Painting a fiberglass cabin sole.

[kelham]

Painting a fiberglass interior cabin sole.

Hey folks,

The interior fiberglass cabin sole in my 1977 Newport 28 is pretty dingy, even after cleaning it thoroughly. I'd like to paint it. Any recommendations for which paint I should use? Is gelcoat the only option able to withstand that kind of wear and tear (and the occasional doggy accident), or are there alternatives that I can get at a regular paint store? The photo below is a boat I made at school - I'm thinking of doing a similar job.

Thanks.

 

[victorhoisington]

Try kiwi grip. I used it for the non-skid on my Hunter 25 years ago and it seemed to hold up well. I didn't like the texture so, would play with that some but, the paint is nice, thick as mayonnaise and rolls on easy, water cleanup and no special prep besides a good power washing is required

 

[kelham]

Thanks. I think that's more intended for exterior. I'm looking for something inside my cabin. It has to be cozy and inviting, as this is where I live with my family.

 

[mitiempo]

Any marine paint you can use on the exterior will work well on the interior and wear better without the UV and the elements outside paint suffers from. Interlux Brightside or Pettit Easypoxy are both good one part polyurethanes that could be used.

 

[Merlin Clark]

I'd use a decent brand porch and floor paint. Cheap and tough as nails.

 

[Brian S]

A couple thoughts. 1st thought, once you paint, you always have to paint. 2nd thought, to make the cabin cozy for living in, put down a rug. We had new "carpet" installed in the office. It was a very low nap foamy-backed stuff that is used for hotel lobbies and stuff like that. Very durable, washable, etc. Well, there was more than enough left over for me to cut a piece for a custom rug in my boat. It doesn't slip because it has that foam-like rubber back, and it's cozy enough on the feet. When it's dirty, I hose it off. I got lucky with that one, the color coordinates nicely with my cushions.

As for paint, a few old timers on another forum have used ACRYLIC latex enamel inside the cabins for years. Has to be ACRYLIC, not regular latex.

I'd consider Interlux Interdeck with some carpet. It's good to have non-skid, and the Interdeck uses rounded beads for the non-skid, as opposed to sharp abrasive sand or pumice.

 

[kito]

Ditto on the porch paint. Just get it blended to your preferred color. Hey, it's paint. It will need a fresh coat next year to keep it looking nice anyway.

 

[mitiempo]

Ditto on the porch paint. Just get it blended to your preferred color. Hey, it's paint. It will need a fresh coat next year to keep it looking nice anyway.

A good quality paint like Brightside should be good for several years - it lasts 5+ outside.

 

[Ian McGain]

go a different direction and spend some money-it's a boat

After a number of years with a carpet runner, I just went and spent a bit over $450, and a long afternoon to do this installation. Padding was from Lumber Liquidator, and called Eco silent Sound HD and is made out of old rubber tires. The bilge cover came home with me and took longer to recover than the cabin floor.
I now have to take my shoes off when I enter the boat.


Good luck

Ian
s/v Meant to Be

 

[bffatcat]

cabin sole refinishing

I vote for easy poxy but your gonna be repainting every year or so. before you decide to paint you might consider a rug like some of the other guys suggested

 

[epicjohn]

Hi guys, let me share you my first hand experience with fiberglass painting;

I work for Epic Doors which manufactures high-performance fiberglass entry doors. We evaluated several paint suppliers including TruCoat 623, Sherwin Williams Polane 2K Acrylic, and Aquasurtech D200.

We were looking for an environmentally friendly, single component water based paint that was super durable, had great adhesion and laid down smooth.

Based upon our evaluation we selected TruCoat 623. It was much more environmentally friendly than Polane 2K and is a single component and TruCoat had better adhesion than D200 and was priced better.

Worth checking. We are super satisfied with it!