The "new" Delft Blue - Painting finished...

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PaulH

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Sep 29, 2008
16
Lancer 28T MK-V Nanaimo
Hello all,

As promised, I have attached some pictures of my recent paint job on Delft Blue, my Lancer 28T MK-V. First, though, I thought I would share some thoughts and experiences during the painting process. As this was my first time painting a boat, I relied heavily on input from others that have done this before.

The first thing I learned was that, although other people's experiences were extrememly helpful, every paint job has it's own way of throwing curve balls at you...and in the end, you come out with an knowledge that's all your own to share.

I used Interlux Brightside for my topsides and deck, and Micron CSC for anti-fouling paint. Despite what I've heard, Brightside is a very finnicky paint...this may have a lot to do with the temperature at which I was painting (33-36 C), but I found that the paint was nearly drying as I was applying it...as I result I had to sand off what I started, and spray down the hull for about 1.5 hours with water to cool it down. Once the hull was cool, things got better, but this paint almost has a mind of it's own. It lets you know when you're putting it on too heavy, and too light; both of which require you to sand off what you just put on. Once you get into the groove, however, this paint is simply magical. I've also heard that Brightside is not durable, and can be easily scratched weeks later...I never found this to be the case, I think that this paint is as tough as nails.

When you think that you've done enough prep and are ready to paint, you're not. You have to KNOW that you done everything possible prep wise. Again, this was a learning experience I would rather forget. Having to stop to tape something off, or something else, and when you get back to the paint, it's already dry.

I put 4 coats on in total, using thin coats each time. Between coats, I sanded with 220 first, and then 320 (The instructions say to just sand with 320). I found the paint bonded much better, and was much glossier. I didn't sand between the 3rd and last coat, but just re-applied another layer. You NEED 2 people to do this job properly (again, learned the hard way). Rolling and tipping by yourself is neither efficient, or beneficial to the paint job. he first coat will look like hell no matter what you do...so don't worry...especially for me that I was painting over white with a darker colour....

High density foam rollers are a MUST, despite the fact that some people may say that high quality lint free rollers do just as good a job...I did discover, however, that you don't need the highest quality paintbrush that you can buy for tipping. Just as long as you're careful, and make sure that you've removed all of the loose bristles.

I think that's about it...so I hope that you enjoy the pictures, your thoughts would be greatly appreciated....good or bad...let me know what you think. Sorry for the long post, and if there's anything else that you're wondering in regards to the paint job...go ahead and ask, and I will do the best I can to answer....
 

Attachments

Jul 1, 1998
3,062
Hunter Legend 35 Poulsbo/Semiahmoo WA
Once burned, twice learned.

So goes the old saying.

Thanks for your post about "all the little details". These are helpful to me as the last time I used "bright"sides the job turned out terrible, in my opinion. Your's on the otherhand, looks really nice. The reflection on the finished hull really shines.

One thing you mentioned was about putting several coats on and I didn't go that far so that may have been one reason for my disgust.

The hint you mentioned about having two people tipping and rolling is good. I had a small area and it was a fire drill to stay ahead of the drying phase.

Your comment about the curve ball and every job is different was good.

If I ever do another finish coating job where I want something close to perfection, I think there will be two other options to consider: (1) going with two-part, and/or, (2) letting a professional do it. I'm getting kinda tired of learning through the road of hard knocks.

Oh, just thought of something else, maybe there is a third option? Find someone who has done it before with good results, admire their work profusely, and try to talk them into helping!!!

You did say four hands are better than two!
 
Aug 26, 2007
90
Macgregor 25 Santa Barbara, Ca.
Looks great. I am going to paint my topside the same color and it is inspiring me to get out and do it. Tim
 

Tim R.

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May 27, 2004
3,626
Caliber 40 Long Range Cruiser Portland, Maine
Definitely passes the 40ft. test. How does it look close up? I hope you find that the Brightsides holds up. I was not pleased with it's durability on my Rhodes.
 

