Changing Hull Color ?

[Rob Toronto]

I've been keeping my eye on a 37ft boat in the classifieds and she seems suitable for my needs (although I haven't gone to actually been out see her yet) One big sticking point is that she has a bright canary yellow hull from the rubrail down. It may seem superficial of me, but I can't see me sailing around in a bright yellow boat! Just not my style
The question is; What is involved in changing the hull colour to something less... florescent?

[GordMay]

About $10,000 worth of polyurethane preparation & painting (professionally applied at $200-$300 per foot).

[Jim Cate]

Besides the cost, one faces the fact that paint is not as durable as gel-coat, and that every scratch will show the original yellow through whatever topcoat you put on her.

I'll agree that yellow isn't aesthetically too pleasing, but its visibility at sea is superb, and that can be a real safety factor.

Cheers,

Jim

[Anzo]

I painted 'Zerk myself going from white to a sort of custom light grey. Scuff sanding (if your yard permits), repair of a few chips here and there; acetone bath, 1 coat of primer, 3 coats of rolled and tipped Brightsides (light sanded between coats), final wetsanding, and buffing out took 3 weekends and cost about $300 or so including beer.
And it looks really good. Now if I can just find the recipe for my self-mixed custom color....

[delmarrey]

I went from this to this.

With Interlux paint it took 1-1/2 gal ($150) of under coat (white) and loads of wet sanding by hand. Then 1 gal ($160) of yellow, 2 coats, wet sanding between. All rolled and tipped. It's a lot of work and about $400 in paint and supplies, not including the power sanders.

Yellow would be EZ to cover up with a dark color, but a light color, you would have to use and undercoat.

A painted hull isn't that hard to maintain. Any scratches can be filled and painted over and rubbed in to blend once the paint cures hard.

Scratches in gelcoat are just as bad and usually never get repaired because of the work involved.


.

[Rob Toronto]

Originally Posted by delmarrey

I went from this to this.

With Interlux paint it took 1-1/2 gal ($150) of under coat (white) and loads of wet sanding by hand. Then 1 gal ($160) of yellow, 2 coats, wet sanding between. All rolled and tipped. It's a lot of work and about $400 in paint and supplies, not including the power sanders.

Yellow would be EZ to cover up with a dark color, but a light color, you would have to use and undercoat.

A painted hull isn't that hard to maintain. Any scratches can be filled and painted over and rubbed in to blend once the paint cures hard.

Scratches in gelcoat are just as bad and usually never get repaired because of the work involved.


.

Thanks
In other words, don't let it be the deciding factor whether you buy it.

And I must admit, yours looks good, as well as much faster in yellow. I guess it's like a car. A Corvette doesn't look bad in yellow, but I wouldn't paint my Chrysler 300 yellow

[barnakiel]

I would stick to the bright color - it is pretty well visible on the water. Otherwise, get some two part polyurethane paint, some brushes, and off you go!

b.

[imagine2frolic]

Look at it this way. If you do the work yourself, and roll & tip is easy. You can have what ever color you like, and for cheap. So don't let thast sexy yellow scare you out of a purchase.......i2f

[Rob Toronto]

Originally Posted by imagine2frolic

Look at it this way. If you do the work yourself, and roll & tip is easy. You can have what ever color you like, and for cheap. So don't let thast sexy yellow scare you out of a purchase.......i2f

As long as it doesn't look like the time I painted my car with a roller

[James S]

Go with the flow and name her Ole' Yeller or Sunshine......

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by imagine2frolic

Look at it this way. If you do the work yourself, and roll & tip is easy. .i2f

Gosh, I sure wish that I had known this when I rolled/tipped my decks with LPU. Didn't seem easy to me, and the results didn't look like a spray job.

Getting consistent results using this technique requires some experience and good atmospheric conditions in the real world. I didn't have the experience, and the wind, temperature and humidity in Queensland changed frequently and rapidly. Perhaps there are easier paints to use (I was using Altex Elite Brushing LPU), but I really doubt that a novice can get good looking results doing a whole topsides job.

Good painters make it look easy with the benefit of years of experience, and I wish that I had their skills.

Cheers,

Jim

[Mimsy]

Maybe I'm just an odd ball but I like yellow hulls. They stand out from the crowd and they just look so darned cheery.

[delmarrey]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Gosh, I sure wish that I had known this when I rolled/tipped my decks with LPU. Didn't seem easy to me, and the results didn't look like a spray job.

Getting consistent results using this technique requires some experience and good atmospheric conditions in the real world. I didn't have the experience, and the wind, temperature and humidity in Queensland changed frequently and rapidly. Perhaps there are easier paints to use (I was using Altex Elite Brushing LPU), but I really doubt that a novice can get good looking results doing a whole topsides job.

Good painters make it look easy with the benefit of years of experience, and I wish that I had their skills.

Cheers,

Jim

The best results are not to paint in direct sunlight and in the 60º's F (16-20º C) if possible. You have to get the paint to level before it gets tacky.

I had to really rush with mine (in August) and you can see if up close. It was an overcast day @ 70º F but just as I started the sun poked thru the clouds so rolling and tipping was at a fast pace until I got around to where the shade was. So my port quarter & transom has some lightly missed and overlap marks. But next spring I'll do a light sanding and pick a good day for a third fresh coat.

Interlux Has an additive that helps with leveling but on a vertical surface one can not add too much (about 5%) or it'll run.