Boat Painting

[willysail]

Good morning everyone,
I have a question I hope someone can answer from experience. I just finished sanding and fairing my topsides. I want to know how long I can weight before painting it, and is it better to put a primer coat on or just leave it as is. The reason for the question is, I have other work to do on the boat and don’t want to damage the finish. The boat is going to be out of the water till April of 2012

[JimsCAL]

The short answer is follow the paint manufacturers instructions.

[willysail]

I really haven't decided on which paint to use yet. I just want to know how long before I have to add a primer or paint.

[tommays]

It depends on what you faired it with as most of the stuff is NOT good with UV

I did Awlgrip 545 primer and waited 8 months before doing the color BUT kept the boat tarped


It's NOT really faired yet as the primer will make a bunch of imperfections show up

[CharlieCobra]

It depends on the paint. Primer is porous for a reason. This allows the topcoat to penetrate and lock into the prime coat both mechanically and physically. Leaving primer on more than three days outside is a recipe for topcoat failure, if unprotected.

[willysail]

I think I'm going to leave it without primer and move on to the other projects. When I decide on the type of paint I'll use the primer that goes with the paint. Thanks again for all the help !!!!