Hi John,
First a few questions.
What is the boat made of, wood, fiberglass, aluminum etc?
How pretty do you want it to be?
How long are you going to be keeping this boat?
Do you have spray paint equipment, skills and a place to do it?
How much money and time do you want to spend?
If you want a good job, spend a lot of time on preparation. Repair any damage, sand, fair, fill, sand again, prime, sand again, spray at least two coats.
Boat paint can cost from $50 a gallon to $350. Cheap stuff looks okay a year or so, expensive poly linear urethane looks good 8 - 10 years.
I have painted a lot of boats, but when I want a real pro job, I hire a "Gun" to do the final spraying. I traded a friend who is an airplane painter by trade some stuff for a prep and paint job on my 25'. Sandpaper alone cost me $94. High build primer, enough Interlux Perfection,(a 3 part poly linear urethane) cost me over $300, plus thinners, etc will take my material costs,(at wholesale) over $500.
Drop me a line or call me and lets talk about it.
Tom 572-1225