Painting sailboat

[Markis]

I am going to paint my entire boat and I am looking for advice. I want to be able to stand on something that I am going to be able to reach everything with the boat in a cradle. Whats my best choice and most cost effective?

Im also looking for advice on the best paint for the hull and deck. How do I know which paint was used on my boat previously?

Thanks

[salticrak]

Whatever you do, preparation is 80%, cut corners here and you will be sorry.Scaffolding can be bought second hand or hired cheap.

[Tetepare]

Everybody I know uses Awlgrip.

[chris95040]

Awlgrip or Interluxe folks will tell you how to test if the previous paint is one-part or not. I think you just see if it comes up if exposed to MEK solvent - but don't quote me on that.

What is the hull material? I'll assume fiberglass...

I think the world of fiberglass boat paints can be roughly summarized like this:

Gel-coat: The original "paint" that is applied to the boat in the mould when it's being constructed. Its really just the same plastic resin that the rest of the boat is made out of. It's safe to apply a 2-part poly system to this (like Awlgrip, Awlcraft, Imron, or Interlux Perfection, etc.) In general it's not used as a paint after the fact, but some people do. Its very thick and can take a lot of abuse from buffing, etc.

One-part poly: (Petit EasyPoxy, Interlux Brightsides) An easy to apply, friendly paint that looks really good even if brushed on, but is not very durable. In my experience, the durability in terms of abrasion is night and day compared to a 2-part. It is, allegedly, easier to repair, but I suspect with anything other that bright white you are still going to see your repair. You cannot apply a 2-part system over an existing one-part.

Two-part poly: (Awlgrip, Interlux Perfection) Much harder to apply if not spraying- make sure you never try to do it in direct sunlight or on a surface that's warm to the touch, the key to painting a mirror coat of anything with a brush is getting it spread out quickly and then "tipped" with a fine, dry brush while the film is still wet. The two-part paints don't stay wet enough to do this for very long AT ALL. Move your ass when applying it. These paints are super durable, super shiny, look better than the original gelcoat if done really well. When they fade, though, after 10-20 years, I don't think you can "buff" them shiny again.... This is also a problem if you can't get your paint job as flat as you'd like and wish you could just knock out those brush strokes and then buff it shiny. You can't do that with these. Which brings me to...

Two part acrylic: (Awlcraft? Imron?) I think these have a lot of the benefits of 2-part polys, but you can actually buff them. So potentially if you dork up the paint application you could actually just knock it flat and buff it shiny again. I have no experience with these paints.

I'd say in general the best course of action is to knock your hull down to the original gelcoat and spray the Awlgrip system. Note that all of these are "systems" and really require use of the appropriate primer, thinner, etc.

Painting a hull involves a lot of "fairing" so that it doesn't look terrible from certain angles, where subtle dimply sections stick out like a sore thumb. This generally means using a bunch of primer and long-boarding it smooth before doing the actual color coats. This is the biggest part of the labor, regardless of if you are spraying or rolling+brushing.

+1 on the scaffolding. For the sanding, you are at a better angle and won't tire as easily, goes for fairing, etc. too. For the painting, if roll+tipping, you want to be able to hustle. No dicking around looking up at weird angles and slowly moving from one section to the next. Move move move. You want to be a continuous little painting machine smoothly going from one end of the hull to the next. Get a helper to do the tipping, even.

[UNCIVILIZED]

I agree with most of the above, chris95040 posted some pretty good info. BTW, what kind of boat are we discussing. Knowing what size boat is being discussed helps to tailor the advice to the job.

Given the costs associated with boat prep, & the price of the paint itself, it makes sense to aim for a really good finish. To that end, you might consider using Imron (or similar automotive paint), & hiring a guy that does cars to spray your boat. It's a good option for those on moderate budgets that want a nice finish. One that many of us have used, me included, & are happy with the results. Especially as 2-part paints, even Imron, are fairly pricey, so you want to get them right the first time. And having someone who knows the "spell" for working with them under various environmental conditions is kind of priceless, as they can be quite finicky.

Prep wise, flexible long boards are well worth it, even if a pain in the neck (literally) to use. As are good sanders with dust collection systems. And if your boat’s not indoors, figure out an inexpensive way to tent it off for painting. Even if it’s simply a shelter made from PVC pipe, or lumber, & tarps or Visqueen. And obviously, do everything you can to reduce dust, or the potential for it, when applying primer, & especially paint.

One other item is your nonskid. Some folks will use an industrial epoxy paint for this, with or without pre-mixed nonskid . As it runs about 1/4th the cost of 2-part LPU. But research the specific paint first, in order to see how it holds up to moisture. And you might even buy some now to try out, & hang your test panels outside, & or partially submerge, in order to accelerate their environmental aging, so that you can be sure about their performance.
I’d even be tempted to put some test samples on a dock piling so that they got submerged with each tide cycle, & leave them there until Spring, when it was time to do the boat. Spring in the N. Hemisphere that is.

Also, on your decks, & cabin top, etc. Usually, knock on wood, they don't take quite the beating that hulls do. Plus their easier to repaint later. So if money is tight, you can use something like Brightside (a 1-part paint) on them. It turned out great, & held up well the last time I did a boat several years ago (including on her topsides). So it is an option.

