Hull and Decking Painting Suggestions

[Stephen DeMont]

Well, after owning my Vega #2947 for going on five years, I've
decided to paint the hull and deck myself. Svendson's in Alamada
wants $3000 to do the hull, and $10,000 to do the deck. I can
probably get done for half that elsewhere, but I can't justify the
cost of having someone else do it for me, like in the past. Oh well.

I want to do this sometime in September.

My thoughts are to use the poly on the hull and deck, and an enamel
in the cabin. Does anybody have any advice about prepping the hull
and deck before I paint? Or is it all pretty basic: you know, sand
and clean before applying the paint.

Steve DeMont
"Erendira"
Vega #2947

 

[albincruiser]

Steve,

You may want to check with Ed Landry of the Albin Cruisers
List. He has just finished repainting the forecabin of his Albin 25. Used
a spray gun with Interlux Brightsides Primer and Finish paint, which is a
polyurethane one part composition, on all the flatwork and ceiling
areas. Came out looking really super in the photos he posted.
Let me know if you would like to talk with him and I'll send along
his email address.

TimAt 08:27 PM 6/12/2002 +0000, you wrote:

 

[vega1860]

Whoa! Steve that's a lot of $$$!!

I just checked my records and our Yard bill, including haul out, pressure wash, paint(Awlgrip w/ primer and Pettit Trinidad bottom paint), brushes, rollers and trays, sandpaper, respirators, new hatch covers for the cockpit and new wood for the companion way, labor, beer*, 316 stainless wire rope and fittings for new standing rig, meals for three and a hotel room in Waikiki for three nights plus a new sander came to a grand total of $6448.41 including tax! This includes labor for spraying primer and awlgrip on the deck and cabin. Laura and I did the non-skid with awlgrip products (Included in above total) after we were back in the water.

Laura and I and one helper did all of the prep work and did all of the painting from the toe rail down.

As you already know, preparation is everything on a job like this and, yes, sand and clean. We wiped down with denatured alcohol three times before applying paint. I have been called a liar more than once when I told people we painted the boat ourselves with brush and roller.

Aloha,

Chuck Rose
SV Lealea, V1860
Honolulu

"s_demont" s_demont@... wrote:

 

[dougpol1]

Hi Tim,

Thanks. Please send his e-mail address. I'd like to check out those photos
as well.

Steve

 

[dougpol1]

Hi Chuck,

Yeah, Svendson's is real expensive. When my Vega was in Redwood City, I got
a quote from the local yard for $5500.00. But the Stanford Rowing Club
bought out the yard about three years ago. I figure it's time to learn how
to do the hull and deck myself rather than spend the money.

How long did it take to do the hull? The deck? I'm gonna do this by myself,
and figure I can get the hull painted within a week.

Steve

 

[bbach1949]

Steve: Don Casey's book "This Old Boat" plus articles in Good Old Boat
magazine will tell you everything you need to know. My wife and I painted
the hull of Calimera with Interlux two part poly and it looks great. Prep is
the key - dewaxing, sanding, filling and priming. I'm not going to do the
deck - too much trouble- and I like a little less slickness than paint
provides. Watch out for bugs - they love shiny wet paint. Bill Bach, V1071

 

[mocap1]

Steve,

Try Napa Valley Marina. They charged me $2,000 to do the hull and deck with
Imron; this did not include the cost of the paint, but did include some prep
that I overlooked. They used anti-skid compound on the deck; the original
had a molded in antiskid surface. People at the the Vallejo Marina thought
it was a new boat. It took a friend and I 70 man-hours to do the prep.

Mort

 

[vega1860]

Aloha Steve,.

Short answer: 70 to 80 man hours

Long Answer:

We took the boat to the work dock at about ten AM on a Thursday, took the mast down and put it on saw horses. Just before the yard crew went to lunch they hauled us out and pressure washed the bottom. Then we all went to lunch. After we got back and got started, about 13:30 hrs, It took three of us until Saturday Evening to prep the hull for painting. I'd say 50 to 60 man hours with two finishing sanders going and the third person masking and/or removing hardware (Laura masked off each of the screw heads along the toe rail!). After twice wiping down the hull with denatured alcohol we laid on the first coat of Awlgrip whisper grey two hours before sundown. It took two of us, one rolling the paint on and the other tipping it off with a brush, about half an hour to lay paint on each side of the hull covering just from the toe rail to the waterline. Then it started to rain.

Sunday morning we got to work with the sanders and took off the ruined paint. Man that Awlgrip is tough! It took us all day to get the first coat off and get ready to start again.

We did not prime the hull, just sanded and cleaned then laid on two coats of paint following the directions on the can. The deck needed a little more attention because there were spots where the gel coat had worn through and was showing black. We had the yard painter spray on a coat of primer followed by two coats of Awlgrip snow white after we had prepped the area and wiped it down twice with alcohol just before the spraying of each coat of paint. Sometime during this process we slopped on two coats of Pettit Trinidad Blue bottom paint but I did'nt record any particulars. It doesn't take long. I don't race so I don't polish the bottom. Included in the time allowed is masking and painting the boot stripe and trim stripe just below the toe rail with Awlgrip Flag Blue, the same color we used on the transom.

I think spraying is the way to go for the deck and cabin trunk but I watched one of my neighbors do his boat with brushes (Using Awlgrip paint) and it came out pretty nice. You just have to mix up the paint in very small batches.

Laura and I did the non-skid areas of the deck after work when the boat was back in the slip. Same drill; wipe down twice with alcohol. Lay on paint with a roller then sprinkle on a GENEROUS coating of Awgrip polymer beads. It is the consistency and texture of granulated suger so there will be quite a mess. Try to do this when there is little or no wind if possible. Oh, and you will need more than you think; at least double what the directions on the can say.

Chuck: "Where's the other can of non-skid stuff?"
Laura: "What other can?"
Chuck: "??????????"
Laura: "Is West Marine still open? I'll go get some more."

Laura jumps down into the cabin and reappears in jeans and leather jacket with her helmet in her hand.

Chuck: "You have about twenty minutes 'til the paint sets up!"
Laura: (Running down the dock) "I'll make it!"

West Marine is eight miles away.

Laura, who is the top 600 class motorcycle roadracer in Hawaii and rides a ZX9 on the street, got back with four cans of beads in time to apply it before the paint set.

Next morning we vacuumed up the excess beads and saved as much as we could. Then we rolled on a sealing coat over the embedded beads and followed that up with a second coat in the evening. I'd say two people = 5 hours, or ten man hours for the non-skid application.

Say four man hours for clean up, removing masking tape etc. I'd make it 70 to 80 man hours total if I were doing an estimate. Laying the paint is nothing; it's all in the preparation. Don't skimp.

Time required for the paint to cure varies with temperature and humidity and, of course how you mix the reducer and catalyst but you need to allow several hours for curing between coats.

Good Luck

Chuck

Stephen DeMont sdemont@... wrote: