I hate painted boats

bluwateronly · #1 (**permalink**) 06-10-2010

Okay, just got to vent. I do varnish for a living now adays. When I have a boat that is painted I cringe. You can't go near it with a heat gun and can't touch it with sand paper or you leave marks or burn or bubble the paint. Why do people paint good gelcoat. You just need to do the work and buff it out! Mainsail gave you the scoop. How the heck do you do your wood now. It's like sailing on ice, damm hard. Do you want to remove the wood before you varnish? Try it, it takes alot of time and most customers don't understand what's involved. I can do it but, it's a pita. My boat was all chalked out and I spent the time to bring the gel coat back and I don't have the worries that you painted boats have. I can drop something on it and it's not messed up, I can strip the old varnish off with a heat gun, no problem, sand when tapped not problem.Yea, it looks shiny but now your screwed. Just my opinion, and if you have a painted boat sorry.

futureshock999 · #2 (**permalink**) 06-10-2010

You paint good gelcoat when it's 44 years old...

Although I do sympathise - I bubbled some of the paint on my boat when I was using the heat gun and a scraper to remove the cockpit varnish on Xanthe II this spring. I had three different heads for the heatgun, which limited the affected areas. Fortunately, the bubbling was slight and small, and the paint is the NEXT thing to get done. I'll bluetape the varnished (OK, Cetoled) areas and use a gel paint remover before I repaint...

CharlieCobra · #3 (**permalink**) 06-10-2010

Doubling the tape helps. Having a very deft, light touch with the heat gun does too. Trust me on this. If there's a problem area, use thermal tape and bill the customer with an explanation. I'm sure they'll be happy to pay a bit more for materials to save their pretty paint.

FSMike · #4 (**permalink**) 06-10-2010

Must have been pure hell to learn how to varnish before they invented fiberglass boats.

CharlieCobra · #5 (**permalink**) 06-10-2010

I dunno, that's the way I learned, on a boat with paint over canvas...

FSMike · #6 (**permalink**) 06-10-2010

Charlie -
Gee, a boat with paint over canvas - where have I run into that before? Glad your sense of humor is hanging in there. Give Oh Joy a pat on the transom for us.
Mike & Peri

CharlieCobra · #7 (**permalink**) 06-10-2010

Will do Saturday... Say hi to Peri for me..

bljones · #8 (**permalink**) 06-10-2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by bluwateronly

Okay, just got to vent. I do varnish for a living now adays. When I have a boat that is painted I cringe. You can't go near it with a heat gun and can't touch it with sand paper or you leave marks or burn or bubble the paint. Why do people paint good gelcoat. You just need to do the work and buff it out! Mainsail gave you the scoop. How the heck do you do your wood now. It's like sailing on ice, damm hard. Do you want to remove the wood before you varnish? Try it, it takes alot of time and most customers don't understand what's involved. I can do it but, it's a pita. My boat was all chalked out and I spent the time to bring the gel coat back and I don't have the worries that you painted boats have. I can drop something on it and it's not messed up, I can strip the old varnish off with a heat gun, no problem, sand when tapped not problem.Yea, it looks shiny but now your screwed. Just my opinion, and if you have a painted boat sorry.

So, I guess you never work on wooden boats?

If you can't handle a painted boat, the problem ain't the boat. You can buff gouged, scratched, stress-cracked fiberglass, all you want, and you will have shiny cracks, gouges and scratches. Sometimes, on a neglected 30 year old finish that has had badly needed repairs made to the surface, you are gonna have to paint. But since you are obviously expert with a heat gun, then you are also probably one of those rare individuals who is magically able to perfectly match a faded 30 year old baby blue finish when gelcoating the 6 dozen small scratches, nicks, and gouges you have just beveled, filled, sanded, filled and sanded again.

CharlieCobra · #9 (**permalink**) 06-10-2010

LOL, jeesh, yer killin' me here.....

bluwateronly · #10 (**permalink**) 06-11-2010

Thanks for the thermal tape tip CC. I want to make a few points, first, I did not say I could not do it I just said it's a pita. I just finished a 50' motorboat with tons of teak and it's painted and done right with no damage it just takes alot longer and you can really have to focus on the task at hand. Second, I agree with cracked gelcoat you need to paint to make it look right and I do like the look of a well painted boat. I just wish it was more durable and heat resistant. I love what I do and take pride in my work, I think I have the best job around, working on boats and getting paid for it.