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Need ideas on paint for my boat

Christian Williams

E381 - Los Angeles
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
"Totalboat". Allow me to note that this line of products has an ad blitz going, including much sponsorship of YouTube influencers. Such sources should be taken with a large grain of salt. The YouTube business model for many of these content providers is: show useful stuff, gain subsrcibers, grovel for sponsorship, then make the sponsor happy. Look for signs of high enthusiasm and take them into account. It happens that I know something about how YouTube providers operate, and behind the scenes it is, well, about money.

Not saying discard recommendations, or not to avail ourselves of free instruction. Just see product endorsements for what they are--advertisements. A responsible YouTuber will disclose.

Personally, I'm impressed by proven products that have stood the test of time and of skepticism. Especially a job intended to last a long time.
 

HerbertFriedman

Member III
Check out Any at Boatworkstoday on you tube videos, he recommends Alexseal paints. An ex boat painter on my dock, used Axexseal, swears by it.
 

Sailingfun

Member III
Yes, I removed all hardware... I want to install new self-tailing winches and traveler so I removed all. Yes, I use fairing compounds to cover the 2 million holes big and smalls in front. Also, I found my Ericsson has a hollow front so I fill up with structural foam. then, I replaced all front hatch and windows (those plastic old ones look horrible!!). I'm in the process now to replace the rest of the windows for plexiglass, then, I gonna be ready to start the painting process. First, a couple of layers of primer (or until I use all I got it), wait period between primes, between 3/5 days. Then, anti-skid (2/3 days more) and final coat in between (another 2/3 days). Then, reinstall all hardware on deck and move at the interior (paint everything, including all wood) and start the wiring process. I think I'm about one month of finishing and move the sailboat to bottom paint.
It's a long and slow process but well... I think for July will be ready to use it or sell it... ;)
 

toddster

Curator of Broken Parts
Blogs Author
I need to do this, but feel overwhelmed at the thought of removing hardware on the deck. Do you just tape around everything? Also, in spots where there is a chip in the coating, do you first Drexel it out and fill it with gel coat or other filler? Thanks! One more question, how many days does it take you and do all the days need to be rain free? Thanks Again!
The time-consuming part is preparation. Cleaning, repairing, sanding, and masking. See directions on the (prospective) paint for priming and time between coats. A coat can be put on pretty easily in a day. If non-skid and non-non-skid are to be done in different paints or different colors, that's probably two days each coat. One part would have to cure before you could mask it off to do the other part.
About the deck hardware - sooner or later, it's all going to have to come off and be re-potted and re-bedded, if it hasn't been done lately. It sure wasn't done right at the factory. In some ways, it could be easier to do it all at once, if you have the time.

The West System manuals are a good free resource for fiberglass repair (of course, they assume you'll use their products.)

Another factor is that the hardware was fastened onto the deck before the deck, liner, and hull were assembled. So the only way to remove some of the hardware is to cut access holes in the liner or in some cases the deck. If it hasn't been done already. Which one probably wants to do before painting.

FWIW, my deck is a disaster - I ran out of time to deal with it on both haul-outs. The gel coat is totally failing - not just cracking but flaking away in a chicken-pox pattern in all the non-non-skid areas. (Fortunately the deck is mostly non-skid, which seems OK.) I tried several repair ideas on small patches without much success - may have to bite the bullet and grind it all off some day. For now, I just slapped a couple coats of Interlux brightsides on it - A casual passer-by might not notice the pox.

I basically spent a whole summer on the hull - the deck is less area, but a more complex project.
 

bigd14

Contributing Partner
Blogs Author
Interlux Perfection 2 part paint on all smooth areas. Relatively easy DIY. Not as easy as Brightsides 1 part paint but still looks like new 8 years on. Prep and using the right primer coat is critical (for all paints). If you can remove hardware do it and rebed properly to stop leaks. Kiwigrip for nonskid is easy to paint on, but attracts dirt over time.
 

Sailingfun

Member III
I think use teak rounded pieces to seat the new self-tailing winches. I will take a few pictures to show the process. yes, preparation is time-consuming and in my case, I remove all internal wiring and engine wiring in order to replace it. So... my Ericson is a mess right now!! Really with all things about the COVID, I feel a little depressed so I will jump tomorrow at the boat early in order to do something... I do not know what but something... ;)
 

Christian Williams

E381 - Los Angeles
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Having this afternoon completed repainting my dinghy with Interlux Brightside (one-part polyurethane), I remain a huge fan. It's as hard and shiny as gel coat, leaves no brush strokes, and is relatively easy to apply (but there are tricks, and fast roll and tip is necessary).

