Painting the cabin top advice

[higgs]

The PO painted the cabin top and cockpit of Trav'ler and did a lousy job. Paint is chipping off and there are holidays and runs as well. I am going to sand her down and redo the job and would like to hear from those who have been there/done that. I am especially interested in a paint that will brush on smoothly and will last a long time.

 

[tommays]

The BIG issues

The good paint is two part and wont go over the old and also requires epxoy primer to stick correctly

If your brush your looking at 2 coats of primer and 2 to 3 coats of color which require a good amount of dry time before before you can sand between coats

If you were spraying you can hot stack the coats without the sanding IF you setup a enough stuff not to have to stand on the deck

A hull or mast can be sanded pretty fast becasue you dont need to stand on them

 

[Ed Schenck]

Tommays is right, two-part is best. But it is very hard to roll and tip 2-part if you are working alone. I used Interlux Toplac, a one part, and I think it looks great five years later. I split the deck forward and on the cabin with a 2" white stripe. Then I worked front to back one side at a time excluding the cockpit. Then when I did the non-skid with Interlux Interdeck I only had to do one half at a time. This saved me from having to reach across wide expanses. All these years later I still have not done the inside of the cockpit or coamings, just the non-skid.

Prep was just light sanding and wiping down with mineral spirits.

 

[Barnacle Bill]

2 part paints (like linear polyurethanes) last longer than one part paints (even one part polyu's). They have better color retention, gloss retention, and abrasion resistance. There are, however, a couple of types of two part polyurethanes. For instance, Awgrip has their original formula, which is a very hard paint once it dries. If you are going to repair sags, etc., you really have to do it within a few days of your paint job. Awlcraft is their newer formula which is softer (so, while it is very good paint, it is not quite as good as the original formula in terms of gloss, color & abrasion), but it can be repaired down the line because it is a softer finish.
If you use Awlgrip products, they have a converter called Awlcat #3 used for brushing as well as a brushing thinner. Their color selection is pretty good.
Interlux has two part polyurethane formulas for the DIY boater, but colors are limited if you need something off the wall.
Preparation is key to any good paint job. A good cleaning of the surface to remove any contamination, then a good sanding to make the entire surface frosty (no shiny areas left) to assure a good "tooth" for your primer. Epoxy primer is applied to not only give better adhesion of your top coat color, but also it is a barrier coat over paint products applied earlier, and it also helps seal up porosity of older gelcoat surfaces damaged by the sun. Linear Polyurethanes are very aggressive paints and will lift a less noble paint and so priming is recommended.
Follow the manufacture's recommended sanding and drying times.
Usually you use a gray primer for reds and blues (darker colors) and a white primer for whites, yellows, (lighter colors), etc.
Do all the fiberglass work and take care of your "holidays" prior to priming.
It is better to apply several thin coats of your final color rather than fewer thicker coats.
Also have others to help you. For example, if you were doing a hull, you would want one person to roll on the paint and another to tip it with a brush. Do the entire hull to get a "wet edge" around the entire hull. If you stop part way, go get a cup of coffee and come back a half an hour later, you will not be able to start where you left off with a seamless look.
Hope these tips will help. Take your time and you can do a good job. I have seen some awesome roll and tip jobs by boat owners.

 

[RECESS]

I used interlux perfection on the sides. Your prep has to be flawless. I spent 8 months - 7 months getting the surfaces ready, including glass work, and more sanding than I ever want to do again. I spent a month doing three coats of two part primer and three coats of paint. The red I went with really needed the 3rd coat to get the deep look. A year later it is still as vibrant as the day I painted it and has held up to a lot of bumping around the dock. I would go with something really hard for an area that is going to see a lot of traffic.

I found I had a smaller window than expected to roll and tip. If I did not wait 20 to 30 minutes...really wait and be patient.... it did not roll and tip as smooth and I got some tiny bubbles. As long as I waited, it went on great.... but you got to freaking move and get it all on and tip on the fly. I am not trying to sell you on the product, I have been happy with it but it does have a downside, Perfection cannot be power buffed. It will ruin the finish. You can hand buff it.

I did two colors with the Interlux Perfection Red and Oyster White. The white extends a little to the deck and has had some foot traffic and it has handled it well. If you look closely you can see some green paint tape that shows how high I went with the Oyster White. They have a additive that takes the gloss off for using it on the mast and deck.

