Painting hard-shell dinghy

[MV Wanderlust]

We have a 10' Rigid dinghy. Photo attached. The previous owner put blue, soft ablative paint below the rub rail. It rubs off on anything that touches it. We don't leave the boat in the water often, perhaps one overnight during a trip, so we don't see a serious need for ablative paint and we'd like to restore it to something close to it's original white hull.

Our thought is to suspend the dinghy inside the garage, sand the blue hull and lightly sand the upper half, paint the bottom with white, hard enamel ablative paint(can't be too careful) and paint the upper part with a more-or-less matching white.

Has anyone done something like this before? Considering it will rarely be left in salt water overnight, is ablative on the underside overkill? Is primer a good idea or can this be done with primer and color coat in one application? Should the paint be rolled on or brushed? Any recommendations on brands of paint?

Thanks.

John

[JPA Cate]

If it will never spend more than one night in the water, imho, it does not need any bottom paint at all, especially if you're content to hoist it most of the time.

Getting the blue paint off will be messy, you don't want to be inhaling it, so a pressurized mask would be best, and a vacuum to catch the dust. Or, wet sand it off. The most environmentally friendly site would probably be a boatyard that is equipped to dispose of the used paint.

The rest is just normal painting.

Ann

[roverhi]

I'm sure someone makes a hard anti-fouling paint that can stand to be stored out of the water. Anyone who has information on such pipe in. The problem with the typical vinyl bottom paint is it loses it's effectiveness if hauled out of the water for any length of time.

Ablative paint is going to be a mess and not suitable for a dinghy that will get hauled on deck. Hey it's ablative which means it's designed to rub off on anything that comes in contact with it.

[Bean Counter]

Wet sanding will avoid the toxic dust, but the runoff needs to be trapped, should be disposed of responsibly, a friendly boat yard should let you do it for a small fee. Once back to bare hull, you will need an appropriate primer for whatever the base material is, and then I would recommend a marine epoxy top coat. Epoxy is extremely tough and pretty impervious to water ingress, if you do decide to leave it on the water for a longer period. Can be done by brush roller or spray, brush and roller would not need breathing apparatus if done in the open. Alternatively you could use a hard non ablative anti-foul just need to ensure it can be left dry for long periods of time, but an epoxy primer at least should be applied first. It will be easier if the boat is flipped over for the job.

[spearfish3]

What's been your opinion of the rigid? As someone who loves to fish and dive, they seem like a good option, but there are not a ton around.

[MV Wanderlust]

Originally Posted by Bean Counter

Wet sanding will avoid the toxic dust, but the runoff needs to be trapped, should be disposed of responsibly, a friendly boat yard should let you do it for a small fee. Once back to bare hull, you will need an appropriate primer for whatever the base material is, and then I would recommend a marine epoxy top coat. Epoxy is extremely tough and pretty impervious to water ingress, if you do decide to leave it on the water for a longer period. Can be done by brush roller or spray, brush and roller would not need breathing apparatus if done in the open. Alternatively you could use a hard non ablative anti-foul just need to ensure it can be left dry for long periods of time, but an epoxy primer at least should be applied first. It will be easier if the boat is flipped over for the job.

Great information! Thanks. We now have a plan but need to go paint shopping.

[MV Wanderlust]

Originally Posted by spearfish3

What's been your opinion of the rigid? As someone who loves to fish and dive, they seem like a good option, but there are not a ton around.

We like it a lot! Heavier than an inflatable, to be sure, but with more storage room. It gets up on plane with the 15 hp 4 stroke engine but it would do it faster and easier with a 20 or 25 hp. As advertised, you can stand on the edge of the pontoon and it won't tip over. Can't do that in most inflatables. Should be a good dive platform.

[spearfish3]

Great feedback. Thanks John!

[fstbttms]

All white anti fouling paints are ablative. You will not find that color in any other type.