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15-06-2022, 01:36
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#1
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2020
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Boat: Swarbrick S-80
Posts: 899
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Painting my topsides - in the water or on the hard?
All,
I’m planning to paint my topsides when the weather gets better in a few months.
The hull etc have been recently painted / antifouled and this is purely a cosmetic upgrade.
I can put her on the hard for a few days or do it in the water.
In the water is cheaper but I’m concerned that I’m creating issues that mean it’s not a great idea.
Any thoughts?
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15-06-2022, 03:25
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#2
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Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Fiji Airways/ Lake Ontario
Boat: Legend 37.5, 1968 Alcort Sunfish, Avon 310
Posts: 2,749
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Re: Painting my topsides - in the water or on the hard?
My father does his in the water to no ill effect. Some spots are tougher to mask, but it gets done.
__________________
There are too many gaviiformes here!
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15-06-2022, 05:07
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#3
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Moderator
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Carrabelle, Florida
Boat: Fiberglas shattering 44' steel trawler
Posts: 6,083
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Re: Painting my topsides - in the water or on the hard?
Can you reach everything, and see it well enough to do the detail work, while moored? Then no reason to pull the boat. Less dust and less climbing ladders, for that matter. Good luck with it.
__________________
Never let anything mechanical know that you are in a hurry.
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15-06-2022, 05:16
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#4
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2020
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Boat: Swarbrick S-80
Posts: 899
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Re: Painting my topsides - in the water or on the hard?
Thanks!
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15-06-2022, 06:27
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#5
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Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 321
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Re: Painting my topsides - in the water or on the hard?
Okay, so I have to wonder if you know that the "topsides" on a boat is the area of the hull between the waterline and the deck. It's hard to imagine doing that with the boat in the water.
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15-06-2022, 07:08
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#6
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Registered User
Join Date: Oct 2020
Location: Haida Gwaii
Boat: Landfall 39 - Ron Amy
Posts: 494
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Re: Painting my topsides - in the water or on the hard?
I’ve painted most of mine at the dock now without too much trouble. Fenders and dock lines get in the way a bit but doing a 180° between sides helps.
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15-06-2022, 07:37
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#7
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Moderator
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Carrabelle, Florida
Boat: Fiberglas shattering 44' steel trawler
Posts: 6,083
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Re: Painting my topsides - in the water or on the hard?
Right you are, siamese, the upper hull certainly is the "top of the sides." But then, ChrisJHC said he had painted the hull, which would include the topsides, so best bet is he meant from the rub rail to the rigging, or the superstructure, mildly misusing the term as most of us do.
Let's see. Foc'sle used to describe boats that don't have fore castles, and transom, fantail, and stern used interchangeably. English is a sloppy language. 99% of correspondents think "data" is singular. "Datum" is singular. And we've been forced to refer to a single person as "them" because we don't have a gender neutral third person singular pronoun.
__________________
Never let anything mechanical know that you are in a hurry.
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15-06-2022, 08:53
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#8
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Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Cruising
Boat: Bayfield 36
Posts: 38
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Re: Painting my topsides - in the water or on the hard?
I prepped, primed, and painted the topsides (bootstripe to deck) on my Pearson 35 while in the water. Roll and tipped with 2 finish coats. From my dinghy. Was very impressed with outcome. (I'm not a patient guy.)
I think satisfying environmental issues and the marina, if applicable, is the biggest challenge.
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15-06-2022, 10:35
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#9
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Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Southport CT
Boat: Sabre 402
Posts: 2,715
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Re: Painting my topsides - in the water or on the hard?
We painted our deck and cabin top once with the boat hauled out, and once with the boat on the mooring. On the mooring was nicer, with a more pleasant view and cool breeze.
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15-06-2022, 16:31
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#10
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2020
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Boat: Swarbrick S-80
Posts: 899
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Re: Painting my topsides - in the water or on the hard?
Thanks for the vocabulary lesson!
I’ve been encouraged to paint all the bits I’m planning to paint in the pen.
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15-06-2022, 17:36
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#11
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Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: Somewhere in French Polynesia
Boat: Dean 440 13.4m catamaran
Posts: 2,333
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Re: Painting my topsides - in the water or on the hard?
if you can paint anything without drips you're a better man than i am, and i would not go and drip paint into the water
just sayin...
cheers,
__________________
"home is where the anchor drops"...living onboard in French Polynesia...maintaining social distancing
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15-06-2022, 18:01
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#12
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Registered User
Join Date: May 2022
Posts: 760
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Re: Painting my topsides - in the water or on the hard?
The answer is It Depends.
What kind of finish do you really want?
Are you looking for a "5 Foot" finish of yacht quality that looks perfect from 5 feet away? That requires a polyurethane paint that needs to be rolled and tipped? You will NOT get that in the water.
If you want a "50 foot" workboat finish that looks perfect from the other side of the bay with enamel? Yeah, go ahead.
Are you fine with putting sanding dust and debris and paint drips and other such leavings in your local waterway? Sure do it in the water. But it I see you doing that, I'll never speak to you again.
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15-06-2022, 18:36
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#13
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Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 832
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Re: Painting my topsides - in the water or on the hard?
I painted my steel boat in the water with enamel. It was not work boat finish, but it certainly wasn’t yacht quality mirror finish. Used a palm sander with vacuum attachment also
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16-06-2022, 10:53
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#14
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Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 321
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Re: Painting my topsides - in the water or on the hard?
Quote:
Originally Posted by tkeithlu
Right you are, siamese, the upper hull certainly is the "top of the sides." But then, ChrisJHC said he had painted the hull, which would include the topsides, so best bet is he meant from the rub rail to the rigging, or the superstructure, mildly misusing the term as most of us do.
Let's see. Foc'sle used to describe boats that don't have fore castles, and transom, fantail, and stern used interchangeably. English is a sloppy language. 99% of correspondents think "data" is singular. "Datum" is singular. And we've been forced to refer to a single person as "them" because we don't have a gender neutral third person singular pronoun.
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Maybe he meant the entire hull, maybe he didn't. Just cluing him in so he can get better responses to his questions.
Some of the responders are clearly confused.
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16-06-2022, 11:27
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#15
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Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Houston
Boat: ‘01 Catana 401
Posts: 9,626
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Re: Painting my topsides - in the water or on the hard?
I did a very nice deck paint in the water. But for the topsides I did that on the hard…..can’t imagine rolling and tipping parts of the hull from the dock, that was hard enough from a ladder!
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