Simple answer about paint

Calif. Ted · Sep 11, 2013

You don't need bottom paint, just hose it off and maybe wipe it down, keep the bottom waxed, that's what we do with boats dry stored for racing.

Ted · Sep 11, 2013

+1 to Calif. Ted's response. Consider yourself lucky. Never listen to the wife regarding boat projects.

Jon Bastien · Sep 11, 2013

Agree with Calif-Ted; If the boat is going to be dry-stored, it doesn't need bottom paint. If it's already painted, I'd remove the old paint, wet-sand the bottom until it was shiny-smooth, polish, and then wax.

If you must paint, I understand VC-17 is/was the best stuff for dry-stored boats that are primarily used in fresh water... but surface prep is a nightmare.

Calif. Ted · Sep 11, 2013

Ah, so she doesn't just want the bottom painted, she wants the part of the hull she can see dark blue, and sparking too no doubt.
It's been decades since I've painted a boat so I won't try to advise you there, however there are a couple boats in my marina that have been "wrapped" and look very good so far, might be worth researching.

Ray Bowles · Sep 11, 2013

I've sailed 3 different boats that way for over 10 years and the bottoms are perfect. I wax the hull sides every year but the bottoms are left plain.
Ray

rgranger · Sep 12, 2013

Bill sanders said:
My lovely wife hates the powder blue, wants it a darker blue.

I Love LOVE the results I have gotten with Rustoleum on GRP boats. See pic of a MacGregor V21 below. I have used rustoleum on three different boats with great success. Get a gallon and use the roll & tip method.

Get a foam roller that specifically says it is for smooth finishes. Get a few 2" cut brushes. Then clean and lightly sand the boat. You HAVE to clean it first and get all of the old wax off of the boat. Then a light sand and a pressure wash.

Roll on the paint and follow with the cut brush. You want to very gently "tip" the tops of any marbling in the paint with the very edge of the cut brush. The cut brush is dry and has no paint on it... and periodically you need to clean the cut brush.

It is a two person job and will take about 2/3 of a gallon of paint, two rolls of masking tape, 4 roller pads, two cut brushes and about 5 hours of work (including the sanding).

The particular color in the pics below is called "Sail Blue" by Rustoleum,,, you can even see the reflection of the trailer in the paint.

dscribner · Sep 12, 2013

If you're looking for marine paint, Easypoxy is fine for use below the waterline for up to three days. This is the single part offering from Petit. I'm sure Interlux and Awlgrip offer the same thing. If the hull is previously painted, you'll want to use the single part paint unless you KNOW that the existing paint is two-part. Two part it simply a better product but at the price of not being as compatible the other paints, more work to apply and hey, more cost. When I painted mine a few years ago, I bought through Wholesale Marine. Nobody could touch their prices and the shipping was free, at least at the time. But, I have heard some great things about the Rustoleum Marine paints too. I'd bet that any place that carries Rustoleum in a can could order it for you, maybe even Home Repot. But, no matter what you decide, we expect pictures for our troubles, or your troubles. Which ever procues pics.

Don

Brian S · Sep 12, 2013

Bill, The Rustoleum paint referred to is just the regular stuff, not any special marine paint. It is an alkyd enamel paint, and easy to obtain almost anywhere. Before there were fancy polyurethane paints, boats got painted with enamels.

Rustoleum, and enamels in general, are softer than a polyurethane paint, so will scratch easier, but on the plus side, it's also easier to repair, and cheaper. Then again, once you paint, you're gonna have to paint again eventually...

I have friends who paint their stitch and glue epoxy over plywood kayaks with Rustoleum, and they love it because it's an easy spray can to fix up.

I had a friend once who repainted his 70's AMF Crestliner aluminum runabout with rattle can automotive touch up paint - again, another alkyd enamel.

But I would roll and tip a boat, not rattle can it. That Crestliner was 16', and my friend said he got pretty high painting it outside on a still day...

Brian

rgranger · Sep 12, 2013

Bill sanders said:
Perfect! Thank you.

View attachment 68545

Now where did you find the rustolium brand paint? I live in St. Louis area and no one carries the marine paint

Naw not marine....Just regular rustoleum. It really is good paint. I got this advice off of a list serv about 12 years ago and since then I use rustoleum on many different projects and if you take the time to really prep the surface well, rustoleum will serve you well. The paint will look goof for 10+ years and if you ding the boat 7 years from now, you can find an exact color match.

I have found that the stuff in the can (oil based) is much tougher than the spray paint. But a can of spray is good for touching up dings.

Joe · Sep 12, 2013

Bill sanders said:
Guess what I am looking for is what type of paint?

You're looking for "topsides" paint. one part epoxy, such as Interlux Brightside or Petit EasyPoxy, is very popular. The two part epoxies, such as Interlux Perfection, can have phenominal results.
There's lots of You Tube stuff on this subject.

You don't need bottom paint. If you notice any freshwater algae scum accumulating, it can be very easily removed with a little diluted acid based toilet bowl cleaner.

rgranger · Sep 12, 2013

Joe said:
...

You don't need bottom paint. If you notice any freshwater algae scum accumulating, it can be very easily removed with a little diluted acid based toilet bowl cleaner.

Or take your boat to a do-it-yourself car wash and pressure wash off the scum. Just get to it before it dries. Once the scum dries on your boat... it is hard to get it off.... been there...:neutral:

rgranger · Sep 12, 2013

... the red paint in these pics is also Rustoleum. I recently fixed up a Balboa 26 and repaired the keel ... stripped the ablative bottom paint... put on some barrier coat and then covered with rustoleum....

I've used it a lot and have always been happy with the results.

The other paints being suggested are good (maybe even better) paint but ... we have trailer sailboats and we don't let your boats sit in the water for 2+ years at a time. For me, it does not make sense to pay the extra for protection I don't need.

rgranger · Sep 12, 2013

... I know .... I know....

And the brown paint on the bottom of this boat is another boat I painted with rustoleum. The tan is another brand... much more expensive and no tougher...

rgranger · Sep 13, 2013

Bill sanders said:
Friends!!! Thank you all!!!! That is exactly what I wanted and needed. See we can keep it simple. Now what about the gel coat? Should I sand it off? Sorry had to throw that in.

You need to get all of the old wax off of the gel coat. Some strong detergent and a scrub sponge. Then lightly sand the gel coat with 100 grit on an orbital sander. You are not trying to get the gel coat off.. just rough it up so the paint has a good surface (surface area) to bind. DO NOT sand before taking the old wax off.

One other thing about painting. Make sure the temp is above 65 or you will get something called "orange peeling" on your finish. You will also get orange peeling if you hit a spot of wax you did not get all the way removed. And it is always better to do a second coat than to put on a thick layer of wet paint. It can sag before it dries and ruin your finish.

Simple answer about paint

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