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just need some tips on how to go about painting a boat top and bottom any suggestions are welcomed thanx john
boat painting
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2,363 Posts
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
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
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1,908 Posts
This is something I might be interested in...not right now but mayb e next year....
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684 Posts
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
Tom where do you get your materials? Are they local or do you use out of town suppliers like jamestown dist etc.
just curious I'm about to do mydeck and interior surfaces just wondering the best place to go for materials? Thanks jim</BLOCKQUOTE>
Tom where do you get your materials? Are they local or do you use out of town suppliers like jamestown dist etc.
just curious I'm about to do mydeck and interior surfaces just wondering the best place to go for materials? Thanks jim</BLOCKQUOTE>
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2,363 Posts
My suppliers vary with time frame and $$$.
I have found BlackWater River Tools on V St. to be an excellent source of sanding supplies. Very knowledgeable, friendly and fair prices.
For most other boat type paint supplies, I use Port Supply, a wholesale division of West Marine, convenient, fast and a huge selection. Maybe sometimes costs more than others, but no BS. You must be a bona fide business to get a Port Supply account.
Other items. like paint thinner, TSP, etc. I get from Lowes, also convenient and friendly.
I get my power tools from Escambia Electric, down by Joe Pattis. They know their stuff, are honest and their prices are as good as the "Big Orange Box".
BTW, I own stock in West Marine, so am biased.
Tom
I have found BlackWater River Tools on V St. to be an excellent source of sanding supplies. Very knowledgeable, friendly and fair prices.
For most other boat type paint supplies, I use Port Supply, a wholesale division of West Marine, convenient, fast and a huge selection. Maybe sometimes costs more than others, but no BS. You must be a bona fide business to get a Port Supply account.
Other items. like paint thinner, TSP, etc. I get from Lowes, also convenient and friendly.
I get my power tools from Escambia Electric, down by Joe Pattis. They know their stuff, are honest and their prices are as good as the "Big Orange Box".
BTW, I own stock in West Marine, so am biased.
Tom
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6 Posts
West Marine can get you detailed information about Interlux Paints or you can Google Interlux. In either case, very detailed instructions are available for any kind of paint job. Not too long ago, I used a linear polyurethane on my boat (sprayed on) and the job came out beautifully. But you don't have to go to the extreme prep and expense of that kind of job. Good old fashioned enamels can also look great but won't last as long as the modern stuff. Once again, detailed instructions are readily available from Interlux. As for bottom paints, you can go with simple stuff or get carried away with the real expensive stuff. Check out the interlux manual. It will cover all boat surfaces--wood, steel, aluminum, fiberglass etc. There's a wealth of info.
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6,290 Posts
Don't know if you have started painting or not but this is what I have learned from experience doing it 1st hand and without any knowledge.
IT ONLY MAKES SENSE TO GO AWLGRIP.....
WHY?
1st of all it is easier to sand only onceGREAT, then sand between each coat. Then when you start looking at two different colors then you are talking even MORE.
TAKE THE TIME AND SAND IT AND PREP IT RIGHT THE 1ST TIME AND GO WITH ALWGRIP AND SPRAY PAINT IT.
I'm happy with my results but when you spend THAT MUCH time and PREP into something you will change your mind on how you want it to look.
Your boat may not have been as bad as mine to start with but I have 3 coats of white on mine and it looks pretty smooth but will take 2 more to make it look professional. Didn't care for that at 1st but when you put your heart and soul into it you want it to look the BEST.
You can't see any flaws in it from 10' maybe even 5' away but DAMN, a month working on the boat and guessing at the weax and all that you start to take a little pride in it. SOmething I didn't think would happen. :doh
I mean My boat don't even have motors on it but after doing all that work I wanted it to look better and better as each coat went on the boat. Best bet is to PREP IT RIGH THE 1st Time, even if it takes 2 weeks, and spray paint it with awlgrip.
The time saved by sanding between coats will make the extra money you have to pay for the awlgrip worth it.
I should have pixs of the before and after project up with a month. I said 2 weeks before but you see where I am at. LOL.....
I have one more coat of red to put on and black wash the bottom of the boat and she will be ready. :bowdown:bowdown
IT ONLY MAKES SENSE TO GO AWLGRIP.....
WHY?
1st of all it is easier to sand only onceGREAT, then sand between each coat. Then when you start looking at two different colors then you are talking even MORE.
TAKE THE TIME AND SAND IT AND PREP IT RIGHT THE 1ST TIME AND GO WITH ALWGRIP AND SPRAY PAINT IT.
I'm happy with my results but when you spend THAT MUCH time and PREP into something you will change your mind on how you want it to look.
Your boat may not have been as bad as mine to start with but I have 3 coats of white on mine and it looks pretty smooth but will take 2 more to make it look professional. Didn't care for that at 1st but when you put your heart and soul into it you want it to look the BEST.
You can't see any flaws in it from 10' maybe even 5' away but DAMN, a month working on the boat and guessing at the weax and all that you start to take a little pride in it. SOmething I didn't think would happen. :doh
I mean My boat don't even have motors on it but after doing all that work I wanted it to look better and better as each coat went on the boat. Best bet is to PREP IT RIGH THE 1st Time, even if it takes 2 weeks, and spray paint it with awlgrip.
The time saved by sanding between coats will make the extra money you have to pay for the awlgrip worth it.
I should have pixs of the before and after project up with a month. I said 2 weeks before but you see where I am at. LOL.....
I have one more coat of red to put on and black wash the bottom of the boat and she will be ready. :bowdown:bowdown
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113 Posts
I painted my boat with Diamont base coat/clear coat, the sametype paintthat the boat was painted with from the factory (PPG). Base/clear is your typical automotive paint. The only disadvantage is that you cannot leave the boat in the water for over 36 hours, the paint will start to "blister" (bubbles up and peels). Also, base/clear takes a long time to cure, or at least cure enough to become rigid. I waited a month to set mine back on the trailer. My boat turned out really nice though.
The reason it turned out so well was the amount of prep that we did in order to get it ready to paint. We primed and wet sanded the whole boat. It takes a lot of time, but it is well worth the result. Good luck.
Ryan
The reason it turned out so well was the amount of prep that we did in order to get it ready to paint. We primed and wet sanded the whole boat. It takes a lot of time, but it is well worth the result. Good luck.
Ryan
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5,843 Posts
He's talking about the bottom of the hull being painted and in full contact with water ALL the time.
Awlgrip says not to do it below the waterline also, but you can keep it in the water for no more than a week with no problems.
A single stage paint below the waterline, forget it. It will bubble in a couple of day's. That stuff is nothing more than a Glorified Alkyd Enamel. [Brightsides & Easypoxy]
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5,843 Posts
Plenty of guy's on Classic Mako have used it. It's a heck of a lot better than a single component paint.
There are shop's that will also paint the base color in regular Awlgrip and clearcoat in Imron.
The advantage is that the Imron can be color sanded and buffed. Awlgrip says NOT to buff or color sand. I can tell you that if you do it will dull the finish.
There are shop's that will also paint the base color in regular Awlgrip and clearcoat in Imron.
The advantage is that the Imron can be color sanded and buffed. Awlgrip says NOT to buff or color sand. I can tell you that if you do it will dull the finish.
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