Oh, don't skip/leave out raceways on your deck even though it's tempting. They help to keep the decks/deck paint clean, in that when you wash the boat, they give the dirt an easy egress route. So that without them, the deck can look like crap, even though the decks are clean & the paint is fairly pristine. And yep it's something I almost fudged on myself.

Edit: When doing your prep, meaning sanding, & you get to the point where things are "finished", & about ready for painting. Walk away from the boat for a few days or a week, & then come back & look at it with a fresh (rested) set of eyes. It'll help you to be a bit more impartial about, & happy with, the level of finish, prior to moving on to painting her.


BTW, welcome to CF.

[thomm225]

I used Pettit EasyPoxy on my Topside Hull. I roll and tipped two coats, and it cost about $85.00 for the paint.

I sanded off the old paint all the way down to the 42 year old gelcoat. Fun stuff!

I haven't done the deck yet.

For the bottom, I've been using Interlux Micron CSC Ablative the last two times. It takes me about a gallon and a 1/4 (quart) to do the bottom

[appick]

From experience using both one part and two part paint's, USE A TWO PART "LPU", "Epoxy" type paint. Same amount of work for prep. A two part paint job will last at least twice if not 4 times longer. Two part paints are more expensive but are more abrasion resistant, UV resistant, and glossier than on parts. Yes the paint is a little more pricey but the cost of paint is only a part of the total cost of a paint job. All the sand paper, time, gear, thinners, ect are still the same.

As for the application being more difficult... If you can make macaroni and cheese you can measure ingredients. Follow directions on mixing the two parts thin until it flows out good in your temps and humidity you're working in. When they say do not apply in direct sunlight they mean, "DO NOT APPLY IN DIRECT SUNLIGHT! Get some tarps and set them up to shade the sides of the boat and you are set. I ditched trying to use the brush in the roll and tip style. No matter how I thinned it still kept getting brush strokes in some spots. Tried all manner and price ranges of brushes up to a $45 one.

In the end I rolled out an area with my foam roller, then went back with the now paint depleted roller and lightly rolled to knock down any remaining roller stipple or runs. This came out flawless every time.

I used Interlux because they have great responsive customer agents and online instructions and videos ect. Lots of people like Awlgrip but in my view their instructions are lacking. The say it is paint for professionals and don't tend to give great step by step instructions. Both are great paints.

[appick]

Also no need to use the epoxy yellow rollers. I used the white foam ones you can get at any hardware store. Buy the best chemical resistant ones they offer. These will start to swell and get floppy after about 30 min of use. Slide it off throw away and grab another, they are cheap about 50 cents a piece or so. I never had one disintegrate or leave anything in the finish. They just started to get bigger. They gave a beautiful finish!

[brantleychuck]

There is a great 2 part series on painting with a roller using awlgrip in good old boat magazine. I used there directions and the top sides came out spectacular. Many at the boat yard would not believe it was not sprayed.
For a rolling scaffold I just built one out of 2x4's and plywood. Screwed together with long drywall screws and bolted on some cheap wheels . About 50 bucks and a couple hours. Donated it to the yard when I was done.

[Markis]

Thank you everyone for the great advice. The boat is made of fiberglass and it's a 1977 Aloha 34 ft sailboat.

[atoll]

the guy that I just sold my 20 ft signet daysailor to,,,,,, just went in with normal gloss house paint.........just gave it a quick wash down with salt water,no sanding,no undercoat,dried it off with an old rag before starting to paint..............
looks great.............at the moment

[JPA Cate]

I'll second what Uncivilized wrote about using automotive LPU. It has held its glass quite well. Better than our 2 part marine epoxy, by far.

Although, have to confess, we had friends with a 46 footer, who painted her with semigloss white latex house paint, using a roller, in one day, in the water, in Baie d'Oprhelinat, Noumea. Yes, orange peely up close, but sure was fast! and cheap!

Ann

[salticrak]

Uracryl by Resene is also a good paint here in the Antipodes.Use fine mohair rollers rather than foam ones if rolling and tipping,spend a bit on a quality brush for the tipping,a little bit of thinners on it helps it drag nicely.Bamboo can cost nothing for scaffolding if you have it in your area.

[UNCIVILIZED]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

I'll second what Uncivilized wrote about using automotive LPU. It has held its glass quite well. Better than our 2 part marine epoxy, by far.

Although, have to confess, we had friends with a 46 footer, who painted her with semigloss white latex house paint, using a roller, in one day, in the water, in Baie d'Oprhelinat, Noumea. Yes, orange peely up close, but sure was fast! and cheap!

Ann

For quite a while now it's been obvious (to me) that 2-part LPU tends to be a "for show" paint, & is popular primarily with the yacht club set. And most folks use it as they think that since it's used by so many others, that it's their only option. Paint is there as much to act as SPF 1,000 for the boat, than anything else. A much forgotten fact of things.

There are a lot of other paint choices out there. Depends on what you're trying to do, or rather, what you want the paint to do. And when you're 100nm offshore, cruising downwind with a cold one, the mahi mahi about to bite your fishing lure won't care one whit about the kind of paint you use.