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

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by captainwireman

Same story, the navy blue boot stripe area was a lot hotter in direct sunlight. If you enjoy diy on your boat, I can't see the huge price tag but then again, I never priced a "professional" job. Most "professional" jobs I payed for did not meet my expectations anyways. I am planning to do my topside and to do it right, all deck hardware must be removed and properly reinstalled. A big job for sure but nothing that can't be done. I did it on a 25 foot Coronado with a roller and brush. Maybe just lucky but it came out sweet with no brush marks. No one could tell it was not sprayed.

You don't need to remove deck hardware to do the topsides. Topsides are not the deck.

[SkiprJohn]

Originally Posted by l2ridehd

So should I decide to paint it myself from the bottom of the deck down to the bottom paint, just how is that done? I would assume but probably wrong, sand, sand, sand, prime, and paint. Probably at a minimum of two and better three coats.

Any really special paint? Or any good fiberglass marine paint?

Best to buy a recent book on the subject. Marine paints are changing and there are a lot of safety factors involved. Two part sprayed paints have hazards not to be laughed at. In some cases you can do a good job with roll and tipping. Yes on preparation is the key to a good job. Good luck.

I've used high end auto paints with some success.

[captainwireman]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

You don't need to remove deck hardware to do the topsides. Topsides are not the deck.

Ha! Right, forgive my terminology but a quality deck paint job does require removing all DECK hardware! I am going to do it on my cat because it has not been touched in 30 ish years and I want to see if proper backing plates are installed and nothing is leaking or decayed.

[oldragbaggers]

Everyone stressing the high cost of a professional job but getting a professional to paint your boat is not necessary. We have painted several of the boats we have owned with Interlux Brightsides, roll and tip method, and have had beautiful results. It's very forgiving, and the best part is that if you scrape up alongside the dock repairs are easy. As with any kind of paint job 90 percent of success is the prep work.

[Djarraluda]

The other issue to consider is that there is no single colour called "white"!
Do not think it is easy to match a white repair, it is exactly the same colour match technique required for any colour.
Whilst you will notice a direct temp difference at a coloured stripe, the resultant temp inside the boat will depend on the ventilation, the insulation and any lining to the hull. In the water, the temp is modified by conduction with the water, but you will experience it worse when on the hard stand.
My first boat was white when I bought her and she looked awful. Painted her dark green and got lots of great comments, but being timber (clinker), it needed redoing every year anyway. Several owners later, she was painted yellow. Chucked her mooring in disgust during a storm and smashed on a sea wall - in shame? OK, just joking there, but the point is many boats look so much better with a coloured hull, just not all boats AND, be prepared for a minor amount of maintenance of that colour.
2 pack paints such as Awlgrip are great and more durable than a gel coat.

[SkiprJohn]

This is just an observation but our two 26 foot Folkboats that the club owns look smaller when painted a color than when they were when white. I know its just an optical illusion but it was really quite shocking when the boats went back in the water.

[VinnyVincent]

Originally Posted by l2ridehd

So should I decide to paint it myself from the bottom of the deck down to the bottom paint, just how is that done? I would assume but probably wrong, sand, sand, sand, prime, and paint. Probably at a minimum of two and better three coats.

Any really special paint? Or any good fiberglass marine paint?

It's not rocket science, just a lot of labor. I painted my deck. The only part you missed was masking. Also, if it is easy to remove certain hardware, do so. Mast every inch of any deck fittings/parts not to be painted and make your life easy. Also remove dust with acetone and a rag after sanding. I used both roller and brush and got MUCH better results painting it on thick with a brush. You can do this yourself for very little money, but don't expect a sprayed on, professional look.

[sammyo]

Just did this for the price of a haul and the paint. Looks great. Timing for good weather is tricky, caught two cool dry mornings with hot afternoons.

Near the end I was given this aphorism: the amateur thinks sanding is the annoying step before painting, the pro considers the actual painting a short annoying step after the preparation. No one but me will ever notice the glitches.

