Paint for inside and outside

[kirbyc1]

What type of paint would yall recommend for the inside/outside of a sailboat? Im assuming some sort of epoxy based paint on the outside. But is this necessary on the inside? Thanks

[TQA]

Paint choice is dependent on the substrate and likely UV exposure.

What you need for a steel boat in Oregon will be different to a mahogany boat in the Caribbean.

Epoxy based paint is not a good choice for an exterior topcoat as it has poor UV resistance.

[sailingdog]

A two-part linear polyurethane paint would be good for the exterior. The interior wouldn't need the durability of a two-part paint, so could use a one-part polyurethane paint. For the bilge, I'd recommend using Interprotect 2000E as a coating, since it is designed to be submersed and will fare far better in the conditions found in a bilge than regular paint.

[kirbyc1]

From what I understand, polyurethane smells horrible. This smell can last longer than it takes to cure, im assuming years? So why would anyone want to use it on the inside of their boat.

Is this smell only relevant during the application/first week or so of the painting process?

[TQA]

Originally Posted by kirbyc1

From what I understand, polyurethane smells horrible. This smell can last longer than it takes to cure, im assuming years? So why would anyone want to use it on the inside of their boat.

Is this smell only relevant during the application/first week or so of the painting process?

As sailingdog says two part polyurethane on the exterior over 2 coats of hi build epoxy primer is the way to go; roll it on and tip off the final coats on polyurethane.

Interior is not so easy and you have a tradeoff. A water based one pot urethane paint will give you a reasonably dureable finish but there are reports that it can take a long time [months] before sensitive noses stop smelling "new paint". But it is easy to patch paint if required.

If I use a classic varnish like Epithanes on the inside of my boat I have to sleep upwind of the varnish for a week to 10 days. As I am sensitised to the VOC elements . I can get away with a shorter period with a one pot paint such as Epithanes monourethane.

If you can try and pick a time when you have low humidity as this will speed the dissipation of the volatile elements which cause the smell problems.

.Moving the boat to Arizona if you live in Florida.

A low-VOC paint will bother allergic or sensitive people less. Check the label; by law, the VOC will be listed. Volatile Organic Compounds are any ingredients in paint that evaporate into the air while the paint is drying. They can include hardeners and agents that keep the dried paint supple. Several companies have low- or zero-VOC paints, although the performance may not be as good as regular paint since this is fairly new technology. Odor is not an indicator of whether a paint is low or high VOC.

But a boat interior does tend to trap odours and the megayacht painters often run expensive dehumidifiers and airconditioning sets to get rid of the VOCs.