Help - Freeman 26

[m martin]

We are complete novices to boating and have recently purchased a Freeman 26 which requires some TLC. We have anti-fouled, brought up the beautiful woodwork, etc, and now need to concentrate on the cabin and deck area.
The cabin roof buffs up but is threadbare in places and I've been advised to paint. We will prepare it like glass - can someone please, from experience, recommend paints we require?

Mike and Sue

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha and welcome aboard,
If it is the cabin top you are speaking of then I would say that a good quality two part automobile paint would be very good. The second choice would be a good quality exterior enamel paint.
I looked up the Freeman 26 and it really has some great features. Does yours have the twin Perkins engines?
kind regards,

[maxingout]

When I had my Pearson 27 Renegade, I applied linear polyurethane to the cabin top and cabin trunk, and it looked like new. Amazing stuff.

[Ocean Girl]

A two part linear paint will last the best and has great durability to scrapes and scratches. I painted one of my old boats with awlgrip. I couldn't get the hang of learning to use a sprayer (drip city!!), so I prepped the boat out including fairing and primering it. Then I hired a car painting dude to apply the paint, I had everything ready for him when he arrived, (scaffolding, paint, everything). Way cheaper that way as most of the cost of a paint job is in the labor to prep the surface. Plus you know the surface was prepped right.
Have fun!
Erika


PS
degrease before you begin to sand the old surface (voice of experience).

[imagine2frolic]

I have had great results with Awl-Grip also. You can roll, and brush tip it. If it is white you will never see the flaws, and the cost will be mostly your time, and sandpaper. I painted the hulls of my 46ft. cat with about 1/2 gln.......i2f