Like any high gloss paint, it requires thorough surface prep, which takes time even on an 8' foot pram. And two or three coats are required.

I'd use Brightside on the boom, or even the transom. One you can take home and the other is limited area and DIY friendly. I'd use it on a Laser or a Boston Whaler on a trailer in the driveway.

But a deck or hull job on a cruising boat is a once-per-ownership deal, and in my opinion that's what the professional-grade multi-part coverings are for (Awlgrip etc.). As Toddster says, the prep is crucial, the application challenging and weather always a factor.

I've been watching an Awlgrip job on a nearby Ericson 38. The painter says he charged $2200 for deck only. He left all the fittings in place. With prep and weather delays and two coats it took three weeks, working a little almost every day. Before taking this on myself I'd at least get an estimate or two from a freelance boat painter.

Here's a related thread with lots of pictures: https://ericsonyachts.org/ie/threads/ericson-38-deck-paint.17431/

Alas the night photo fails to reveal the extraordinary Brightside gloss.

.brightside IMG_5855.JPG
 
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toddster

Curator of Broken Parts
Blogs Author
A bit of an aside: I offer the Farmer’s philosophy, in contrast to the Yottie perspective. Paint is there to prevent oxidation, provide an indicator of wear, and - distant third - a bit of vanity. If you really use your boat properly (or tractor, or whatever) you WILL scuff up the paint, from time to time. After a minor repair, slap on some more paint. If you stock all the proper colors, well good for you.

I have been a guest on boats with impeccable ultra-gloss sheen. And placemats. Well, basically the Rules to preserve the perfection involved having No Fun of Any Kind At All on board. I didn’t like those boats very much.
 

Sailingfun

Member III
There is a guy in my marina. He got a tired Islander 30. Deck paint was a disgrace, sails were flapping for months, outboard lack of good mechanic service for years.
The first weekend, he cleaned everything and powerwash the boat
The second weekend, he got a new outboard
Next weekend, he replaces lines, sails, and paints the deck unceremoniously with rust-oleum paint for plastic, without any special preparation.
He told me he got the boat to be used, rather looks good at the marina.
He is sailing the boat every weekend.
I think sometimes we spend so many times tried to have "the" perfect boat. Boats are there to be used more and maintenance less.
There is a lesson here. Sometimes we spend months and even years trying to have a perfect paint job and forget to have fun with our toys.
 

Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Different sailors for Different boats. Some of us just really like the systems to work reliably and look nice too.

Others just want to "use it 'til it breaks" and only then fix it and continue to ignore it for another XX number of years. :(

I have a friend sorta like that.... he day sails his aging 30' racer/cruiser a LOT. Luckily he's a good mechanic, as well. OTOH, after a couple of decades of 'discussion', his wife will no longer go along for any overnighting due to the decline in general condition.
While their boating relationship dynamic is well established now, even their prior smaller sailboat, 30 years ago, very slowly descended to a low level of maintenance. They used to spend a week at a time on that boat tho, for a couple of decades. They both loved it.

He single-hands or races with outside crew, every week. For an hour or two.
One of these days, his guardian angle will take a day off and the old rig will break. I sure hope no one is injured.
And yup, my friend grew up on a farm -- where a tractor was only valued for ability to till and harvest. :)

Even in our most project-intense seasons, we do sail and cruise on our boat. Different balance in pleasures achieved. Or something. :cool:
 

frick

Member III
As the proud owner of 1971 E29 whcih I have sailed for 18 Years. A former owner repainted with the the old marine enamel paint. So every few years I use the old 3M restorative wax to put a shine back on her. The old paint is getting very thin these days. As the color is a Flag Blue I was delighted to learn that Peitit 1 Part Poly was a great color match, I have been use it for small touch ups on the hull. In true the to look really great you have to stand 20 feet away. I have thought about doing a roll and tip with single or double party poly... But boy howdy, that pile of detail work.
 

