Re-painting a boat

[ffaubert]

Hi All,

I'm planning on repainting my MacGregor 25 in the fall and was wondering if I could get some advice.

First, the deck. It was painted by the PO. The no-skid areas are all peeling revealing the "MacGregor blue" underneath. Can I just sand/grind this down and reapply a paint of my choice with a grit of some sort sprinkled on?

What about the smooth sections? Can those be repainted as they are or do I have to sand them down as well?

In reading Maine Sail's tips on waxing, he mentions that any painting should be proceeded by cleaning with a dewaxer. Since I don't believe the PO did this before he painted, is this something I should be doing or is the opportunity to do this correctly gone for good? How do I get to the point where the new paint is going to adhere to the deck?

The hull. Basically the same story as the deck but it's not peeling. It is definitely a repaint but there is no lustre to the finish. Again, what do I have to do to start over for new paint?

In all of this, am I using the right terms? Should I be using the word gelcoat instead of paint? What's the difference? Is there a boat painting primer book out there some where that can help me make a more informed decision?

Thanks,

Frank

 

[Ed Schenck]

You will want to sand first and then paint the "gelcoat" areas second. A good sanding of the entire deck/cabin surfaces followed by a very good wipedown just before applying the paint is all that I did. I started with 60 grit in the orbital followed by 200. Then I finished with 600(by hand) leaving no scratches. I did the "white" using Interlux Off-White. Two-part is best but I was working alone and it sets up too fast, you need someone to follow with a good brush to "tip" after the roller. But my one-part Interlux Toplac looks good after six years. Then mask off and do the non-skid. You will find a favorite product here in the SBO store. But I used an Interlux product that is pre-mixed called Interdeck. Here are a couple of pictures.

P.S. Notice a white 2" stripe from the mast to the companionway. That stripe also extends forward to the anchor locker. This allowed me to paint the non-skid on one-half of the boat at a time. Made it much easier to keep a wet edge working from front to back.

 

[TimCup]

Frank, I've painted 2 boats...and cars...

You ask "paint or gelcoat"? There's an art to spraying gelcoat. I tried. Figuring it was like painting, i bought a spray gun made for gelcoat, and did all the prepwork. I mixed according to direction, and after 1 1/2 days, it still wasn't dry. I was forced to removed it all with nasty chemicals, and began again. I added a little more hardener, and it "kicked" while still in the gun! 2 days later, after getting the gun clean (and buying a couple of small parts for it), I began again. I wasn't crazy about the results....

I vote for paint!

I sprayed one boat, rolled and tipped the other. Both look great, and I'm pretty particular.

You will want to sand off all the peeling non-slip. Your options for finishing are many- some use sand (clean sand, not from the beach!) between coats. I think a better option is the nonslip products. They are applied with special rollers, and when dry, are nonslip without being gritty. It will last longer, too. The third option is purchasing a foam rubber-like material that gets glued down. I wish I could remember the name... this is the cadillac of nonslip- it lasts for many years looking almost new...

do you need to sand the smooth sections? Why not? your already there, it's not that much more time or work, and if you're gonna go through the effort to paint some, you have the chance to make your boat look great everywhere..

EVEN AFTER SANDING, USE A DEWAXER. Surface sanding often roughs up the top without removing all the wax. Remember, when they built the boat it was waxed to get it out of the mold. We're not just talking about the wax the PO may or may not have put on.

And yes, you need to sand the hull too. If you know for sure "it's a repaint", then anything you put over the old will show through. take a day, and sand it. You won't be sorry.

As far as paint I HIGHLY recommend a 2 part paint. It's a little harder to apply, but it's much tougher than 1 part paint, and you'll want it to last. My last boat was painted with a 2part auto paint, tinted to match the original hull color. After 4 years, it still looks great!


cup

 

[RECESS]

Make sure you have really researched the paint you intend to use. I would use a two part paint to make sure it will be durable. I used Perfection and I am very very pleased with the application and the durability. I have had it on for two years and it has not faded, it has held up to several hard bumps directly with the dock and the constant rubbing of the fenders while docked. I keep my boat in the water all the time and I have never had to do anything with the boat since painting. There is a downside to Perfection though, you cannot power wax it. It will ruin the finish, only hand waxing. So if power waxing is a premium desire, there are other two part paints that allow it.

 

[CharlieCobra]

TimCup, the key to spraying Gelcoat is to add a surface sealer to it. If Gelcoat is exposed to air it won't cure. There's a little bottle of stuff you add to the mix that seals the Gelcoat like vacuum bagging to allow it to cure. I sprayed some last week with no issues from a regular HVLP gun. The hard part about spraying Gelcoat is getting the gun clean.

 

[TimCup]

CharlieCobra-

The hard part about spraying Gelcoat is getting the gun clean.[/quote]

PARTICULARLY IF IT KICKS WHILE STILL IN THE GUN!!

CUP

PS- I knew mixing the parts created heat... I had no idea how much. I mixed up more than I needed, and while it was turning to stone in the gun, the extra mixture in the plastic mixing container got so hot it fused the cup to the plastic top of the ice chest where I had set it. So yeah, that cooler looks like crap now, with a big circle scar on top!

