Can I Use House Paint ?

[Aussie Sealady]

Hi, I have a Top Hat 25 with a timber toe rail / gunnel.
I have now filled all holes, cracks, breaks etc with sandable / paintable / flexible marine filler.

Can I paint it with something quick dry? Like house paint?
Or do I need a marine paint that needs 24 hours?

Quick dry would make my life significantly easier.
Current surface is a mixture of bare timber, filler, old paint, and a small patch of marine paint which I did as a test run.

Boat is in the water at anchor.
Difficult to paint a straight line at anchor from the dingy.
I also work full time and live land based. So anything that takes 24 hours to dry means one coat per weekend and no sailing.
HELP?

Diana
Aussie Sealady

p.s. anyone offering to come and help is welcome
Boat is in Sydney Harbour.
Payment for a few days useful maintenance could be an overnight stay on Sydney Harbour at anchor to watch the fireworks.
Sunshine, booze and food provided

[David_Old_Jersey]

Hopefully you are not talking about emulsion paint........

FWIW many years ago my father used to admire the hull finish on a nearby wooden boat - fella said his "secret" was household paint (exterior).

Took me father a few years to also convert - but never regretted it.

Of course those were oil based paints.........

[Simes]

Hi Aussie Sealady,

We decided to use house paint when non of the Marine paint suppliers would make a recommendation as to which of their paint we should use to paint our Ferro Cement Schooner. Johnstons immediately specified their Cement Paint.

We used standard house paint a couple of years ago. In fact it was Johnston's cement paint. It goes on easily, finished to a moderate gloss and 2 years later shows little or no signs of wear. We made 2 coats in one long(ish) day. one more coat on the second day and then left it for a week (5 days) before turning the boat around (yes we did it in the water) and doing the same to the port hand side. Two of us, my Wife applying with 4 inch foam roller and me tipping off with a soft brush.
Boat is 45' LOD 40' LWL.

Simes

[TassieBloke]

Originally Posted by Aussie Sealady

p.s. anyone offering to come and help is welcome
Boat is in Sydney Harbour.
Payment for a few days useful maintenance could be an overnight stay on Sydney Harbour at anchor to watch the fireworks.
Sunshine, booze and food provided

Hi Diana,

Are you sure about that?

Can't help you with paint selection, but might be back in Pittwater by mid Dec...see how it goes with my travels.

[Wand]

Pick a quality paint like Solagard and there will be no problems. It goes on easy, is water based and needs two hours between coats. Make sure your surfaces are well prepped of course. It'll be good for a decade - unless you want to change colours.

[Cormorant]

My whole boat is painted with Rustoleum. Two coats . . . seven years . . . I might recoat next summer, or the next. . . .

[mbianka]

Fellow in my harbor uses Sears house paint on the decks of his Lobsterboat.

[Sand crab]

Antoine is a famous (to the french) french singer and cruising documentary filmamker and has lived aboard his aluminum cat for decades. He swears by acrylic paint.

[TassieBloke]

Originally Posted by Cormorant

My whole boat is painted with Rustoleum. Two coats . . . seven years . . . I might recoat next summer, or the next. . . .

Cormorant,

This is just a great suggestion!

I have used this product in my professional life for a completely different application (Civil Works), and I know how good this stuff is for what we used. I would have never made the connection, but it makes perfect sense.

From what I remember, it does take a while to harden, so might not be too suitable for what Sealady wants.

Cheers,

Bloke

[Thumbs Up]

Prime it with fast drying oil based primer, Kilz or Zinsser brand, dries to the touch in 20 minutes, then you can paint over that with anything you want.

[Wotname]

Sealady, just remember the boat doesn't know what paint you use unless you tell it!
A good primer is the key to a long lasting finish. I suggest the best timber primer you can get hold of even if it takes time to dry. After the primer, use whatever you want and of course, acrylic is the way to go for fast drying times so find a quality exterior acrylic timber house paint for the top coats.

I like the Jotun Yachting Vinyl primer but there are others that are probably just as good.
Jotun worldwide

[Vasco]

I used Walmart porch paint to paint the floorboards in an old inflatable dink. Worked really good. Under $20 a gallon as opposed to the epoxy paint ($200 gal) recommended by an "expert".

[pressuredrop]

lots of people seem to be happy with the glidden floor and porch product... whats a good primer for it?

[David M]

An oil based paint is going to be more durable than latex (house paint). If you ever decide latex is not good enough then you will need to strip it because oil does not adhere to latex very well.

[Geoduck]

DONT EVEN try to paint laytex over oil base paint! YOU'LL BE SORRY!
I use cheap ace hardware or similar porch & deck paint - usually mix my own color - use Jap dryer and add a little varnish for durability & UV protection.
Lasts as long as anything at 1/2 the price.