PaulH

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Sep 29, 2008
16
Lancer 28T MK-V Nanaimo
Thanks for the compliment folks...they're appreciated. It certainly was a lot of work.

Tim: I have more pics, some of them are from close up...I will post these later today for those interested. In regards to durability...I hope that it hold up as well...but thus far, as I said...it's tough as nails. I dropped the ladder against it a couple of times without harming the paint. I don't know of it's because I put more think coats on instead of the manufacturers recommendation of 2 coats...but I guess time will tell.
 

Tim R.

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May 27, 2004
3,626
Caliber 40 Long Range Cruiser Portland, Maine
Paul, I only did 2 coats so maybe that was part of my problem. I can say that the Perfection on my spars has held up extremely well.
 
Jun 1, 2009
19
Macgregor 26D Mayfield Yacht Club, NY
Paul, Thanks your description was great! Can you explain how you preped the hull topside before you painted. This will be my first time too, but next spring I'm planning on redoing my white topside to dark blue too.

On the bottom are you salt? I'm fresh and advice of that process?

Did you strip the topside and bottom with sanding (masks) or chemical?

Would your order be to strip it all first, finish the topside, then paint the bottom?
Thanks,
Jon Rickert
88 MacGregor 26D
Stillwater NY
Jon@JonRickert.com
 

PaulH

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Sep 29, 2008
16
Lancer 28T MK-V Nanaimo
Jon,

I prepared the topsides by sanding with 180 grit sandpaper first to remove all of the dirt and other things (wax etc...). Then I moved to 220 grit, and finally 320 grit to make the hull really smooth. For the bottom, I know that the previous bottom paint was Micron CSC, so I had no compatibility issues...so I just sanded with 180 grit until the bottom was completely clean. My boat is kept in salt water, hence the ablative bottom paint...as for fresh water...I don't think you would need anything as robust as CSC...something like (or similar to) BottomKote may work for you....but you need to know what was on there before to avoid any paint incompatibilities.

I sanded everything off first, and then wiped the entire boat down with Interlux 2333N (as recommended). Then I taped everything off, and painted the topsides first. Between the 3rd and 4th coats of Brightside, I put the first coat of CSC on the bottom. After the 4t coat of topside paint, I applied the 2nd coat of CSC, and just let the whole thing dry. After the bottom and topsides were dry, I painted the decks and toerail, and applied the vinyl lettering and stripe.

I hope this helps...if you have any more questions...don't hesitate to let me know...

Paul.
 

Tim R.

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May 27, 2004
3,626
Caliber 40 Long Range Cruiser Portland, Maine
I will add one thing and that is to dewax any gelcoat before sanding. Sanding it can cause the wax to be embedded in the gelcoat and you could have problems with paint adhesion.
 
Oct 2, 2006
1,517
Jboat J24 commack
I found even with Perfection(two part paint) there was a LONG fully hard time of UP to 30 days and you needed to let things like the mast sit 48+ hours before you even moved it carefully :)
 

Tim R.

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May 27, 2004
3,626
Caliber 40 Long Range Cruiser Portland, Maine
I found even with Perfection(two part paint) there was a LONG fully hard time of UP to 30 days and you needed to let things like the mast sit 48+ hours before you even moved it carefully :)
I agree. Mine sat in my basement for at least 2 months before being moved.
 
Aug 26, 2007
90
Macgregor 25 Santa Barbara, Ca.
I needd to paint the deck and cockpit areas? I was in my Mac25 today and I could see light coming through in a few areas, I freaked out for a second until I realized it was just thin Gel-coat. Now I must paint everything.
 
Dec 30, 2009
7
Hunter 30_74-83 Salem
Can you give an indication about the total cost of this paint work for you and total hours?

Looks terrific. Congratulations!
 
Oct 7, 2008
380
Oday Oday 35 Chesapeake Bay
Paint looks great. My new to me Oday 35 has been painted and is in need of painting again. I've considered both spray and brush. Are you able to see any brush strokes or orange peel in the hull?
 
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