 

[mysticpuffin]

paint

The PO painted the cabin top and cockpit of Trav'ler and did a lousy job. Paint is chipping off and there are holidays and runs as well. I am going to sand her down and redo the job and would like to hear from those who have been there/done that. I am especially interested in a paint that will brush on smoothly and will last a long time.

We have an old wooden boat, (1957 Lapworth 36) and I am very happy with Epiphanes Yacht Enamel, diluted slightly with any of the flowing agents around. It's an alkyd enamel oil paint, goes on smooth and holds up well.

 

[Tim R.]

I painted the spars on my boat with Perfection. Check out the details here:

http://www.treilley.myphotoalbum.com/view_album.php?set_albumName=album36

 

[higgs]

Thanks all for the input.

 

[Dave Groshong]

If it's a non skid surface, KiwiGrip has garnered nothing but great reviews:

http://shop.sailboatowners.com/detail.htm?group=1292

 

[Hermit Scott]

I used interlux perfection on the sides. Your prep has to be flawless. I spent 8 months - 7 months getting the surfaces ready, including glass work, and more sanding than I ever want to do again. I spent a month doing three coats of two part primer and three coats of paint. The red I went with really needed the 3rd coat to get the deep look. A year later it is still as vibrant as the day I painted it and has held up to a lot of bumping around the dock. I would go with something really hard for an area that is going to see a lot of traffic.

I found I had a smaller window than expected to roll and tip. If I did not wait 20 to 30 minutes...really wait and be patient.... it did not roll and tip as smooth and I got some tiny bubbles. As long as I waited, it went on great.... but you got to freaking move and get it all on and tip on the fly. I am not trying to sell you on the product, I have been happy with it but it does have a downside, Perfection cannot be power buffed. It will ruin the finish. You can hand buff it.

I did two colors with the Interlux Perfection Red and Oyster White. The white extends a little to the deck and has had some foot traffic and it has handled it well. If you look closely you can see some green paint tape that shows how high I went with the Oyster White. They have a additive that takes the gloss off for using it on the mast and deck.

I am really impressed with your paint job.

 

[higgs]

Ed's is pretty impressive, as well. How long did the whole job take you, Ed?

 

[rardiH36]

I painted my cabin top a couple of years ago with Interlux Perfection Mediterranean White over their epoxy primecoat. Brushed applied. Looked very good until several months ago where in spots the white has turned to a tan'ish off-white. I think what is happening is that although I put on three coats of Perfection, I needed to thin quite a bit with Interlux's special thinner (and also I diluted the Perfection further with Interlux's flattening agent). In some spots where the thickness of the Perfection might have been spread out too thin, I'm thinking that UV rays are penetrating down to the underlying Epoxy primer which is causing it to darken, and hence showing through the thin Perfection top coat in a splochy manner. I've been meaning to query Interlux if my theory has merit, and if so to be sure that the Epoxy Primecoat isn't damaged before I put on another couple of coats of Perfection this summer.

Anybody else encounter this problem with white two-parts not retaining their original color after a period of time?

 

[jcastle]

Awlgrip Paint

I have used Awlgrip Topside Paint. They do make a really nice long lasting durable paint that you can brush on. There is some good info on what you need on the link above and the best prices I found on Awlgrip products. If you want to brush it on, make sure that you get the brushing converter, and the brushing reducer. There are different converters and reducers depending on if you brush/roll, or spray.

 

[Tim R.]

I painted my cabin top a couple of years ago with Interlux Perfection Mediterranean White over their epoxy primecoat. Brushed applied. Looked very good until several months ago where in spots the white has turned to a tan'ish off-white. I think what is happening is that although I put on three coats of Perfection, I needed to thin quite a bit with Interlux's special thinner (and also I diluted the Perfection further with Interlux's flattening agent). In some spots where the thickness of the Perfection might have been spread out too thin, I'm thinking that UV rays are penetrating down to the underlying Epoxy primer which is causing it to darken, and hence showing through the thin Perfection top coat in a splochy manner. I've been meaning to query Interlux if my theory has merit, and if so to be sure that the Epoxy Primecoat isn't damaged before I put on another couple of coats of Perfection this summer.

Anybody else encounter this problem with white two-parts not retaining their original color after a period of time?

I applied 2 coats of thinned Perfection to my mast, boom and spreaders and it has been 3 seasons. The spreaders are airfoil shaped with fairly flat tops. I have not seen any discoloring on any part. The Perfection was applied over their Primecoat with no flattening agent. I did not need to thin very much to get it to flow properly. I applied using the roll/tip method.