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Boat Painting ?

wblazer

Regular Contributor
Hi Guys,

I asked a similar question about a year ago. Did not get to do any painting this season.
My original question was about painting over existing paint which had a clear coat. I have several bad spots on both sides. The boat is painted a royal blue color. And have scratches in many places that removed the paint. Do you think touching up would be the way to go or just repaint? If repainting do I have to stripe off the old paint or just paint over. The boat will have to be painted out doors. I guess roller, spray may make a mess.
I am really more on the mechanical side, not really into body and paint repairs.Any help will be appreciated.
 
I guess no one on this forum can give me any help? If any one knows of an other boat forum that could give some information, please post.

Thanks for any help given.
 
Your post could have been idle due to the recent s/w changes done on the site. many of us are finding things just now "returning to normal".

If you have some of the original paint and the scratches aren't extensive, touch up should be much quicker. If clear coated, additional effort will be required for that. A big driver for redoing the whole paint job would be discoloration, either from age or sunlight.

Either way, I'd expect some amount of taping/masking would be desirable. Like most 'finishing tasks', the time to prepare the surface will greatly exceed the time to apply the finish. Spraying will give you a nice finish with less effort. Using a roller and 'tipping' will give a fine finish but with much more effort.

Last word of advice - read the paint makers directions thoroughly. They all spend a lot of time and effort to get these right to ensure the end result is "as expected". Chemistry is key and if they suggest a given thinner (or other product), there's usually a good reason for it.
 
Makomark,

Thanks for your replying to my post. I guess the touch up method is the way to go. The existing paint is in very good shape and color is fine. It was painted before I bought the boat, approximately three years ago. The scratches were cause by my learning to dock.This is my first boat.How do I deal with the clear coat in those spots? Thanks for your help.
 
Like you, I prefer a wrench to a paint gun. I'd be inclined to rough up the scratches, fill them if needed, sand, clean, and paint them. After the color coat, I'd add the clear coat, feathered into the surrounding clear, if needed.

I can't say I've seen clear coating used over a good marine paint before.

If you know who painted it when you bought it, you may want to call and get thoughts, too.
 
I checked with the guy who sold me the boat. The paint he used was Rustoleum Royal Blue, then clear coat. I guess the Rustoleum product works on anything. What are your thoughts on this? The paint does look good.
 
Ain't that something....I'd got a good bit of rustoleumm on the engine/gear in my hull but wouldn't have thought of using it on the fiberglass. If it looks good, it's kind of hard to argue with it.

What did he use for the clearcoat?
 
My experence has been the rusto looks fine but how long does it hold up below the water line??? I'd really lean toward a good marine grade paint, somthing like Imron, Perfection, etc.... There are several out there.
 
Ahh, above the water line you may be okay, just a bit difficult to get the shine from the rattlecans. (or are you talking about rolling it?)
 
Really undecided what way to go roller or spray cans. Also thought I have an electric spray gun was thinking that I could thin the paint to make a better color match.What are your thoughts on that?
 
The roll and tip method works pretty well, just make sure to get a self leveling paint and you should be fine. I'd go with the roller before the rattle cans.

Dave
 
Two things that should be added to the rustoleum paint. First I would add in a hardener (available at tractor supply) and a little bit of penetrol which will help it flow and level. Roll and tip will give excellent results. Actually all results are directly related to the prep! Have a great Holiday!!
 
Now regardless of what paint you use (I have used rustoleum) it will take 2-3 weeks (yes, weeks) to fully harden. Many people paint and worry that the painted surface is soft. Be patient ;)
 
One last question on this boat painting subject. Has any one tried or had any luck with the West Marine gelcoat color tint process? I viewed their video and it looks promising.But a little concerned about the color match. My scratches are not in a straight line, they look like a roller coaster track. Any information will be greatly appreciated.
 
Ummm. We have some confusion here. Are you painting over fiberglass? Would you rather apply gel coat? Are you doing the entire hull or just spots? You mentioned "color match" and I have NEVER seen a spot repair work that does not appear as a blotch in the future. I am trying to prevent frustration and I see you are in PA (which means you are in the off season to me), painting is not a job you want to do twice.

The scratches that you mention, are they scratches or cracking in the old finish? If it is cracking then it must be sanded out or it will come back regardless of what you use for finish.

The BEST marine paints are the two part Interlux products. Are you working in a heated work area? How is it heated? Some heat sources such as kerosene tend to leave invisible oil spots which lead to "fish eyes" in the paint, wood head leaves dust.

I hate to rain on your parade but, respirator on hand for you? What prep have you accomplished? Do you have a picture or two?
 
Yes very confused, I thought you decided on paint. Gelcoat is a whole different story, the prep is about the same but finishing requires a lot of buffing to get the luster back. Gelcoat is designed for use in a mold, but it can be sparyed afterwards on a finished product but it's not a novice task. Some pictures would help alot here as GotBoat mentioned.

Interlux is a good paint, so is Imron and Amerlux, but all are a far cry from the roll and tip I thought you decided on. We do need some more information here.
 
Sorry guys for bad info supplied. I will take some pics over the weekend and post so you can view. Again sorry I am really green with fiberglass repair and paint projects. Thanks again for all your help given.
 
Hi Guys,
Sorry it took so long to post the photo. The scraches you will see are on both sides. Hope this a good enough view for you to suggest the repair method. Thanks for you help.Boat Damage # 2.jpg
 
Fiberglass boat. I would suggest wet sanding and if that does not come close to making the scratches vanish then I would go with a gel coat repair kit.
 
Yep to above, that doesn't look bad at all, can't really tell how deep they are, but as suggested try wet sanding them out, if they are too deep clean out a good V in the scratch and clean it good (acetone) and go with the gel coat repair kit. Fair it out good and you're ready for the paint (on that area anyway)
 
Thanks all for your input, some scratches won't sand out. I will do the gel coat repair on them. It is snowing today and I won't get to this project until spring.
I wanted to get a game plan together so when the weather permits I can attack it. Really thinking about repairing the damaged areas and repainting both upper above the water line sides roll and tip method. I will post a pic after the project is completed. Thanks again and have a happy and healthy New Year.
 
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