Kenneth K

1985 32-3, Puget Sound
Blogs Author
+1 for general usage of Interlux Brightside Poly. Though I don't know how well it would hold up under foot traffic (deck) or abrasion from salt, lines, and fenders (hull), I just used this stuff for the first time last week on my poured-epoxy winch bases.

I'm a terrible painter. I hate it, I'm terrible at it, and I try to avoid it whenever I can. But the epoxy bases needed a paint coat. I put two coats of Brightside on (sanding with #320 in between) over Rustoleum Marine primer, using a cheap 5 year old brush. This stuff self-levels like nothing I've ever used before. Two minutes after you brush it on (my area was too small to roll) the brushstrokes disappear into a smooth, uniform, glossy surface. It looks sprayed on. Couldn't be happier with the results. The only visible imperfections were those areas of epoxy that weren't perfectly faired before painting.

20200515_181920.jpg
 

Tin Kicker

Sustaining Member
Moderator
I've been using TotalBoat products on the E32-3 and to rebuild a kayak for my lady's birthday in a few weeks and REALLY like everything I've used so far. I do think for each of their products TotalBoat seems to have looked at the competition and tried to take the best from each. I'm starting to think of it as kind of the Apple of the coatings companies.

The FlexPoxy has several things going for it. First is that the mechanical properties in load, modulus, etc are better than West or the others. Second is that while you can get a tube with a mixing tip, like the others, it costs a lot less to buy it in two parts. Third is that you can get it down to 8 oz, which means it's cost effective for small jobs. Third is that mixing is SUPER easy, because rather than 5:1 or other ratios, it is simply mix equal parts of Part A and Part B.

TotalFair is an epoxy filler and again, they made it equal parts of A and B. But to help and make it easier to do it right, one is yellow, the other blue, and you really know when it's not yet sufficiently mixed, because you get streaks of those colors in the final green. When the choice is to use this or to mix epoxy and then adding micro balloons or other fillers, this stuff ROCKS in ease to get ready, ease to use, and it sands down to the weave of the glass just great.

The WetEdge paint is their version of a one-part epoxy meant for non-spray applications, like the Interlux Brightside mentioned a couple of times or Awlgrip that I've used. Kenneths' description for the Brightside fully applies to my experience with the WetEdge on the kayak. The stuff somehow flows into a perfect finish with just a 3/16" nap roller even without a brush. It doesn't get that subtle orange peel that Awlgrip can if you just roll without tipping and mixing in the thinner seems to be less picky for proportions. So again, my hat is off to TotalBoat for whatever they did to develop the product.

The Special Brushing Thinner 100 smells like mineral spirits with a marked up price, but I don't want to risk needing to sand and repaint if they have something else in it so just today ordered more.

Haven't yet tried their 2 part paints or other products.
 

Christian Williams

E381 - Los Angeles
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
The FlexPoxy has several things going for it. First is that the mechanical properties in load, modulus, etc are better than West or the others. Second is that while you can get a tube with a mixing tip, like the others, it costs a lot less to buy it in two parts. Third is that you can get it down to 8 oz, which means it's cost effective for small jobs. Third is that mixing is SUPER easy, because rather than 5:1 or other ratios, it is simply mix equal parts of Part A and Part B.

TotalFair is an epoxy filler and again, they made it equal parts of A and B. But to help and make it easier to do it right, one is yellow, the other blue, and you really know when it's not yet sufficiently mixed, because you get streaks of those colors in the final green. When the choice is to use this or to mix epoxy and then adding micro balloons or other fillers, this stuff ROCKS in ease to get ready, ease to use, and it sands down to the weave of the glass just great.


Persuasive. For me those are all very specific advances.
 

JPS27

Member III
just to add my $.02 on painting nonskid, I used total boat nonskid grey color last year on my cockpit nonskid areas. It seems to be holding up well and is much improved in terms of grip and looks. I plan to do the rest of the nonskid when time allows. Over the winter I studied gelcoating patches from boatworks today and other videos. Once I was slightly confident I gelcoated the worn out corners of my lazarette hatches and it looks pretty good. I'm the only one who can tell it's not perfectly matched.
 

Filkee

Sustaining Member
I have hull pox on about 1/3 of either side above the waterline, I should really take ALL the gel coat off and start from scratch, right? Have any of you ever done that?
 
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