Probably a dumb question, about boat color, but....

[appick]

Having painted a few boats myself I don't find it prohibitively expensive. The last boat was the same make as Don's a early 1960's Columbia 29 MkI. To paint the hull topsides I'd say with paint, sand paper, protective gear, misc ect, it cost in the neighborhood of $1800. That was 3 years ago so prices may have changed. Also that doesn't count the couple hundred hours of my time prepping the hull.

Its not that hard to learn how you just have to be patient, study a bit, and most importantly follow directions. I learned that painting in the shade/ out or direct sunlight is crucial to getting certain paints to flow out. It's a good skill to have, as you can market it around the boatyard just by pointing to the work you did on your own boat. I've painted another boat for some $$ for a friend, and have been asked to do two more.

For some boats like my old one the gelcoat is simply too far gone to bring back. It may have deep cracks or tiny little ones called crazing running all over, or it may be so oxidized/ chaulky there is not bringing it back if it's too thin. Painting is the cheaper fix as opposed to applying new gelcoat. However painting will have to be renewed every few years. How often depends on the type of paint used. LPU or "epoxy" paints have a hardness/ scratch resistance, and shine the far surpasses most other formulations. That and they are more UV resistant and retain that shine for longer. So for me it's greatly worth the premium price tag to not have to reapply it every 4 years or so.

I've used Interlux Perfection brand of paints and have been very happy. The only reason I choose them over Awlgrip is because Perfection had better DYI instructions and awesome support. Awlgrip simply states its for professionals and formulation is up to the user...! Or something very close to that. Of course there are a ton of variables you have to take into account when mixing paint and that is what Awlgrip is getting at.

The first few pics are of the paint when we finished. The last pic is 3 years later at the end of the season, with no washing the hull all season.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by David B

The alternative to painting is vinyl wrapping. It comes at a fraction of the cost, and in the event of a scratch or worse damage, the area is repaired and a new piece of vinyl invisibly placed over...

➥ http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ng-124648.html

➥ Vinyl wrap your boat's hull - Practical Boat Owner

[HappyMdRSailor]

Originally Posted by appick

Having painted a few boats myself I don't find it prohibitively expensive. The last boat was the same make as Don's a early 1960's Columbia 29 MkI. To paint the hull topsides I'd say with paint, sand paper, protective gear, misc ect, it cost in the neighborhood of $1800. That was 3 years ago so prices may have changed. Also that doesn't count the couple hundred hours of my time prepping the hull.

Its not that hard to learn how you just have to be patient, study a bit, and most importantly follow directions. I learned that painting in the shade/ out or direct sunlight is crucial to getting certain paints to flow out. It's a good skill to have, as you can market it around the boatyard just by pointing to the work you did on your own boat. I've painted another boat for some $$ for a friend, and have been asked to do two more.

For some boats like my old one the gelcoat is simply too far gone to bring back. It may have deep cracks or tiny little ones called crazing running all over, or it may be so oxidized/ chaulky there is not bringing it back if it's too thin. Painting is the cheaper fix as opposed to applying new gelcoat. However painting will have to be renewed every few years. How often depends on the type of paint used. LPU or "epoxy" paints have a hardness/ scratch resistance, and shine the far surpasses most other formulations. That and they are more UV resistant and retain that shine for longer. So for me it's greatly worth the premium price tag to not have to reapply it every 4 years or so.

I've used Interlux Perfection brand of paints and have been very happy. The only reason I choose them over Awlgrip is because Perfection had better DYI instructions and awesome support. Awlgrip simply states its for professionals and formulation is up to the user...! Or something very close to that. Of course there are a ton of variables you have to take into account when mixing paint and that is what Awlgrip is getting at.

The first few pics are of the paint when we finished. The last pic is 3 years later at the end of the season, with no washing the hull all season.

As one can see... If your paint turns out as good as Appy's... attire while photographing is extremely important...
+1
Not having Mrs. Appy in a skimpy bikini...
-1

[valhalla360]

Another consideration. Dark colors tend to highlight imperfections in the hull much more than white. You can often see where the bulkheads are on dark colored hulls.

[Tayana42]

All this goes to show there are no dumb questions...only dumb colors.


S/V B'Shert

[exMaggieDrum]

There were a couple of dark color sailboats in Mexico a few years back. Every time they anchored they would drape a white sheet over the hull down to the water where the refrigerator was inside. To keep the heat down in the fridge. Dark boats get incredibly hot. I am VERY surprised of the poster who said it was not a problem. Even up here in the Pacific NW, where average temps are very low in the summer, a dark hull boat was much hotter to work in.

But a dark hull can look beautiful IF it is polished. Looks like hell with salt crystals, dirt, and/or any scratches/blemishes.

Kudos to those who can paint their own boats. They have far more skill than I do.

Also, gelcoat can last for decades if maintained. Paint can last a decade +/- and then needs repainting or it too looks like hell. So I have been told..... Some may have better experience. Dark colors are much harder to paint than lighter colors.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by exMaggieDrum

Also, gelcoat can last for decades if maintained. Paint can last a decade +/- and then needs repainting or it too looks like hell. So I have been told..... Some may have better experience. Dark colors are much harder to paint than lighter colors.

For the work needed to keep gelcoat like new for decades, it's easier to repaint once a decade. (particularly if you farm out both jobs).

[jmschmidt]

Paint vs gel coat. Dark paint, I’m talking only about linear polyurethane (LP) like AwlGrip, unless continuously cleaned and waxed (especially red, black or blue) will fad and chalk badly in 3-5 years as previously mentioned. White paint is the least problematic color. Decks, if not white, should be a very light color. Less fading and much cooler inside and out (same with gel coat). There is some very expensive ($100 a qt.) stuff out to maintain both paint and gel coat but it is too soon to tell if this is really a wonder material or not. Paint, is difficult to impossible to repair. AwlGrip will send you a letter (for the insurance company) that says they will only stand by a repair that involves an entire repaint from a logical tape line to a logical tape line. If your hull is gouged this means put a tape line at the bow and one at the edge of the transom and paint the entire side of the hull. For this reason small scrapes are impractical to repair with LP. It cannot be buffed or rubbed out with compound, or so they say. Use white or buy a white boat and live with the little dings.

Some of this can be avoided with gel coat which I much prefer. Since it is much thicker than paint it can be filled, patched, re-gel coated, wet sanded, buffed and waxed time after time and still look good. It should get periodic (annually) buffing and waxing but it is not as touchy as the LP paints. I’ve had two professionally done $30,000 LP paint jobs and neither lasted more than five years. Since mine were white the biggest problem was the paint pulled away from the inside radii where the cabin top meets the deck. LP paints gain its toughness from the fact that the surface of the paint is in tension like tempered glass but as it ages the surface gets harder and harder. The only thing I can think of it may then shrink away from the substrate.