 

[rardiH36]

Non-Section

Hi:

Re the non-skid sections: Lots of different approaches that owners have had success with. Reading your opening post, here are my thoughts and experiences:

You mention that the PO's paint job over the non-skid is peeling off. If so, maybe you can experiment with a pressure washer to get the all of non skid areas back to their original "MacGregor" surface without sanding the whole thing smooth. I mention because in my opinion, a non-skid deck that has been sanded smooth of its original factory relief (usually what appears to have been thickened gelcoat applied with a special roller to give a stippled effect), then repainted with a non-skid paint or paint with abrasive added .... just doesn't look right. Also a lot of work to sand smooth.

When I bought my 1980 Cherubini Hunter 36, three years ago, the non-skid areas had never been repainted by po's. They were in good mechanical condition with the original relief still intact, but the surfaces were discolored and stained and weathered. Washing with even strong cleaners still didn't improve enough. I assumed from the dull weathered and oxidized appearance of the non-skid that po's had never applied wax. I used a mild oxalic acid solution to remove accumulated salts and deposits, scrubbed with a ss wire brush (with relatively soft/flexible bristles), then hosed down. My paint choice was 2-part Interlux Perfection with the max recommended amount of flattening agent added. Also Interlux's anti-skid granules were mixed in. Application was with a brush since brush marks (which are significantly self leveling in any case) won't show over the underlying rough surface. (A color tip: Whatever paint product you decide on, give thought to not straying much from the color of the underlying surface. As the new paint wears away from the peaks of the stipples of the underlying surface, it helps if the two colors are close.)

Three years on, the surface of my gelcoat still looks looks very much like the day I painted it. No peeling anywhere. Even caked-on bird droppings haven't stained the two-part polyurethane.

 

[Old Skool Neil]

What CharlieCobra said.

Surface sealer is also known as surfacing agent in my area. Spraying over the fresh gelcoat with PVA would have worked too.

 

[Zaphro]

I'm with Recess

Make sure you have really researched the paint you intend to use. I would use a two part paint to make sure it will be durable. I used Perfection and I am very very pleased with the application and the durability. I have had it on for two years and it has not faded, it has held up to several hard bumps directly with the dock and the constant rubbing of the fenders while docked. I keep my boat in the water all the time and I have never had to do anything with the boat since painting. There is a downside to Perfection though, you cannot power wax it. It will ruin the finish, only hand waxing. So if power waxing is a premium desire, there are other two part paints that allow it.

I used Inerlux Perfection when I painted my hull coming up on 6 years ago. Here's my post way back then. The paint job still looks fantastic.

http://www.acephalous.net/painting above the waterline.htm

 

[SailArkansas]

Hi All,

I'm planning on repainting my MacGregor 25 in the fall and was wondering if I could get some advice.

First, the deck. It was painted by the PO. The no-skid areas are all peeling revealing the "MacGregor blue" underneath. Can I just sand/grind this down and reapply a paint of my choice with a grit of some sort sprinkled on?

What about the smooth sections? Can those be repainted as they are or do I have to sand them down as well?

In reading Maine Sail's tips on waxing, he mentions that any painting should be proceeded by cleaning with a dewaxer. Since I don't believe the PO did this before he painted, is this something I should be doing or is the opportunity to do this correctly gone for good? How do I get to the point where the new paint is going to adhere to the deck?

The hull. Basically the same story as the deck but it's not peeling. It is definitely a repaint but there is no lustre to the finish. Again, what do I have to do to start over for new paint?

In all of this, am I using the right terms? Should I be using the word gelcoat instead of paint? What's the difference? Is there a boat painting primer book out there some where that can help me make a more informed decision?

Thanks,

Frank

Hi Frank

I repainted my Venture 17 some years back and had many of the same questions.

I started by removing every bit of hardware from the hull including the rub-rail. Then I power-washed the heck out of it and that removed any paint other than what needed to be sanded. I used an orbital sander and I am pretty sure I started with an 80 grit and then went finer. My boat had been previously painted and I had to take it down to the laminate in some cases (no gelcoat left).

I used Interlux 1 part and rolled it on with a friend tipping as we went. Interlux makes a non-slip powder that can be mixed into their paint which does an adequate job for the deck.

I can't overstate the need to apply primer. Its almost as expensive as the paint but the paint will not cover defects. Its almost like a clear-coat with some tint in it. Also, if you are painting outside as I did, paint in the morning when the air is still and watch your temperature/humidity. Mild temps and low humidity are the real keys to the paint leveling itself and giving you a good finish. I did a beige deck over a dark blue hull and it looked really cool.

 

[ffaubert]

Thank you all very much for the tips and advice.

It looks like Interlux will be the paint of choice and, to be honest, I had never considered a primer. I am now!

I'll keep a photo record of how this goes.

Thanks again, what a great site.

Frank

 

[rgranger]

I purchased paint from these guys...

http://www.supermarinepaint.com/topside-revolution-SM-1000.asp

It is great stuff. It is a one part urethane that takes about 10 days to completely cure. It is self leveling, nice gloss and great coverage. If you want to see results search the forum for my posts. I purchased two gallons, one color for the top sides and one for the hull. I applied two coats and used less than a half gallon of both. So I have plenty to touch up for next season.