You're previous comment emphasized you get this with sanding repeated twice, well repeat about eight times. :-) (although I was fixing an, ah, issue)

[Lepke]

I worked in and around ship and boatyards for years. While I wasn't in the paint crews, I saw how it was done. The painters usually were at the bottom of the pay scale, led by someone that knew what to do.
It's no big mystery. Buy a major brand of marine paint and READ their instructions. If you follow the instructions you will get good results.
White became popular in the days of planked wood boats. In the summer sun, planking shrinks with heat. Dark color more heat. Heat dries out the planks and opens the topside seams. Look at some wood hulls, you'll see.

[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.

To those who have not seen the process or the end result, I suggest hold off until you look into it further (yes, I know it may sound a bit 'ordinary' compared to paint).

We came across the process in the South of France. A beautiful dark (yes - I know !) grey metallic finish that we assumed was paint until advised otherwise. The boat was being prepared for sale and had a scratch along the side. I did not take a lot of notice at the time, as I still thought it was paint, but a few days later, with the information that it was a wrap, I walked along to it, stood right next to where the scratch was, and just could not see the repair at all.

Since then I hear people go for a wrap job to keep their hulls as new. When the time comes for sale, they peel the wrap off, and there is the factory-finish gel coat like the boat never left cover. May be worth looking into - comes in all colours from white through to black. Similar or same as the wrap jobs you see on ski-boats and utilities etc. You also see on the round the world yachts such as the Clippers.

As far as I know it is good for quite a number of years, but of course unlike paint, you cannot give it a cut and polish when the time comes, but then again, looked after properly with decent polishes, paint should never need that, and the same stuff will keep the wrap looking good for a lot longer.

Just a note that if you wanted to go white, it may not have the opacity to cover the dark green, whereas paint with a decent undercoat, would without trouble. Also on that, if you did decide to go for white paint, then touching up should be no trouble - it's the darker colours that fade, which are the hard ones to touch up.

Finally re dark decks (such as teak) - when in port put up an awning. Once the sun is off the deck, it doesn't matter much what colour it is, as to the temperature below.

Hope that all helps.

[Snowpetrel]

That vynel wrap yacht paint system looks good. Anybody had it done in Australia?

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[Oceandeep]

You can paint your topsides yourself but it's big job. The major of the work as you suggest is in the preparation. Every hole and blemish needs to be filled and faired. You should remove as much deck hardware as possible to make the job easier. You could easily spend -3 week to do a good job of prepping. There are however some good products on the market like Interlux and Epifanes that will give you a great finish f applied properly over several coats of sanded primer. Most manufacturer's recommend a roll and tip method of painting which ensures good coverage and a smooth finish. I would get some literature from your paint manufacturer and watch some YouTube videos of do-it-yourself boaters that have tacked this kind of project. Good Old Boat magazine has some good articles in their digital archives as well. You need to work very cleanly and be well organized. You will need a helper to mix paint and organize all of the supplies but it can be done. Your boat yard can give you additional advice on how to do a proper job. White is probably the most forgiving color. Best of luck!

[Terra Nova]

There is no deck hardware on a boat's topsides which is that portion of the hull that lies between the deck and the boot stripe.

[Siberianhusky]

I don't know, maybe it's because I actually work for a living but I thought the job was easy, time consuming but physically easy.
Used the Interlux line from start to finish, looks good, followed the instructions.
Doing the deck next spring with Perfection and Kiwi Grip.
The key is in the prep work as most others have said, better the base is the better the final paint job will be, makes no difference what you are painting this holds true, house, car, boat......Applying the colour is the easiest part.

[HappyMdRSailor]

Originally Posted by SkiprJohn

This is just an observation but our two 26 foot Folkboats that the club owns look smaller when painted a color than when they were when white. I know its just an optical illusion but it was really quite shocking when the boats went back in the water.

I see we're back on the sauce there Skip...

Originally Posted by Terra Nova

There is no deck hardware on a boat's topsides which is that portion of the hull that lies between the deck and the boot stripe.

Are chainplates deck hardware?