Topsides going from 'White' to flag blue

[tommays]

My boat looks great from 8 feet and yes if your the type of person that is going to obsess over every little pockmark you could find many faults with it

I did in fact go form white to desert tan

IMHO you will not be pleased with the durability of the brightsides

The prep is the same it needs to be wax free and then a coat of the right primer

If you thin it correctly and use the rollers like redtree or one of the other in the instructions

The roller is to get and even film of paint

The tipping is really to POP air bubbles and if you leave the paint alone it will do its thing and level out

[jb1528]

After my first coat of Brightside doing roll and tip, the finish was not smooth. I called tech support and was given the brushing liquid advice. A sanding and second coat.....what a difference. That was on a Catalina 27. Now with my B 32 I'm considering painting her and wouldn't hesitate to roll and tip that Job. I'm more worried about getting the cove stripe straight and crisp.

[SloopJonB]

Originally Posted by jb1528

I'm more worried about getting the cove stripe straight and crisp.

Use striping tape instead of paint.

[Minnewaska]

Originally Posted by SloopJonB

Use striping tape instead of paint.

If any unusual shaping, you can also get a local vinyl sign shop to customize. I prefer vinyl for the cove. Paint for the boot.

[jb1528]

I used tape with good results on my Catalina. By Bristol's cove is concave. I suppose masking is the answer.

it's academic at this point. Paint will come next year if at all.

[Davenire]

Very Nice Tommays

[Ritchard]

I did wide cove and boot striping on my boat last year with two coats of primer and three coat of black Brightsides. It came out okay, but I later realized my technique was lacking. Now that I have a better understanding of the method, I just finished all the removable parts of the boat in advance of painting the decks and cockpit. All of these pieces, done in my basement, came out fantastic. Carefully prepped and carefully executed roll and tip can come out great. Now, a full hull in a dark colour? A little harder but following correct procedures should come out great.

As we've all heard before, the secret to any paint job is the prep.

[Barquito]

Prep is the answer. You may see rib lines that you absolutely can't see when white. You really need to fair it out with a long board before you even prime. Good luck. Sounds like a really hard job.

Is there any technique to determine if the sides do have undulations due to ribs? I agree, it would be difficult to see imperfections in a light color.

I think at this point, I am leaning a little more toward using Perfection rather than Brightsides. I assume neither one is really very repairable. I had trouble last summer with painting Perfection on the decks, in that, it dried really dull when in direct sunlight. I have to travel to the boat, so, can't pick perfect days. However, the topsides will not have as direct sunlight.

[Ritchard]

I understand that you can fix a ding in Brightsides easier than in Perfection

With respect to ribs showing, what about long boarding a scratch coat of grey primer?

[SloopJonB]

The best sense for checking for fairness is your fingertips - far more sensitive than your eyes. Doesn't work for long waviness though. If the surface is such that you can't "see" any waviness, sometimes carefully laying a long strip of tape can help define them. You have to be careful to keep the tape "straight" because any wows in the line can look like waves in the hull.

In the end though, the best thing is to sand with a longboard when you are prepping for paint. A true longboard will be at least 6' long and require 2 or 3 people to handle it. That's what you have to do if you want a flawlessly fair hull.

If you're willing to settle for a little less perfection, you can use the pictured board sander, available from auto body supply shops along with the strip sandpaper for it. It's a one man tool and if you sand correctly (crosshatch on the diagonal) it will give you a very good surface - better than the majority of boats out there.

Using alternate colours of primer helps reveal highs & lows as well - a bit like using differing bottom paint to reveal when it's thin.