at the boatyard.BTW that is normal for the extra paint to react like that in the bucket.
thomas
 
#11 ·
We''ve been really pleased with the Interthane Plus on our deck, now starting its fourth season. As mentioned above, prep is paramount!!!! Interlux was also very good at handholding over the phone (800 #) and has extensive info on their website. I used a small (6") foam roller (Home Depot contractor packs) and it went on so smoothly I didn''t have to tip it.
 
#12 ·
Thomas

The Interlux non-skid additive looks great and was easy to apply. The painters in the shop where I had the paint applied say it is one of the nicest anti-skid finishes they have seen. It did take two applications however as it goes on thinly.

Note that I was not extremely pleased with the deck before the anti-skid. Once that was applied (in well defined taped off areas) the deck looked absolutely fabulous!

Mike
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top