Deck Paint Brand/Preference and Tips

[brianontheroad]

Hello Sailnetters,

I bought an old Chris Craft Apache and I'm starting on my ever growing list of projects before go cruising (well and saving money too).

I'm using Casey's This Old Boat and Calder as my resources -- which are great but I need some help before I get started on painting my deck!

I've finished my exterior woodwork (finally....it storms pretty much every afternoon when I get done with work here in SC) and from what I've read it seems like I start by giving the deck a good cleaning, then filling any cracks, irregularities etc with epoxy primer, then sand, then two part poly, then apply non skid (in proper areas) then another two part poly

any thoughts from out there on the internet? What brand should I use? Cost is always a factor, but so is quality -- I don't think I'll be painting the deck again for a long time!

Thanks!

Brian

[Maine Sail]

Use a two part LPU paint! You'll be very sorry, after you realize how much time you actually put into this, to find a one part paint failing after a couple of years..

Awlgrip, Sterling & Alexseal are all good polyester LPU's and Imron and Awlcraft 2000 are good Acrylic LPU's.

Interlux Perfection is a two part polyurethane, though NOT an LPU, with similar cure characteristics to Alwgrip it's just less durable but still FAR better than any one part paint..

[brianontheroad]

What's the difference between a polyester and acrylic? As in why choose one over another?

Thanks!
Brian

[Maine Sail]

Polyester is reported to be more durable but is NOT easily repairable and is NOT really buffable once cured.

Acrylic is reported to be less durable than polyester but is more easily repairable and can be buffed and restored every so often. In my experience a well cared for Acrylic LPU will out last a polyester because when it gets chalky you can simply buff it back to life.

That being said most folks choose Alwgrip for decks not Awlcraft 2000 though Hatteras used Imron (Acrylic very similar to Awlcraft 2000) for years and years with no problems in durability..

[brianontheroad]

Thanks for the quick replies....

Anyone else out there have any thoughts on paint brands for deck paint? What suggestions on how to go about it? I can't take all the hardware off, I'm going to be masking (eek...) just going to have to do the best job possible

Thanks!
Brian

[sailaway21]

brian,
Off topic but you might be interested in this site: Dave Erickson's Web Page

[poopdeckpappy]

I kinda sorta agree with Hale Kai, Two part are by far better paints, however, I did our Islander in Brightside, didnt skimp on the prep, nor the base coats. I holled and tipped 3 coats of color, let that cure, then masked off for the nonskid areas and applied an additional 2 coats of color with the nonskid additive. That was two years ago, last year I sold it, but I see it every couple months and it still looks as good as the day I did it ( minus the bird crap )

However, the boat was a 26 footer, was almost 40 yrs old, I invested far more into it than it's market value and I had no intention on keeping it that long, so Brightside made sense

On the other hand, my current boat I plan on keeping for awhile, has a the potential market value double what I paid for it, providing I do things right, so this boat warrants a better paint.

Bottomline is, use what fits your needs......Interlux Brightside is a good one parter. The others mentioned above by HaleKai are better

[Maine Sail]

Originally Posted by brianontheroad

Thanks for the quick replies....

Anyone else out there have any thoughts on paint brands for deck paint? What suggestions on how to go about it? I can't take all the hardware off, I'm going to be masking (eek...) just going to have to do the best job possible

Thanks!
Brian

If you're even going to attempt a project of this scale you may want to wait until you can do it the right way.

It's likely that the vast majority of the deck hardware needs to be re-bedded anyway. Done the right way this is a HUGE job and the "painting part" will only be about 20% of the total time. Prep work will and should consume about 80%. Also if you have any wet deck core now is the time to R&R it...

Trust me this is NOT a job you want to ever do twice!!!

[killarney_sailor]

I have had good success with Signature Finish a two-part paint made by the same people as Honey Teak. They provide a kit with everything you need to do your deck - including specialized masking tapes and rollers for no-skid compound. You do three coats on the glossy bits - roll and tip and one or two coats for the no skid.

[mangomadness]

Here's my blog. I'm trying to give back to the wonderful people of the forums. I spent about a year researching the same thing. If you scroll down to my links, you'll find links to alot of similar websites. most of which have alot of info and pics. They helped me out tremendously. I went with awlgrip. I rolled and tipped. I would probably use it again, but i would definetly use flattening agent for the nonskid. I ran out with botched batches and didn't have any for the final coat.

Mango Madness J30 #185 rebuild