...I would stay (far) away from any household product from places like HoDePo for any seagoing yacht. The best solution is the product that knows its market and is made to keep customers in that market happy. Behr house paint isn't going to do that for your boat.
Unless I miss read the original post, we are talking about using this paint
inside the cabin.
There are many contrary opinions on this subject and I'll confess to being on the other side of this issue. If you read the wooden boat forums or the DIY boat building forums, you will find many who have used exterior grade house paint with good success...both inside and outside the boat...I'll concede that in my studies on boat building, the only time I've seen exterior latex used
outside of the boat was on wooden boats. But we are talking about using this paint on the inside of the boat. Buy the formulations with extended warranties....after all it is designed to be outside, exposed to the elements and UV light. So using it
inside your boat surely meets the stress and abuse criterion of the paints formulation.
Here is a good write-up on the subject
http://www.simplicityboats.com/latexcarnel.html
Likewise, Reuel Parker in his famous Sharpie Book also recommends exterior grade house paint as did George Beuhler in his "Backyard Boat Building" book. Both of these renouned boat designers are working with wood so there is that difference. All-in-all using exterior grade house paint on boats is not an uncommon practice.
Likewise, paints formulated for automobiles are (by design) made to withstand extreme heat fluctuation, continuous flexing, and UV damage.... and automotive enamel or even rustoleum for that matter can give very good results if the preparation work is done well.
When you get right down to the actual formulation of paint, the difference in many paints that are labeled Marine vs non-marine is the price you are paying for the word "Marine".
