Another paint thred... I know... but this one's fun I promise 
There's also quite a few pictures, Hopefully it's not too big for the forum!
Over the winter, I've re-painted my '83 Catalina swing-keel, and, personally, I think it turned out pretty good! I ended up using Alexseal paint, and more-or-less followed the examples from Andy at BoatWorksToday, rolling it on using the "rolling additive" that he recomended.
I bought the boat last fall, and decided quickly that it needed at least bottom paint as the existing stuff didn't seem to have gelcoat underneath, and was about 30% worn away.
This next step took some guts! I managed to get it up on blocks and off the trailer (the swing keel was un-bolted and stayed with the trailer)
I based my approach on the guide by "Jim's little boat" who I highly recommend. However, I would also say that you should do your own homework... this worked for me, but maybe something else will work for you.
After that came the Sand-pocalypse! (note damage from bad bunk boards along top right, oof!) and also the not-painted sections around the bunk boards where the blue paint had been completely worn away from miles on the road...
as a side note: I used a cyclonic dust separator and followed the advice of BoatWorksToday, Got a sander with good dust collection capabilities, and it was absolutely worth the investment. If you're thinking of doing a big job like this, get the tools to do it right!
Whoever had decided to paint this boat red initially hadn't done me any favors, there were several patches like this where the paint was bubbling up and even some patches that were still gooey which apparently never correctly hardened. perhaps whoever it was didn't know how to mix epoxy, lol.
Sanding done, it was time for fresh primer, and it looks so much better already!
3 coats of primer later.. and the black goes on! I decided to put black paint below the waterline. According to the internet, this is a bold choice.. but the black paint did just fine.. and I think it's got a better finish than the topside paint..
ended up doing about 4 coats of black, and at the same time I started on the top-sides. this was around early Jan. I'm glad I gave myself the whole winter to get this project done... given that i'm working at the speed of "distracted adult"
Also, Surprise! it's blue now! Honestly, I only ended up picking this color because it's what Miller Boat Works had in-stock at the time, though I really do like it.
A few more coats of blue and she's done! (4 total) Technically, I still have yet to finalize the bootstripe... will probably put a vinyl one on for now, and see how she sits, then re-work as needed next winter. She was a little stern heavy IMO, and i'm planning to move some weight around to try and correct it.
If you got this far, thanks for reading!
Unfortunately, the boat ramps are still closed up here in Wisconsin, but I can't wait for warmer weather! See you out on the water!
~Fidgit
There's also quite a few pictures, Hopefully it's not too big for the forum!Over the winter, I've re-painted my '83 Catalina swing-keel, and, personally, I think it turned out pretty good! I ended up using Alexseal paint, and more-or-less followed the examples from Andy at BoatWorksToday, rolling it on using the "rolling additive" that he recomended.
I bought the boat last fall, and decided quickly that it needed at least bottom paint as the existing stuff didn't seem to have gelcoat underneath, and was about 30% worn away.
This next step took some guts! I managed to get it up on blocks and off the trailer (the swing keel was un-bolted and stayed with the trailer)
I based my approach on the guide by "Jim's little boat" who I highly recommend. However, I would also say that you should do your own homework... this worked for me, but maybe something else will work for you.
After that came the Sand-pocalypse! (note damage from bad bunk boards along top right, oof!) and also the not-painted sections around the bunk boards where the blue paint had been completely worn away from miles on the road...
as a side note: I used a cyclonic dust separator and followed the advice of BoatWorksToday, Got a sander with good dust collection capabilities, and it was absolutely worth the investment. If you're thinking of doing a big job like this, get the tools to do it right!
Whoever had decided to paint this boat red initially hadn't done me any favors, there were several patches like this where the paint was bubbling up and even some patches that were still gooey which apparently never correctly hardened. perhaps whoever it was didn't know how to mix epoxy, lol.
Sanding done, it was time for fresh primer, and it looks so much better already!
3 coats of primer later.. and the black goes on! I decided to put black paint below the waterline. According to the internet, this is a bold choice.. but the black paint did just fine.. and I think it's got a better finish than the topside paint..
ended up doing about 4 coats of black, and at the same time I started on the top-sides. this was around early Jan. I'm glad I gave myself the whole winter to get this project done... given that i'm working at the speed of "distracted adult"
Also, Surprise! it's blue now! Honestly, I only ended up picking this color because it's what Miller Boat Works had in-stock at the time, though I really do like it.
A few more coats of blue and she's done! (4 total) Technically, I still have yet to finalize the bootstripe... will probably put a vinyl one on for now, and see how she sits, then re-work as needed next winter. She was a little stern heavy IMO, and i'm planning to move some weight around to try and correct it.
If you got this far, thanks for reading!
Unfortunately, the boat ramps are still closed up here in Wisconsin, but I can't wait for warmer weather! See you out on the water!
~Fidgit
