Paint is peeling EVERYWHERE

[wyndcatcherowner]

My partner and I just bought our first boat. It was the first boat that we looked at, and to be honest, we probably paid way too much for the poor condition that it's in. The excitement of finally having our own sailboat got the best of us.

Anyhow, one of our first concerns is the paint that is peeling everywhere, inside and out. Please see the attached photos. We'd love to get some opinions on what's the best way/product to get rid of our peeling paint and where to go from there (specifically how to prep the textured surface on the inside and recommended paint).

 

[Project_Mayhem]

I would guess that one or more previous owners didnt prep properly before painting. I had a PO paint my entire boat with one part topside paint. Getting it off of the bottom was not a fun project. I ended up using Total Boat's stripper and a palm sander. It took quite a while just to do the bottom. The nice thing about the paint stripper is that it leaves the gelcoat in tact

 

[daviddp]

It looks like you may have to mitigate water intrusion before you can repaint. I notice in one photo there are 8 "through bolts" with washers in the deck on the dog house, all in what looks like 1 square foot. In another photo, it looks like a "cup hook" is holding a line that supports a curtain string, it shows signs of rust, likely top-down.

You should start by checking the decks for signs of leaks and wetness. and core deterioration. There is lots of help here on that subject. After that, circle back here again and look for information on what to do about it. Once that's done and everything is watertight you can look to repair and repaint. The paint peeling may be cosmetic or a sign of a serious problem hidden in the deck that needs to addressed for safety issues. Hang in there and stay committed, you can do this.

 

[dlochner]

Oh, what sins prior owners commit.

On the interior, the paint appears to be an ordinary gloss paint applied over a vinyl headliner. If headliners are in poor shape it is best to clean them or remove and replace the vinyl. If it is not vinyl, then the surface was not prepped properly. To remove it try a good stiff brush and a vacuum. Then if it is vinyl replace it or if it fiberglass, try paint stripper. Since it is already falling off, the rest should follow soon.

On deck, it looks like house paint. Unlike topsides paint on a boat, house paint is designed to gradually wear away. This keeps you house looking clean and new. Older cheaper house paints wear more quickly. Take a pressure washer to it to see what happens. Put the paint job on the bottom of the list and let nature and regular cleaning help you out.

 

[Justin_NSA]

Emotions can get the better of you. As suggested, you'll need to strip, prep and paint . It does look like you have water intrusion. How is the deck core? Soft anywhere? Use masks when you strip down below

 

[31seahorse]

Welcome wyndcatcherowner to you and your partner,

The wonderful world of sailboat ownership will have a learning curve! This site has plenty of information so each of us can learn from the other members and enjoy the work that is underway. Pictures are always useful. The "Search" area at the top of the page might be helpful if there are not enough responses to your situation. The good news is "Peeling paint will not sink your boat!" The same is true for some smaller areas of soft deck. It is worth exploring for the water intrusion, but that might be a bigger repair project than you want to tackle at the start of ownership.

 

[shemandr]

Yeah, paint over vinyl headliner. Shouldn't have happened. Let it flake off and move on to deck. Likely wet deck core around the deck hardware in at least the one area shown in photo.

 

[Davidasailor26]

You might also try careful use of a heat gun and putty knife to scrape away the peeling sections. (Probably not if the headliner is vinyl backed, but for the fiberglass sections.)

 

[wyndcatcherowner]

Thanks, everyone!

Project_Mayhem I think you might be right about the poor surface prep theory based on how widespread the peeling is in the interior. Thanks for the paint stripper recommendation. There are so many products out there, it's good to get a brand name suggestion as a starting point.

daviddp Yes, we have some penetrations (possibly all of them ) that need to be made watertight. Thank you for the encouragement! It's been an uphill battle so far; a true practice of perseverance.

dlochner I thought it was a vinyl headliner too at first, but upon closer inspection, I don't think it is. My partner can just barely stand in the boat, otherwise, I would consider adding a headliner overhead anyway. Paint stripper it is! Thanks.

Justin_NSA Luckily, there don't seem to be too many soft spots in the deck; we only know of one so far. Thanks for your help!

31seahorse Thanks for the warm welcome! Yes, we are lucky not to have any imminent threats at the moment. We're both pretty keen to tackle some bigger projects, while we still have the energy lol. Fingers crossed that that doesn't fade too quickly.

shemandr Thanks. It doesn't appear to be a headliner, but in any case the paint job was all wrong. We'll have to closely inspect all penetrations, as it seems the previous owner could not be trusted.

Davidasailor26 Good to know, thank you!

If ever we do finish this project, I'll try to return with some "after" photos.

 

[capta]

It looks like they used a water based latex inside to spruce it up for sale. There's nothing for it but to remove it all and see if it really does need paint, or just a good clean up.
The paint on deck looks to just be old and worn. Any repairs, which probably won't match color too well, must be on a clean, sanded surface, so that means sanding off the loose paint and feathering in the edges. It would look much better if you did the whole deck, but you could touch it up and it would look better than it does now, then see.
Lots of hard work, but that's why you got into sailing, right?

 

[rgranger]

If you mix some canning lye with garden lime and add water to a peanutbutter consistency... and smear that over the paint and let it dry... it will all shed off with a pressure washer. Get a 5lb bag of garden lime from Lowes and add about 4 or 5 cups of lye.

This concoction will degrade the latex in the paint without hurting your fiberglass or gel coat. If you are doing it inside, you can still use a pressure washer to get it off... just have a second person handy with the shop vac.

DO NOT GET THIS IN YOUR EYES!!!!!